The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: centwise on January 07, 2022, 10:15:25 AM
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Hello Mustachian friends! Is anyone up for a temporary grocery-spending diet, to start off the New Year? It could be a sister-thread to "Eat all the food in the house!"
I stocked up a lot before the holidays, so now I have an abundance of food in the freezer and pantry. I'd like to see how long I can go with spending only $10/week for fresh groceries.
Now, I do realize that $10/wk might constitute the entire grocery budget for some ultra-mustachian households! But I am not them. I'm only medium-frugal, and our usual food budget averages out to $300/month (for 1.5 people). So I'm not suggesting this as a permanent change, but I would like to try a spending diet for a while, and see how long I can sustain it without limiting my enjoyment of food.
I'm starting out in a good place, with a reasonable stash of fresh veggies in the fridge. So let's get started!
Grocery spending so far this week: $0.
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I’ll join for a short period of time—my partner just left town due to a family emergency and he is the one who prefers a continually refreshed fridge full of food. I haven’t spent anything on groceries yet this year and would like to see how long I could go for (while still eating healthfully). I have lots of things in the pantry, frozen veg from the garden and a bag of tangerines so will try this at least until he returns home..😊
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I’ll join for a short period of time—my partner just left town due to a family emergency and he is the one who prefers a continually refreshed fridge full of food. I haven’t spent anything on groceries yet this year and would like to see how long I could go for (while still eating healthfully). I have lots of things in the pantry, frozen veg from the garden and a bag of tangerines so will try this at least until he returns home..😊
Welcome serendip! Sounds like we have similar goals at the moment, and are both well stocked with tangerines! I think my first challenge will be when I run out of cream for my coffee in a few days. :)
Sorry to hear about the family emergency. I hope everything works out.
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Thanks @centwise —your challenge inspired me so I prepped a bunch of food. Cooked up some vegan skillet Alfredo (to use up some chickpea lasagna sheets which have been loitering too long), soaked black rice for porridge, made hard-boiled eggs and steamed a few sweet potatoes for chocolate pudding :)
Excited to eat down the pantry/freezer ☺️
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I was similarly inspired!
1. I made a big batch of chicken stock (using bags of bones and vegetable scraps from the freezer)
2. I cooked up a batch of beets that were just starting to go soft in the refrigerator
3. I used half the beets + stock to make a big pot of vegetable borscht; cubed and froze the remaining beets
4. I had a bit of leftover cauliflower and yam so I sauteed them with frozen spinach + onions to serve with fried eggs.
Spending so far still $0
Now, I would love to know how to make chocolate pudding from sweet potatoes...
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Spending so far still $0
Now, I would love to know how to make chocolate pudding from sweet potatoes...
Here is the recipe—A friend made it for a dinner party once when there were vegan guests and now I tend to make it pretty frequently and just eyeball the ingredients (and use cashew nut butter or any nut butter that I happen to have). I will steam or roast sweet potatoes whenever I’m doing food prep and then it’s pretty easy to whip together anytime after they have cooled.
. Usually don’t use as much sweetener but that’s just personal preference..
https://vancouversun.com/life/food/secret-ingredient-chocolate-pudding/wcm/da62b6ba-103d-4fff-9559-7653039a5a77/amp/
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Hi! I've been looking for a "use up what's in your pantry" challenge for the month of January, saw this topic, and decided it was perfect. So I'm in.
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I'm in. I have so much stuff to use up.
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Welcome @Dicey and @Upstate NYer !
I soaked and cooked the dried black beans that have been sitting in the cupboard for a long while. Will eat them with some rice/salsa/cheese/end-of-bag-tortilla chips and one browning lime (whoops) for a little Mexi-inspired dinner.
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I'm in! I have so many dried beans...
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At the thrift store where I volunteer, we have a table in the break room where free things hang out. It can be fruit from someone's tree, new cosmetics or other things we don't sell, like food items. I picked up a bag of guacamole tortilla chips the other day. The Marshall's price tag was 2.99 from, and they were not expired. I used them tonight to make taco bowls. This challenge is off to a good start! I'm a little worried because I'm really low on fresh stuff, but we'll see how creative I can be.
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I'm going to start this today. I have plenty of chicken, frozen vegetables (broccoli and green beans), rice, beans...I eat the same things over and over again so this should be easy for me.
I need beef and some fresh vegetables though.
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Wow, way to go all, I'm pretty sure I spend more than this on just milk and apples, so I'm out....
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I'm interpreting this as "spend as little as possible" and "eat all the things you have on hand creatively". I blew the $$ value before I saw the thread (hah) with an order of dried beans from Rancho Gordo.
My version of this is 1) Only buying (immediate) essentials and 2) making a list and STICKING TO IT.
To help with 1, I emptied the pantry the other day and reorganized, inventorying as I went along. There were a couple of items that needed to be pitched; I made a list of possible meals along the way.
We're temporarily in this house until April 1. Let's see how little I need to move back aboard the boat food-wise!
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Why could you not have done this 2 weeks ago?
I would have been in, it is a nice challenge to see what you can eat that you have in stock and taught me a little bit about prepper mentality and all the abundance we have in this country, USA. I ate from my freezer and pantry during the ten day isolation I just did due to Covid illness. I had just cooked a turkey so I had leftovers and such. I ran out of so many things though including peanut butter, snacks, chocolate, bread, frozen berries, even down to 2 eggs.
I could not wait to go shopping.
I think I may do this challenge once a month to clean out.
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Welcome, all!
Serendip: Thanks for the recipe! looks so yummy.
Oneday: I'm in the "lots of dried beans to use up" category myself. Looking at ideas now... hmm, thinking of making meatless black bean posole.
Much Fishing: If you come back, feel free to adjust the details of the plan to fit your situation!
Sailing: That sounds like an excellent approach and great plan.
As for myself, I ran out of cream for my coffee, but fortunately I'm flexible with my morning routine (love coffee, tea, lattes, etc.) so I switched to oatmilk lattes for my morning pick-me-up. Still postponing shopping...
Grocery spending so far: Still zero.
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BikeFanatic: I just reread your post and noticed that you were just down with Covid. I hope you are fully recovered and not suffering any lingering effects!
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Alas, I had to get some things for DH's breakfast and lunch tomorrow. He wanted to go to
rehab Costco, but I said, "No, no, no." We went to Sprouts instead. Six items cost $18.96. My only comfort is that a Costo run would have been much more $$$.
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@Dicey —that’s a huge success. There’s no way a Costco run would’ve stayed under 20 bucks!
@BikeFanatic —I can see how being isolated in the house without proper provisions would feel so limiting. I was sequestered into my bedroom for 5-6 days over the holidays and had food brought to my door. It felt ..unusual. Glad you are feeling better.
I managed to satisfy my post-skiing craving for salt with dulse (!!)..normally I would snack on chips but since there aren’t any in the house I started rummaging et voila. Quite tasty and while it was a strange snack it was also perfect since I have a whole bag of it and just that salty taste I wanted.
I also cooked up some wild rice, finished making pudding and baked a batch of granola.
Will likely pick up some fruit and veg soon but pleased to have not gone grocery shopping yet this year!
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I spent exactly $10 last night on ground beef (1 lb), a bag of romaine lettuce (10 oz) and 2 jalapeno peppers. So, now to see if I can make it until next Monday before buying anything else.
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Ok, I went shopping yesterday and spent around $13.85 on groceries...but that included one non-food item. Dried beans, milk, couple cans of chicken and tuna, etc. So for me, close enough.
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Well done on the low spends @Naomi and @Upstate NYer
I went to the store and spent $22..which paid for a bag of organic apples, two leeks, mushrooms, half of a red cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms, parsley, a stalk of lemongrass, two lemons, one yellow pepper, garlic and one Portuguese bun (for lunch..which meant I was able to rescue and eat an old frozen veggie burger).
Let’s see how long I can go with those replenishments :) feels abundant right now—if I make it through the month that would be something else!
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You meant $10 a day, right?
No?
I'm out.
I've got a teenager.
I can't even do $10 per person.
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But @mm1970 how low *can* you go? :)
Y'all, I did a Costco run on Saturday before I saw this thread, so I am well-positioned. It's all just a fortuitous coincidence. So far, have had soup with crusty bread, and jambalaya. The last didn't even include anything from this week's Costco run. Spent $? on the bread plus some frozen veg at an upscale local grocery store, due to miscommunication with my BF. Oh well. I'm estimating $5.
Will switch to canned fruit in a few days. Other than a lack of fresh fruit, I am well-stocked for breakfast and snacks. Lunches and dinners are going to challenge my creativity this week.
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Welcome Oneday!
Great job, Naomi and Upstate!
Serendip your recent grocery shop looks sublimely delicious!
The deep freeze outside has made me very happy to stay in and not go grocery shopping lately. However today the temperature soared (all the way up to zero degrees Celsius today -- Oh my, it feels like Spring!) so I'm starting to get the itch. But I have plenty of food and I know I can postpone it for a few more days.
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A rainy day at home (& this challenge) helped me accomplish some unusual but delicious kitchen tasks.
Used previously made wild rice to bake a loaf of spelt, wild rice and pumpkin seed bread—so tasty! (Inspired by Amy Chaplins spelt & brown rice bread and my pantry full of spelt flour from earlier covid-days). Also tested a new (library) cookbook about Palestinian food (titled Falastin) to perfect hummus from scratch, and will make bibimbap tonight to use up leftover rice and veg.
Also brewed up roasted dandelion root tea then blended it with coconut butter and oat milk for a tasty latte-esque bevvie.
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I love library cookbooks! I keep an always-rotating collection of 3-4 library cookbooks on my kitchen shelf. My current favourite, "Mowgli Streetfood" is from an Indian restaurant in the UK. I found my new favourite lamb curry recipe in there.
Serendip: I assume you collected the dandelion roots yourself? Sound interesting!
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Was looking in my pantry and spotted half a bag of chickpea & fava bean flour that I always ignore..so I found a recipe online for an omelette style dish (with veggies) and topped it with white cheddar cheese, it was delicious.
@centwise - the roasted dandelion roots actually came from a little apothecary around here.
( My sister is a herbalist so I have lots of interesting herb and plant ingredients and love the different flavours, especially if they are local or foraged)
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Made egg fu young today. One of my favourite ways to use up bits and bobs of vegetables: mix chopped (pre-cooked) veggies, cubed tofu and a little leftover cooked chicken with eggs; fry in oil to make egg 'patties'. Serve on rice with a Chinese sauce (stock with soy sauce, sesame, garlic, ginger, a little sugar and corn starch). It's better if you have bean sprouts but I didn't have any.
For tomorrow I'm thawing some leftover home-made aloo gobi (potato cauliflower curry).
@Serendip: I love making a pizza-like meal from chickpea flour. Mix 1 cup besan with one cup water (+ salt) to make a batter; stir in sauteed onions; pour in a skillet and cook (oven or stovetop) to make a kind of pancake; then top with cheese, tomato and serrano peppers; finish under the broiler.
@Serendip: How lovely to have an herbalist in the family!
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Rough week. Our sewer line backed up into the house. We had to shut off the water for about 18 hours until a plumber could get here. (Fortunately, it was clear water, not chunky. Not a gross clean-up and we used plenty of bleach.)
We got our first pandemic-era takeout. Dinner for 2 from Chipotle was $22.09. I remembered to order extra tortillas, so we easily stretched it to two more dinners the following night. Not too expensive and, darn, it was good!
In related news, I keep hearing about empty shelves in the grocery stores, so we caved and made a Costco run today. $250 $205 later, I can firmly say I'm the group's first abject failure.
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@Dicey: Sorry to hear about the plumbing issues. Silvery lining: now that you're fully stocked, you're perfectly positioned to come back and restart the challenge, starting now!
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I was eating out of the pantry this month, but the silly Georgia snow frenzy made me worry about supplies (plus Covid shortages). So I spent $75. Southerners don't cope with snow/ice really well!
Still, I love this thread, and I'm getting back to this when the ice melts!
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Found more stuff in the back of my cabinets. Had some rice and vegan taco filling, black beans, no cheese in frig. Used lettuce leaves as a taco no tortillas left. Amazing good maybe I could eat it that way forever.
Due to early pandemic hoarding I may make it next 2 weeks on ten dollars. Let’s hope I don’t have to buy coffee!
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Coffee should go in the "does not count" column. Lol.
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I’ll join.
I had an enormous amount of food in the house from the start of the pandemic and was keeping it topped up for a long time afterwards. It got to the point where my freezer was bulging as well as the pantry. I stopped buying much in the fall because I couldn’t stand the excess. Plus my freezer needed defrosting.
So I’ve been eating everything down since then and have bought nothing since Christmas, so I’m ahead of the challenge, lol.
I’m now at the point where I’m running out of some things, but with Omicron surging, I’m trying not to go out. So this will be my chance to really eat things up and restock with fresh supplies in about a month.
I have lots of beans in various forms and lots of meat, potatoes and rice, but other veggies and fruit are in short supply. Also no eggs, which I might need to buy soon.
I think I can manage on $10/week for a while - we’ll see how long.
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Coffee should go in the "does not count" column. Lol.
[.... centwise busily reclassifies coffee as essential household supplies ]
;)
Actually I do want to try postponing coffee-buying too, and plan to drink tea instead for a while, in the spririt of the challenge, but that's only because I love morning tea almost as much as coffee. I do understand that one's morning coffee routine can be sacred, so I wouldn't begrudge anyone's decision to classify coffee as non-grocery. :)
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I agree that coffee should live under household items..
Am cooking up coconut rice pudding with the small amount of Arborio rice I had in a bag (and coconut milk powder, cardomom, nutmeg, orange peel and a few raisins)
Used frost-bitten mango and pineapple that I had forgotten about for a smoothie and also prepared green lentils with Indian spices and coconut milk..super easy and tasty.
@centwise —I will try your chickpea pizza idea. I enjoy the texture and flavour of the flour but never use it as my SO seems suspicious of it :)
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Baked bread today for the first time in a while! I had given up my weekly bread-baking habit last year, in an effort to reduce carb consumption but this is a good time to revive the habit (at least, on an occasional basis). Made one large loaf and set aside a ball of dough for pizza. It felt great to be kneading dough again, and now the house is filled with the scent of freshly baked bread.
Pseudo-Mexican food for tonight! I have a large bag of corn tortillas from the local Latin market; they last an exceptionally long time in the refrigerator. I also have cooked chicken in the freezer. I ripened the last avocado (which had been 'in stasis' in the fridge) and will make guacamole. Looking forward to chicken quesadillas with pepper-jack cheese, salsa, onion and guac.
@Serendip: Rice pudding is a great idea, and I have all the necessary ingredients! (I like to add some almonds.) I love it but never think of it. We are still working our way through the last of the Christmas sweets; when they are gone, I will make rice pudding to satisfy our sweet cravings.
The last time I shopped before starting the challenge was Jan 3. So Jan 4 is my starting date, and I've made it 12 days without shopping so far!
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I did not make it a whole week without buying more. Friday, I spent $11.49 on pretzel rolls (4), grapefruit (2), tomato (1), strawberry popsicles (6). Then Saturday I spent $9.33 on ginger ale (6) and candy bars (2). I still have chicken, but no beef so will buy that this week and that should be all.
Week 1 Total: $30.82
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Joining in January week three, but excluding food for my seven year old, who is very picky/limited and thrives on a very specific grocery list which I refresh daily and weekly.
Ok, so $10 for mom only. Coffee doesn’t count. I am not frugal at all really, so this will be challenge enough.
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Joining in January week three, but excluding food for my seven year old, who is very picky/limited and thrives on a very specific grocery list which I refresh daily and weekly.
Ok, so $10 for mom only. Coffee doesn’t count. I am not frugal at all really, so this will be challenge enough.
Welcome, LadyMa, sounds like a good plan!
For me, the challenge is mostly a reminder to (1) use what I have and (2) not stock up unnecessarily (because I already have plenty). I'm also hoping to slowly empty the freezer so I can defrost it in a couple of months.
I have the advantage of a small family: just me, plus my teenage daughter half of the time. So people with larger families or picky-child constraints should feel free to adjust the challenge to fit their circumstances. :)
I'm starting to get the itch to go shopping! But we are going to have bad weather and icy streets for the next few days, so that will help keep me at home, foraging in the fridge, pantry and freezer.
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I am finally digging into the pile of grains I tend to buy but then avoid.
Making a warm buckwheat salad with fennel/cashew dressing & an egg for lunch🤞 *ended up being super tasty..better than expected :)
I’m also motivated to start growing/sprouting micro-greens. I already have seeds from last year (broccoli, mustard, sunflower, pea, radish..) just have to set up my system and get them going.
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After the Costco stock-up on the 8th, I made three separate "just grab a few things" grocery stops. This added up to about $15. So, very low compared to last year's $41/week average. Didn't quite meet the challenge, but also restrained myself from making purchases that would then languish in the larder for untold eons, or prevent me from eating other things which have housed themselves in my pantry since time immemorial.
Good start to the challenge. I'll try again this week. Need milk & fruit, at least...
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Ok, so week two shop (for me) added up to $16.69. I've been over the $10 limit both weeks but just the fact I'm spending $15 or so a week vs. $50 a week is a win to me.
Been preparing things ahead of time, to have them for the upcoming week.
If I run out of coffee before the challenge is over, I'm going to switch to tea as well, since I have a ton of it and like both.
Thanks to all of you for helping me to remain motivated. :)
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That’s the spirit of it @Upstate NYer and @oneday —I think keeping costs low is the challenge/and it’s personal what that means. Improvements count!
I made a smoothie using yogurt, some cranberry powder and maca (which I had forgotten that I had), frozen banana and flax meal. Will make a sushi roll for lunch using leftovers and nori.
I have a recipe for a Palestinian pasta dish for tonight which has a yogurt-based sauce (it really needs using up), parsley and breadcrumbs. Experimental!
My partner is coming back home and just suffered a big loss so I’ll be breaking this challenge in order to stock up on comfort items for him. I will keep myself focused on the challenge and using things up —but I want him to come home & feel taken care of.
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Condolences, @Serendip. (Comfort foods for the bereaved should certainly be excludable from the grocery tally)
Best wishes,
C.
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Condolences, @Serendip. (Comfort foods for the bereaved should certainly be excludable from the grocery tally)
Best wishes,
C.
Totally agree. How lovely of you to want to comfort your partner in his time of loss.
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Thank you for the support, I did a good shop and included his favourite items. There isn’t much we can do for others’ grief but these small gestures feel meaningful.
I’ve been quite inspired by the stack of cookbooks that I brought home from the library. It’s satisfying to find new recipes that use things that I already have (the pasta/parsley dish I mentioned yesterday turned out really well)
Things that are recently expired but I’d still like to use up or find uses for..
1) almond flour (perhaps a waffle or use it in some dough for pizza?)
2) kimchi ( another bibimbap style meal)
*(Funnily enough I just googled those ingredients together and came up with this kimchi pancake, so there is the dinner plan for tonight as I have all the other ingredients as well!) https://abbyrue.com/how-to-make-low-carb-korean-kimchi-pancakes/
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if you still have almond flour left it makes amazing homemade crackers.
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Still postponing shopping... but I'm finding this quite fun and not a sacrifice so far. (When it becomes a sacrifice it will be time to stop.)
I'm super busy with work today and Friday, and I'd rather not shop on the weekend SO my target date for the next shop is: Monday morning!
Eating leftovers today: thawed borscht (from last week) and leftover pizza (from yesterday).
In terms of 'fresh' stuff, I'm down to cabbage, carrots, butternut squash, onions, potatoes. I dug into my freezer and found frozen edamame (shelled), spinach, beets, apples, blueberries (and also a bag of mixed frozen vegetables that are kind of tasteless, so I'm thinking of feeding them to my dog).
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Bag of mixed veggies will work in a casserole, adding to the veg count in there!
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Totally blew this challenge at the local grocery store (a decidedly NOT fancy spot) getting food to prep to leave DH for a week. 2 items (a bag of King Arthur flour and a jar of Rao's sauce - and yes, I consciously spend the money on those because I really do think they're better quality by a mile) set me back $18. EIGHTEEN DOLLARS.
Sheesh.
He better eat pasta while I'm gone is all I can say. Lol. Flour was used immediately to make a loaf of bread, 4 ciabatta rolls, and 3 baguettes. There's some left too.
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@centwise—glad it’s still feeling like a fun challenge. It is for me as well. Even though I did a little shop, I am still considering how to use up items and my partner in on board to try to keep costs low for a bit and move through what we have.
Opened up a bag of masa harina and finally made homemade corn tortillas last night. So easy, so very tasty and our black bean tacos were delicious with quick pickled cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo and lime. Yum. Can’t wait to make more tortillas and bake up some veggie enchiladas.
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Totally blew this challenge at the local grocery store (a decidedly NOT fancy spot) getting food to prep to leave DH for a week. 2 items (a bag of King Arthur flour and a jar of Rao's sauce - and yes, I consciously spend the money on those because I really do think they're better quality by a mile) set me back $18. EIGHTEEN DOLLARS.
Sheesh.
Ha, I’m sure the good quality items will be appreciated @SailingOnASmallSailboat :)
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Our goal is to be around $100/week (I realize that's....just a smidge beyond the original challenge ;-)). I'm feeding four people, two of whom are very active teens. $100/week would be a huge win for us.
The first week, we restocked as we were out of town. The second week, we were picking up things for an out of town ski trip, and had more convenience items than normal. But, this week... we did it! Yeah! We didn't need much protein, which helps with the budget. I also went to the local produce stand, which requires more effort & is generally way more crowded than my standard shop. But, I needed quite a few veggies, and they are a fraction of the price of anywhere else.
I also used a gift card for the grocery store, which has the double win of helping me use down my gift cards, and saving us money.
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@MaybeBabyMustache you did it, hooray!
Check in time. Recap: joined 1/9 just after a Costco stock-up. $15 spent Jan 9-15.
Jan 16-22: $8.08 spent! Woo! Not only is this a win for the week, but my month so far is at an average of $29/week...far lower than last year's $41/week average. Sweet! And my pantry is still pretty full. I think I'll be able to keep this up for another week for sure. Will re-assess after that.
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Excellent, @oneday!
I previously mentioned that I still have cabbage, carrots, onion left; also found a couple of wrinkled serrano peppers. Following Serendip's example, I peered around the pantry for food items that need to be used up, and a package of bean thread noodles caught my eye. They had been languishing in the cupboard for a long time.
So I leafed through my old Thai cookbook and was just ecstatic to find a recipe that calls for: cabbage, carrots, onion, green chiles and bean thread noodles! I had to make a few subsitutions: chicken and tofu for pork; lime leaves for lime juice; sauteed yellow onions for green onions; and topped it all with crushed peanuts. It also used up my last eggs. The whole thing is somewhat reminiscent of pad thai, just with a different type of noodle. It was quite a delicious meal and I have a lot left over for today.
Over the weekend I also dragged the last bags of bones and veggie scraps from the freezer, and made a big batch of chicken stock. Now I'm ready to make a soup using the butternut squash, in the next day or two.
Tomorrow I will shop.
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Opened up a bag of masa harina and finally made homemade corn tortillas last night. So easy, so very tasty and our black bean tacos were delicious with quick pickled cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo and lime. Yum. Can’t wait to make more tortillas and bake up some veggie enchiladas.
Could you share your tortilla method/recipe? I have a bag of masa harina and have made corn tortillas before, but I found it prohibitively difficult. Very messy and labor intensive, and they didn't even taste that good. Would love to figure out what I did wrong and try again.
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Opened up a bag of masa harina and finally made homemade corn tortillas last night. So easy, so very tasty and our black bean tacos were delicious with quick pickled cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo and lime. Yum. Can’t wait to make more tortillas and bake up some veggie enchiladas.
Could you share your tortilla method/recipe? I have a bag of masa harina and have made corn tortillas before, but I found it prohibitively difficult. Very messy and labor intensive, and they didn't even taste that good. Would love to figure out what I did wrong and try again.
That's been my experience every damn time.
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Tortillas:
1) If you've had the masa harina for a while, the flour itself might be off. It's cornmeal treated with lime (not the green fruit), basically, and can go rancid or stale.
2) 2 keys I've found when making them include using warm water (not cold or hot) and to let it sit for at least 30 minutes before pressing them with a tortilla press; 2 pie pans that nest together work as a substitute but if they're not non-stick line them with parchment paper or a ziploc bag you've separated.
Also the salt is important.
Dinner tonight here will be using leftover pizza veggies and making a frittata of sorts (I say sorts because I'm housesitting and don't have a good pan for frittatta-ing so it will be baked in a 9x11 pan). Trying to see if I can make it through this week here without going to the grocery store.
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Perhaps we had beginners luck with our tortillas?!
I used the recipe off the bag (Bob’s Red Mill variety)
2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1.5-2 cups hot water (we boiled it)
I used the full 2 cups of water and it still seemed like it might be dry but I resisted adding more (I wonder if elevation affects the dough too? We live in the mountains).
I let the dough sit in the bowl for an hour, covered under a tea cloth then split it into 12 balls and pressed them flat with wax paper and a tortilla press (a Xmas gift). We cooked them as we made them.
We used a hot cast iron skillet for about a minute then a quick flip to the other side for 30 seconds or so.. No sticking or anything, I suppose because they are dry and thin.
Anyhow—sorry to hear you haven’t had them work out @Raenia and @Dicey
. Like I said, we might have had beginners luck but it did make me excited about the possibilities (my partner now wants to make simple dumpling wrappers with the press))
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Week 1: $30.82
Week 2: $28.12
0 so far for week 3, but my week started today on Monday so I think by Wednesday, I might need a few things.
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Week 1: $8.46 for fresh produce for one
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Thanks @Serendip and @SailingOnASmallSailboat , maybe it is that I don't have a tortilla press. Rolling them out by hand between two sheets of parchment paper did not work well. I'll try the pie plate method next time, I have a set of round cake pans that nest.
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Rolling them out by hand is a pain. Hard to get the thickness right and it just takes FOREVER.
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My son left for 3 months so I went grocery shopping yesterday and spent 30. I am going to eat what I have in the freezer.
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Welcome @Cassie !
I baked a tasty loaf of buckwheat, millet and oat bread. I can eat normal bread but my extended family are all wheat and gluten sensitive so I thought this was an interesting experiment. The only thing I needed to buy was psyllium husks and I had the other ingredients so now I know what I can take when I go visit them.
Tonight will be a lime & double ginger soba noodles (with tofu and broccoli). The double ginger in the recipe is both fresh ginger and pickled ginger (both gingers and the tofu need to be used so win-win!)
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I love the combination of this thread, the "eat down your pantry" one, and the "what's for dinner" one. Awesome overlap!
Tonight I'll make gnocchi (an experiment with DH that we decided we don't need to repeat, but I didn't want to pitch it and I'm away from home) that I'll top with ham, tomato sauce leftover from pizza night, and some frozen peas from the freezer. Oh, I think there are a few artichokes in a jar that need to be eaten.
It's interesting being in someone else's house (I'm house sitting) with their fridge/pantry contents and trying NOT to go grocery shopping while I'm here.
I'm very very far from the $$ value of this challenge, but am pleased with our grocery spend so far this month as it's about 20% of our normal and I should be able to just get fresh veg and fish on the way home this weekend.
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Well, I lasted 10 days. I decided that I was getting low on things other than basic meat and potatoes, so went to Walmart and bought about $100 worth of food, plus pet food. Lots of shelves had huge bare spots, more than I've seen in the last 2 years. I found most of what I wanted, but not everything. So now I'm thinking of staying stocked up again.
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@Serendip: I'm so impressed by your tortilla success! You're a star. I'm happy to have tortillas in the fridge and wouldn't even attempt to make them.
@SailingOnASmallSailboat: Thanks for the positive note about the thread! I'm enjoying it too. Let us know how the gnocchi experiment works out.
Well done all for the frugal shopping, especially @LadyMaWhiskers !
It has been 22 days since my last shop, so I headed out to the markets today and blew my budget! I had planned to spend $30 but spent $45. What pushed me over the edge was butter and olive oil that I don't yet desperately need, but the price was right (and I don't want to risk running out). AND I confess to spending $4 on a box of chocolates that were on clearance! I suppose I could declare olive oil to be in the "necessary household supplies" category (lol) but I think I'd prefer to keep it in the grocery category, for now at least.
So that averages out to $15/week for the challenge so far... but if I stay the course and don't shop for the next ten days or so, I can bring my average back down to $10/wk. So that is my new plan: No more groceries until approximately Feb 3.
My fruit bowl is full again (apples, bananas, tangerines and pears) and I now have fresh free-range eggs, cream for my coffee, sour cream for my soup, and plenty of fresh veggies (zucchini, lettuces, cauliflower, peppers, cabbage, carrots). And I'm working my way through the pantry and freezer items.
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...as for the "what's for dinner" aspect that has arisen in this thread:
I cooked up a batch of black beans in the pressure cooker. Then I used one-third of them to make a pot of black-bean posole with butternut squash. Yum! (I had dried ancho and New Mexico peppers in the pantry, and white posole in the freezer). I portioned the remaining black beans into freezer bags and look forward to eating them soon.
Still have half a butternut squash left! And only about 200g of dried black beans remaining in the pantry.
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I freaked out a bit and decided now is not the time to eat down our stores. Today was Senior Morning at Grocery Outlet. 10% off everything. I hit two of them and the 99 Cent Only Store in between. I found great deals on Chicken Stock and Coconut Milk, both of which I was almost out of.
On one hand, it's a huge fail, on the other, I'm relieved not to have to worry about basics.
Our GO'S do a monthly drawing. If they draw your ticket, you win the amount you "saved". My "savings" were $216.00 today. I can just imagine them drawing my name, looking at the amount, then crumpling it up and drawing another.
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It's not a fail, it's just a different kind of win! A stocking-up shop when everything is at a great price is sometimes just what's needed. (Just like a box of chocolates was "needed" for me today...)
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It's not a fail, it's just a different kind of win!
This is the kind of attitude I love to see here :)
I opted for granola for dinner tonight b/c my SO wasn’t hungry and I was too tired to be bothered to make the dinner I had planned. We can eat that tomorrow and it felt like a success to just have a super easy night of cereal and fruit for dinner.
Aiming to go until the end of the week without visiting the store..
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It's not a fail, it's just a different kind of win! A stocking-up shop when everything is at a great price is sometimes just what's needed. (Just like a box of chocolates was "needed" for me today...)
Love this.
Also, the comment about buying when the price is right is spot on. This does mean knowing what a good price is, something that's a little harder when you shop a) rarely and b) at different stores all the time. I've been checking prices on those 2 OMG items from earlier and found that, as suspected, that little grocery store was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY out of line especially for the flour.
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Everyone is checking in with their purchases (and doing great!), so I will check in, too. Especially since I shopped yesterday and don't plan to go again this month, if I can get away with it.
Another over-target week: $14.24 For this I stocked up on milk-substitute for 2-3 weeks, resupplied veggies and other staples & even splurged on an interesting-sounding broth. Hoping this takes me through the end of the month, but may need one more shop to fill holes in the pantry.
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This is a fun challenge!
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… and isn’t that the point!
Well, one of the points anyhow @Cassie :)
Had some leftover enchiladas for lunch (we used the leftover tortillas for this purpose)…they were a little rich for me but can finesse it in the future..
Pulled some chili from the freezer and in general am trying to utilize some of the more obscure powders and spices that I have collected or inherited ( maca and moringa powders in my granola).
I even tried to make preserved lemons since I had a bag of lemons and wanted to try this process. I’ll know in 3 weeks whether it was a success. Basically lemons, salt and time.
Mixed up a tea blend with dried rose hips and it was wonderfully summer-flavoured.
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Wanted to make a batch of mac and cheese to leave for my friends when they come home from their vacation, so hit the store today. I bought 1 lb elbow mac, 2 lbs of block cheese (store brand), and 2 containers of tomatoes. Total? $15.72. Nuts.
On the upside, there's a BIG pan for them in the fridge and I'm having a tomato salad for my dinner.
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Week 1: $30.82
Week 2: $28.12
0 so far for week 3, but my week started today on Monday so I think by Wednesday, I might need a few things.
Week 3: $24.53, but I may buy a few things today. I'm going to try and hold out though because they aren't really necessary.
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I switched my breakfast from a granola bar to waffles since I have a bunch in the freezer that my son bought and never ate.
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I switched my breakfast from a granola bar to waffles since I have a bunch in the freezer that my son bought and never ate.
Good idea Cassie! I hope the frozen waffles are yummy.
Some things that I've cleared out of my freezer since this challenge began:
Lots of frozen chicken bones and veggie scraps (made chicken stock and soups)
Perogies and Ukrainian sausage
Roast chicken meat
Today I added the last bit of Ukrainian sausage to a big batch of pasta sauce (with canned tomato, frozen spinach, butternut squash, bell pepper, onion).
... but I still have a lot of stuff in the freezer that I should focus on using up. I have a couple of pie shells... perhaps I should make quiche or apple pie?
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We are making a tofu and veg stir fry with some of the straggling remnants from the fridge. Just need to add heaps of garlic, ginger and rice = one super tasty meal.
My SO didn’t feel like cooking yesterday so he bought pizza for dinner, felt extravagant :) also very tasty, so I might try to make a homemade pizza dough with some of the spelt flour that needs using and make a potato/bacon pie tomorrow or Monday..we shall see!
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I switched my breakfast from a granola bar to waffles since I have a bunch in the freezer that my son bought and never ate.
You inspired me to make the tempura cauliflower that's ben languishing in my freezer! Threw in some edamame (also from the freezer) to add protein and had a tasty meal, with leftovers :)
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This was easier than I thought, and I should donor quarterly or so.
$8-9 week 1
$16.35
Infinite soup on hand? Priceless.
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Today I will be having coconut shrimp because there’s enough in the freezer for one person. My friends are coming for dinner Tuesday and I will make stuffed pork chops and French onion soup because I have all the ingredients. The only thing I need to buy is milk.
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Resisted swinging by the grocery store on the way home from work, it seems it's a bit of a habit :)
-I will make some homemade oat milk tonight since we're out.
-Dinner will be a sautéed fennel, spinach & lemon pasta dish since I have all the ingredients for that.
-Have bread dough prepping for tomorrow. It's a spelt & brown rice recipe but I'm going to use buckwheat since I have a bunch cooked in the fridge and see how it turns out.
-Also might make some naan tomorrow to go with the curried lentils that I pulled from the freezer.
**very satisfying to be working through all that spelt flour!!**
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Resisted swinging by the grocery store on the way home from work, it seems it's a bit of a habit :)
I found the same thing! Sometimes I'm there not out of need but out of habit.
$17 this week including needed produce and $6 on little grab & go snack pack things, quite a splurge really. But I've been out and about a lot recently, and falling into the trap of just grabbing something quick/cheap while out...which is neither really cheap or healthy. These snacks should curb that, so I'm OK with this spending for now.
Jan total including today, and shopping in the first week before I joined the challenge: $116 or $26/week...far less than the $41 average last year. And I have quite a bit left in the pantry. Will play again next month!
Thanks @centwise this challenge was/is enlightening, creativity-stimulating and fun!
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Jan total including today, and shopping in the first week before I joined the challenge: $116 or $26/week...far less than the $41 average last year. And I have quite a bit left in the pantry. Will play again next month!
Thanks @centwise this challenge was/is enlightening, creativity-stimulating and fun!
You're welcome, @oneday. :) All of you have been inspiring me all month!
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This was easier than I thought, and I should donor quarterly or so.
$8-9 week 1
$16.35
Infinite soup on hand? Priceless.
Congratulations again LadyMa, on frugal shopping success!
What is infinite soup? Is it the pot on the stove that keeps bubbling away, and you keep adding things to it? ...kind of like pease-porridge-in-the-pot-nine-days-old, of nursery rhyme fame?
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Love reading all the neat food people are making!
I do an ‘eat down the freezer’ every December and am in more of a stockpiling mode right now.
Completely craving homemade granola right now.
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Week 4: $12.61 today. The weather is supposed to be horrible for the next 3 days. I work tomorrow night so I have to be out, but other than that I don't plan on going anywhere so shouldn't spend any $.
We were supposed to leave Thurs to go on vacation for a week, but I went ahead and changed it to Fri because was already getting e-mails from the airline saying our flight would probably be affected.
If I don't spend any more this week, that will be $96.08 for 4 weeks.
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Love reading all the neat food people are making!
I do an ‘eat down the freezer’ every December and am in more of a stockpiling mode right now.
Completely craving homemade granola right now.
This is a great granola recipe. I reduce the sugar and add ground flax, chia, etc, depending what I have on hand. It's a bit less clumpy, but worth the trade-off for added nutrients. I usually double it, because it goes fast.
https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/no-stir-clumpalicious-granola/
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Love reading all the neat food people are making!
I do an ‘eat down the freezer’ every December and am in more of a stockpiling mode right now.
Completely craving homemade granola right now.
This is a great granola recipe. I reduce the sugar and add ground flax, chia, etc, depending what I have on hand. It's a bit less clumpy, but worth the trade-off for added nutrients. I usually double it, because it goes fast.
https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/no-stir-clumpalicious-granola/
Hmmm I might try this! Looks delicious and I have all the stuff (including ground flax, hemp seeds and slivered almonds).
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Will be having leftovers tonight (coconut lentils, homemade naan, rice… and my partner made tandoori chicken).
Also used up some red cabbage and cucumber (on quinoa) for lunch.
And steamed a yam for that sweet-potato pudding. I made this earlier in the challenge as well and this time I drank the water used for steaming..it was delicious.
Bought some snacks, dark chocolate and almonds (for homemade granola) earlier this week which put me well over $10 (the almonds themselves cost $12) but we have a few days of dinner ready in the fridge/freezer so likely won’t shop until hopefully Sunday or Monday.
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@Serendip that sounds delicious! Love that you & your partner collaborated.
Reporting in early, as I'll be out of town this weekend & not purchaing groceries. $4 spent, but paid BF back $20 from earlier in the month that I forgot to account for. Partial win? I say yes, because I also cleared out some old freezer items.
Next week I need to do the big Costco run again, so a high bill, but lowest unit cost on most of the staples.
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We were in a town with actual grocery stores yesterday, so I did a massive stock up. My goal for the month is to shop only twice except for fresh fish. Anything else will either be substituted or gone without until the next shop (I'm back in that town on February 24.)
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In a previous post I listed a few things that I'd cleared out of the freezer. What I did NOT mention was that I realized (to my consternation) that more stuff had gone INTO the freezer than had come out! I've been inspired to do a lot of frugal cooking this month, and as a result, part of every batch went into the freezer. So my hoard of frozen leftovers has swelled: I still have posole, aloo gobi, palak paneer, chicken stock, pasta sauce with veggies, pizza dough, leftover pizza, bread, black beans and beets.
So.. instead of being "consternated" (I looked it up, it's actually a word lol) by the increase in freezer contents, I guess I'll take it as a win! ...because now I can eat down those leftovers and postpone grocery shopping just a little longer. But at this rate I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready to defrost that freezer...
Edited to add: I think I'll thaw some black beans. Today's meals will be built around corn tortillas, beans, salsa, cheese and eggs (along with a tiny bit of leftover chipotle beef). I'll also make a cabbage-carrot-apple slaw.
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I've been doing this for awhile now...last two weeks I spent around $25 a week, this week I was up to $30. Doing a lot of meal planning, making things in advance for the week...not so hard when you get into the routine of it (I'm not big on cooking, lol). I have used up a lot of things in my pantry that had been sitting there for awhile, so that's good.
Anyone else find they are eating a lot of vegetarian meals?
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I didn’t have much in the freezer so did a shop for the next 3-4 weeks and only spent 138. I will have to pick up perishables in between.
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Good job @Upstate NYer !
Anyone else find they are eating a lot of vegetarian meals?
Yes, definitely! A lot of meatless or nearly meatless meals. Yesterday's Mexican-inspired blackbean quesadillas were vegetarian (I mentioned leftover beef, but I didn't use it). The black bean posole that I made earlier was also meatless, but not really vegetarian because I made it with chicken broth. I also love Indian food, and I made some vegetarian Indian dishes early in the challenge, of which I still have leftovers in the freezer.
I've been having a lot of fun finding new ways to make a meal out of what I have on hand. A few days ago I made a side-dish of sauteed onions, frozen spinach and canned corn. But then I mixed the leftovers with cooked soybeans and leftover quinoa, and topped it with melted cheese. The result was a really delicious casserole-like vegetarian supper! ... and on the third day, I polished off the remainder with sriracha sauce, a few walnuts and an egg on top.
So, I may not be emptying out the freezer (yet) but I'm doing a good job of working my way through the pantry items. I've made a "side goal" for myself: I want to use up all the beans and lentils in the pantry before I can buy any more. (But that will take a while.)
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Definitely.
I naturally lean vegetarian (was one for almost 10years) so I tend to always cook this way and my partner is the more carnivorous one, so he buys and cooks the animal protein in our house.
I do benefit significantly from his non-frugalness (we don’t pool finances). I asked him to pick up some Parmesan yesterday and he came home with a giant block that cost $28 (!!) it will last us ages but made me laugh..
However I made a super tasty ribollita with cannellini beans, frozen kale from the garden and chunky sourdough. Bread soup. What a treat. (Plus you simmer Parmesan rind in the stew..I knew there had to be a good use for it!)
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Adding a new twist, I will be moving in just under 3 weeks. So I'm trying to eat down the pantry (especially fridge/frozen items) to make the move easier! It should *help* the challenge, but I'm not sure how well I'll be able to stick to the pantry eating. I shop a lot at Costco and cook for one, so there will be some very repetitive meals. May need to buy just to get variety.
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Well, I've pretty much sucked at this challenge. DH has the same thing for breakfast and lunch every single day of his 4-day workweek and I always seem to need something. I got pretty excited because this week I only needed two items, which cost $6.07. I was thrilled to finally have something to add to this thread until I remembered we spent money at Safeway on Sunday. We drove a good distance to pick up a brand-new wall oven for one of our rentals. It retailed for $1400 originally and a contractor had an out-of-box-but-never-used one for $500, which made it worth the 30 mile one-way drive. The day turned out to be so lovely that we decided to go for a hike while we were in the area. We had no food with us so we popped into a nearby Safeway for some trail snacks. We spent $11.50 on trail mix and fruit.
We're still under $20, so I'm calling it a win.
Yeah, about that wall oven. The house was built with Bisque appliances in 2003, which are perfect for the desert, but it's no longer available. As appliances have died, we've replaced them with Stainless. The only things left to replace are the wall oven and gas cooktop. Those two are never going to die, so DH has been keeping an eye out for deals on them. $500 ain't cheap, but it's an unusual item (single wall oven) and it will match everything else. Well, except the cooktop, but sooner or later, everything turns up on CL. Best of all, he bought, rehabbed and sold a compressor last week, making a $560 profit.
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Dicey, that is very, very low. Especially for two (three?) people. You win!
Meanwhile, I spent $76 over the last two weeks, so that's a fail. I will pick this up again next week after my move. New goal will be to clear out anything moved from the old place to the new place, supplementing with $10/week for variety.
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Total, total fail here. Went to the "big city" yesterday where there are actual stores with (gasp) decent veggies and other things like salsa that are not available where we currently are.
On the plus side, we should be stocked for the apocalypse.
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Total, total fail here. Went to the "big city" yesterday where there are actual stores with (gasp) decent veggies and other things like salsa that are not available where we currently are.
On the plus side, we should be stocked for the apocalypse.
A wise mustachian knows when to sieze the right buying opportunity, challenge afoot or not. Total failure application rejected.
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Total, total fail here. Went to the "big city" yesterday where there are actual stores with (gasp) decent veggies and other things like salsa that are not available where we currently are.
On the plus side, we should be stocked for the apocalypse.
A wise mustachian knows when to sieze the right buying opportunity, challenge afoot or not. Total failure application rejected.
HAHAHA. Thanks. :)
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Checking in. Spent $168 two weeks ago on a big stock-up, but nothing this last week. It's such a volatile category! Anyway, going to try to keep it under $10 for the upcoming week. I have a fair amount of food and just need to fill in a few things to round out the meals.
How's everyone else doing?
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Volatile is right!
Last time we went to the store was February 24 and it'll be at the earliest Monday before we go again. I could stretch it (we still have half and half, our current "gotta have") but we're heading to a town/grocery with reasonable produce on Monday or Tuesday. Not the case normally.
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I needed a few things for a birthday lunch I was making yesterday so went to the close store versus the cheaper farther store. They wanted 6-7 for eggs. Luckily I only needed one and had it at home. Sadly poor people without cars have to shop here if they live in the area because the farther ride isn’t on a bus route and too expensive of a Uber ride. I only had a few things and it cost 26.
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There are a lot of challenges to feeding our families/our selves on the cheap. It's a big deal, not having access to affordable food!