Recipes and Remains

No Money March is coming to an end.  We are heading into some interesting meals.   Our strangest meal has been our “Finish off the Appetizers” night. It included mozzarella bites, smoked salmon on crackers with cream cheese, and deviled eggs.  The only thing left in our freezer now is two Klondike bars, ice cubes, and a fourth of a bag of frozen blueberries.  It was packed so tight before I don’t think we even realized we had Klondike bars!

Planning out our menu at the beginning of the month was the best method.  Even with menu, I miscounted the number of canned chicken we had, so we might be a few meals short.  Digging through our remains, I was very tempted to buy some turkey.  In the far back of the pantry I found a can of turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, and the last can of green beans.  Looks like we’ll have an “unturkey” meal for Easter dinner!

The most exciting thing about this month has been that I have used my beautiful cookbooks.  They have not just been a decorative stack on my shelf, but a resource for meals with limited ingredients.  I have found Quiche is the easiest, what-ever-you-have, go-to meal.  I have used a large supply of Bisquick for everything from piecrusts and pizza dough, to pancakes and biscuits.  I wish I had more in my stockpile.    I made a homemade substitute but it did not perform as well when baked. 

Last but definitely not least, here is a list of the ingredients I will keep in good supply in my pantry: Bisquick, pasta, rice, canned chicken, sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, chicken and beef bouillon, and canned tomatoes.  It is amazing what you can make with these ingredients and a few spices.

Well, I am off to plan our meal for tonight.  Looks like a cheese and bacon quiche is on the menu!  Do you have a go-to meal?  How do you reuse your left overs or use simply what’s left in the freezer?

Time Warp Wednesday

While mid-month approaches on our No Money March Madness, I have been learning and remembering.  We still have plenty of food and are enjoying new recipes.  I have learned to make Quiche, Eggplant, and homemade Pizza Dough.

I have also found myself remembering habits of my grandmothers and my husband’s grandmother.  Well, not just remembering more like resembling.  Yes, I will admit it.  I washed freezer bags that I just couldn’t bring myself to throw away after one use!  The one thing I wish I had stocked up on and stashed away?  Freezer bags!

I have been using freezer bags for leftovers.  I made plans for those little bits of meat and veggies for future meals.  With half the month to go, I realized, I will run out of freezer bags.  Since the object of No Money March is to spend as little money as possible, I washed my freezer bags this week. Our grandmothers truly knew how to save money!  They also knew they could depend on their neighbors.

I learned I could depend on my neighbors too!  I was given an “extra” eggplant and taught how to cook it.  I had to “borrow” some cornstarch for homemade fajita mix.  I was also given some extra dog shampoo from a family who is moving back to the states.  All of these became examples of my time warp.

I felt I had gone back in time to an era, where neighbors shared their gardens, borrowed staple ingredients, and gave to others.  I could picture our grandmothers’ dish drainers stacked with plastic baggies after they had been washed.  I thought of the stacks of fresh vegetables and fruits dropped off at their doorsteps.  Through this adventure, I am beginning to resemble a past era of saving and giving.  Perhaps this will be the greatest lesson of the month or maybe just a lasting memory for our children.  Either way, saving and giving are important habits for every generation.

Planning is the Name of the Game...

           We are six days into No Money March.  I looked into my pantry and freezer.  Then I decided I better find some low cost recipes.  I already plan out our week’s worth of meals.  I try to buy groceries on sale, but also have my staples.  I occasionally try new recipes.  However, I never thought that spending less would give me the opportunity to tackle new dinner recipes! 

            I began looking at cheaper living websites like www.frugalvillage.com and www.frugalliving.about.com for inexpensive dinner recipes.  Then I hit the panic button.  They all began their conversations with how they plan the month’s menu.  I really hadn’t planned at all.  I was just thinking, sure, we’ll eat everything we have in the pantry.  During recent discussions with neighbors and friends, the conversation raised the questions, “What if there were a disaster? How long would our food last?”  Then, I began to plan.

            On Friday, I made two apple pies; usually I cut off the edges of my crust.  I either let my kids play with the dough, or I toss it.  Not this time!  I saved it, and will be use it tonight as the bottom layer of our quiche.  Quiche sounds fancy, but really it’s egg with a toss of other ingredients.  I realized that I have spinach about to go bad.  At this point, to throw out anything would be sacrilege.  We’ll be having a ham, cheese, and spinach quiche. 

            I also made baked potato slices with cheese and bacon on Friday.  Normally I would have tossed the ends of the potatoes I had cut off.  Not this time! I plan to use the ends for another meal.  Baked potato skins will become a nice side dish to a later meal.  Finally, my last example, we had Roast last night.  I saved the left over roast and will use it for Vegetable Beef Soup later this month. 

            Anyway, you get the picture.  I planned our entire month’s menu using what we had in the pantry.  I counted every can of beans, chicken, and corn.  I aligned the boxes of rice and pasta.  Right now, I think we can make it until the 29^th without having any strange meals.  Sure we’re going to have some meatless meals, and our meals may have less meat than usual.  Maybe it will be better for us in the long run.  It will definitely be better for our wallets!  

No Money March Madness

Nearly half of every American makes New Year's Resolutions.  In last year's post, I mentioned losing weight or getting healthy.  That is typically the number one resolution.  Other resolutions on the top of the list are getting organized and saving money and/or spending less.  This year, my family decided to make our resolution to save money and spend less.  We had been reading about different ways families worked to keep this resolution. One idea appealed to everyone.  The idea involved choosing one month where we spend as little money as possible.  We chose March.  So, here we go on our No Money March Madness!

Why did we choose March?  It's a long month!  It's the last of the winter months.  With our eyes on spring and Spring Break, what were we thinking?  We were thinking of Spring Break and the trip we will be taking.  We were thinking about having a little extra money for tours and souvenirs.  We were thinking extra fantastic meals and truly not worrying about the cost when we return from our trip.

We usually consider the cost of everything.  We are frugal family.  Anyone who knows us, is nodding their head vigorously at that statement. I'm smiling.  I watch our budget when I shop.  I love good deals,  especially the clearance rack at Target.  However, living overseas has caused a little strain in our budget.  Since the sequestration and current hiring freeze, I am out of a teaching job.  So that leads us to No Money March.

What are our rules for this month of not spending and saving more?  First, be more conscious of turning off lights, and running water.  Second, run our errands grouped together, drive less, and save gas money.  The next rule will be a difficult one, no traveling.  We live overseas, and will be here for only a short time.  We are trying to travel as much as we can.  Finally, the biggest task to tackle will be to eat all the food in our house before buying more.

This will lead to some interesting meals, I am sure.  I am thinking of myself looking at a few last ingredients and feeling like I am on an episode of the FoodNetwork show "Chopped".  What can I make out of breadcrumbs, the last few granola bars, a can of baked beans, and the last can of chicken?
I plan to involve our whole family on the meal planning so that everyone has ownership in those last few creative meals.  Of course, we will buy milk, eggs, and some fresh fruit along the way.  The idea is to be resourceful while using as little money as possible.

Ultimately it will be a challenge for all of us.  It will also be a unique learning experience of self-control, and needs vs. wants.  It has already lead to good discussions about how to budget.  I'll keep updating as the month progresses.

So, how do you save money? Would you or your family take this challenge?  What do you think you would miss the most when it runs out?

I'm already thinking about how to ration my coffee and my favorite creamer...