Momof2 so good to hear from you.. I was concerned since it has been such a long time but knew you were starting back to school.I know when I was working it was always easier to buy convenience foods or fast foods instead of cooking at home. Sometimes I would try to cook ahead on week-ends but it is hard when you have to work all week and then try to play catch up on the week-ends. Good look with your organizing and pantry challenge when you are able.. .Momof2Still wrote: ↑Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:46 pm Janet, sounds like you are doing a great job with stretching your grocery money.
Wow, seems like forever since I have had a chance to post. This school year has certainly been different. I think I was as tired going into the second week as I usually am at the end of the school year. I hope things are leveling out now. I still have a couple of large projects to complete, but nothing that is due in the immediate future.
I have done okay with the grocery budget- could be better, could be worse. I have wasted more than I care to admit, and it may not be over yet since I froze a lot of things to keep from having to toss them. I am not sure how well some of them will fare since I have not frozen them before, but it is worth a shot since they would have been tossed if I had not tried to save them.
I did manage to put together a menu plan for the upcoming two weeks, a shopping list, and went shopping, and stuck to the list for the most part- I think I grabbed a bag of sunflower seeds that were on mark down, and two boxes of instant low sugar oatmeal to keep in my office for those days I forget (or do not feel like eating what I brought). I love oatmeal, and usually cook steel-cut oats, but this will do in a pinch. It is a comfort food to me which is odd as I never had oatmeal as a child. I think a couple of things may get tweaked since I cleaned out the fridge (after shopping- I usually do that first) and found a couple of things to use within the next day or two (pkg. of mushrooms and a tomato).
RM is going home in a little over a week for a visit, and then upon returning will have about 3 weeks before he leaves for boot-camp. I think he is excited, and I am excited for him.
Dinner tonight was pizza for RM and I cooked a chicken breast that I thawed a couple days ago and never got around to using. I also used the rest of the left-overs in the fridge as sides. I think once RM is gone I will do a pantry challenge to use up some things. I have lots of things that I grabbed because we use it consistently, things I use were on sale, so I grabbed it- this is what happens when I do not plan and just shop on the fly. It could be worse, I could have grabbed things just for the convenience. I did grab more convenience items, but we used those for the most part. I have gained 10 pounds, so things have got to change, plus I need to exercise routinely and not every so often. Well off to bed. That is the other thing, if I did get home in time to cook, I was too tired to do so, or it was too hot. I like the hot weather, but even I am over it. The humidity is killer.
I know you will be sad when your RM leaves for boot camp. He seems to have been a wonderful RM, companion, and friend.. Janet Alliesmama