Budget Savers - French Toast Casserole

So I have been trying diligently to stay on budget this month..... lol....

I have to confess I am having a hard time because I must be nesting or something. I just want to stockpile diapers, wipes, toilet paper, etc.... I have about 6 weeks to go if I go the full 40, and all I can think about is how hectic everything was when Little Bean first came home... now I get to do it all over again with a toddler!

One thing that has been helpful is trying to find good recipes that are not only delicious, but easy to make, use up leftovers, and don't break the bank... not too much to ask right!? But, I have managed to find one that fits the bill! French Toast Casserole! My favorite one is from Ree Drummond of course, and I absolutely love it! (click here for the recipe). If I was a good blogger, I would have made sure to take a photo for you to see this delectable treat, but instead.... I ate it all.....

Now there are a few reasons why I love this recipe, the first being that I can easily tweak it. The original recipe calls for a loaf of sourdough bread, but of course I don't have that hanging around. What I do find is that no one in my house eats the ends of the bread, and, no one finishes off the bread when it starts to go stale. If I can catch it before the green fuzzies start to grow, I have the perfect base for this recipe. I just save up all my bread odds and ends in the freezer and then take them all out a few hours before I want to assemble this thing. 

Did I mention that you can also assemble it at night and then just pop it in the fridge overnight? Then you can just wake up and throw it in the oven, looking incredibly capable like the domestic goddess you are :)

The recipe calls for 8 eggs and 2 cups of milk, which some of you may find crazy. However, if you are like me, every so often you have a bunch of eggs in the fridge that you forgot about and your milk is about to turn. Instead of making your husband chug a huge glass of milk after downing an 8-egg omelet, you can just make this :) So much better than letting stuff go to waste!

The other thing I like is that I substituted all of the sugar in the recipe for Coconut Palm Sugar and it tasted perfect. Not too sweet. Able to double as Breakfast/Brunch or even a dessert. Hubby and Little Bean gladly ate it all up!

So that's my one big find for a budget saving recipe. Something to do with all those odds and ends of bread instead of throwing them away, and a way to use up any milk or eggs before they turn. Hopefully I can find some more and pass them along! Happy Tuesday everyone :)

Budget Tweaking

So my Hubby left at the end of last month for an annual week-long fishing trip with my brothers and my cousin. He seems to wait until I am about halfway through the third-trimester of a pregnancy and then takes off for a week... coincidence?
Needless to say, Little Bean and I missed him and were very glad to see him come home. While he was gone I went a little crazy with reading about budgeting, saving money, etc.... His first day back I made him a coffee and we went over our financial plans for the next few years..................... :)

Much like our financial plans, my grocery budget seems to be ever-evolving, which I suppose is a good thing. The more I learn, the more things get tweaked, and it always seems to be a work in progress. My July grocery budget was no different. Though I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, things were better and I came in under the $600 mark (though just barely!). In June I spent about 630$ out of pocket... waaaaayyyy off my $500 goal. July saw me spend $595 out of pocket, a long way off my goal but $35 better than I was. Here's the details of how it shaped up:

Projected Budget                                                              Actual Budget
Cleaning Products: $10                                                       Cleaning Products: $11.78
Paper/Household Products: $10                                    Paper/Household Products: $14.33
Toiletries: $10                                                                         Toiletries: $14.69
Freezer Items: $10                                                                 Freezer Items: $0
Bulk/Dry Goods: $25                                                           Bulk/Dry Goods: $47.35
Produce: $85                                                                            Produce: $111.74
Center Isles: $50                                                                    Center Isles: $114.88
Baby/Kids: $50                                                                       Baby/Kids: $99.73
Dairy: $100                                                                               Dairy: $117.06
Meat: $75                                                                                   Meat: $20.08
Pets: $100                                                                                  Pets: $69.27

Total: $525                                                                       Total: $620.91
(less 25$ GC = $500)                                                        (less 25$ GC = $595.91)

As you can see I did a little better this last month, not a lot better but a little. As long as I am moving in the direction that I want to be going I am trying not to be too hard on myself. The great thing about seeing where all my money is going is that I am able to tweak and evolve my grocery budget. In preparation for the newest little Stewart's arrival in September I have now added another $50 to the budget, obviously under the Baby/Kids category. I was going to start doing this in the fall but I decided to start now so I could start buying some diapers with my August P&G coupons. I also fiddled around with some allotments and changed how I view the items that get categorized in the Center Isles budget. I realized that anything I cannot make myself should really be categorized under Bulk/Dry goods, even if I find them in the center isles of the store. This would include things like honey and rice cereal. Things like granola or lemon juice I could easily make, so items like that would stay categorized as they were. All in all, here is my new, revised, shiny, wonderful budget:

Cleaning Products: $10
Paper/Household Products: $15
Toiletries: $10
Freezer Items: $10
Bulk/Dry Goods: $50
Produce: $85
Center Isles: $30
Baby/Kids: $100
Dairy: $115
Meat: $50
Pets: $100

Total: 575$
(less 25$ GC = $550 out of pocket)

So there it is folks, my budget for August. Wish me luck!

Budget Breakdown (how I intend to shop..... I have really good intentions....)

Blah.... that is how I feel right now. We are coming off a couple really warm days here in Red Deer and the last thing I feel like doing is showing you all how badly I have been doing at following a budget this last month....

Seriously.... its Hot! (standing with my dress over the A/C)

Nonetheless...

My budget the last few months has been a little (or a lot) over what I feel it could be. I outlined last week how I was going to start fresh this month and try to reel it in a bit. This month saw our grocery expenses come in at about $655. Take off my 25$ Superstore gift card (read about that here) and that puts my monthly expenses for June at $630. For the purposes of everyone's sanity I am rounding up to the nearest dollar.

So.... my golden intentions for the month were to spend around 500$ out of pocket and use the $25 gift card for a total of $525. At the beginning of the month, this was the categorized budget I set out for myself:

Cleaning Products: $10
Paper/Household Products: $10
Toiletries: $10
Freezer Items: $10
Bulk/Dry Goods: $25
Produce: $85
Center Isles: $50
Baby/Kids: $50
Dairy: $100
Meat: $75
Pets: $100

TOTAL: $525

Why do I have the feeling that some of you are laughing at me....

To break it down further, so you have a specific idea of what I am trying to do:

Cleaning Products - whatever I need to clean with. Think laundry soap, dish detergent, glass cleaner, bleach, etc....

Paper/Household Products - Think toilet paper, paper towel, tape, staples, Ziploc bags, etc....

Toiletries - Anything that Hubby and I need to be functioning members of society. Think shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, floss, etc... Does not include things such as my fancy hairspray or my mascara....

Freezer Items - I am really hoping this one is self-explanatory.

Bulk/Dry Goods - Items that I tend to buy in bulk, such as flour, pasta, etc.... basically anything that I can buy at Bulk Barn.

Produce - The stuff I want to spend lots of money on.

Center Isles - The stuff I don't want to spend so much on... basically all that processed/packaged stuff in the center isles of your grocery store.

Baby/Kids - This one will go up when babe #2 comes along in the fall, but right now I aim to spend about 50$ on little bean every month, for things such as her diapers, sunscreen, bubble bath, diaper genie refills, etc... and yes I buy pampers... please do not send me a message that I am the worst human on the planet for not using cloth diapers. I assure you I did a lot of research on that topic and decided that disposables were the ones for me. If you send me hate messages I may be tempted hurt someone.... don't mess with a hormonal pregnant lady!

Dairy - Stuff that comes from cows and goats

Meat - Stuff that once was alive but is now dead.... and eggs....

Pets - Food and cat litter. I don't buy treats because honestly, my toddler keeps those animals very well fed....

So... when I started keeping track of my food budget, this is where the money actually went:

June Expenses:
Cleaning Products: $4
Paper/Household Products: $0
Toiletries: $8
Freezer Items: $14
Bulk/Dry Goods: $28
Produce: $90
Center Isles: $179!!!!!!
Baby/Kids: $52
Dairy: $146
Meat: $81
Pets: $52

Ummmmm..... ya.... I think we can all see where the problem lies.... So for as much as I'm talking a big game here, I seem to be visiting those center isles an awful lot....

Its not all bad, organic lemon juice, organic honey, Laura bars.... but really, it's not necessary. I may have to tweak this a bit as summer goes on, but I am going to try valiantly to stick to the budget for this month. As with all budgets, I do great for the first two weeks and then.... slowly... run.out.of.money....

I think I am going to start a post on how I have managed to save money on cleaning products, as that was always a budget killer for me before. That and it might make me feel better about myself and my domestic goddess skills.... Now, little bean is sleeping and I have about an hour to clean this house before my feet swell... wish me luck!

How to Stay on Budget: Not Wasting Food

So my 400$ - $500 grocery budget was blown out of the water April, May and it looks like June as well. By blown out of the water I mean it was closer to the $500-$600 range. April was around $540 and May was a whopping $620. So far June is sitting around the $600 mark. What I am noticing is that 3 things seem to have really affected my budget:

1. Not having a detailed enough budget. Ex, how much should go towards the pets? How much spent on dairy? How much spent on produce? etc.... I have been keeping track of where exactly my grocery budget goes this month and it has been pretty eye opening. (My family really, really, REALLY likes dairy!) After June wraps up I will do a more detailed post about how I am managing, tracking, and allocating the money in my grocery budget from now on.

2. Not meal planning ahead of time because I'm too lazy/pregnant/busy.... and going along with that..

3. Letting food go to waste!

It is really hard to see food in my kitchen go to waste simply because of poor planning or a complete lack of planning on my part. For the first time in history, there is enough food on this planet to feed everyone on it. Yet people are still starving... why? Because they can't access the food they need, while others of us live in what the Pope has referred to as a "culture of waste." In fact, he has actually stated outright that "Wasting food is like stealing from the poor." Whatever your thoughts are on Catholicism, the man has a point. Here's a couple of links for those that are interested:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-holt-gimenez/world-hunger_b_1463429.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/pope-francis-condemns-culture-disposes-good-food-article-1.1365486

It is actually kind of disturbing when you think about it, how conditioned we are in North America to just mindlessly throw away food without even thinking about it. I mentioned before how I'm sure my depression-era grandfather is probably rolling in his grave looking at all the food going to waste in my fridge. We just seem to have a different mindset. I know for myself, I grew up spoiled when it came to food. It was always so abundant in my childhood home, always at least 6 cereals to choose from, 8 kinds of pop to choose from, fresh bread and milk at all times.... lack of food was not something that I ever worried about. I know for a fact I was one of those kids who would stare at a completely full fridge, close the door and then grumble "There's nothing to eat around here!"

There was a post that made the rounds on facebook a while back, and it really speaks to this notion of different cultural attitudes and traditions around food. For those of you who haven't seen it, a photographer traveled around the world and took photos of what a weeks worth of food looks like in different countries:
http://fstoppers.com/what-a-week-of-groceries-looks-like-around-the-world

It really is something to think about. Not just for budget reasons, but for philosophical reasons as well (wow, I'm really getting deep right now!)

That all being said, I set a goal for myself this next month to not have to throw any food away! Not one Ziploc container full! I plan to do this by firstly, planning my meals out in advance. Secondly, I will look in my fridge to see what needs to be used up, and plan my dinners around that instead of what I feel like eating. Lastly, I plan to follow a more structured budget, so that I don't needlessly buy food that will not get used. Also, I think I will try a hand at freezing some produce, so I'll let you know how that goes as well. That's about all from the Stewart house for now, time to get off the computer and go be a domestic goddess.

Organic Shopping on a Budget

     Ok so here is the deal for this month. Usually my grocery budget is $400, and I broke it down for you in the last post where that money usually goes. This month I did my usual big shopping trip at the beginning of the month at Superstore, spending $270.81 so I could get the 25$ gift card. Now, unfortunately, this shopping trip took place BEFORE I decided to overhaul the way we eat. Though about $70 of it went towards things like diapers, cat litter and toilet paper, about 200$ of it was wasted. Wasted? Maybe lets not call it that... lets call it a $200 donation to the food bank! So, if you want you can count the full $270.81 but I am only going to count $70.81. Call it a grocery shopping Mulligans.... So now, here is how the rest of the month has gone so far:

First stop, Costco! First trip there I spent $93.94 on these goodies:

Best deals? The giant box of wipes on sale for 15$. Plus Kirkland brand doesn't use animal testing, so I like them! Also the coconut butter and Lara Bars, which I mentioned last post. 

That same day I also went to Save On Foods and picked up all of these goodies for $168.63. Though the organic whole wheat flour was on sale and I had a store coupon for 2 for 1 toilet paper, I will definitely save my shopping there for 15% off Tuesdays. Right there I would have saved about 25$.

They had not a bad selection of organic produce. Definitely better than Superstore's. 

That shopping was done on the day that I cleaned out my kitchen. Upon seeing how bare it was, I went back to Costco the next day and spent $35.80 on these goodies:

That huge bag of organic coconut sugar was a steal for under 12$. Cheaper than the other places I looked. 

I also stopped in at Big Bend Market that day, since it is on the same side of town as Costco. It is an awesome store that stocks products from local farmers. Sylvan Star farms is where the cheese is from, and I drive past it on the way out to Sylvan Lake. Great products that are local, and lots of organic, antibiotic and hormone free options. It is more expensive though I won't lie, here is what $32.83 looks like shopping there:

Have to say, the cheese is amazing!

My last shopping day included a trip to Superstore and then to Bulk Barn. I went to Superstore last, and wish that I wouldn't have because I went a little crazy at Bulk Barn and bought some stuff that I could have gotten for a little cheaper at Superstore, not to mention that I had a 25$ gift certificate that I used. Though my total at Superstore was $54.29, I only paid $29.29 because of the gift card (I also had a coupon for the Almond Butter!). Here is what I got:

I needed the big jug of bleach to do laundry with. Haven't been able to find organic yeast anywhere (is there such a thing?) so I had to go with the regular stuff. I also picked up a bag of Vital Wheat Gluten for 7$ that is supposed to help my bread be more fluffy and less like a hockey puck. 

Lastly, I went to Bulk Barn and let loose. The whole time I walked around and put things in my cart I had an overwhelming feeling that it was going to be a pricey trip. Now that I've been there once I have a little better handle on it and I know what I need to get there, what is a good price for what I'm getting, etc... As you can see I got lots of nuts and seeds, some pasta, dried beans, cereal and flour. Here is what $75.41 looks like at Bulk Barn (after I used my 3$ coupon from the newspaper flyer... love my coupons!)

One thing I will say is that they had a few really hard to find items. Best buy was that big bag of whole wheat pastry flour for about 4$. I made pizza dough with it last night as well as brownies and they both turned out awesome! 

      Now for those of you adding along with us at home, my total for the month thus far is $506.71 ($706.71 if you count my food bank donation). So yes, I made some allowances this month and had to dip into my own pocket money to make this month work. I had to buy a lot of "start up" products that I won't normally have to buy every month. The real test is going to be next month, to see how far $400 will go when I have a fresh start with the budget and a properly stocked pantry. If you are wondering how I am going to make the rest of the month work right now, well I have a little trick up my sleeve! I actually have another 25$ gift card to Superstore that didn't get used a couple of months ago and is still kicking around in my purse. I plan to use it for some milk and produce towards the end of the month, and maybe some cheese and yogurt too. I have a bit of meat in my freezer that was also bought before this kick started, so I plan to use it up by the end of the month. Call it cheating if you will, a Momma's gotta do what a Momma's gotta do.... 

In a few days I will do another post on some of the meals we have been eating. How easy they are to make and if my family eats them or not! Now, time to go start thinking about supper....

Update: I just realized that all those numbers I crunched aren't right. I actually spent 15$ on a pizza stone at Save on Foods and $3.50 on a chocolate mold at Bulk Barn. Because I would't count those items as groceries but instead as "household misc." they would come out of a different budget. So, what I have actually spent on groceries thus far is actually $488.21 and not $506.71.... hey, every penny counts!

The Coupon Queen Goes Organic....

      OMG I have been grocery shopping more in the last week than I have in the last 2 months combined.... Though I've only been on this kick for a week now I can tell you that there is a learning curve. It has been a little hard for me because I usually take my grocery budget quite seriously, and this month, well... some allowances had to be made. When I started out last year with a 400$ budget for groceries, including food, cleaning supplies, toiletries, pet needs, diapers, paper products, etc... it was tricky. (Yes... 400$ for EVERYTHING... ALL HOUSEHOLD NEEDS! INCLUDING DIAPERS!) But, I learned how to shop sales, coupon, take advantage of 15% off Tuesday and most recently, the deal that goes on at the beginning of the month at Superstore. If you are unaware, during the first week of the month, Superstore will give you a 25$ gift card when you spend over 250$ (which is easy to do, especially when buying diapers!).
      Normally what I have been doing is spending about 250$ in the first week at Superstore, then another 100$ the next week at Costco. That leaves me with 50$ for the next 2 or 3 weeks (depending what month it is) to buy things like milk and some produce. I am able to make it work because, when money is tight towards the end of the month, I can always go back to Superstore and use the 25$ gift card that I got at the beginning of the month. I am careful to check the flyers every week so as not to miss a deal anywhere, but really most of my shopping as of late has been happening at Superstore and Costco. And boy do I love my coupons! I am hoping that soon my same thrifty-ness (is that a word?) will be applied to our new lifestyle. Already I have learned so, so much in only a week. Here are my top tips thus far:

1. When making a switch like this, expect to spend about 100$ more the first month that you usually would due the change, for things like changing over to organic condiments and organic whole wheat flour, pasta, etc... as well as some new odds and ends such as coconut oil (something that I only learned about last week.) These are things that you don't necessarily buy every month, but you need them to get started. I suppose if you were less manic than I am you could just slowly make those changes, buying the new stuff as you run out of the old... I seem to like to jump into things head-first for some reason...

2. Costco has some great deals on organic stuff. My favorite so far? A toss up between the giant tub of coconut oil for 17$ (I saw one today that was the same price but less than half the size!) and my box of yummy Lara bars, 18 of them for less than 16$ (which works out to less than .90 a bar, when usually they are sold for 2$ a bar!)

3. Superstore has a surprisingly good selection of organic stuff... not so much produce but tones of baking supplies, cleaning and beauty products, dairy products, frozen stuff, etc... I was actually amazed a little today... and glad that I will still be able to do a lot of my shopping there!

4. It is very easy to go a little crazy at Bulk Barn... be warned!

5. You don't have to do all your shopping at Nutters, I actually have yet to go there!

6. Expect to spend more on your meat and cheese, you get what you pay for!

7. Organization at dinnertime is key. I was in the habit of planning dinners a week at a time, but now I am seeing that I will need to plan a little for lunches as well. I noticed when I cleaned out my fridge that I had two bad habits. Firstly, I tended to buy too much produce without much of a plan for it, and some of it would inevitably go bad (better meal planning needed!) Secondly, I have a habit of making too much for dinner, winding up with leftovers. Not such a bad thing, but if I didn't "revamp" them for lunch or dinner the next day or so, they wouldn't get eaten and would inevitably go to waste. Not only do I need to plan my dinners, but I need to plan my leftovers as well so that there is less waste!

8. Organization during shopping is also key. This one I already had down pat. My system is to, each month, put the 400$ in an envelope. As I shop, the money leaves the envelope and the receipts go in. This way I can keep track of everything. I also always shop with a list and my coupons. I am so proud of my little system that I just had to take some pictures!

The folder that my mom got me. I love it! 

I have it broken down into sections. The first part is where my grocery list and envelope with money goes (as you can see, no more money and lots of receipts!) The second section is for food coupons, the third for non-food coupons, and the fourth for coupons on baby or pet products. In the back of the folder is where I keep store-specific coupons. 

9. Lastly, you can't be afraid to bake or cook. Already in one week I have made banana bread (little dry but tasty), granola that turned out fabulous, berry sauce to flavor plain yogurt and a loaf of bread that resembles a hockey puck. The point is, there is a learning curve here too. In a way, you kind of have to learn how to bake all over again. Some of the things you make will turn out and some won't. The point is to just keep going until you get it right! (or at least until you husband will eat it!)

That's all for now. I will be back again in a few days to let you know in detail about all the shopping thus far!

PS... for all of you out there that are wondering about what I feed my fur babies, well, unfortunately right now it's Fancy Feast and Purina. I am hoping to convince hubby to let me buy them the good food soon, but first I have to convince him to let me buy it for us! It is on my radar to make this change as well, I am just trying to go about it in a way that will also keep my marriage intact!