The Stranger by Albert Camus Page: 117 Finished

The Woman Warrior, China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston Page:113

The Stranger was a quick and easy read. The bleakness and the heartlessness of the book may have been meant as an indictment of modern life but it seemed more to be a symptom than a diagnosis. I tend to think that beauty is the best indictment of ugliness not imitation.

Speaking of beauty, Maxine Hong Kingston has it. Not only does she describe it but it seems to me that she understands both how to show it and how to find it. She describes Chinese legend and folklore, tales and culture and whe is imaginative and creative with it. she also accepts American culture and is enriched by it. I think I’m a fan.

I’m sad that the more I post about food the more comments I get. Isn’t this supposed to be a book blog? Anyway, on the menu for this week is chili. My recipe is simple and developed from my mom’s recipe (too beany) and a recipe out of the Bride and Groom Cookbook (too complicated). The proportions are derived from the packaging sizes I find at the grocery store. One pound ground beef, one pound sausage, cooked together and drained. One onion finely chopped, one bell pepper also finely chopped sauteed together in a couple tablespoons olive oil (I use super cheap olive oil for anything that it is not a major ingredient of. Extra virgin is only necessary for things like pesto or salad dressing). Two 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes and one small can of tomato paste to thicken. Two cans (16oz?)of pinto beans (or whatever other beans you like and one large can of baked beans like Bush’s Baked Beans. A tablespoon of chili powder and salt to taste. Now here is the fun part, you can shake this up any way you want. In a hurry? don’t sautee the onions and the pepper and cook it on the stovetop for about an hour on medium high (stir often). Going to be gone all day? throw it all in the crockpot on low. Want to be extra penny pinching? Buy dry beans in bulk instead of the canned ones and soak them overnight; add brown sugar, a little pepper and some ketchup to compensate for the baked beans. Feeling extra gourmet? Add a few garlic cloves to the sauteeing onions and peppers and add some freshly chopped tomatoes to the canned ones. Serve it with grated cheese on top. With corn chips to dip. With cornbread and butter and honey. Over baked potatoes with melted cheese and steamed broccolli. With fry bread. This makes a small vat of chili that is meaty and filling and everyone should enjoy.

Mill on the Floss Page: 400

George Eliot has me quite depressed tonight. The middle part of the novel is about the failure and bankruptcy of the family. In our current financial condition it is rather hard to deal with their fictional problems. I’ve been ore worried than Jared has been but both of us are feeling more than a little stressed. Money is tight and the future is uncertain and that can be really tough. Anyway, I feel for the Tullivers and hate the thought of ending up like them with their home sold out from under them and their personal possessions disbursed to pay minor debts. One thing I do very much respect and hope to emulate is their personal integrity that insisted on paying off their creditors despite not being legally obligated to do so. We’re not that bad off yet, as we’ve been able to keep up with payments but I hope that my sense of personal responsibility won’t be destroyed by circumstances.

OK, today’s frugality tutorial is all about getting something for nothing. There is a small amount of work involved but don’t be intimidated. I hate fussing with coupons and yet the payoff with the rebates thing is so good that I feel triumphant every time I do it.

Every month each of the pharmacy stores in our area (RiteAid and Walgreens) put a certain number of items on sale and combined with a manufacturers rebate they are totally free. Sometimes they are better than free if you can combine the sale, a coupon and the rebate (this is for advanced bargain hunting). Also for the advanced is the use of two names/addresses. Usually you are only allowed one rebate per household so if you have a sympathetic friend or family member who doesn’t mind you using their name and address you can actually get two of everything (just make sure to have the clerk ring them on separate receipts). This is extra nice if you have a large family or if you have little girls with long hair. The first Sunday of each month my Mother-in-Law picks up the “Rebate Directory” from RiteAid and the “EasySaver Catalog” from Walgreens. Listed in them are all the rebates offered for the month. And each week she gets the weekly ad out of the Sunday paper and gives them to me at church. Between the monthly directories and the weekly ads it is very easy to figure out which items are free. I usually find that I only need to go to Walgreens once a month but RiteAid is usually a weekly trip.

This month from Walgreens I have gotten: a 4 pack of lightbulbs for 1.99, bioINFUSION brand shampoo for 5.99, a Walgreens pitcher filter replacement cartridge for 6.99, and Pert Plus 2 in 1 shampoo for 4.29. When I send in the rebate book and my receipt I will get all of that money back in a check within a few weeks. If I choose I can get it all back in gift card instead and then they add an extra 10% to the total!

From RiteAid this month I have already gotten: Garnier Fructis Shampoo, conditioner and a styling product at 2.99 each, a bottle of Gillette men’s shampoo for 2.99 and a four pack of Old Spice brand triple blade razors 3.99. Tomorrow I will be picking up a tube of Crest toothpaste for 3.19. The razors actually paid me because there was a $2 coupon in the Sunday paper that week and the rest will be coming back in a check. RiteAid allows you to enter your receipts online so you don’t even have to mail them in!

It does take a little bit of work and you have to be careful to mail your rebates in on time but I have an entire cupboard full of personal care products that cost me nothing but a little time and a few stamps.

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot Page: 180

I read this book for a British novel class and don’t remember feeling so strongly then, but I really hate Tom. He is such a bullying nasty creature that I deeply despise him. I think it is his superior, controlling, narcissistic personality that is inspiring such strong feelings and really, who likes somebody that thinks they’re the center of the universe? Oh, yeah. They do. Anyway, good book and well-written but I’m not a fan of Tom’s character.

I thought I’d share one of my favorite inexpensive luxury dinners. It’s not on the menu for the coming week but that’s just because I made this last week. Risotto is Italian and you can take it up or down, omnivorous or vegetarian; make it for ten or two. The basics are an onion sauteed in olive oil, 3/4 cup of arborio (or just pearl) rice, about 4 cups of broth and 1/2 cup of cheese. You add the rice to the onion and olive oil, stir it for about 30 seconds and then start adding the hot broth a cup at a time. You must stir it almost constantly. The stirring releases the starches and makes it super creamy without a very high proportion of cheese. After you’ve added all the broth and it’s fully cooked (about 25 min over medium heat) you add the cheese. Now if you want veggies in it (we like peas and carrots) add them along with the last cup of broth. Another favorite of ours is ground sausage, precooked and added just before the cheese. If you want to go more gourmet, substitute half a cup of white wine for 1/2 a cup of the broth and add it first. The cheese “ought” to be high quality Parmesan but I’ve made it with cheddar, colby jack, and even a mish-mash of what was hanging around the fridge. You can also add garlic with the onion when you sautee it. I usually buy a whole roasted chicken and use the meat for another dish, then boil the bones for about 4 hours with some salt to make broth. The strength and quantity of the broth are up to you. You can add some veggies or spices to it for extra flavor or make a broth just from old vegetables floating around your fridge for an entirely vegetarian dish. This Risotto is also great with mushrooms (if you like them). Double the recipe for four (or for leftovers) or triple it like I do and have lunch on it all week. It is very filling and satisfying and since you can tailor the flavors to the family palette it’s hard to miss with it unless your really picky. Anemone, it is a fantastic dish to make on your one cooking day of the week as you can have lots of leftovers, it freezes well and you won’t be likely to get tired of it. Also, depending on the ingredients you use, it really can cost as little as a buck or two per serving. Obviously, the larger the batch you make, the better the numbers.

Coming tomorrow…A full and detailed description of how to get the best shampoos, conditioners, toothpastes, toothbrushes, bodywashes, feminine supplies, styling products and makeup without spending a dime.

The Complete Short Novels by Anton Chekov Page: 538

OK, this is going to be a long post. Brace yourselves. I thought that the best way to communicate details was just to post next week’s menu and shopping list with approximate prices and the recipes. I’ll be shopping Saturday afternoon so the menu spans Saturday evening through the following Saturday morning.

Menu.

Sat:

Dinner - Salad

Our usual dinner salad is made up of lots of lettuce, sliced almonds, craisins, some parmesan and meat (this week Black Forest Ham but often Chicken).

Sunday:

Breakfast - French Toast. Just four slices of bread, two eggs, 1/2 cup-ish of milk, and vanilla and cinnamon. Top with peanut butter and maple syrup.

Lunch - Tuna Sandwiches. Two cans of tuna-in-water, drained, a little mayo, and three chopped sweet pickles on bread.

Dinner - Probably at the in-laws

Monday:

Breakfast - Toasted Zucchini Bread with butter. Recipe for bread: 3 eggs, 7/8 cup oil, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups grated zucchini, 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon vanilla, optional 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Beat eggs until light and fluffy, add oil, stir in rest of ingredients and pour into two greased bread pans and bake for 1 hour at 350. Remove from pans immediately and cool on rack.

Lunch - Jared a yogurt and banana and Me a PB&J

Dinner - Spaghetti (I know it’s not exactly hot-weather food but Jared has been craving it) Recipe: 1/2 pound ground beef, 1/2 pound ground sausage cooked together and drained then add one jar of spaghetti sauce (I like Newman’s Own) and a handful of angel hair pasta cooked.

Tuesday:

Breakfast - Toasted Zucchini Bread with butter.

Lunch - Jared leftover spaghetti and Me probably a yogurt.

Dinner - Tacos “Recipe” Cook 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound sausage together with a couple teaspoons of chili powder. Once it is cooked and drained add a little salsa and a dash of ketchup for extra flavor and moisture. Shredded cheese, a can of heated refried beans, lettuce and more salsa served all together in flour tortillas.

Wednesday:

Breakfast - More Zucchini bread.

Lunch - Leftover spaghetti for Jared and yogurt or PB toast for me.

Dinner - Leftover tacos.

Thursday:

Breakfast - More of that Zucchini bread

Lunch - Maybe a salad for Jared and Sandwich or toast for me.

Dinner - Shrimp and pesto pasta. I have some bay shrimp in the freezer that really needs to be used and also have leftover pesto from last week so I’ll just throw the cold shrimp into the pot of boiling angel hair pasta along with some chopped carrots and broccoli. When it’s all cooked (about five-ten minutes) I’ll drain it all then mix in the pesto.

Friday:

Breakfast - Probably the last of the Zucchini Bread or yogurt.

Lunch - Pasta or tacos or sandwiches…whatever is leftover and needs to be finished.

Dinner - Grilled cheese sandwiches, or quesadillas (sp?) or maybe just ice cream…

Saturday:

Breakfast - Oatmeal. I use old-fashioned oats and serve them with brown sugar and raisins.

Lunch - Who knows.

Alex generally just eats whatever we are eating and puts away a couple gallons of milk a week. Luc eats formula and baby cereal and applesauce. I’ve got a cake mix I’ll probably make in the middle of the week for a sweet. We always have coffee in the mornings and I often drink chai tea in the afternoon. Other than milk, water and ice tea we don’t drink many beverages. Pam makes and cans grape juice every year so we do have that as well as wine once in awhile. Soda is way too much money for no nutrition so we usually skip it although we occasionally do have a Pepsi binge. We really don’t eat out much. If we feel like spoiling ourselves we make one of our favorite dinners like Maple Roasted Salmon with Pine Nut Couscous. Both Jared and I are pretty thin. We don’t have huge appetites and we don’t snack much. If your family has larger appetites there are easy inexpensive ways to expand a menu. Oatmeal for breakfast is great but with a couple of scrambled eggs on the side it’s filling for even the hungriest and only a few cents more. Extra beans fill up the tacos without costing much and some extra spices make them taste just as good as the meat. Wean yourself off of meat as much as possible using it as an accent rather than the main attraction. The menu may seem a little monotonous but remember that next week’s will be completely different. The variety comes week to week rather than day to day.

Shopping list:

1 pound extra lean ground beef $2.5

1 pound sausage $2.5

Lettuce $2

Parmesan $2

Ham $2

3 gallons milk $11

1 pint 1/2 & 1/2 for my coffee $1

Vegetable Oil $2

2 cans Tuna Fish $1.5

6 yogurts $3

Spaghetti Sauce $2

1+ pound Colby Jack Cheese $4

1 large can Baby Formula $25 - $10 in coupons

1 bottle decent merlot $7

Paper towels $3

Wheat thins $2.5

Applesauce $2

Bananas $3

Altogether this comes to just about $70. It’s kind of a good week because I have leftovers from last week helping me out. I have the pasta I need (which would only be a buck anyway), the pesto, tortillas, salsa, bread, a can of beans, baking supplies, craisins and almonds etc. But since I’m so far under budget what I usually do is grab some extras in case we have company or just to help out with next week. I also like to add a few luxuries.

Smoked Sausage $6

Extra bottle of wine $8

Rye Bread $3

Sharp White Cheddar or Cotswold $5

Diaper Wipes $3

…to total $93 and leave me $7 for anything I forgot.

The Complete Short Novels by Anton Chekov Page: 310

Alex vacuumed the entire house this morning with the little hand-vac. He wore the battery all the way down and wasn’t very efficient about it but oh, how happy I am to think that soon he and Luc can take over some of the simpler chores. Alex already does much of the laundry by stuffing clothes into the washer and then the dryer. This does require lots of supervision and encouragement but seriously, he’s 1&1/2 and I think that’s pretty good.

I read an article on MSN a few weeks ago about a family of four that tried to eat on $100 a week. It expounded on how hard it was for them and how much they felt deprived. They actually gave it up after just one week. Their inability to be frugal genuinely surprised me. Our household budget is about $450 per month. This includes, all food, clothing, paper products and cleaning supplies. I have two kids in diapers and one on formula and we still find it pretty easy to stay on budget. Not only do we spend less than $100 each week on food, we actually eat really well! We enjoy nice cheeses, good wine, and very rarely resort to beans and rice to make it through. I thought I’d share a few of my practices and answer any questions (if anyone besides me actually cares).

I always make a complete shopping list. I plan out every meal for the week, every snack, and every treat and buy everything I need. I rarely put anything in the cart that’s not on the list.

I try to pair meals that use similar ingredients to minimize waste; even something as simple as planning on using the other half of an onion.

Jared likes to snack but I only buy one “snacky” food each week. Whether it’s chex mix, chips or wheat thins I only get one container and when it’s gone, its gone. It’s the same for fruits. They spoil quickly and I can’t stand to see waste so we buy one kind of fruit for the week and finish it before it spoils.

For sweets, we rarely buy anything but dark chocolate. I can bake cookies, brownies or cake much cheaper and better than buying them.

I usually plan one big dish each week for a dinner; one that has lots of leftovers in case I don’t feel like cooking one night. That way we don’t get tempted by takeout or pizza. Often that dish is Risotto, sometimes chili or spaghetti.

I really work hard to perfect a recipe before it hits the regular rotation. That way dinner is always a pleasure. I try to attempt one new recipe a week, but it usually is one or two a month.

Jared usually has leftovers for lunch the next day while I sometimes just eat popcorn.

I buy generic diapers and use coupons for formula. My breastfeeding-mom friends always share their coupons with me and that helps too.

And speaking of coupons, I use them and rebates to pay nothing or less than nothing for all our personal care products. We never pay for shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, razors, toothpaste or toothbrushes.

I don’t wear much make-up, just mascara. And I cut my own hair and Jared’s.

If all these details make you feel like we must be stingy, penny-pinchers that can’t enjoy the finer things please note that we eat a lot of gourmet foods, drink red wine at least twice a week, only use expensive, name-brand shampoos etc, and generally try to live it up and enjoy God’s Creation. We just try to do so within the means He has granted us. I’m happy to share recipes and further details if you think it might help your budget…also happy to shut up about this if necessary…