Proud Of #1

#1 started middle school last week.  He came home the first day and told me he found out if they do some work in the cafeteria, they can get free lunch every day.  He said, "I'm going to talk to the lunch lady tomorrow so I can do it."  I wouldn't have had a clue if he didn't tell me.  I really think without the budgeting challenge, he might have passed that up.

Over the summer, he also spent quite a few days helping some friends move.  I think it really helped him develop a stronger work ethic and I'm so grateful he had the opportunity.

We did go shopping tonight and he said, "Ooh!  Those sugar cookies are two for $6!  It says we would save $1.62." (something around that amount)  I said, "No, we would lose $6 buying something we don't need." 

His birthday is later this month, so I'm being extra cheap until then.  He will be thirteen!  I can't believe it.  And surprise!  He wants orange chicken for dinner.

My Name is Sarah and Sometimes I Cook Healthy Things

I'm kind of known for making things that will lead to your death.  When describing tonight's dinner to my mom, she couldn't believe the daughter who used to hate vegetables was going to eat that.  She did admit to her vegetables being soggy and flavorless when I was growing up.

I love Trader Joe's whole wheat couscous.  It has 7 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein per serving.  It's very filling!  There's a taboule recipe on the back which I altered to my liking.  I decided it would be good with some sweet onion, fresh ground pepper, cumin, diced tomatoes, cucumber, fresh parsley, and feta.

Look how adorable and teensy tiny it is!

It's also the perfect thing to make when it's hot.  It took less than two minutes to boil the water I needed and the leftovers are good the next day too.

1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/4 cups couscous
1/3 cup lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

This is how you start it.  After the water is boiled, take it off the heat, mix it all together, cover the pot, and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Then you add the extras that you want.


1/4 to 1/2 cup diced sweet onion
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 of a large cucumber, diced (I don't peel it)
A few dashes of cumin
3-6 oz. of crumbled feta (I decided to be wild and crazy this time and use the lemon, oregano, and garlic feta)
A few grinds of black pepper

I usually keep the couscous in my pantry and watch for sales on the majority of the ingredients.  Not only did I make it pretty inexpensively, it will stop me from snacking on random things tomorrow.  It's chilling in the fridge while I baked some chicken with some salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.

What would you put in couscous?

My Budgeting Everest

On February 29th, we conquered our debt.  Since then it has been a struggle to save as much money as humanly possible to make home ownership possible.

Would someone give us a home loan?  Yes.  Would it be stupid to accept the loan?  Also yes. 

It's a struggle because we really deserve a house, but that doesn't mean we can afford it.  While crunching the numbers, I realized something.  We rely heavily upon my income as a piano teacher.  If we move away from this area, I lose the students I love and it would leave us unable to pay our bills.  We will need enough in savings to supplement our income while I build my business elsewhere.

If we stayed here, it wouldn't be a problem.  The dilemma is, houses are very expensive in this area, too small, or "a diamond in the rough" which is code for a fixer upper, which often the VA won't cover.  The home has to be "habitable" and there doesn't seem to be any exact guidelines as to what that means.  We don't want to spend $400 on an inspection and have the VA reject the house.

We will need enough in savings for earnest money, inspections, possibly appliances, and for life's usual emergencies - car repairs, ER visits, etc.  We are more determined than ever not to use credit cards again.  With a mortgage payment, we would be in an even worse position to get out of debt.

We started home shopping and I was filled with terrible anxiety that made it difficult to eat or sleep.  I know there will be a certain level of nervousness that will be normal.  It's a huge decision.  But it just felt wrong.  I realize now that we weren't providing enough cushion for emergencies or the fact that our van is 12 years old.

Two weeks ago, we were getting ready for a vacation with my family when the radiator cracked and coolant exploded all over.  It was a blessing that we made an unusual visit to my parents' house without the kids because if we hadn't, it would have happened on the way to the ocean with all of our stuff packed.  That would have been horrible.  We had to take my husband's gas guzzling truck that had broken down just the week before on the way to Cub Camp, so I was pretty much about to have a panic attack.  What if both of our vehicles ended up in the shop?

Thankfully, we made it there and back, and picked up the van.  After a $750+ bill, I didn't feel reassured that everything was fine.  The engine sounded normal, but there were brief periods of time that it seemed less powerful.  I decided to take it only short distances for the next few weeks or so.  On Saturday, I took a trip to our farmers market, then to Costco, and one last stop to get gas.  When I started it, it hesitated pretty badly.  We made it home with all of our frozen food and right after I turned it off, I decided to test it.

Just the slightest noise and then it was dead.  Our mechanic wasn't in, so we decided to just enjoy the weekend and do what we planned.  This morning my husband tried to jump start it, which he has done plenty of times, but there was a large spark.  The headlights and dome light came on for a couple seconds and then it was so dead, the tow truck driver couldn't even put it in neutral using the gear shift.  Our mechanic said not to worry - it probably wouldn't have damaged the computer.

Still, I am dreading hearing the news of what's wrong and how much it's going to cost.  I'm wondering at what point do we cave and decide it's time to buy another vehicle.  We can't afford much.  When we bought our van, we had to do a $1400 repair less than a year later.  What's the sense of having a car payment if you're going to make a series of expensive repairs anyway?

I'm stressed, but I'm also grateful that we aren't currently trying to handle this situation and a mortgage at the same time.  As a friend told me recently, "My mom always said to put away savings for something you want really bad so you can use it for something you don't want."

I feel like we're taking two steps forward and one step back, but I'm trying to see all of the positive things in this situation.  We didn't break down at the side of the road.  Most of my piano students are on vacation and it would have been much harder to break down during my busiest time.  I have friends who are willing to help me.  Best of all, we have money in savings!  I'm just hoping for not terrible news tomorrow that will allow us to keep most of it. 

Food vs. Fireworks

Payday is approaching and we're really scraping the bottom of the barrell for decent meals here.  The kids were complaining a bit and I asked them, "Would you rather buy food or fireworks?"

It was unanimous.  They would rather starve than not buy fireworks for the 4th of July.  I have a coupon for $10 off when you buy $50 worth.  #3 said, "Maybe we can fast two meals a day so we can afford fireworks?"

Yeah, this will be interesting.  We do have food.  It just happens to be stuff no one really likes.  I might actually eat some canned vegetables.  Oh, who am I kidding?

With $10 To Spare!

We are trying to save as much money as possible so we can buy a house.  I'm also trying to prove that we can handle higher payments.  My goal for the month is to see if we can put everything I make in savings and only live on my husband's income.

As soon as I made this goal, my car door handle broke, but then I went to a forum that talks about Mazda MPV's and these very helpful guys said it was only $12 to buy the part on Ebay and then it was an easy fix.  I was thinking that I would ruin my door panel trying to get into it, but it really is easy!  Turns out now the part is $8.23 with free shipping.  The part would cost about $75 from the dealership.  I'm looking forward to being able to get out of my van without climbing to the other side or rolling down my window to grab the handle from the outside.

My husband needs new tires for his truck soon, so that is another issue.  He's setting money aside specifically for that issue.  It's a big truck, so it has big everything.  It will be over $1,000 to replace those tires.

Payday is tomorrow and I forced myself not to use any of the money I made at the beginning of this month.  Once rent cleared, that would leave us with $10, which left me feeling extremely on edge all day, wondering if anything else would go through that we forgot about, but we did it!  I remember the days when we could get down to $5 or less in our account as every payday approached.  One time we had 75 cents left.

I'm hoping to find some especially awesome grocery deals this month and am shooting for dinners that cost $10 or less each.  Maybe my kids can help!  They will be happy not to eat quesadillas again tomorrow.

Price Per Unit

Sweet #2 wanted to buy me a treat at the store tonight.  He counted up his change and had a little over $3 and was hoping to buy me a small thing of ice cream.  There were some tiny ones on sale that fit his budget, but there were also bigger ones on sale.  So I showed him how to look at the price per unit on the tags.  The small ones were over $2 per pint.  The larger ice cream on sale was $1 per pint.  I told him I would make up the difference.  I was also very proud of him because when I gave him money for his field trip to eat at Dairy Queen, he only got a burger and a mini blizzard instead of a full meal.  He asked, "Didn't I budget well?"

On Valentine's Day, I gave him a coupon good for a night of doing a puzzle with me and we finally got around to shopping for a puzzle tonight.  Months ago we did a large and confusing 550 piece puzzle that we didn't especially enjoy looking at.  He chose a cute deer one that's 300 pieces.  So we'll watch a movie while we work on it.  During Christmas break, we stayed up until 3am working on a puzzle!  It was crazy.  I don't plan on staying up that late tonight.

We also bought 16 oz. boxes of penne for $1 each, so that was a great deal.  A large container of strawberries was $1.98 and I thought that was for the one pound container.  Although we technically have money right now, I am forcing myself to budget on just my husband's pay and see if we can stick everything I make in savings. 

When Life Gives You Asparagus On Sale, Make Asparagus

I know.  The title is pretty deep.

So I found asparagus at Fred Meyer last week for $1 something a bunch and it was a rather large bunch.  It was also nice and thin, so it's easy to sautee.  When I was a kid, I hated asparagus - limp, rubbery, bitter stalks of torture.  Then one night I tried the sauteed asparagus my brother made out of politeness and I was very surprised to discover I loved it!

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat.  Add a few cloves of minced garlic and heat it about 30 seconds or so, just until the garlic becomes fragrant.  Burnt garlic will ruin a meal.

Add the asparagus, tossing pretty frequently.  I cooked it for about 6 or 7 minutes.  I like it slightly tender and crispy.  Limp asparagus is lame.

Move to a large dish so you can squeeze a pretty generous amount of lemon over it, then a dash of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and fresh Parmesan cheese. 

We ate this just now with some magic chicken (cheap) and potatoes baked in the microwave (also cheap).  That was half a package of chicken thighs, which would be about $5.  The asparagus was about $1.38 and the potatoes were only a couple dollars for the whole bag, which we only used part of.  So the whole meal was less than $10.

Baked Ravioli

I used to go to a lot of trouble to make lasagna years ago and was so happy when they came out with no boil noodles.  Still, lasagna was a pretty time consuming meal for me.  A cashier at Top Foods asked me one day, "Do you want to know an even easier way to make lasagna?"

"Yes." I said.

"Frozen cheese ravioli."

OK, so it's not technically lasagna anymore ,but it tastes just like it and it's so easy!  Since there is ricotta in the ravioli, you can skip that step.  I used to have to slice the mozzarella too so it was easier to spread the ricotta on top, but now I can just buy a big bag of shredded mozzarella from Costco and then use it again for making pizza.  I still make a meat sauce myself, but all you do after that is a layer of ravioli, sauce, cheese, ravioli, sauce, cheese, little more sauce on top, and then some parmesan on top of that.  Use your favorite sauce if you like, but here is the recipe my mom uses.

Meat Sauce

1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1 large can (28 oz.) stewed tomatoes (I use crushed in puree instead)
1 can tomato sauce
1 packet of Spaghetti sauce mix (I use McCormick's thick and zesty mix)
1 tsp. garlic powder

Brown the ground beef, add all of the other ingredients, and let it simmer 5-10 minutes in the pan.  Turn it on low unless you like sauce exploding everywhere.

Baked Ravioli

1 bag Costco Cheese Ravioli (you will be able to make it twice and have some leftover)
Meat Sauce
2-3 cups Mozzarella cheese, grated
Grated Parmesan cheese

In a 9x13 casserole dish, drizzle a little olive oil or spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom.  Add a layer of frozen ravioli, sauce, cheese, repeat, add more sauce, and then sprinkle parmesan on top.

Bake covered with foil at 350 for 45 minutes and then uncovered for another 5-10 minutes.  Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. 

Is it cheaper to make lasagna the old fashioned way?  Possibly.  But one thing I have learned in my quest to budget is that I have to have some easy meals or I will cave and order pizza when things get hectic. 

How I Make Orange Chicken

Two of my sons love Panda Express.  I don't love it.  When we were at Costco one day, #1 begged me to buy the Panda Express orange chicken sauce and I had no idea what I would do with it.  I combined ideas from a couple recipes to produce a pretty yummy dish and my son was happy with it even though it didn't taste like Panda Express exactly.

Orange Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes (1-2 inches)
1/2 cup corn starch
1 cup flour
3 eggs, beaten
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups stir fry vegetables (or a couple heads of broccoli cut up)
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
Panda Express orange sauce, 1/2 to 1 cup

In one bowl, mix the eggs and salt together.  In another, mix the flour and cornstarch.  First coat the chicken pieces in the egg and then in the flour mixture.  Heat oil in pan on medium heat, making sure it's plenty hot before you add the chicken.  Cook until browned well on both sides.  Set it aside and keep warm in the oven while you fry the vegetables.  Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the vegetables until tender.  Put chicken back in the pan, stir it all together, and add the orange sauce.

One of these days I'll learn how to make an orange sauce from scratch and I'm sure my kids will think it's disgusting. 

Raspberry Cream & Ganache Cupcakes

Thanks to the inspiration of friends, I came up with these delicious cupcakes.  Not that this saves you money, but it's probably cheaper than buying cupcakes from a bakery.

Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes in the center of the cupcakes.  I like to buy the 99 cent cake mix.  After you make the ganache, let it cool a bit.  Ganache is basically melted chocolate and it's way better than butter cream frosting (to me).

#2 stirring ganache for me before church

Puree some raspberries and freeze what you don't need for the whipped cream.  I like to use it to make raspberry lemonade.

Put a wire strainer over a bowl to remove the seeds.

Whip the cream, add sugar until you reach the desired sweetness, and then enough puree to make it pink.  Awkwardly put it into the pastry bag and when it oozes onto your hands, wash it off.  (Or lick it!)

 Squeeze the raspberry cream into the holes.

Drizzle the ganache slowly over the cupcakes.  It will run over the wrappers a bit, so you might want a pretty outer wrapper.  A friend of mine bought silver ones that were gorgeous!  You could probably also remove them from the wrappers and let the ganache run all over the sides, but I didn't do this because I was pressed for time.  I definitely will next time.

Put them in the fridge and let the chocolate harden.  Add some more raspberry cream for beauty and deliciousness.

So I suppose you will want and exact recipe.  Let's say you are making two dozen cupcakes. 

For the cupcakes

Follow the directions on any package of chocolate cupcakes or use your favorite recipe.  Allow to cool before you poke the holes in them.

For the ganache

1 cup of whipping cream
1 tablespoon of butter
10 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate (I use about 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips)

Over low heat, put cream and butter in a double boiler.  When the butter is melted, add the chocolate and stir until completely melted.  Allow to cool until it has thickened a bit.  You want it to adhere to the cupcake.

For the raspberry cream

1 cup of whipping cream
2-3 tablespoons raspberry puree
3-4 tablespoons sugar

Whip cream with beaters until thickened, add sugar, beat some more, and make sure it's plenty thick before you fold in the raspberry cream.  You don't want runny cream in your cupcakes.

Fill the holes with the raspberry cream from a pastry bag, add ganache, put in the fridge for a while (until the chocolate is hard), then add a little more raspberry whipped cream on top.

My non-foodie Mom LOVED these and has already requested them for her birthday in July.

#2 Wants a New Violin

#2 spent most of last year begging for a violin because he was starting orchestra.  We weren't sure if he would really love it or not and we ended up checking out a student violin from the district for a maintenance fee. 

He loves the violin.  Before orchestra started, he watched his instructional DVD and was soon explaining to me the proper way to care for and position the violin and bow.  It was definitely challenging in the beginning, but he didn't give up.  One day he told me amusingly, "I am never quitting, so you will keep buying me violins!"  He needed a 3/4 size, but they only had half size.  That's getting a little uncomfortable for him, so next year he will grow into a full size one.  I think the rentals were $25 per month and the guy at the music store said we should spend about $700 to get anything decent, so we could rent to own.  That would take at least two years to pay off.  Of course, he strongly cautioned me against buying anything used because it might have some defects we aren't aware of, but I think we could manage to find a good one with some help.

#2 has to return his violin after orchestra ends and he really wants to have something to play over the summer.  That presents quite a budgeting challenge for us because we are trying to buy a house.  How to get a house and a violin?

Our farmers market allows people to do some busking with their permission.  He's very excited about this idea and is already telling everyone about his plans and has an offer to make some money washing a car.

After the Challenge

As I figured, #1 and #2 were eager to eat with the family again after the challenge.  #3 thought he would get to exchange his dinner for oatmeal, but he was expected to eat this baked ravioli, broccoli, and garlic herb bread (not from one of those foil sacks).  He said, "I don't really like lasagna anymore."  No!  He has such a short list of stuff he eats with us without complaining, how dare he unlike anything! 

We went shopping earlier that day and he got to spend his $12.11.  He wanted to buy a movie, but quickly figured out he didn't have enough.  Turns out he had some movies on hold at the library.  He wanted to have a family movie night and share his candy.  Isn't that sweet?  He bought a tub of redvines, rolos, some suckers, and saved the rest.  Sadly, our movie night didn't happen yet because I was playing for a voice recital. 

Our daughter had $2 from Grandma, so it was a good time to teach her what money can buy.  That huge package of Twizzlers didn't stop her from asking for more candy, but it was $1.99.

We also found some pretty nice deals.  Fred Meyer had a coupon for ground turkey for $2.99.  It was cheaper than ground beef, so I used it in my meat sauce instead.  Milk was 10 for $10 for a half gallon.  Usually the cheapest gallon is $2.49, so that was only $2 a gallon.  I think the eggs were also 99 cents.  I would need those later to make something delicious for a family gathering.  Post coming soon.

We had to get gas.  #2 observed, "That's like two weeks worth of food for one person!" 

I love their growing awareness of how much things cost!  We have many budgeting challenges ahead.  #2 will need a full size violin next year and we're talking about how to accomplish that.  He wants to have one to play over the summer because he has to return the one he's using.

Day 7: All Done!

#3 did it!  Tomorrow he gets to buy candy and whatever else he has money for.  He had a pizza party at school today and ended up sharing some of his Spaghettios because he was still kind of full.  He wants to have a movie night tomorrow with the whole family. 

Today our family also reached a financial goal.  We wanted to be debt free and have a certain amount in savings by May.  Today was payday and we were able to do it.  It really seemed quite impossible, but we managed to do it with a combination of hard work, self-denial, and also with some help from a wonderful, generous relative or friend who anonymously sent us some money as a congratulations on becoming debt free.  What a huge blessing that was!  I opened the card that I thought was maybe a wedding announcement and I started crying.

Now to work up the courage to apply for a home loan.  We're not sure how much the bank will want us to have in our savings to get a VA Loan, but we hope it's enough. 

Day 6: He Can Practically Taste the Candy Already

#3 is very excited that tomorrow is his last day of the challenge.  His bananas aren't in the greatest shape anymore (I might let him have one of our newer ones) and he wants to have a movie night with popcorn and candy.  He also wants to buy a movie, but he'll figure out how much $12 is going to buy him on Saturday.  He has also been more careful with his milk than he needs to.  He still has half a gallon left and not surprisingly, I haven't seen him waste any of it.

Tonight he ate more macaroni and tomato juice while the rest of us had leftover Chinese food.  I went to a women's activity and ate some delicious appetizers.  Oh yes, and my husband is experimenting with juicing and just learned why there are no recipes with brussel sprouts.  Because it's disgusting.  I tasted a few of his juice recipes and I think the juice diet works because it induces nausea.

I'm suddenly hungry for ice cream!  If I put it through the juicer, will it make it good for me?

Day 5: Still Doing Well

#3 still didn't have any food complaints today and a dear friend brought over Chinese food for the rest of us.  If you're guessing #3 doesn't like Chinese food, you would be correct!  I feel like maybe we should eat something he likes in front of him, but I don't know if I want to do that to myself.  Oh, but dessert would work. 

Does Chef Boyardee make desserts?  Man I hope not.

Day Four: Never Underestimate How Much #3 Loves Kraft Mac & Cheese

Today was an unusual day.  Our school had Family Fun Night where a local church provides a dinner.  #3 still opted to eat his leftover macaroni and tomato juice with his celery and peanut butter.  We usually aren't able to attend because we have Cub Scouts and then #1 has Boy Scouts later.  It's just too hectic to go, but the Cub Scouts were cleaning up the school grounds for a service project, so it worked out perfect. 

#3 asked me if he has to make his dinner on Friday.  When I told him yes, he said, "Awwwww!"

I asked hopefully, "Are you starting to miss my cooking?"  "Yes."  A miracle!  "Which foods are you missing?"  "I'm missing your Kraft Mac and Cheese."

If I cook it, it's on a rare occasion, but I usually have the kids do it and I eat something else.  After he received two Costco cases of Kraft Mac and Cheese on his birthday last year, he went to bed and ended up puking all over his room.  The next day, he asked, "When can we have some more mac and cheese?"

I guess he wasn't kidding when he said, "Mac and cheese is my life!" 

Day Three: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tonight was our Family Home Evening and we decided that #3 could have a treat with us.  His brothers got to join us for potlucks and a birthday dinner with dessert, so this might be the happiest he looks the rest of the week.  We also played a blind version of Apples to Apples.  We weren't allowed to look at our cards before we put them down.  That way our 3-year-old could play and we would all have the same disadvantage.  Speaking of, she keeps asking when she gets to buy her groceries and even resorted to taking a handful of her brother's "delicious" mac and cheese and ate all of #2's gum. 

Yes, I said "ate".  Not chewed.  We have had to tell the boys repeatedly that anything within her reach is not a good hiding place and I even organized some high shelves for them with their own containers for keeping stuff away from her.  We might have a pretend challenge for her or a modified version.

And this is the "disgusting" thing we had for dinner that #3 didn't have to eat.  Breakfast Casserole.  This time I used bacon.  Just as I was about to fry the potatoes and onion in butter, I realized I had bacon grease. 

Breakfast Casserole

5 red largish potatoes (poke holes in them and microwave for 12 minutes if you're lazy and do this first because they need to cool off before you cut them)
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 pound of either cooked sausage, bacon, or ham
1/4 cup butter (half a stick) or super unhealthy but delicious, reserved bacon grease
1 to 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
12 eggs, beaten
Freshly ground pepper to taste

While your potatoes are cooking, fry up your bacon or sausage (or cut up some fully cooked ham).  Place on a paper towel on a plate to drain the grease so you can make yourself believe everything bad for you has been magically removed. 

Dice the potatoes.  You don't even have to peel them.  Heat your butter or evil bacon grease on medium in a pan, sautee the onions for a couple minutes or so, add the potatoes for another couple minutes, and spread it on the bottom of a 9x13 pan like this. 

Add the meat.  Or make your toddler add the meat.

Add the cheese

Then the eggs and pepper.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Did I mention this is also a gluten free meal?  I have some gluten free friends, so I like to watch for meals that might counteract any feelings of deprivation.  You could also garnish this with some green onion and serve it with a side of fruit, top it with salsa, etc. 

Or you could yell, "BLECH!" and eat a nasty can of Chef Boyardee Mac & Cheese. 

P.S. You can also put this in the fridge the night before and pop it in the oven for breakfast.

Day Two: #3's Future Plans

#3 is still in canned food Heaven and making plans for his future.

#3:  When I'm a grown up, I'm going to stay up late.  I'm going to stay up all night because that's what grown-ups do!

Me:  We stay up late because it's quiet after you guys go to sleep.

#3:  Hey!  You're mean!

Me:  When you're an adult, you'll miss the quiet too.

#3:  When I grow up, I'm not going to have a job!  I'm just going to sit around all day.

Me:  Where are you going to sit around?

#3:  On the couch.

Me:  How are you going to buy a couch if you don't have a job?

#3:  I'll get a job, I'll buy a couch, and then I'll quit!  I'm just going to play video games all day!

Me: Where are you going to live?

#3:  In a house.

Me:  How are you going to buy a house with no job?

#3:  *grins* I'll get a job, buy the house, and then I'll quit!

Me:  How long will it take you to pay for the house?

#3:  I'll get a job that pays a billion kagillion dollars per hour and then I'll quit!

Why didn't I think of that?  That's a pretty awesome plan.

Day One: #3 Must Be a Member of the Finer Things Club

"Mom, this is so good!  Can I have it for my birthday?" 

#3's birthday is in about 10 months and he's already looking forward to eating Chef Boyardee Mac & Cheese.

And in case you were wondering, this is how we're keeping the non-refrigerated food separate.  #3's box is the heaviest because of all of the canned goods.

#3 Goes Shopping



He knew the drill.  "Over there by the flowers!"

 #3 is feeling so much better and so we went shopping tonight!  Tomorrow his challenge will start at breakfast, so he gets to enjoy one last dessert with us. 

His meal plan was interesting.  #3 is my pickiest eater, but also likes a few things no one else in our house likes.  He likes plain foods and he will eat some foods every day if you let him.  Every day at school, he has a plain cheeseburger.  I was pretty sure he would have the most money left because he wouldn't want condiments and other extras.  One interesting thing he wants with his dinner is celery dipped in peanut butter.  I was shocked one Thanksgiving to discover he likes celery.  Another day he saw a grapefruit a neighbor had dropped outside and he asked, "Is that grapefruit?  I love grapefruit!  I tried it at school."  I had no idea.  This is my kid who exclaimed, "I told you I hate juicy meat!"  I made the most delicious rosemary garlic pork roast.  It was so moist, but he was repulsed by it. 

We were in luck!  A peanut butter sale.

#3 wanted Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, but the Fred Meyer brand was 50 cents a box.  Then he saw some canned macaroni and cheese, which was $1.50 each, but he didn't have to buy butter with that.  The butter was $2.99.  He kept his eye on the prize, wanting lots of money to spend on treats next week. 

I stepped on this calculator today because it was in the middle of my kids' bedroom floor, but amazingly it still worked.

My husband grew up on "macaroni and tomato juice".  I can't bring myself to eat it, but all of my kids like it.  He adds cheese too, but #3 said he could go without it for the sake of saving money.  This will feed him for at least four days.  The other few days he will be eating 89 cent "spaghetti rings" with his celery and peanut butter.  He bought a box of brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal for $2.59.  It has 10 pouches, so he can eat that all week for breakfast.  That was his most expensive purchase.

He really wanted to have oranges with his lunches and last night I saw them at QFC for 88 cents a pound.  I thought it would be worth it to buy them there.  #2 spent half of his leftover money on a pack of gum to chew during the MSP next week (state testing) because they say it helps you concentrate better.  He cracks me up.  At QFC, he found Toblerone bars for a dollar each.  That was $1.99 off the regular price.  He also pointed out some Fuji apples for 78 cents a pound.  "That's a good deal!" 

See how happy he looks?  Wait until you hear the grand total. 

#3 spent $20.89!  He has $12.11 to spend on whatever he wants.  He's hoping he can find a cheap movie and buy candy.  He has some birthday money to add to it. 

Now comes the hard part.  #3 asks me on a regular basis, "What's for dessert?"  "Since when is dessert a regular meal?" I ask.  He has a major sweet tooth.  He had one last bowl of ice cream and asked if he could have two scoops instead of one.  "No!" I laughed. 

Milk, celery, peanut butter, bananas, canned mac and cheese, spaghetti rings, oatmeal, oranges, and macaroni and tomato juice.  He'll be in Heaven not having to eat any of my "disgusting" food.  I'll be in Heaven not hearing him complain about what's for dinner.  But the thought of eating what he's eating makes me want to hurl.

Chicken = Excitement

It's funny the stuff I get excited about as an adult.  As a kid, I never would have imagined being overjoyed at finding chicken thighs for a $1.09 per pound at Costco.  Magic chicken is one of the few things my whole family likes to eat.  For future reference, I decided to examine the contents of this package so I know how many chicken thighs they crammed in there.  I make about 10 of them so we can have a bit leftover too.

This pouch contained 4 chicken thighs.

Upon closer inspection, I realized the package is made up of separate pouches that you tear off.  Sweet!  Not only can I buy a large amount of chicken for a good price, I don't even have to put it into freezer bags once I open it.  Each pouch contains three or four thighs, depending on the size, I think.  You know, even us humans are prone to having one thigh bigger than the other.  Not that I have that problem ......

Last night I used half the package, which was 10 thighs.  Perfect!  That means I spent $5 on chicken for one meal for my family of six.  Throw in some inexpensive veggies and potatoes and that's maybe another couple bucks.

Magic Chicken

(obtained from my sister who got it from her sister-in-law who got it from I don't know where)

Salt and pepper skin side down. Broil for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil water.

Flip chicken over. Add 1/2 inch boiling water. Salt and pepper. Bake at 450 for 45 minutes.

Even though it's baked and not fried, you have magically crispy skin!

I know, it's so exciting, you feel like an adrenaline junky just reading this, don't you?