Filling My Freezer: Cooking Up the Meat

I went shopping earlier this week and scored on some meat. I found hamburger reduced to $1.21/lb and pork ribs for under $1.00/lb. I stocked up on the beef and some ribs and then came home to quickly cook it up before the expiration date.

I try to always cook up any hamburger or chicken before I freeze it. The simple reason is that when dinner time rolls around the last thing I want to do is defrost and cook up some meat to go in the meal. If I can just take out a bag of precooked chicken or beef then dinner progresses much more smoothly, and we eat a healthy, balanced meal.

Hamburger Meat

I bought 7.5 lbs of hamburger and expected to get 15 (1/2 lb) bags out of the dish. I simply dumped a package of meat in the pot, added onions and garlic and let it cook. I then drained the grease from the pan and set the meat aside to cool.

I repeated this twice more to cook all the meat. After I had all of the meat cooked, I decided to save the last two lbs for runzas.

After the meat had cooled I added taco seasoning to some of it. I divided the meat into ziplok sandwich bags and then put three sandwich bags every freezer bag. I ended up with seven small bags of taco meat and six small bags of plain meat. Somehow I had stretched the meat farther than I expected, as I still had two lbs for runzas, but I didn’t worry about it.

Crockpot Barbecue Pork

I also made barbecue pork by putting my pork ribs in the crockpot and adding garlic and barbecue sauce. I set it on low and let it cook all day. It came right off the bone and we served it in sandwiches and put the leftovers in the freezer. This turned out really yummy and next time I’ll have to be sure to buy more pork, as I only bought enough for two meals.

Great Links to Check Out

Here are some posts that I have found this week that I thought you might enjoy.

For the Mommas has a great post on stock up prices for toiletries. She lists both a buy price and a stock-up price. This a great place to start in making your own price book.

Simple Kids has compiled a list of favorite children’s literature from their readers. This would be a great resource when buying gifts or building up your home library.  I’m going to print out a copy and bring it with me to the library.

Get Rich Slowly has a comprehensive article on Planning a (Debt-Free) Dream Vacation. We are currently setting aside a specific amount for our family reunion this summer and that certainly keeps us from putting a vacation on a credit card.

Mama’ s Laundry Talk discusses Frugal Laundry Necessities. We have similar shelves in one of our closets and I love them.

Saving for the Expected: The Baby Fund

I often hear the old adage, “Save for a rainy day”, in reference to unexpected occurrences such as unemployment, health issues, and accidents. But I rarely hear people express the need to save for major expected expenses that can just as easily derail your budget and potentially lead to unwanted debt.

Last year we were fortunate enough to bring baby Sweet Pea into our home. Although we have great health insurance, we still knew that we had to make room in our budget for medical expenses  associated with her birth.

Shortly after we found out we were pregnant, I started doing my research on the estimated costs for a routine delivery in our area. I looked into various doctors, hospitals, etc. and after extensive online research and numerous phone calls I felt confident estimating the cost to deliver our baby.

We put our emergency fund savings on hold for a few months and funneled all of our savings into “The Baby Fund”. After this was fully funded we returned to building up our emergency fund.

My estimation for the cost of her birth, was roughly accurate. The only reason we had to dip a little into savings was an extra day in the NICU.

Knowing that our baby was paid for without going into debt, allowed us to fully enjoy her without worrying about finances.

Our New Way of Budgeting

After reading “America’s Cheapest Family”, my husband and I decided to alter the way that we budgeted. In essence we do a zero-based budget where every dollar of Tim’s paycheck is accounted for before we spend it. But where our budget gets a little more complex (but essentially easier) is that we divide our bank account into basically sub-accounts such as clothing, groceries, utilities, rent, etc.  The total of all of our sub-accounts is what is in our bank account. It’s similar to the envelope method but instead of using cash we just kept track of our expenses on paper as we spend throughout the month, and always know how much is left in a category to spend.

The advantages of this budget is that I always know how much is in each sub-account for clothing, rent, etc and when the balance is zero, I know I have to wait for the next paycheck. In addition, we have the freedom to carry over any money left in a certain category to the next month or put the money into savings. We usually carry the balance over which is especially helpful for things such as utilities where some months have higher expenses than other months. If we find that there’s too much money left over at the end of the month we’ll either put it into savings or adjust the budget the following month.

The disadvantages of this budget is that it takes a little more time to set up and use than using Quicken did, although it does get easier with practice. Also, you need to make sure you’re not too strict staying in the budget that you can’t plan for unexpected occurrences in each category such as an extra high utility bill or an unexpected extra trip that depletes your gas account. You can get around this by simply transferring money from one sub-account to another, but it is important to only do this when necessary.

The first thing I did to prepare this budget was create an excel spreadsheet that divided each of our expenses and subtracted them from Tim’s paycheck. Each month Tim and I alter the different balances for the month’s needs, but I always make sure each dollar is accounted for.

The second thing I did was to make a budget notebook. I put each expense listed on the spreadsheet on a loose leaf piece of paper and arranged them alphabetically.

Finally, I broke out our checking register. Now I was prepared to start the budget.

Here is the process that I use to budget, starting a few days before Tim’s paid.

1. After talking with Tim, use the excel spreadsheet to decide how much to fund each sub-account for the month. We make sure to fund our tithe and savings first.

2. “Deposit” the money into a main check register and also record each deposit in our main sub-account notebook. For example, I would put the total amount of Tim’s check in the register, but then I would go through page-by-page in the notebook and deposit the alloted amount. For example, if I assigned $50 to utilities for that paycheck then I would add $50 to whatever (if any) balance was left from the last paycheck.

3. Add up the totals from all of the sub-accounts, these should equal the balance in the checkbook.

4. As purchases or extra deposits are made throughout the pay period, record them in the checkbook and the notebook and adjust the balances.

5. Reconcile the account with the balance and purchases listed from my bank online

This process was a little tedious at first, but now the process is a lot more smooth and I end up balancing the checkbook about once a week, and then on paydays. We also set up our budget so that each paycheck funds one-half of our monthly bills and expenses. For example, to pay for our July rent we we will fund half the rent account the second check of June and then fully fund it the first check of July. This way, all of the paychecks are evenly divided and we’re not paying rent out of one check and then catching up later in the month with the other expenses. This also pads our checking account a little to avoid overdraft fees.

I still use the envelope system and cash for a few categories such as garage sales, clothing (which we mainly purchase at garage sales), Tim’s lunches and groceries (because I spend less using cash). I just record a withdrawal and don’t keep a sub-account of cash because I can easily count it in the envelope.

Even though it feels strange going to a mostly paper system, when I had used Quicken for years, this method is really fulfilling our family’s needs right now and keeping us on track. If I ever find a similar computer program we may use that, but for now this system works for us.

My New Daily Routine

Here is my attempt at my new daily routine. I have had a hard time getting things done lately and I think I just need a written routine and plan, that is still flexible enough for my day. The trickiest part of this routine will be getting up at 6:30 and trying to pack Tim’s lunch the night before. In addition I want to make a hot breakfast 2-3 mornings/week which will be a big stretch for me. Here is the rough draft of my new schedule.

6:30 Rise and Shine and shower

7:00 Breakfast and get Tim out door

8:00 Pick up and start laundry

8:30 Morning project (baking, cleaning, etc)

9:30 Play time with my son with at least 1 learning activity

11:00 Lunch and clean up

12:00 Nap time and quiet time

2:00 Afternoon project (shopping, budgeting, etc)

4:00 Start dinner

5:00 Eat dinner and clean up

6:00 Story time with Zach

7:00 Bed time

8:00 Prepare for breakfast and make Tim’s lunch

9:30 Bedtime

Making the Decision to Change Apartments Part I

Since we’re still renting we have the freedom to move around if we can find a better deal after our lease is up. We are currently in a nice 1100 sq feet apartment nestled in a quiet neighborhood. The complex has been great for us but we think we can find something that will fit our needs for less money. So Tim and I discussed what was important for us in finding a new apartment and here are some criteria we came up with:

1. Has washer/dryer hookups or comes with a washer/dryer
At this moment we don’t have washer/dryer hookups in our apartment so once a week I load up our son and our laundry and drive the short distance to our apartment complex’s laundry building. Besides the hassle of doing laundry outside our apartment (especially when our son was sick), laundry also eats into our budget as we spend $25-$35 on laundry/month, not including detergent. Since we will have another child in August, I just don’t see how I can arrange laundry around two children’s schedules, or justify paying over $40/month in laundry.

2. Is relatively close to Tim’s job
Since we share one car, a short commute to Tim’s job is worth a little more in rent. In addition, gas prices fluctuate so much that we decided living close to work can help our gas budget.

3. Is in our church congregation’s boundaries
We have made very good friends over the past year in our congregation. We belong to an organized, large church which divides congregations similar to school districts, you are asked to go to church at a specific time in a specific building depending on where you live. If we moved too far away from where we currently are, we would most likley be in another congregation’s boundaries and have to make friends all over again.

4. Is affordable
This criteria is key as we are trying to save money to build up an emergency fund and then save money for a down payment on a house. If we were to stay in our current complex and move to a unit with washer/dryer hookups we would have to upgrade to a townhouse and spend an extra $50/month. We would really like to reduce the amount we spend on rent, not increase it.

5. Is safe
Since we live on the outskirts of a large city, we are also looking at complexes that are in safer parts of town.

6. Space
Space is last on our list, because even with adding another child to our household, you can be creative and find ways to use small spaces. We also know that if needed we may be able to store a few boxes at Tim’s parents.

So here are our criteria in looking for an apartment to rent. Everyone’s criteria may be different and you have to make your choices on what is best for your family. Now that you know your criteria, I will later write about tips on finding an apartment that fits within your budget and criteria.

Being Flexible With Your Goals

No matter how you try to prepare, life happens and sometimes you fall behind on your goals. This month we had many unplanned expenses including a quick trip to New York and buying new tires for the trip instead of waiting until next month to buy them.

In the midst of some of these unplanned expenses, we have had to dip into savings and fallen a little behind in our 2009 financial goals. Sometimes it’s hard not to get discouraged when you’re doing your best to save and live within your means and you fall behind in your timetable. But the key is to keep your eye on the big picture. Even with all of these expenses we didn’t go into debt, we continued to pay on our student loan and we know next month will be a little better. And the truth is, we have savings for months like these.

So for the rest of the month I’ll pass up grocery and CVS deals and live off of our cupboards and supplies. We’ll still have plenty to eat, a roof over our heads and each other. But don’t be surprised if I jump into ultra-thrift mode these next few months, especially because…. we’re preparing for baby #2 in August. But that’s for another post.

Weekly Menu January 12th

Last week didn’t go quite as planned. We consumed some of the leftovers quicker than I thought and had to improvise. I also found some cottage cheese at Krogers that was expiring that day for $0.25. So I made a double batch of baked ziti and put one in the freezer for a day when we’re really rushed. I also forgot that Tim would be on a Scout Camporee Friday and Saturday night, so my son and I changed the menu a little and made some stirfry.

This week we should stick to the plan a little better. But I have to admit I really like flexibility. My menu is mostly a guideline of meals I have ingredients for in a span of about two weeks. This way I’m not tempted to drop by the store 3-4 times/week to pick up ingredients.

Monday: Spaghetti
Tuesday: Homemade hamburger helper
Wednesday: Chili
Thursday: Crustless quiche (we didn’t make this last week)
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Burritos
Sunday: Tim’s day to cook

Weekly Menu

We had friends over Sunday night and made a lot of food so for the beginning of the week we get to enjoy the leftovers. We need to use up our lettuce and tomatoes and so we’ll make tacos and salad. We’ll then finish out the week with some fun food and hopefully use up the rest of our fresh produce.

Monday: Leftovers (chicken pot pie)
Tuesday: Leftovers (beans and rice with tortillas)
Wednesday: Tacos
Thursday: Grilled chicken salad
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Hamburgers
Sunday: Stirfry

2009 Financial Goals

My husband and I sat together last weekend and after reviewing our expenses and finances from 2008 came up with a budget and goals for 2009.

Since we needed to use some of our savings to pay for a car we have a little less than one month in our emergency fund (which makes me nervous). But, we didn’t go in debt for a car and thanks to Tim’s parents now have a car which will last many years. Also, we should be able to be back up to 1 months savings this month and depending on our tax return back to two months of savings by April.

So our main priority this year is to save, save, save! In addition this is the year where we pay off our student loan. Here are our goals:

1. Pay off student loan by September

2. Have 3 months in our emergency savings by the end of December

3. Save at least $350/month (including FSA)

4. Put every extra penny into savings

5. Make both our websites profitable

6. Pay Tim’s parents at least $500 more for the car

Although these goals may seem easy, they will be stretching us this year as we prepare for large expenses in the summer.

We are also getting involved in some of the incentives Tim’s company offers like 401(k) and an FSA account which will benefit us in the long run but make cash flow a little short for a few months.

So this year we will concentrate even more on tightening our belt and finding small and large ways to save money. If your household hasn’t set up financial goals for the coming years I would strongly encourage you to do so. When you know where you want to be it’s much easier to get there.

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