Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: August 6~12, 2023

[etdeb]

Just left a visitation at a packed funreal home its 106 at 7pm.

 

[ReneeT]

Oh my etdeb - that temp has to be miserable!

One more trapper/keeper slash binder and I'm done with school supply shopping. Unless I need to pick up one more set of supplies - not sure how that's going as yet.

JFL (Junior Football League) Jamboree on Saturday; temps in the high 80's low 90's, possible thunderstorms, 3 games. I won the toss and daughter will be going to the games while I snag younger grandson and the grand-dog to hang out with me at my place. I'm sure they will enjoy canning and freezing beans and tomatoes - not. Plus side - my rain water tank is way low, so the thunderstorms will be a blessing.

We've got rain predicted for Friday/Saturday/Sunday/Monday so I'm going to go out early tomorrow morning and try to get as much as I can picked and inside before 0930. Then it's off to the pool with the neighbor lady - she's been off on a trip so it will be good to get back to our normal routine. I'm going to take the advice of some of our folks here and wash, core, and freeze the tomatoes; that should leave me time to take care of the beans and miscellaneous things like zucchini, peppers, etc...

I've been working on my pantry closets, trying to make room for some stock up items that are on sale at the store this week. Looks like another trip to the Amish bulk food store might be in the works as well. I need to do something with a couple of sets of shelves in the basement - the shelf boards aren't solid wood and have bowed, so I want to rip those out and replace them with stronger, solid boards.... If I don't just unload them, take them apart, and give them to Hubby for his shop and find some different ones. They were given to me so no major loss to pass them on. I do have a couple of sturdier sets in the grandson's room here that I could probably use as they have outgrown the toys, etc... that were on them.

 

[nomifyle]

Another scorcher and no rain in sight.

I finally finished the book series I was reading and now I'm going to give my eyes a rest. I'm beginning to think I may need prescription eye glasses again. I haven't worn prescription glasses since I had cateract surgery a few years back.

I'm having issues with my lift chair, it operates intermetantly. seemingly a short in the hand control. DH found it, the cord was getting rubbed some way, so he is reparing it. And I also ordered a replacement hand control for it. Won't be here until Wednesday. I slept, badly, in DH's chair, kills my legs, but I did get some sleep, but not good sleep. I even tried sleeping in the bed, but I just can't sleep on either shoulder, so I got up. Did get to hug DH though, he didn't even wake up.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Just when I think our gardens have given up the ghost, it surprises me. I gathered tomatoes, squash, banana peppers and bell peppers this morning. I'm still putting up all the squash in the freezer, and I have enough vinegar to make a few more jars of banana pepper rings. I'm saving enough squash out to make fried squash to go with supper, tonight. I'll use the tomatoes, tonight, too.

Since we have conflicting forecasts, today. I went ahead and did a load of laundry and hung it on the line. One forecast says thunderstorms, and the other says no rain. The sun is shining right now, so I took advantage of it. Hot once again, today. 95 with heat indices at 113. I also dead headed all my roses but waiting for more zinnas and marigolds to dry, before doing any more of them. With this heat, I'm done outside for the day.

The guy never came, yesterday, to look at our tree. Maybe, today.

 

[kyrsyan]

So I am almost finished the ketchup. I still have to can it. But I got it cooked down to the right consistency. From 4 L to jus under 1L, probably a bit less. And without scorching it once. The maslin pan is definitely worth the price.

Giving myself 15 more before I head out to tackle garden stuff. I need to pull everything out of the area we are going to bed working on. And harvest the peppers for making a batch of cowboy candy. And then slice onions for roasting so I can get them canned. Maybe a few small batches at a time.

 

[prudentwatcher]

Some car maintenance done on both cars this week. Found out mine needs new tires, so that will be next month.

Ordered some things: stuff for a sewing kit, more lantern wicking, more of the compressed toilet paper tablets and stuff like that. Hoping for a run to Dollar Tree, but we seem to be waiting on the car to get done, so probably won't make it this week.

Have picked up extra work for my side job, so that helps a lot. Most of that gets put away in one form or another for the future.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

In looking through my pantry room, today, I realized that some of my canned stuff was already a couple of years old, so I'm making an effort to get some of that used up by the end of the year which means making a lot more pantry meals. I don't want to wait til then about replacing, so I'm making out a list of those things and some items that I don't think I have enough of. I'll stack it somewhere. I had saved space in the laundry room for canned garden veggies this year, but we didn't get anything much to can. I can use that space. I don't like for my canned foods to get but one or two years past its expiration dates.

I have a Sam's order and a Blair order to send in. I think Cary may order more books, too.

Heat index hit 119, today. No rain so far.

 

[aviax2]

DH and I made a shopping trip yesterday to Aldi and Sam’s. I got most everything on my lists, a few things I decided to leave on the shelf since the “best if used by“ dates were closer than I felt comfortable with and some things because of price. The fresh spinach in Aldi looked like it had been partially frozen and stomped on and then I forgot to look for it in Sam’s. The block of Colby/Monterey Jack cheese I wanted wasn’t in stock at Sam’s and the heavy cream was within a few days of being out of date. Since we go to Aldi first I always get a couple of quarts of heavy cream there if the date is good and then a few more quarts in Sam’s, but yesterday Aldi had a date well into Oct. so I bought 4 quarts there.

We bought two rotisserie chickens yesterday so I need to pull the meat today for future meals (what DH hasn’t used for sandwiches) and put the carcasses in the freezer to make broth another day because I’m so tired from yesterday. Those chickens are still a good bargain with all the crazy prices in the stores.

Besides the chickens, we bought Nathan’s hotdogs, Members Mark premium ham and Oscar Mayer shaved turkey and that was it for meat. The only dairy we bought in Sam’s was American cheese and a tub of sour cream. Our bill still came to around $330.xx We didn’t buy nearly the amount of things we sometimes get and the only item that wasn’t food was a pack of AAA batteries. Aldi was around $70.xx, 3 tubs of soft cream cheese, the heavy cream and a container of pimento cheese along with some treats for the grands and a few boxed items I like to keep on hand. I honestly don’t know how anyone on a fixed income or has several people to feed are going to continue to make it. Sams was really crowded with most folks in our age group 65 and up, and I never pay attention to what people have in their carts, I did notice that most didn’t have but a few things. I know our cart had a lot less than usual.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I have a monthly grocery budget set at $1,000. That also includes a trip back to pick up dairy and produce in the middle of the month and a stop at our wine shop. Also included in that are all the household cleaners, shampoos, and odd and end misc. things you have to have. Last month, I spent over my budget, and had to pull money from my emergency cash I keep on hand in my purse. It's got to the point where Cary has to pay for anything I get from Sam's, so I don't order there but once a month. I, once, could pay for anything from Sam's out of my monthly budget and still had money left over to put into our main emergency fund. I can hardly believe how bad things have gotten. I'm seeing shortages at our grocery store on top of the high prices.

 

[nomifyle]

I finally put my order in at wm for pick up tomorrow. I really didn't have a huge amount but it was still $150, which is a lot for me. I didn't get to add any cash to the fund this month. Its a good thing I'm not trying to make huge stock ups anymore.

 

[hd5574]

DH and I went to Costco last night.... and got gas... cheapest around... grabbed some top round to can for soup or stew...was able to get a 20 lb bag of basmati rice from India...for $20.00...on thr way home stopped at Giant Food... got 4 bags of sweet yellow corn to dehydrate....looked at basmati rice from India..5 lb bag was $8.99......wow...just wow.... was also able to get sausage patties on sale to can

 

[kyrsyan]

I spent time working on the yard. Back brain tossed the complete idea forward as I moved things around. I was going to do the lumber order for pickup, but I have to go inside anyways.

I need staples for my electric stapler. The last time I trusted the online guides, I ended up with the wrong ones. So I'm taking the stapler with me. And this one is supposed to take some nails. So I want to get that information, and pictures, while I'm in there.

I have some long 3" diameter bamboo. I'm debating painting it and using it to make the frame for the "doors". Just because.

But for today, a bunch of stuff got moved. And I filled four sandbags to frame in an area where I'm trying to bring the soil level up. At this point, I'll work one spot, let it sit until the soil is well anchored, then move the bags for the next spot. Eventually I'll get the washout filled in.

I was covered in sweat and dirt when I got back in. It felt so good to go scrub off.

I doubt this project is going to get completed this weekend. So there is a white heavy duty tarp that should arrive tomorrow.

Testing came back. Blood sugar is staying elevated but not as elevated as it was. A1C was 5.7. I'm still going to talk to the doc about going on the med for a while. I'm getting the side effects of high blood sugar and can't afford that damage.

But I'm glad it is stable. The readings are the same as 3 months ago. With the readings I had at home, I felt like it was going to be worse.

 

[nomifyle]

Got my grocery pickup in a couple of hours. It will be interesting to see if all I ordered shows up.

Another scorcher today and for the forseable future.

I slept well last night, didn't stay up as late since I'm not reading anything right now. And I woke up a couple of hours earlier than usual and felt rested.

Its Saturday already, it could be Monday, the days have been running together since I retired and after 14 years I still feel like I'm on vacation. If things get done, great, if not, oh well!

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Excessive Heat Warning still in effect for us today. It's so hot/humid outside that it's hard to breath. Maybe, that's why I feel so bad this morning. I have absolutely no energy, so I don't think I'm going to get much of anything done today. I have a load of laundry going, but I'm putting it in the dryer. I haven't managed to get to the gardens, yet. Cary hasn't felt up to going, either.

I've been sitting here trying to make out my middle of the month grocery trip list but can't think of anything we need other than milk and fresh produce. Almost not worth the trip into town to get that. If our local Dollar General sold produce, we would just go there, instead.

I made a pantry meal last night for supper (Mexican Beef and Noodle casserole). We'll have leftovers of that, warm flour tortillas, and Spanish Rice to go with it, tonight. It was a good way to use up the tomatoes I got from the garden, yesterday. I'll use the rest of them tonight making the Spanish rice.

 

[aviax2]

We‘ve had a stormy morning with a good bit of rain. I’m so tired, sleepy and lethargic today that I just want to curl up and go back to sleep, and the weather is definitely contributing to it. But that’s not going to happen, kitchen and pantry work is calling my name loudly! I still have several things to get put away from Thursdays shopping and make menu plans for tomorrow.

I shelled a bucket of peas and got those washed, blanched and in the freezer yesterday, 5 very full pints. I’m happy with everything we’ve been able to get from the garden even when it’s just small amounts, it adds up.

@SouthernBreeze We kept going over our budget the last couple of years so with things the way they are, I’ve really been focusing on prices and what we’re buying. Right now my average for Jan. thru July is $450.00, just for food. It helps me to have a clearer picture of what we’re spending where and on what to keep things separate. Some months it might be over $700.00 and like last month less than 300.00. If I can keep it to between $500/600.00 or less I’ll be happy. Keep in mind that we don’t buy beef since we raise beef and the cost of feeding/processing isn‘t coming out of my food budget so that makes a difference. We do buy lots of extras for the grandkids that come through the week and we regularly feed 8 people at least once a week. We definitely try to be diligent watching for things we use a lot of to go on sale and stock up as we can. DH really likes to keep lots of chips and ice cream on hand but he’s learned how to it without always spending a small fortune.

@kyrsyan I finally googled a maslin pan you’ve been mentioning, oh those are neat! That might go on my “I want one” list.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

@SouthernBreeze We kept going over our budget the last couple of years so with things the way they are, I’ve really been focusing on prices and what we’re buying. Right now my average for Jan. thru July is $450.00, just for food. It helps me to have a clearer picture of what we’re spending where and on what to keep things separate. Some months it might be over $700.00 and like last month less than 300.00. If I can keep it to between $500/600.00 or less I’ll be happy. Keep in mind that we don’t buy be.ef since we raise beef and the cost of feeding/processing isn‘t coming out of my food budget so that makes a difference. We do buy lots of extras for the grandkids that come through the week and we regularly feed 8 people at least once a week. We definitely try to be diligent watching for things we use a lot of to go on sale and stock up as we can. DH really likes to keep lots of chips and ice cream on hand but he’s learned how to it without always spending a small fortune.

I know that $1,000/month sounds like a lot for a grocery budget, but it's not all groceries. Like I mentioned, our wine/beer bill each month comes out of that. If we need anything from Tractor Supply, that comes out of it, too. All my household and hygiene products come out of that. We have to buy all of our meat whether it's beef, chicken, or pork. Plus, I replace all of the food and storage items that I use over a month's time out of the pantry. All of that comes out to around the $1,000/month. If I budgeted each place separately, what I actually spend on food isn't so bad.

We've had to increase my budget 3 times, already, and Cary has picked up the cost of all Sam's orders. We can't afford to do it again, so what we have to spend is it.

I guess I need to change the name from grocery budget to household budget. It would make more sense.

 

[aviax2]

I know that $1,000/month sounds like a lot for a grocery budget, but it's not all groceries. Like I mentioned, our wine/beer bill each month comes out of that. If we need anything from Tractor Supply, that comes out of it, too. All my household and hygiene products come out of that. We have to buy all of our meat whether it's beef, chicken, or pork. Plus, I replace all of the food and storage items that I use over a month's time out of the pantry. All of that comes out to around the $1,000/month. If I budgeted each place separately, what I actually spend on food isn't so bad.

We've had to increase my budget 3 times, already, and Cary has picked up the cost of all Sam's orders. We can't afford to do it again, so what we have to spend is it.

I guess I need to change the name from grocery budget to household budget. It would make more sense.

Exactly what I meant on what you actually spend on food. That’s where I couldn’t figure why we were spending so much on “food” because it wasn’t all food. I just deduct those “other” items on the receipt from the actual food. I have to say I’ve gotten a tad lax the past few months about keeping track of my household/HBA products. I will say that keeping track of expenses does make me pay more attention to real needs vs wants. By the way, I think you do an amazing job!

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Exactly what I meant on what you actually spend on food. That’s where I couldn’t figure why we were spending so much on “food” because it wasn’t all food. I just deduct those “other” items on the receipt from the actual food. I have to say I’ve gotten a tad lax the past few months about keeping track of my household/HBA products. I will say that keeping track of expenses does make me pay more attention to real needs vs wants. By the way, I think you do an amazing job!

In the past, I did budget for each place I shopped. Over time, doing it that way, I got a good idea of what I was spending and where. So, I lumped it all together, and Cary pulls out the total amount for me each month from the bank. Some months we have money left over, and that goes into our big emergency fund. That emergency fund will be what we use out of to get this oak tree removed. We consider the tree not falling on our house an emergency.

My household budget is our largest monthly bill. Nothing else comes close to it. House/property is paid off, new SUV is paid off, and our monthly utilities are way less than most other peoples. Our latest electric bill was only $130.00. That should be the highest it goes for this year. We don't take vacations, don't have boats, or ATV's for toys like others do, too. The only animal food we have to buy is dog food and his treats.

 

[kyrsyan]

Ugh. Weather is not cooperating. We got some things bagged for trash. And two of the tires are gone. And it turns out that someone added a tire. Not happy about that. They buried it in one of the forsythia bushes.

We got lumber pieces set in place before the rain started. We'll have to do the rest next weekend. There are several things I can keep working on until then.

I went back out during a rain break and moved some logs to the compost pile. And I started sorting through pots and stacking them. They were all stacked but I'm condensing some more.

And I figured out how to hide the cardboard from easy view. That will be next. Mainly because I'll have used all of my current pile for this. So I will just keep from collecting more until I have that done.

And I'll have two compost bins there as well. Smaller ones than my big piles, and plastic "fancy" ones. That will have them near to the gardens for the garden debris.

Right now the area we are working on is covered with a tarp. Tomorrow I have to mow. So likely it will be Monday before I work on that again. Maybe. Depending on weather tomorrow.

Because of time constraints for the friend helping me, I skipped Costco this morning. I'll be doing that on Tuesday after my doctors appointment. And likely a stop by Lowes as well.

Friend got moved to his favorite shift, starting on Sunday. He now works third. It honestly is his favorite shift and fits his natural cycle. And the company is talking about changing the shifts to 4 10 hour shifts. They are supposed to find out next week.

 

[kyrsyan]

Well, weather turned. I now desperately need another shower. Landscape cloth down for the storage area. A lot of items already put back in place. Stacked more pots.

I am hoping that I can get most of the rest done tomorrow, after I mow. Then it will leave the structure to build. And cutting a fence panel to about 3.5 tall to tuck my potting table and cardboard behind.

I honestly considered leaving it at 6 ft. But I don't like the look of that. Although, we may pull two of them and cut them to fit outside the bathroom window. I need to measure and see if 6 ft will be tall enough.

Oh, and I grabbed some mistint exterior paint at Home Depot. None of it neon, but none of it really matches. But it doesn't clash either.

But for tonight, I'm done. Caffeine or not, the body is sore and tired. I keep meaning to take pictures and keep forgetting.

 

[nomifyle]

In the past, I did budget for each place I shopped. Over time, doing it that way, I got a good idea of what I was spending and where. So, I lumped it all together, and Cary pulls out the total amount for me each month from the bank. Some months we have money left over, and that goes into our big emergency fund. That emergency fund will be what we use out of to get this oak tree removed. We consider the tree not falling on our house an emergency.

My household budget is our largest monthly bill. Nothing else comes close to it. House/property is paid off, new SUV is paid off, and our monthly utilities are way less than most other peoples. Our latest electric bill was only $130.00. That should be the highest it goes for this year. We don't take vacations, don't have boats, or ATV's for toys like others do, too. The only animal food we have to buy is dog food and his treats.

My household budget is around $300 a month, that's for everything I buy, which includes the dog food, sometimes its a little more or less. DH pays for the animal feed and buys a few things at the grocery for himself and then sometimes he kicks in a little extra for my grocery budget. The electric bill is what influences what I spend. Its 315 for July, it was a little less than that for June.

If I had to stock my pantry from the beginning I would never be able to do what I've done again.

Today I spend about $180, its been three weeks since I went to the store and spent about the same. Honestly, some of what I picked up today was to restock things I've used and some is just for regular eating. WM was out of a couple of things on my list, the Jacks pepperroni pizza that we like and the gallon bottled water. I went in the store and found another variety of Jacks, I like to keep a couple pizzas on hand in the freezer. I also added another can of coffee to my stash. I was going to get another bag of the Community coffee and chickory, but decided to wait until next time for that in an effort to keep the total down. I did get the two pak of coconut oil that I use, its gone up over $5 in the last year or so, but still cheaper than any other. And I did get two more cases of the half gallon jars while they still had them at the lower price. Last month I bought about 60 pounds of different beans and they will go in the jars.

WM has been out of stock on the frozen kale but I found one bag and it was on clearance, so I'm guessing they may be discontinuing it. Sad, I was glad to find it and have enjoyed adding it to stir fries.

Its a good thing I've added a few extras today and last month, they are either out or low in stock. I don't see it getting any better though.

I made a quick stop at DT. I've been buying their cheapo crappy shaker cheese. The lids are a perfect fit for a regular mouth jar and I use them for spices with half and fourth qt jars, very handy for the shaker top. I just add a regular lid to the canister of cheese, its doubtful I'll ever use the cheese, its full of crap.

 

[moldy]

Been busy today - painted a little, then took veggies to a couple friends. Picked about a half gallon of chokecherries (free), and have already juiced and canned them. I might make jelly, but will probably save and use for (really) tart cherry juice. Picked and blanched some green beans, too.

 

[nomifyle]

After we got home from the grocery I felt like I was going to pass out and felt pain all over my body. I sat down and put my head between my legs and that help and then I took a nap, waking up and feeling a lot better. Maybe the heat got to me bringing some of the shopping bags, it was 103 outside and no telling what the heat index was.