When You Overspend

Unfortunately, this weeks grocery shopping trip didn't go as I had planned.  When I go over budget, I always feel like I failed.  My goal is to shop within my $75 a week model, and since I meal plan so carefully and I know how much most of the items on my list cost, this isn't usually hard to do.  In this case, there were outside reasons why I went over budget.  

1.) My husband and all of my children went with me on this trip.  It is not unusual for all of my kids to accompany me on a shopping trip.  Usually they are really good about listening and staying close to the cart.  They even help me out by looking for items on my list or keeping Adam, my three year old, occupied.  But this shopping trip was different.  They were loud, running all over the place, touching things, and overall not acting appropriately in the store.  When my kids are acting this way, it can be really difficult for me to focus on the job at hand, plus my husband was there so when the kids asked for a watermelon (that wasn't on the list) or when he decided that he wanted to make a relatively expensive breakfast the following day, items were added to the cart that I had not included in my budget dollars for the week.  

2.) I was shopping for my father as he just bought a new house.  I was getting a few things for him that I thought he would like to have in his new house, a box of cereal, some tuna fish, mayonnaise and other little items.  These were not in my budgeted dollars but I subtracted them from my total since I had them budgeted from a different source.  

Overall we went $60.00 over budget...which for me is really hard to swallow.  I know that there will be times when I go over budget, and I have to work at reminding myself that every now and then, it's okay, as long as I resolve to keep a tighter budget going forward.  I am happy that my husband was able to enjoy his yummy breakfast on Sunday and since he works so hard for our family, I can't be mad at him.  I am looking forward to the challenge of next week keeping the budget to $65.00 in an effort to make up for some of the money already spent.  For now, I just have to remember not to be so hard on myself, these times are sure to pop-up now and then!  

My Meal Plan for July 19th

     I was thinking this morning about my meal plan for next week and realized that I have never shared a full meal plan with you, or the template that I made to help you start meal planning.              Meal planning for me has to be a quick process since I generally don't have a lot of time to devote to it.  I sit down with my binder and my family calendar and away I go.  Next week is a pretty quiet week, we only have soccer 2 nights, so I won't have to worry about a lot about cooking ahead because I will be home to make dinner.  Next weekend we are going camping, so I will have to plan for that...but that shouldn't be difficult since we cook very simple meals when we are camping.

      The first thing that I do is print out the meal plan template.  My friend Maura has it posted on her blog and the link is http://happydealhappyday.com/5-tips-feed-family-7-75-week.  I wrote an article for her and she graciously shared the template with everyone.  You can print it right from there (then take a look around, she has an awesome blog and she can help you save $$ too!)
     The second thing that I do is check my freezer, pantry and fridge to see what I have on hand to start with.  This week I have three packs of hamburger, two packs of chicken and some breakfast sausage for meat.  What do I mean by packs?  When I purchase meat, I usually buy a family pack which I break-up into smaller "packs" that I use for multiple meals.  Ground beef is usually packed in approximately 1 pound packages, and I have chicken thighs that I usually pack in pairs.  So that translates to 3 pounds of ground beef and six chicken thighs.  I know that I am going to need more meat than that for the week.  I may be interested in searching for something like a steak or pork steaks for the grill.  I don't have very much in my refrigerator right now, but I have two gallons of milk, a pound of butter, a pound of american cheese, and about a half a pound of shredded cheddar.  I also have some celery, baby carrots, and potatoes; all of which will need to be used up so that nothing goes to waste.  In my pantry, I have some spaghetti sauce, rice, couscous, egg noodles, and cream of chicken soup.  I don't need to purchase any cereal or oatmeal this week so I am pretty much set for breakfast, aside from needing some eggs.
     Now that I know what is in my house, I am going to sit down and start my menu for next week.  I was going to make a chicken pot pie this week, and ended up making baked chicken instead, so I still have all of the ingredients for the pie.  I know that will be on my menu for next week.  I will make that on a day that I have extra time to prepare it, probably on Sunday.  Monday and Wednesday are soccer nights so I will need something really quick and easy.  Monday night is going to be goulash and Wednesday night is going to be chicken salad sandwiches, salad, and fruit.  Tuesday night is my dads birthday, so I will probably make the steak that night, he likes baked potatoes and if I can find it, corn on the cob.  Thursday night I would like to make a tator-tot casserole (my kids have never had that before) and Friday night we will be camping so I think it will be hot dogs and macaroni salad.  Saturday night we will have Italian sausage and a garden salad.      
     Next I think about breakfast, lunch, and snacks.  For breakfast I will have cereal, oatmeal, and eggs on hand.  Those items are very versatile, so I can make things like baked oatmeal, pancakes, omelets, and french toast.  For lunches, I always have peanut butter & jelly, grilled cheese, hot dogs, deli ham and whatever leftovers that I have in the fridge from the previous nights dinner.   Thankfully I still have tons of snacks left from our vacation so I have not needed to purchase anything for snacks since June.  

So there it is, my meal plan for the week.  What is on your menu this week?

Homemade Mini Doughnuts

     My goodness, the days are truly flying by this summer!  These busy days have been filled with cooking, cleaning, soccer, and dentist appointments...now it is time for a break and what could be better than baking something yummy and spending time with my kids.
     This morning, I only have two of my kids with me (the other two are at a friends house for a sleep over), so I asked Grace what she wanted for breakfast and she said doughnuts.  Doughnuts were not on my breakfast meal plan this week, but that didn't stop me.  Luckily, I have a great doughnut recipe that is quick and easy and I have all of the ingredients in the house to make them. These doughnuts cost about $1.00 to make, and you get 24, which makes them very economical.

I hope you enjoy!

Homemade Mini Doughnuts (makes 24)

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

A pinch of nutmeg (optional)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup milk

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg and beat until soft and smooth.  Add the vanilla, baking powder, and nutmeg and beat until well combined, scrapping the sides of the bowl.  Alternately add the milk and the flour, ending with flour, until the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes.  The batter will be thick.  Lightly spray two 12 mini doughnut pans, or a 24 mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  Using a piping bag, fill each doughnut up 1/2 way.  Bake at 325 for 12 minutes or until very lightly brown.  Partially cool, then use the topping options below.  

Toppings:

1.) Melt 1/4 cup of butter and let it rest until it reaches room temperature.  In a flat bowl, combine 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Roll the doughnuts in the melted butter, then immediately coat in the sugar mixture.  Enjoy!

2.) Place 1/4 of confectionery sugar in a gallon size storage bag.  One at a time, shake the doughnuts in the sugar until coated.  Yum!

 

Simple Chocolate Cake/ Cupcakes (Dairy and Egg Free!)

This recipe is well known in our family, it has been passed down by several generations and I am pleased to share it here for your family to enjoy!  My nephew is allergic to eggs so this is the cake recipe that I use to make all of his cupcakes and birthday cakes.  It is a simple cake that can either be served frosted (see my butter cream frosting recipe) or dusted with powdered sugar.  

Enjoy!

3 Hole Cake (serves 12) 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of water

Original Recipe:  In a prepared square 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dish, combine all of the dry ingredients.  Mix well, checking the corners to make sure the ingredients are combined evenly.  Form 3 holes in the dry batter, pour the oil in one hole, the vinegar in another, and the vanilla in the last.  Add the water and using a fork, mix all of the wet and dry ingredients together.  Again, making sure that all of the dry ingredients in the corners are properly mixed in.  The batter will bubble a bit as the baking soda and vinegar react.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting or dusting the cake.  

I usually combine all of my ingredients in my mixer and then pour it into the prepared dish, or I line a cupcake pan with paper liners and make cupcakes.  For cupcakes, bake at 350 degrees for about 19 minutes (or until the cakes spring back when touched)  no longer than 22 minutes.  They will become hard and chewy if left in the oven too long.

Homemade Baked Beans

I love baked beans, especially in the summer!  I will eat them hot or cold (believe me, cold beans are awesome!)  This year, I was noticing how one small can of baked beans wasn't enough for our family anymore and the large cans had gone up in price so I made the decision to make them myself.  I am so glad I did!  My beans are cheaper than what I could buy in the store and they taste so much better!  No more store bought baked beans for this chick!  

So here is my recipe: 

Baked Beans (Serves 6) 

3 cans of cooked Navy or Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup of maple syrup or pancake syrup

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup BBQ sauce (optional if you like sweeter baked beans)

2 tbsp minced onion or 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp real bacon bits (usually found with the salad dressings)

Combine all ingredients in a 5 qt crockpot.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or until sauce reaches desired consistency.  

Enjoy!  

Birthday Party Plans

    I can't believe that my Grace is turning six this year! I feel like it was just yesterday that we were having her, and now she is a sassy, smart, beautiful child with so much to offer this world!  Every birthday in this house is important, especially for the kids.  They love their birthdays because we make them really special, while trying to stay within our budget.   My budget for birthday parties is usually around $125.00 and that includes their gift.  This is not hard to accomplish, especially with the internet and sites like Pinterest.  So here is the plan for Grace's birthday party this year:

     We are having her party at the Spray Ground at Seneca Lake State Park in Geneva.  It is only $7.00 per car to get into the park and they have a lot of space for us to set up our canopy and lots of picnic tables and grills so we don't have to rent a pavilion. This year we are serving hot dogs, chips, macaroni salad, and baked beans.  My sister is bringing a watermelon and my other friends have offered to bring things too, so our meal is going to cost around $25.00.  That is going to feed about 30 people.  Although it seems impossible, it's not, and here is how I am going to spend my budgeted dollars: 

I am shopping at Aldi and the following are prices that I know in my head for the items I am looking to buy, some of them might be off by a small amount if anything that I have listed has gone up or down in price.

Hot Dogs: 24 count $2.99 (I need 2) $5.98
Buns: 8 count $0.89 (I need 5)          $4.45
Ketchup: $1.49
Mustard: $.89
Relish: $1.29
Elbow Macaroni: 2 lbs for $1.69
Eggs: $1.55
Celery: $1.19
Chips: $1.49 (I need 2) $2.98
Dip: $1.19 (I need 2) $2.38
Beans (Great Northern) $0.59 (I need 5 cans) $2.95 

This totals $26.84

Luckily I have some of the ingredients for these dishes on hand in my house, those items include: Mayonnaise, maple syrup, brown sugar, and vinegar for the salad and the beans.  I have some ketchup and mustard too, but I like to have a fresh bottle when we have a party to ensure that we don't run out.  

For drinks we are having lemonade and water.  I buy the lemonade powder and mix it into a large 2 gallon drink cooler, there will also be a drink cooler full of water as well.  Cost will be around $5.00

I will have to purchase plates, napkins, and cups for the party.  I only do the "theme" plates for cake so everything else is just a generic paper product.  My cost for those will be around $10.00.  

Now for the cake...or cupcakes in this instance.  I love to bake (if you haven't read that already) so I make all of our birthday cakes/cupcakes, whatever the kids ask for really.  For a picnic like this, cupcakes are the best option because they are easy to keep cool and hand out. Unfortunately because it is July and this is a picnic party, there won't be any ice cream to serve. My cost for these will be about $5.00.  

Party games are not on the agenda for this party because we are going to be at a beach/ water park.  

     The total cost of this party is going to be about $50.00 for food and drink.  I won't purchase a lot of decorations because it will be hard to keep them in place.  I may get a few balloons to hang around the canopy.  So the only thing left is her gift...which I try to keep under $30.00.  I am really hoping that this party will come in around $90.00.  That is way under budget, which is okay since we went slightly over budget on vacation.  

Birthday parties can be really expensive but with planning and budgeting they don't have to be!  

Have a blessed day!

Vacation on a Budget

     Oh my goodness, we are so excited to take our vacation this year!  We have not taken a vacation in two years and we all needed it!  Taking four children, no matter how old they are, on a vacation can seem very daunting.  Not only is it more difficult to find hotel rooms that accommodate your large family, but activities and food with a large family can be very expensive.  Luckily, we have a plan.
     First and foremost, we usually find a room with a kitchenette or full kitchen in it.  The challenge this year...there are no rooms like that available where we are going. (insert frown face here!)  We are not letting that get us down!  Our hotel has a completely free, hot, continental breakfast everyday.  There, one meal down, two more to go...for lunch we are packing plenty of bread, peanut butter & Jelly, and cold cuts.  We also have a ton of snack items that we are taking along from Go Go squeezes to peanuts.  So that just leaves dinner.  Eating out to dinner every night is not something that I am looking forward to, I mean, I am trying to feed our family of six on just $75/week, but I just know that next week it is not an option, we have to eat out.  Here is what I don't want...McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, etc. But with a large family, I am realistic...I know that we will be that a few times while on the trip.  My budget for our meals is $40.00 a day.  That is roughly $6.00 per person, that doesn't seem like much but with a three year old who can usually share with one of us, it is completely doable.  Most of the time, TJ and I order water.  That is the key to keeping your bill as low as you can.  We order water for the kids as well, then if their meal comes with a drink, we try to get them milk or some other low sugar option.  
     Secondly we planned a very simple and easy going trip to the beach.  We are not interested in spending a lot of money on useless gift shop items, so shopping is not on the list at all.  We planned to go to the beach, play in the sand, and then head back to the hotel for the pool.  My kids are used to vacationing this way so they don't complain.  We do not do expensive amusement parks or other attractions because that is outside of our budget, so we look for free activities for the kids like playgrounds, museums, etc.  
     Lastly, we take a vacation to relax and unwind, so it was important to us that we didn't rush around, we simply went to the beach.   
     On vacation we tried to be careful, but we did go over budget.  We averaged about $50.00/ day.  That adds up!  We were gone for 7 nights and spent over $325 on just food for the week!  On the bright side, our room was only $605.00 for the week, gas was a little less than $250.00, and odds and ends for the trip were about $200.00.  Therefore, our trip in total was about $1300.00.  That sounds like a lot of money and when you live on one income it is, but since we didn't vacation last year at all and we are a family of six, vacationing for 8 days for $220/ person is really very reasonable.  
     When you are vacationing, you can keep your costs low by planning everything out.  Again, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  Carefully look for activities that are free or cost next to nothing.  Set the tone for the trip so that your children understand how things are going to go right from the start.  Then go and relax, enjoy your children/ family and have a great time!  

Daddy and kids enjoying the hotel pool!