Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Cheap or Frugal... I don't care what you call it!

Over the years of penny pinching and stretching, I've picked up some interesting habits. I don't even realize that I'm doing it half the time unless someone mentions it.
For example, today I was making Shake and Bake porkchops. I realize that they weren't scheduled for today but I'll address that in a minute. First, I buy the Great Value brand Shake and Bake. I honestly can't tell the difference! Second, they give you two large packets of Shake and Bake and then two plastic baggies.

Oh no no no! Not in the Bee house! First, I do use one of their bags. But do I mindlessly dump the entire packet of Shake and Bake in the bag? HECK NO! I pour a little in, and start coating my porkchops. I keep going until I see I'm running low and pour some more in the bag. When I'm done (and I've always been done before the crumbs are) I still have some crumbs in their original packet, not contaminated with raw meat juices. So what's a girl to do with that? I put them in a ziploc bag and put the ziploc bag back into the box. I always get at least 4 uses out of a "2 packet" box.

Sorry... Mr. Shake and Bake guy, I'm not going to dump it all in my bag, shake it around and then throw crumbs out. We try not to waste in this house!

On another note, we are off of our menu schedule and that is fine. Really, it is. I bought enough groceries for that menu but if we don't use it all I'll have some ingredients to roll over to next week. That is part of why my grocery spending is as low as it was. I shop my own pantry first and then write my list based on what I need to finish the meal.

I've been very mindful to use up all of our leftovers. We haven't thrown one ounce of leftovers out. All of the Pasta Fagioli was eaten. I do have about a half a sandwich worth of tuna salad, a handful of meatballs, a quart of vegetable and stew meat soup, black eyed peas and rice. So tonights menu has been altered. Instead of scallopped potatoes and green beans, we'll be having black eyed peas, rice and green beans.

1 comment:

Erika said...

I'm so impressed that yall can use up all your leftovers. That's what we really stink at, and I hate it. I hate that we not only have to pay for "new" food instead of eating for essentially free...I hate that we throw away food that is perfectly good (or would have been if we didn't let it sit there for so long)...and I mostly hate that while all this waste bothers me so much in theory, it doesn't bother me enough to change my spoiled, privileged, whiney, "but i don't FEEEEEL like eating that again!!" little American ways. And I have no one to blame for that but myself. UGH. Introspection can SUCK sometimes!!