Grocery savings/Closet update

Closet Update

And now my closet looks like this...

:)



Grocery Savings

I realized just how much food I actually have in this house when a visiting friend yesterday needed to put some groceries in my freezer. It was not easy!

And that's just my freezer. The bottom shelf of my lazy susan is sagging because of all the food sitting on it.

It's the saver in me that wants to keep a good stockpile of food around. I mean what would happen if we were stranded in the house during a snow storm for a month? Okay, that probably will never happen.

My biggest downfall is figuring out what to do with all this stuff. I do use it occasionally, but not enough to make a dent. Then I buy more stuff when it's on sale, and again, I get the pileup like my closet.

My goal for this week (and one week every month) is to plan as many meals as I can using my stockpile. I'll cut my grocery allowance (I give myself $75 a week for groceries) down to $30 for that week to buy fresh produce and things for Ben's lunch. I know I'll never deplete my stores because I'm always picking up stuff when it's a good deal.

I'll post this week's menu when I figure it out. I have a feeling we'll be eating a lot of beans this week!

Closet of Horror

Storage space is somewhat limited in this house. It's there, but most of it has been in use since we moved in. My main storage areas include this closet, a little crawl space also in this room, and the space under the basement steps.

This is my junk closet. Anything that doesn't need urgent attention gets thrown in here. When I need to quickly straighten up the house, the pile grows.

It usually gets cleaned once a year when I'm doing my taxes. Well, I'm about 6 months behind on that project now, so now is the time.

This week is pretty busy with fun plans and work, but I think I can get it done by next weekend. I hope the next picture will be prettier :)

Happy Anniversary, Blog!

So it's been a year on what I thought I would type in weekly. I seem to recall a technical difficulty with my account that turned me off of this thing. But thanks to Lori's blog, I've rediscovered my account!

Let's start again with an update on my declutter mission:

Cell phones -- Yep, still have them. Just saw that Wegmans is accepting old phones for the military.

Wireless router -- Sold for about $50 on Amazon!

Really old wirless router/PCI card -- Gave to a freecycler in Nanticoke who donates his time to help families obtain a computer and/or Internet from donated computer systems and hardware.

Glass baby food jars -- Most went to a glass artist in Wilkes Barre who melts them down to use for projects. Another freecycler! A bunch more were recycled.

Car stereo/cd player -- Still have that, too.

Harsh chemicals -- Ack! Still have these sitting in the cupboard!

Books -- Goodwill.

50% success. Not bad!

One goal I did achieve 100% is getting rid of a lingering credit card balance. With a clean slate, I really have to implement and stick to my not going over my grocery and gas budget each week. Such a tough one. Recent purchases are getting me like always shopping over lunch time. And hey, a toddler and pregnant mama have to eat! Can easily be avoided by packing a lunch more often.

Next week, it's back to withdrawing the cash for groceries and gas each week. When it's gone, it's gone. This really cuts down on the impulse buys and excessive driving.

That's all for now. Good night!
Leanne