What I Spent
I spent:
- $125 at Aldi
- $27 at Safeway
So, $152 total.
What We Ate
Saturday
I made Swiss mushroom chicken with a green salad on the side.
Sunday
I went for a hike and had a sandwich on the way home; while I was gone, the girls used some Red Lobster gift cards that had been sitting in my drawer for a while.
(I did give them permission to do this! It’s not like they just took ’em.)
Monday
I made a creamy chicken and gnocchi soup, which I’ve made once before. But this time I used the potato gnocchi from Dollar Tree, and I give this a thumbs down. It had sort of a weird flavor to it!
So, now I know: it’s better to get the gnocchi at a grocery store.
Tuesday
Leftover soup, plus butternut squash rolls and this cranberry-orange green salad.
Wednesday
Chicken tacos with a cilantro-radish-lime salad, and fruit on the side.
Thursday
I had gotten a marked-down pork butt at Sam’s Club, so I slow-cooked that to make pulled pork, which we ate on buns. I just cut up some fruits and veggies for us to eat on the side.
not-yet-pulled pork
Friday
Lisey has plans with a friend and Zoe’s working, so hmmm…I’ve only got to feed myself! Easy-peasy. 🙂
Leann
Saturday 11th of February 2023
We had a terrible week here and it hurts my head too much to think about what we ate. I do know that I cooked 2 pasta dishes on Sunday and then Monday which my daughter ate all week and even took in her thermos to school. So that's something. We did not eat out and we did not do take out. I think I might have had grilled cheese one night and cereal another. Oooh, one sister brought split pea and ham soup and another brought broccoli soup so we ate those too. It's all coming back to me!
I also didn't shop at all. Ate out of fridge and cupboards. Not great but not so terrible after all.
Becca
Saturday 11th of February 2023
@Leann,
It sounds like you had a very frugal week despite how terrible it was. I hope next week is better! ❤️
BettafrmdaVille
Friday 10th of February 2023
WWS: $26 Stop & Shop; $17 Kombucha WWA: I had been in the hospital unexpectedly (I'm fine) and felt crummy for several days after. On Saturday, I went out to eat with family and had a grinder (proper, CT style). It tasted so good, that I decided that was all that I wanted to eat all week (I did make my own after Sunday). Sunday: grinder Monday: grinder Tuesday: grinder Wednesday: grinder Thursday: grinder Friday: grinder. I think it is now out of my system.
BettafrmdaVille
Sunday 12th of February 2023
@Central Calif. Artist, it is a sub/hoagie/hero typically found in Connecticut. Getting the correct bread is important (soft, with a little bit of chew), Italian meat (Genoa salami is my jam), shredded iceberg lettuce and topped with olive oil and Italian seasoning and, if you are feeling sassy, "hots" (small diced/minced pickled hot peppers).
Central Calif. Artist
Saturday 11th of February 2023
@BettafrmdaVille, what is "grinder"?
Kristen
Friday 10th of February 2023
Lol, I just saw that you said the same thing as me; we'd both understand "done cleaning".
I agree about the -isms involving language; so often there are invisible reasons that someone might not know or use the "correct" formal words. English could be their second language, they could have grown up in a home where reading was not encouraged, they could have had no access to good schooling, they might have a learning disability, their brains just might not be that good at words (maybe they're more of a math person!)....the list goes on.
And yes! about the person using the words being the most important consideration. Better to be kind to the person than be right about the words. If someone has hired you to edit their work, then it's totally fine to offer corrections. If you are just coming across someone on the internet, I don't think it's kind, generally speaking, to offer corrections.
Hanna
Friday 10th of February 2023
I completely understand the pull of an expensive nearby store vs the cheaper option further away. There’s an independent grocer 150m from my house but it is super expensive. I try to only go there if I’m out of milk or to check the clearance section.
Heather
Friday 10th of February 2023
Sort of a random question, but I have never been to a Red Lobster? Am I missing out or is it pass? I love seafood and biscuits so that looks like it would be up my alley, but I don't love massive chains.
I am actually pretty proud of myself this week. With the exception of a pre-planned meal out, I have cooked at home every night. This is notable because my husband and I made the super not-stressful decision to replace all of our flooring ourselves and turn a unused upstairs nook into a laundry space and my parents decided to get covid. All in the same week.
Saturday- Pizza night. This was a planned date night using gift cards we were given a million years ago. We are on a quest to go to every well rated pizza place in LA/OC/IE Sunday- Salmon taco bowls. Trying to use up things in the freezer Monday- Roasted veggie flatbread to use up extra Tuesday- Korean rice bowls. I hit up a local market to stock up on kimchi and banchan. Added a fried egg (a luxury!!! lol) Wednesday- cacio e pepe ravioli with chicken sausage and greens. Thursday- sushi. I leave on rotation the next day and didn't want to cook. Plus this is something I can't get at work. Friday- who knows? I am currently eating soup and toast but we will see how the day goes.
Jaime
Saturday 11th of February 2023
@Jenny,
I don't think there has ever been one around me. After looking it up, the only one in New England is in CT. I guess they figure they can't compete with the local seafood around here.
A. Marie
Saturday 11th of February 2023
@Heather, I have a cousin who works for the Darden restaurant corporation in Orlando. Until 2014, Red Lobster was a Darden chain, so it may say something that even Darden shucked it off. Also, our local RL just shut down, so I think the chain may be on the way out. And on the few occasions I ever ate at a RL, I wasn't overly impressed. (See Bee's comment for the lowdown from a real Floridian.)
Bee
Saturday 11th of February 2023
@Heather, I have spent my entire life on the coast. I love seafood and eat it on a regular basis. Of course, much of what I eat has been caught by family and friends. When we buy, we general purchase directly from the docks. Red Lobster just isn’t the same.
Jenny
Saturday 11th of February 2023
@Kristen, strongly agree! It’s a corporate chain, all over USA, and what does that tell us? Big trucks transporting “fresh fish/seafood” and packaged whatever. Look around where you are- what fish or seafood are local? What might be shipped in a day away? What families in your community own or work in restaurants? Could you tell them that you’d like fish/seafood/cheese biscuits? If out in the middle of no-where-near-water, what’s special locally?
Central Calif. Artist
Friday 10th of February 2023
@Kristen, it's been 100 years since I ate there. I thought some soup (gumbo?) was really good until I realized it had okra in it, and then I was DONE (meaning finished) with the soup and the restaurant. I am an okra wuss.