One Hundred Dollars a Month - I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Bit’s and Bobs for a Cold and Sunny Wednesday in January

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By Mavis Butterfield on January 22, 2020 · 35 Comments

bits and bobs: A random assortment of things; small remaining pieces and things

Ja left this comment on the blog in early January: “My husband’s leg lamp is used in our bedroom year round. I have never thought of it as a Christmas decoration.”

I don’t even know what to say to that. 😉

I’m not a sentimental person, and I don’t keep things just because I made them. Because for me, the joy of making something is in the actual process, not the final product.

So when OHAM reader Susan found the sampler I made for our last house {and later donated when we moved} on Facebook, I just had to laugh. I’m pretty sure if I had picked up a sampler at an estate sale and it was made in 1722, I’d be asking a heck of a lot more than $15 for it. But hey, maybe I’ve watched too many episodes of the Antiques Roadshow.

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The same way I store thousands of pictures on my phone to remind myself to make / write / do something later, the same goes for my inbox. I am constantly emailing myself things so I don’t forget them. I’m sure there’s some sort of notepad app or something like that on my phone, but who needs/has time for that?

Yada Yada Yada, Mrs. HB I were talking a while back {I have no idea about what} and then out of the blue she said the phrase who chee mama clothes and it stopped me in my tracks. WHEN was the last time you heard that phrase? High school? It made me laugh so hard I didn’t want to forget it so I sent myself a quick email.

Wine flavored cotton candy in the kid’s Valentine candy section at Target. I was annoyed.

Another disappointment. A taco Valentine’s box. Do schools even let kids decorate their own shoe boxes and pass out candy and valentines anymore? I’m so glad I grew up in the time of innocent Charlie Brown specials and being able to wear my Halloween costume to school on HALLOWEEN. And for Valentine’s Day parties that were held at the end of the day and filled with glorious amounts of sugar. And for making sure I had to remember to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day so I didn’t get pinched.

When playing on the playground {rain or shine} meant climbing the monkey bars, playing tetherball or even nobody’s favorite game, red rover, and hoping that the meany boy didn’t run towards you and break your arm. Or making cootie catchers with your friends and writing the names of boys you liked on them and giggling as you found out if you lived in a mansion, apartment, shack or a house and how many kids you’d have and what kind of car you’d drive. And that being on a team sport meant there were winners and losers and you didn’t get a participant ribbon just for trying.

Or things like riding your banana bike to the grocery store totally unsupervised to buy a Big Hunk and paying for it with pennies. And Normandy Rose jeans. Those were the best. THOSE WERE THE DAYS.

A taco box schmock-o-box from Target. No thanks. Kids these days, they don’t know what they’re missing.

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Loaded Baked Potato Soup

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By Mavis Butterfield on January 21, 2020 · 9 Comments

The idea for this soup came about in early December when The Girl and I were at Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine picking up a few last minute gifts for care packages to ship to the parental units and friends. We stopped off for lunch at their little cafe. She ordered the clam chowder, and I ordered the soup of the day, which just happened to be, loaded bake potato soup.

It was so good, that with every bite I let out a little moan and by the end of the bowl, The Girl having exhausted her eye rolls at me, finally she said… why don’t you just have Dad make you some more. And so he did! 🙂

And while this recipes isn’t exactly the same recipe they serve at Stonewall Kitchen, {I think it’s even better actually} the HH’s version of the loaded baked potato soup is spot on in my book. Rich and creamy and everything you’d hope it would be.

Note: If you prefer a thicker, chunky, chowder type soup, use 6 1/2 cups of milk. If you plan on making this soup for dinner and then enjoy the leftovers the next day, or if you prefer a soup that isn’t as heavy, I would suggest using 7 cups of milk.

We like a good chowder, so we made this soup with 6 1/2 cups of milk. It gives it more of a stick to your ribs, I live in Maine and have to go outside now and shovel 3 feet of snow now so fill me up kind of feel to it. 😉

Ingredients

12 slices bacon
2/3 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 1/2 – 7 cups milk {we used 2% milk}
2 pounds baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the bacon slices on the parchment paper and bake 15 – 20 minutes or until the bacon is browned and crispy. Remove pan from oven and place the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels. Blot the extra grease, crumble, and set aside.

In a stock pot melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Slowly stir in the milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in the baked potato chunks and green onions. Bring to a boil, making sure to stir frequently so the soup doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in the bacon, shredded cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted and the sour cream is incorporated.

Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with any left over bits bacon, cheese or onions. Oyster crackers will do the trick too. Yum Yum Yum!

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Monthly Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping Trips – Week 3 of 52

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By Mavis Butterfield on January 20, 2020 · 30 Comments

Local Bakery Trip #1 Free thanks to a gift card that now has a zero balance. 🙁

Their potato rosemary bread makes THE BEST grilled cheese sandwiches. I use butter for the outsides of my bread, but I’ve heard of some people using mayonnaise. I haven’t tried it yet. Have YOU?

Local Bakery Trip #2 $19.05 and worth every penny.

6 dinner rolls, 1 brioche loaf, 1 blueberry hand pie and a slice of tomato basil focaccia. I could never be one of those people who give up bread and sugar.

The HH made meatballs the same day so we had mini meatball subs on dinner rolls. I guess I was so excited to eat dinner that my picture ended up blurry. 😉

Luckily though he doubled the recipe and so we were able to freeze a bunch for later.

Even though I’m not really cooking this year, I did go all out at made a batch of 8 can chicken soup on night in the Crock Pot. If you haven’t tried the recipe yet, you should, it’s super easy.

Plus now we have leftovers in the freezer. I’m telling you…. May is going to be a no cook {or is it no prep?} month for us. Actually, at this rate, it might be a no spend month too. I am convinced we’ll be too busy in the garden prepping beds and planting like mad to worry about what’s for dinner. I don’t know hoe many meals I’ll be able to fit in our little freezer at the bottom of our fridge, but I’m willing to find out.

The HH made Thai chicken peanut noodles for dinner one night and I tossed the leftovers into the freezer to see if the recipe would work as a freezer meal. I mean, I don’t see why not, they sell noodles in the freezer section at the store, right? We’ll see.

Ritz cracker chicken with baby potatoes and a dinner roll. Note to self: Find a local honey person.

Yes, I made him muffins. 😉 Cherry almond with a crumb topping. Give me a shout if you want the recipe.

And last but not least… Miss Lucy. It’s like she truly doesn’t understand why she can’t sit at the table with us. It’s heartbreaking sometimes.

Have a wonderful Monday everyone. Today should will be a high of 26 and a low of ZERO here in Maine. Weeeeeee!

~Mavis

Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries and Bakery Treats $19.05

Total Spent in January on Groceries and Bakery Treats $200.82
Total Spent on Groceries and Bakery Treats in 2020 $200.82

You can go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories

Meals we’re planning on making in January:

Breakfast

~~Make ahead cinnamon rolls~~ Done!
~~Toast~~
Oatmeal
~~Cream of Wheat~~
~~Cookies~~
Bakery treats
Pancakes
~~Bacon and Eggs~~ Done!
Whatever

Main Dish

Copy Cat Panera Tomato Soup
Copy Cat Panera Chicken and Rice Soup Done!
~~White Bean Soup~~ {in the freezer right now} Done!
Crock Pot Pork Roast with Sauerkraut Done!
~~Pizza,~~ Pizza!
~~Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles~~ {we LOVED this the last time we made it} Done!
~~Pickety Bits~~ Done!
~~Ritz Cracker Chicken~~ Done!
Saturday Night Beans – New England Style and Maple Syrup Corn Bread
The Best Meatloaf Recipe on the Planet
~~Manicotti~~ {the HH will be trying a new recipe} Done!
Mississippi Pot Roast
Leftover Mississippi Pot Roast Stew or Beef Pie
~~Pastrami sandwiches~~ we will be making a trip to Morse’s Sauerkraut. They have the best deli meats, sauerkraut, pickles and beets on the planet earth and are worth the drive. Done!
Big Salads

Desserts

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies on the Planet Earth Done!
King Arthur Flour’s Lava Cakes
A Chocolate Fudge Cake or a Rum Cake… we’ll see {new recipes}
Ice Cream {Steve’s Banana Pudding for me and Häagen Daz Buttered Pecan for the HH}

If you have a big family, or your’e looking to make a boatload of meals all at once {or in batches} One Hundred Dollars a Month reader Mel wrote an AWESOME post a few months ago on how she made 4 months worth of freezer meals. You can find her post HERE.

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

My 14 Goals for 2020 Week 3 of 52

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By Mavis Butterfield on January 19, 2020 · 29 Comments

My 14 Goals for 2020

Goal #1 – Take Full Advantage of Having My Husband Home 24/7

It snowed last night {6″- 8″ who knows} and since Captain Awkward won’t run the snow blower before 10 am on a Sunday, he’s out there shoveling snow so The Girl can get to work. I guess that means I should make muffins or something this morning. That’s what a good wife would do, right?

Goal #2 – Take Better Care of Myself.

I made an appointment to get my hair done. Can you believe it? I can’t even tell you the last time I paid someone to touch my hair. Maybe 10 years? I just woke up one day last week and was like, you know, I need to change things up. And so I made the call. I have very fine hair, so it’s not like I have a lot of options, and I truly don’t even know what I’ll have done. Life, why not make it a little exciting?

Goal #3 – Get Organized

In an effort to get more organized, I have decided to have “theme weeks” for the next 6 weeks in hopes it will help keep me on track, and so far it’s working!

~~January 12th -18th – Hooking and Pottery~~ {The electrician came out and installed an outlet for the kiln!}
January 19th – 25th – Paint and Make Shades for the lime green room {that will soon be white}
January 26th – January 31st – Finish up new offerings for my February 7th Etsy Shop update.
February 1st – 7th – Dye Wool
February 8th – 14th – Kitchen Backsplash and Fixtures
February 15th – Hooking and Pottery

Goal #4 – Get Proper Window Coverings on All Our Windows.

The plan is to make 8 shades to cover all the windows in the sun room next. Hopefully by this time next week I’ll be able to show you the space.

Goal #5 – Master Bedroom Make Over

I’m planning on working on the bedroom makeover for late February. First I need to finish with cutting all the wool I ordered {which I am still cutting!} and pack up the folding tables and then I’ll paint the walls and start researching what to do about refinishing the hardwood floors.

Goal #6 – Kitchen Update

We ordered the tile, fixtures and hardware yesterday! I’m hoping that by the end of next week the HH will have removed all the kitchen tile and have the walls prepped for the new stuff. I tried to convince him that we {he} should lay the tile all the way up the wall at the sink area, but he doesn’t think it would look good {and cutting tile pieces for around the crown molding would be too tricky}. I’ll work on him.

Goal #7 – Install Vegetable Garden

Nerd alert! He bought the drone!

And even though I have PROMISED myself not to think about the garden until March 1st so I can concentrate on getting the indoor projects finished first, I totally admit it’s kind of cool to have an aerial view of the backyard garden space.

The great thing about this property is the size in very manageable, and if for some reason there are skeeters, at least I’ll be able to set out a few zappers to catch them. I don’t think I’ll have to garden in ski plants and a puffy coat here. 🙂

Goal #8 – Explore More of Maine

On the radar for exploring Maine this month:

~~A ferry ride to Isleboro, Maine {anyone been there?}~~ Done!
Maine Mineral & Gem Museum in Bethel, Maine {On the agenda for this week!}
~~Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine~~ Done!

Goal #9 – Host Some Sort of Get Together

No get together yet, but hey, I snagged an oak table and chair set off Craigslist for $75. It was the EXACT size {42″} I was looking for and once it’s painted out white, I think it will fit the eating area off the kitchen perfectly.

The plan was to use our old square {and clunky} table from World Market until we could find the right table and well, it has served us well. Once I get the other table painted I’ll have him move it down to the basement so I can use it as a sewing table. It’s such a good solid piece of furniture, I don’t want to get rid of it.

Goal #10 – Read/Listen to 12 Books

I didn’t read any books this week but I’ve got a collection of seed catalogs to look through when I get the chance. I just LOVE the packets from Hudson Valley Seed Company. Has anyone used their seeds before? Did they do well?

Goal #11 – Learn A New Skill or Craft

Need to get with my buddy Heather on this one. She’s usually up for anything.

Goal #12 – Visit 12 Museums, Historical Homes or Botanical Gardens

January – Maine Maritime Museum

Goal # 13 – Reach 5,000 Etsy Sales by the End of The Year

As of this morning, I have made 2,900 sales on Etsy. That’s up from 2804 on January 1st. Wahoo!

I started this rug a while ago but got hung up on what shades of wool strips to use for the house and roof so I put it aside for a few months hoping the color combination would come to me. Well, it didn’t and so I finally took the unfinished rug to the local rug hooking store and asked someone there for advice {someone with more experience hooking than me}.

She suggested I used shades of charcoal and navy blues and handed me a stack of wool that would give the roof a slate tile like appearance. Even though I was unsure, I bought the wool and hooked the roof the way she suggested. The entire time I was hooking I was like…. I don’t like this. It doesn’t flow with the rest of the rug. All the other wool in the rug was hand dyed {by me} and adding un-dyed wool just didn’t look right.

And so I pulled out the strips and when I did, the colors finally came to me.

Mixed browns for the top and grays for the house. I finished hooking the rug last night and I think it turned out PERFECT! The plan is to steam the rug and finish the back today. Hopefully I’ll be able to share a picture of the finished rug tomorrow because I just love how it turned out.

Goal #14 – Once a Month Menu Planning {for 2}

Going well! I’ll share an update tomorrow. 🙂

Have YOU made any goals for this year? If so, DO TELL! We all want to hear about them.

Have a great Sunday everyone,

~Mavis

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