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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.

Daily Deals – German Chocolate Brownie Bar Recipe, $1.00 Kids eBooks, Online Deals and More

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Quote of the Day  “Morning is wonderful. Its only drawback is that it comes at such an inconvenient time of day.” ~ Glen Cook

Wowie Zowie yesterday was exciting! The Girl ran the Boston Marathon and not only did she get a PR, but she qualified for next year’s race as well. The poor kid was a total popsicle by the time she finished and even though I threw warm clothes and boots on her she was still shaking 15 minutes later as I was in line getting her a hot cocoa in Starbucks with about a million other runners.

Some nice lady gave up her seat and set The Girl up with some hand warmers while she waited, but HOLY COW MAN…. the side winds and pelting rain was pretty fierce yesterday.

I think Lucy is having sympathy pains for her this morning! 😉

Have a great Wednesday everyone, stay warm.

♥ Mavis

*This deal post will be updated throughout the morning so be sure and check back for deals. * Amazon prices can change without notice. Please verify price before ordering. Amazon offers Free Shipping with a $49 purchase or Amazon Prime. {Sign up for a free Amazon Prime 30 day trial!}

Available Kindle Books I think look interesting…

The prices on Kindle Books can change quickly, so grab them while you can. Don’t have a Kindle? Download the kindle app on your other devices. It’s easy! 🙂

Subscribe and Save Deals

Subscribe and Save prices reflect a 15% discount for ordering 5 or more items in 1 month.

German Chocolate Brownie Bars – I have always loved chocolate and coconut combined.  I think it is divine.  And, when you have brownies at the base, it’s bound to be good.

Home and Kitchen Deals

Looking for a nice salad recipe that will last several days in the fridge? This Quinoa Salad with Bacon, Spinach and Feta is pretty tasty! Perfect for potlucks, as a side dish or to just eat whenever. We love it! Get the recipe HERE.

Add on Items

*These are all Amazon Add-on Items and they will ship with qualifying orders over $25 and are eligible for free shipping on $25 orders with Amazon Prime {or will ship FREE on $35 orders without Prime}. 

Amazon has 30 Kids eBooks on sale for $1.00 each. Go HERE to see the titles available.

Kid’s Stuff

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.

Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping Trips – Week 15 of 52

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Even though we’ve only been here a short time, it feels like we’ve been here forever. The house, the surrounding area, the people, the shops, the quirks, it feels like home. Comfortable, is maybe the right word. I truly believe we are going to love the seasons here. All five of them {you can’t leave out mud season!}. And all the little Mom and Pop {and independent} stores… I love it, I love it, I love it! It seems like every time we leave the house there is something new to explore.

The Girl and I stopped by Lil’s for cruellers one day, and then Anjou Noodle Bar next door for lunch. The Girl had some sort of duck ramen and I had the spicy hot miso soup with lamb meatballs. Both dishes were amazing and when I asked if I could take home the extra broth that was left in my bowl, the waitress assured me that people do it all the time.  I told her I was thinking about pouring it over rice, and she said most people bring home the extra broth for that very reason. The seaweed though, I didn’t eat that.

ALDI $78.41

I love ALDI. I have yet to walk in the store with a grocery list and yet somehow, I always find plenty of stuff to bring home. It kinda like Trader Joe’s, but totally not. I picked up a yellow cake mix and pineapple rings so I could try making a pineapple upside down cake on the wood stove but I forgot the maraschino cherries. Oh well, maybe I will have to start a grocery list on the fridge after all.

Some of the products at ALDO, like the black bean salsa and pesto, look familiar {like Trader Joe’s}. But what I think I love most is ALDI’s {ever changing} cheese selection. The fact that I can spend $2-3 for a reasonable sized block of cheese or getting an 8 ounce pack of salami makes picking out supplies for appetizer night fun. I don’t have to break the bank and spend $40- $50 on cheese and salami like I would if I bought the same stuff at Costco. Plus, I like the portion sizes much better at ALDI as well. 

Have you noticed milk and egg prices increasing in your area? Just a few weeks ago eggs were less than a dollar a dozen, but now, $2.69! And milk has seemed to have gone up about a dollar as well.

The prepackaged make at home pasta salad from ALDI’s? You’ll want to pass on it.

Big salad night.

Meatless tacos.

Leftover ham and spinach quiche.

Picky dinner!

The key lime tart from La Maison Navarre. I highly recommend it!

And let’s not forget… Saturday night beans. It’s a New England tradition! Although this time around we added some fresh vegetables. Because you know, sometimes you’ve just got to spice up the beans and weenies.

It was a good week with lot’s of yummy food.

How about YOU? Anything super exciting happen this past week in the food department at your house? Inquiring minds want to know.

~Mavis

  • Total Spent This Week on Groceries $78.41
  • Total Spent in April on Groceries $87.09
  • Total Spent in March on Groceries $306.75 <– Apartment life, moving across the country and settling into a new house
  • Total Spent in February on Groceries $259.81 < Living in an apartment and buying a lot of ready-made meals
  • Total Spent in January on Groceries $240.15 <– Packing mode and not cooking from scratch as much

 

Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.

 

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.

Daily Deals – Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookie Recipe, Online Deals, Garden Markers and More

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Quote of the Day “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

Hello Monday! Today is going to be a wonderful day…. Just as soon as it stops raining! 🙂 On the agenda for today: Drink plenty of hot beverages and stay warm. 🙂

Stay warm, and enjoy the day,

♥ Mavis

*This deal post will be updated throughout the morning so be sure and check back for deals. * Amazon prices can change without notice. Please verify price before ordering. Amazon offers Free Shipping with a $49 purchase or Amazon Prime. {Sign up for a free Amazon Prime 30 day trial!}

Available Kindle Books I think look interesting…

The prices on Kindle Books can change quickly, so grab them while you can. Don’t have a Kindle? Download the kindle app on your other devices. It’s easy! 🙂

Subscribe and Save Deals

Subscribe and Save prices reflect a 15% discount for ordering 5 or more items in 1 month.

Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies – These combine two of my favorite things:  peanut butter and nutella…into a cookie.  I really shouldn’t need to explain any further.

Home and Kitchen Deals

Each month, Amazon Prime members can download and keep one free book from their Kindle First selection of six pre-released picks. Here are this month’s selections:

Add on Items

*These are all Amazon Add-on Items and they will ship with qualifying orders over $25 and are eligible for free shipping on $25 orders with Amazon Prime {or will ship FREE on $35 orders without Prime}. 

DIY Garden Markers Using Bricks – Bricks are $.49 at The Home Depot. Grab a sharpie and get busy customizing a couple of bricks for your favorite gardener.

Kid’s Stuff

Shop Now at Zaycon Fresh

Zaycon Foods is now taking orders for their upcoming events. Below are their offerings and prices in my area. Go HERE to find out what is available in your area.

  • Premium Hickory Smoked Bacon $3.99/lb X 36.00 lbs $143.64/case
  • Wild Alaskan Cod Fillets $6.99/lb X 20.00 lbs $139.80/case
  • Center Cut Pork Loin Chops $2.89/lb X 24.00 lbs $69.36/case
  • Jumbo Split Chicken Wings $3.49/lb X 20.00 lbs $69.80/case
  • Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $1.89/lb X 40.00 lb $75.60/case
  • Wild Argentine Red Shrimp $7.99/lb X 20.00 lbs $159.80/case
  • 93/7 Ground Beef – 1lb Packages $3.99/lb X 40.00 lbs $159.60/case
  • 80/20 Ground Beef – 1lb Packages $3.19/lb X 40.00 lbs $127.60/case
  • Premium Cut Meaty Back Pork Ribs $3.69/lb X 36.00 lbs $132.84/case
  • 90/10 Ground Turkey $2.39/lb X 40.00 lbs $95.60/case
  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs $2.39/lb X 30.00 lbs $71.70/case
  • Premium Pork Tenderloins $3.19/lb X 32.00 lbs $102.08/case

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 15 Goals for 2018 : Week 15 of 52

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“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” ~ Oprah Winfrey 

My goals for 2018

Goal #1 – Write Like No One is Reading.

“Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.” ~  Barbara Kingsolver

Goal #2 – Slow Down

I enjoyed 8 hours of sleep every single night this past week. Seriously, who knew that working in the garden all day would achieve such great results? 😉 Also, my ibuprofen intake was less this past week so that must mean my body is getting used to the pilgrim life again. Ha!

Goal #3 – Shop Small

I bought a tilt top side table from a consignment store for $95 instead of buying something new from a big box store. Both the store owner and the seller made money, and I love the fact I was able to find the exact item I was looking for second hand.

The age of the table, the size, the shape, the patina, was spot on and I knew the moment I saw the table it would be going home with me. Now all I need to do is find 2 upholstered wing back chairs to go on either side of the table and the little nook in the family room will be complete.

Goal # 4 – Have a Designated Meal Prep Day

Totally didn’t happen this past week.

Goal #5 – Install a Vegetable Garden

Yes, but first I need to finish hauling rocks away. And, I’m having too much fun with the Mantis and the garden area keeps getting bigger and bigger each day. I now have a designated pumpkin patch and I’m thinking about putting in a potato patch on the other side of the yard which would leave me more room for ???? I don’t know, but I have a feeling the vegetable garden is going to be pretty big this year

Goal #6 – Clear Land for a Chicken Coop and Future Raised Garden Bed Area 

The HH has promised to build me a large coop this summer {I’m hoping he builds me one like Mama Cook’s Coop} but for now we are getting a spot set up in the garden for Lucy’s babies so they can be outside once the weather warms up. I figure the hens will be out there by the end of May in their little Eglu and in a proper coop by the end of June.

Goal #7 – Grow 500 Pounds of Vegetables

Lucy and I installed our first teepee and planted our first round of peas yesterday. Next week we will put up another teepee and maybe 2 more after that. I’ll share some more garden pictures soon.

Goal #8 – Hook 100 Rugs

38 down, 62 to go. This past week I mostly worked on my double trouble chicken rug. It’s a whopper at 24″ x 60″ so it’s taking me a while to finish. And you know, I’ve got a lot of other stuff going on right now too so I can’t be sitting around all day and working on it.

Goal #9 – Make a Set of Dolls

I plan to make a set {or two} of primitive dolls later this year after the garden has been put to bed.

Goal #10 – Make a Sampler, Frame it and Hang it on the Wall

1 down, 1 more to go. I’ll probably work on the second one this fall and then get the samplers hung on the wall.

Goal #11 – Visit 22 Bakeries

Well it wasn’t a new bakery, but I did make a special trip to La Maison Navarre for a delicious key lime tart and brought it home for dinner. Because you know, pastries are life.

Goal #12 – Start a Collection

So maybe butter molds and wooden spoons aren’t in the cards for me this year. Maybe this is the year I collect wooden furniture for the new house. 😉 Yesterday while The Girl and I were out thrifting, we came across a set of 6 Windsor chairs for $75. {4 traditional Windsor chairs and 2 Master’s Windsor chairs.

Yes, they have a bunch of scratches on them, but for the price, I can refinish them. They were the exact style of chairs I was looking for and so I could not resist!  Hello winter project #23. Now all I need to find is a dining room table and something to hang on the wall, and that room is done. Giddy up! And you thought I would go nuts in the wintertime because of the cold weather. Bahahahaha…. I’ll be too busy to care.

Goal #13 – Read {or listen to} 26 Books

I picked up Tasha Tudor’s Heirloom Crafts from the library this past week as well as Tasha Tudor’s Garden to read in the evenings and both books are lovely. Reading about someone else’s journey through the ebb and flow of the seasons, and really just making their home and garden their sanctuary, that’s where it’s at. That’s what I am striving for.

Books I’ve read or listened to so far this year:

Goal #14 – Try 12 New Canning Recipes

I don’t know about you, but I am ready for canning season to begin and to find out what kind of fruit trees are on the property. Based on the buds, I’m pretty sure there are at least 3. I would really love to have more fruit trees and possibly a nut tree here, but I am going to wait and see what we have first before planting anything else.

Goal #15 – Secret {for now} Holiday Project

Last week I ordered my “big ticket” item for my holiday project and it should arrive in about 2 months. The goal is to practice over the summer months and then start working on my big holiday project this fall.

How about YOU? Did you set any goals for 2018? How are they coming along?

~Mavis

Read About My 2018 Goals 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.

Recipes Garden Frugal Canning Chickens Travel