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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.


one hundred dollars a month

Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole

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By Mavis Butterfield on · 13 Comments

I made this for dinner this Ritz cracker chicken casserole the other night and my husband liked it so much, he had THREE servings! So clearly, we have a winner. 🙂

Not only was this Ritz cracker chicken casserole delicious, it was SUPER easy to make. Easy like I had everything in the oven in 5 minutes kind of easy. So if you’re looking for something that is not only tasty, but you can make in a flash, this meal is for you.

You won’t be disappointed.

Have an awesome day everyone,

~Mavis

Ingredients

1 {10.5 oz} can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
½ cup sliced green onion or 1/4 cup chopped chives
3 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9″ baking dish and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and green onion {or chives}.

Stir in shredded chicken and spices and spread mixture into the buttered baking dish. Combine the crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter until the crushed crackers are coated with the melted butter.

Sprinkle the cracker mixture over the casserole and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. The cracker topping should be a nice golden brown color and the casserole bubbling.

YUM YUM YUM!

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Monthly Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping Trips – Week 35 of 52

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By Mavis Butterfield on · 31 Comments

Costco $11.98

Have you heard the news? The Costco pumpkin pies are back!!! My neighbor sent me a text asking me if I wanted one and I was like YES PLEASE! The HH was so excited.

General Store $9.47

We have no idea what “Candian white” means. This has to be an East Coast thing. To us it just seems like a higher quality white bread. Anyone have a clue?

Ham and eggs.

Pasta with {Rao’s pasta sauce of course} and garlic toast the HH made. He asked me how it tasted, and I was like… it’s good. But when he asked a SECOND time I was like… it could have used more butter. Why he feels the need to ask the same question multiple times when it comes to food and then freak out about when I critique said item, it I’ll never know.

Grilled cheese sandwich. Because that’s what you eat when it’s lunch time and only 62 degrees outside. 🙂 Fall…. I am SO READY for you.

Dinner, with the neighbors. A real meal, with sides… can you believe it?

I probably don’t have to point out that our neighbor dished up the blueberry pie I made while I sat yacking away in the backyard. I stand firm in my belief that homemade pies should be cut into 6 slices. Not 12. 🙂

Frozen burrito.

Anniversary dinner. I KID YOU NOT. This is what my husband served me for dinner. 26 years people… 26 years! I don’t even know what to say.

Big salad. Lettuce, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, goat cheese, dried cranberries and apple.

I tried out a new chicken recipe {and the HH had 3 servings!}.  I’ll share the recipe tomorrow.

Another big salad. This time with bacon. YUM YUM YUM!

How are things going in your neck of the woods? Are you starting to get cooler temps yet where you are? Are you ready for soup and casserole season? I know I am.

Have a wonderful Monday everyone,

~Mavis

Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries, Bakery Treats We Brought Home $21.45

  • Total Spent on Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home in August $426.99
  • Total Spent of Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home in July $222.60
  • Total Spent of Groceries and Bakery Treats We brought Home in June $194.12
  • Total Spent in May on Groceries and Bakery Treats $256.47
  • Total Spent in April on Groceries and Bakery Treats $1083.55 WOWZA
  • Total Spent in March on Groceries and Bakery Treats $446.03 {includes a $50 gift card}
  • Total Spent in February on Groceries and Bakery Treats $416.98 {the fridge and freezer are packed!}
  • Total Spent in January on Groceries and Bakery Treats $346.47
  • Total Spent on Groceries and Bakery Treats in 2020 $3393.21

You can 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.

My 14 Goals for 2020 Week 35 of 52

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By Mavis Butterfield on · 14 Comments

My 14 Goals for 2020

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

The HH’s major project this week was researching and then ordering me a new laptop. And he did it in record time, 3 days. Miracles do happen. I don’t know what it is with me and laptops… they always seem to die at the 2 year mark. I know I should get an Apple, but the learning curve…. and I use a mouse.

Goal #2 – Take Better Care of Myself. 

Rain was in the forecast for Saturday and so knowing it was going to rain, I declared it a pajama day, and I rocked it. I lit my favorite French Vanilla candle, worked on pottery, made up a few rug hooking kits and even worked on a rug I started back in early spring and then watched a movie. It was a good day. Even if I did have to leave the house later in the afternoon.

Goal #3 – Get Organized

The goal for September is to finish up all the ornaments I want to offer this holiday season, finish at least 1 rug, and put together all the things I need {pattern & wool strips} for the turkey rug I plan to start on in early October. It doesn’t sound like a lot I know, but with 80+ different ornaments in my Etsy shop, I want to make sure I have a certain number of each ornament before the holiday season hits. I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of online shopping going on this year.

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

This is the tutorial I used in case anyone is interested. I decided not to make any shades for the sunroom windows. All that sunlight…. it’s too beautiful to cover up.

Goal #5 – Master Bedroom Make Over 

This year I’ve painted both closets, removed wallpaper, painted walls and trim, painted my writing desk, installed a new light fixture, plus added new curtains and rods. Whew! I think I’m done.

Goal #6 – Kitchen Update 

My once clean kitchen is now stacked with wool bundles… so the plan today is to get everything put together and listed on Etsy because who can resist a clean counter?

Goal #7 – Install Vegetable Garden Done!

Currently swimming in tomatoes {and there is no sign of them letting up}. I think we’ll be making homemade salsa this week.

Goal #8 – Explore More of Maine 

While the HH and I were out exploring, we stopped off at a park to use the restroom and would you believe there was one of those mini bottles of Fireball thrown in the corner!? Seriously. Fireball is to Maine, what plastic dental picks are to Washington.

Goal #9 – Host Some Sort of Get Together Done!

We had dinner with our neighbors! 🙂

Goal #10 – Read/Listen to 12 Books 

This week I listened to Evvie Drake Starts Over on audiobook while I worked on my crafts. The story was light, and pretty predictable, and I enjoyed it. I also put Educated on hold {I listened to it last year} because the current offerings from my library are pretty limited. Note to self: Call library this week and see if there is an alternative {free} option for audiobooks.

Currently waiting to read:

So far this year I have read/listened to:

Goal #11 – Learn A New Skill or Craft

My neighbor got his kiln!! You can see the pictures here. He FINALLY finished his back patio so hopefully we are just a few days away from making something.

Goal #12 – Visit 12  Museums, Historical Homes or Botanical Gardens {and bakeries too!}

I was going through the pictures on my phone and realized I never shared about our visit to the Maine Maritime Museum. I’ll do that this week.

January

February

March

May

June

July

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

As of this morning, I have made 4768 sales on Etsy. That’s up from 2804 on January 1st! Only 232 sales to go before I hit my goal.  It was an insanely crafty week… let me tell you Bob. I pulled some gorgeous giant butterfly ornaments out of the kiln {I think I might make some pink ones next} as well as dyed a bunch of wool {which I need to photograph and get uploaded to Etsy}.

With nearly all of our house projects behind us, I feel like I can finally relax, and MAKE STUFF. Which is pretty much my favorite thing to do.

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

  • The HH’s meal plan for the month: Snacking & BBQ {out of charcoal, boo hoo}
  • My meal plan for the month: Ice Cream, Pie, Salads and Pickety Bits

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

Have a great Sunday everyone, enjoy the sunshine.

~Mavis

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10 Fun Facts About Vanilla Beans!

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By Mavis Butterfield on · 9 Comments

Oh how I wish we could all grow vanilla beans in our gardens! Imagine how many wonderful things we’d all be baking with them if they weren’t so expensive.

10 Fun Facts About Vanilla Beans!

1. The vanilla bean is a dark pod of a climbing orchid native to Central America. More than 75% of all vanilla beans in the world are grown in Madagascar.

2. Vanilla is the most labor intensive of all agricultural products because the entire process of vanilla cultivation, pollination and harvesting is done by hand, without using machinery, chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Vanilla workers pollinate from 1,000 to 2,000 vanilla orchid flowers per day.

3. Vanilla beans are the seeds of orchids and because the majority are grown in Madagascar where they are not self-pollinated, each plant has to be pollinated by hand using a little stick. Then they have to be dried, but only for a certain amount of time each day. And this must be done for every single orchid. Exhausting and not worth it when the price farmers receive for their vanilla beans is so low.

4. Because of that process mentioned above vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, next to saffron. This is also due to a cyclone hitting Madagascar and wiping out 1/3 of their crops in 2017. Hello supply shortage!!

5. Vanillin is an artificial flavoring that is made to taste just like vanilla but at a fraction of the price. The increase of this in cookies, ice cream and other items that used to use real vanilla caused many vanilla bean farmers to abandon their farms. Sad day!

6. In the US, any product labeled “vanilla extract” by law must be derived from true vanilla.

7. An unopened vanilla pod stashed under the seat of your car is said to eliminate any bad or musty odors in the entire vehicle. Who needs those little car trees anyway?!

8. Adding vanilla to foods, particularly tomato-based ones, can bring out their natural sweetness without the use of sugar. Vanilla is even said to reduce the acidic quality of tomatoes.

9. A vanilla bean plant can take years to mature. Once the pods are harvested they can take six to nine months to cure. Talk about patience!

10. Adding just a few drops of real vanilla extract to a can of paint can help reduce the unpleasant odor as you paint.

Had you heard any of those fun facts before? Do you have any of your own to add? Is there a particular produce item you want to know more about? I take requests!

Grow on,
Mavis

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.

Mavis Butterfield Etsy