The doors are locked, the blinds are drawn. There's nobody home.' [...] The doors are locked, the blinds are drawn. There's nobody home.' [...] I will soon be closing down this blog and consolidating/expanding/combining it with Chicken Fried Life. It may take me a while to get the format done on the other site, which is where you'll be directed when the change is complete. This is a good thing, and I hope' [...]
I've been pretty much "doomed out" lately, what with the economy, potential pandemics, threats of job loss - it's just about enough to drive a person batty! I mean, really, 99% of what I'm worrying about is stuff I have no control over.
So I'm trying to turn over' [...]
My company is still aggressively hiring more people straight off the street, and at the same time they sent out a memo that says some people will have their hours reduced or have involuntary unpaid vacations for a week or two. The criteria for deciding who will take the hit [...]
The new oil lamps were filled and ready to use. Last night I went online to see if I could find out how fast I could expect these lamps to burn oil. (Best estimate I found during my search - approximately 1/2 ounce per hour of burning.) During my search, [...]
The stores had corned beef on sale for St Patrick's Day dinners. I bought 4 roasts at $1.59/lb. I have 10 pint jars of corned beef in the canner now, and it looks like there is still enough meat left to do another 4 or 5 pints. This should last [...]
My local grocery store had lean ground beef for sale this week at $3.99 per pound. That's not even the expensive store! So I tried out something new. I got a meat grinder and ground the meat myself.
I spent $12 on two small lean beef round roasts, and' [...]
It's been a long time since we've had a good sale on hamburger at any of the stores here. One of the stores had a special on hamburger last week or the week before, it lasted just for a few hours, and the price wasn't all that great. In fact,' [...]
I'm on a mission to cut my expenses. Once again the job situation looks precarious. Eighty people gone from my department since December 1. I could be there for years to come, or I could be gone tomorrow. There's really no reasoning behind most of the terminations as far as [...]
If my family had written the story of the prodigal son, it would have gone something like this:
Once upon a time, a young man decided to go out into the world and seek his fortune. He traveled to a far city and, with hard work and diligence, rose [...]
I recently read that, in the midst of all these business doing poorly, Spam production is up. No wonder. It makes a great storage food. Actually, I've stocked up on the cheaper version, Treet, which is about half the price but tastes the same. It's good when you want some [...]
I've signed a lease for the new place, scheduled a mover (BBB approved), and have a ton of packing boxes all over the apartment. I have a huuuge number of canning jars that will have to be carefully packed! Most of them are full too, which will make them even' [...]
I've been mostly living off what was stored in the pantry. Lately I've just been buying eggs and bread, and eating what I previously canned, so that I don't have so much stuff to move. Most of the meal stuff is getting low already. I'm trying to save money to [...]
We decided to move so I'll be living in a new apartment, and my son will be getting a place of his own. Now I'm looking at moving all those canning jars! Whoa Nelly I'm going to have to think of something quick!
' [...]
For today's project I'm making a batch of watermelon rind pickles. I haven't had any of these since I was a kid! I've tinted this batch a nice pink melon-y color. It feels great to make a tasty treat out of something that normally I would have just thrown away. [...]
I'm trying to can butter today, for the first time. So far, things are going just as expected. I had 7 pounds of butter, processed them in two batches, and ended up with just over 14 half-pints. The first batch has just gotten solid. One of the jars solidified just' [...]
It's been a while since I blogged. I found some gadgets that have helped immensely with the arthritis problems I've had for a while, plus the issue with my thumb which has not healed since the injury last spring.
The first was an automatic jar opener
I haven't canned or preserved anything lately. I've been having problems with my hands, and that makes it hard for me to cut up vegetables. I've ordered a salad shooter thing, and hopefully it will slice up anything I need done, quickly and without a lot of mess. Once I' [...]
My local discount grocery had marked-down meat this past week for $1.29 a pound. When they mark down the meat, they slap a label on it that just says "Fresh Meat" without any further identification. This was pork, in irregular chunks. I canned it with carrots and seasonings. Most of [...]
This week's grocery ads are out, and once again there is no beef at a decent price. Even the special sale regular hamburger is $1.69 a pound. That's too much to pay for something that's mostly fat and whatever scraps were left over. So this week's first mission will be [...]
It's been about six weeks since I saw any ground beef at what I'd consider a reasonable price. So yesterday I canned ground "mock beef" to use in recipes that needed ground beef.
Ground Mock Beef
5 lb ground turkey
3 large onions, chopped
1/2 head celery, [...]
I'm waiting for a batch of pork to come back down to regular pressure so I can take the jars out of the canner. I went to the discount grocery this morning and found some family sized packages of "Pork Seasoning Meat" so I got a couple of trays. It's [...]
This week I did some serious spring cleaning and reorganized my large closets and made a super organized pantry. It feels great to have that done!
I didn't want to go through all my days off without preserving a little something, so I tried out a recipe from an' [...]
I try to get all my big projects done on my days off work. I started my first batch of this week's canning yesterday afternoon. Eighteen jars of spaghetti sauce with meat. I've been waiting for hamburger to go on sale at a price I like for the last month, [...]
Ok, so it's not really free food. But close enough. I had three big bones in the freezer with some meat still on them, left from when I carved the meat off different roasts. I took the bones out and boiled them for a while, with the idea of adding' [...]
I've been living in this apartment for about a year and a half, and I've finally unpacked. After doing some spring cleaning and getting rid of the junk in one closet, I realized I'd have space to make a little pantry in there. So I took part of my economic' [...]
The big snowstorm that hit the country yesterday seems to have missed us. I saw the reports on CNN yesterday, 25-car pileup in Kansas, 40-car accident in Texas, all from the heavy snow. We are having wind, big wind, sustained 30 to 40 miles an hour which started last night [...]
We've put up and decorated the tree, hung the wreath, wrapped and mailed gifts, and sent our regrets for not being able to attend the family Christmas celebrations. I think we've got everything covered.
We got six inches or so of snow during the weekend storm. It's pretty [...]
I've removed all the prior blog posts. I lost interest. I didn't enjoy it anymore. I don't know what direction, if any, this blog is going.
But that's OK. I've made a career of being directionless. You're more than welcome to come along for the ride. [...]
Luckily we didn't lose power in the ice storm. The weather service is predicting several more days of potential ice situations, so we're still waiting to see what will happen.
When I have advanced notice of a storm that might cause the electricity to go out, there are several [...]
We're at the beginning of an ice storm this morning. The local news is saying to expect power outages. Icicles are forming on the trees. My workplace will remain open, no matter what. They have a generator that will keep the computers online even if the employees have to sit [...]
I had a great shopping trip today. I bought only items that were on sale at great prices. Anything else I need, I can get from my pantry, until the item comes up in a good sale.
This is a much different situation than the state of my pantry [...]
Here I am on Day 2 of a killer migraine. I tried staying away from the computer as much as possible, since the light from the screen makes my eyes ache after a few minutes. I don't want to read. So to keep myself from going stir-crazy today, I baked.
[...]
I've been trying to make some edible foods with the "bean meat" made with ground up dried beans. Basically, you take beans, grind them up in a grain grinder or even a blender. When you get ready to eat, take a portion, stir in boiling water until it makes [...]
I've gone through my posts and pruned out a few that I thought didn't contribute much overall to the blog. It's like pulling weeds. Some things just weren't very useful, so there's no need to let such trivial matters overwhelm everything else. [...]
You may not agree with every word (I don't), but something may hit home with you.
This week I'm being cross-trained as backup for another project. I've talked to the head of this project about my interest in switching permanently to his project, as quickly as possible. It would get me out of the clutches of my demonic supervisor, and with any luck into a more [...]
I bought a big bag of bananas at Aldi's this past week. Good price. I generally will only buy 3 or 4 bananas at a time, because that's how many I can eat before they go bad. But at Aldi's, the bananas are already in plastic bags and priced, so [...]
My first experiment with using bean flour went so well, I decided it was time to improve on the basics. Just to refresh your memory, I took some dried pinto beans, ground them into a flour, and then mixed a little of it with boiling water to make a sort [...]
For this week's emergency preparations, I took a trip to the dollar store. It's a great place to find discount items for the bug-out bag. I also made up small winter emergency kits to carry in our cars. Since we live very close to work (about 4 miles), I didn't [...]
Time to try out my grinder with beans! I decided to take pinto beans, grind them into flour, and use that as a basic protein for tonight's dinner.
In an emergency situation, bean flour is a handy food to have around. You can take a bit of bean powder, [...]
This was my second try at making something tasty with dehydrated peach-flavored apples. I'm trying to find a few things to do with them, other than just put them in oatmeal. My first attempt, I tried making muffins. But after they were baked, I realized I'd forgotten to add sugar [...]
A lot of employees in my group were asked to fill out a survey today about how well we thought our employer valued us. (Insert big sigh here.)
It was supposed to be an anonymous survey, but we were each given a unique log-in name and password by the [...]
There have been a couple of reports of motorcycle gangs in my area targeting people on the highway, surrounding their vehicles, and causing a lot of damage (not to mention panic). In one instance, the local news reported that a brick or rock was thrown through the car window, and [...]
I finally took my new grain mill out of the box and ran it through the initial startup process. I got the Wonder Mill which used to be called the Whisper Mill. It's supposed to be the quietest electrical grain grinder on the market. I would compare the noise, [...]
This doesn't look like much, does it? Behind this brown striped fabric is half of my food storage. It takes up a space 4 feet wide, almost 5 feet tall, and just over a foot deep, fully loaded. Since it's in the corner of my [...]
One of my credit card companies sent the requisite notification they are changing the terms of my card. Pages of tiny print, lawyer-speak, unintelligible babble. No matter how hard I looked, I could not figure out what my new percentage rate would be, or what it is based on.
[...]
Today was my last day off for the week. My grain shipment arrived. I had made plans to complete the shelves and get everything stored away, but it doesn't look like that will happen. I have some boards, and primarily will be using the Super Pails of grain as the [...]
I've been making a list and checking it twice. Did an inventory on my food storage, compared it to what I think is "enough" so that I will feel comfortable, and then double checked to make sure it looked balanced. Right now, I'm really getting close to completing the circle [...]
My grain mill and wheat are on the way and should be delivered this week. I don't know if I'll get a chance to open them up and play around, but at least it will be here waiting for me. I need to locate a couple of inexpensive storage shelves [...]
When I came to work yesterday morning, there was another group of 20 or so people lined up to start as new workers. When you work in a people-warehouse, the company will process people in and out in large groups. Just as more people were starting, more were being asked [...]
Yesterday was flu clinic day at the local grocery store. I lined up and got my shot, because I work in an environment where we're packed into spaces tighter than veal calves. Combine that with no paid sick days, and filthy work conditions, and you can just imagine how many [...]
I made this today using ingredients I had around the house. Mmmmm it was good!
Cranberry Beef Stew
1-3/4 lbs beef
1 can beef broth
5 carrots
2 onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 ounce wine
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 tblsp worchestershire
oil, flour, salt and [...]
I made vanilla pudding the old-fashioned way last night. I measured the ingredients, put them in a pot, and stirred while it cooked. When I was a kid in the middle of the last century, this was one of the first things I learned to cook. I probably haven't done [...]
I received my zero-balance credit card statement yesterday from the one card I paid off. I had seriously considered framing it, but that's probably not the best idea. I read over it, just to make sure all the loose ends were tied up, and noticed in tiny 4-pt font:
[...]
I know he's President. Let's set aside his politics. Let's set aside that he has a great deal of important things on his mind.
When is the man going to learn that it's not NUKE-U-LAR?
nu·cle·ar (adj.)
1. Biology Of, relating to, or forming a nucleus: [...]
My supervisor decided to come down from Mount Olympus to meet with the mere mortals this week. I had my review, which was spectacular in its badness. Apparently, I am the worst employee not just in my group or in my building or in my country, but WORLDWIDE I am [...]
I love french toast! This morning I made some, and it was definitely the fastest and easiest I'd ever made, plus lower fat!
I lined a small baking pan with aluminum foil, sprayed with cooking spray, then dotted it with a tiny amount of margarine (for flavor only, not [...]
So I scrimped and saved and got one credit card paid off completely. And that sounds pretty good, but then I ran two other cards up. Not to the max, but let's say around 3/4 of the limit. So now I owe around $2600-$2800, divided among three cards. Not a [...]
Ah, the joys of living in the midwest! We were under a tornado watch for most last night, and I'm hearing a bit of thunder again now. Let's hope it's moving away instead of nearer, and also hope I don't lose power.
I finally broke down and bought real [...]
I've been moving important papers into my lockbox. All the good tax papers and insurance papers and proof that we were ever born. Then some papers that are only important to me, like my son's scholastic awards, and my employee-of-the-month awards from various companies I've worked for. There's a letter [...]
This morning I crossed off an item off my to-do list for the past two years - I bought a lock box. After losing the keys to my old one, and figuring out I could open it with a screwdriver in under five seconds, I knew I'd need a new [...]
When I was a kid, I loved to play with paper dolls. I would sit for hours, carefully cutting out the outfits and playing dress-up with the little paper people. I know many of my readers have little girls, and many of you are concerned about modest clothing.
I've [...]
I'm still eating food from my storage stash. I get paid this week, but can't think of anything in particular that I need from the store, except maybe to replenish my canned tomatoes and green beans. They went quicker than I thought they would. Even the fresh items I bought [...]
Finally the heat wave left and fall arrived. It's nice not to have the air conditioner on. We opened the windows to catch a nice cool breeze and get some fresh air circulating through the apartment. But then it got too cool, and we had to shut them. Today I [...]
One of the things I think about is "what I can do after my bills are paid off". I'd like a nice little place of my own to live in, inexpensive but close to the city. Pretty much, that will mean getting a trailer. I've thought maybe I should narrow [...]
When you cook 99% of your own food at home, it's easy to get into a rut. This is especially true of breakfast foods. I have a standard menu of three or four different things I eat for breakfast over and over. When you're trying to save money on food [...]
I went grocery shopping yesterday evening to pick up just a few things to fill in gaps in the storage foods I've been eating. I spent $8.22, which brings my total food shopping for the past week to just under $11.00. I probably won't buy anything else in terms of [...]
I got notification from the electric company yesterday that they've done an actual meter reading, and I have to pay the difference between the estimated budget billing I've had all year, and the actual costs. It's an extra $140 over my usual monthly bill. It's coming at the same time [...]
Last night's storm knocked out our power twice, including one time when I was on the computer. When I finally cranked it back up, all my cookies were gone. So I've been re-entering passwords and user names that are normally saved and automatic. Big surprise to me when I realize [...]
I realized I must be at least partially on the right path to getting my spending under control, when September passed and I let TWO discounts pass me by.
One was a $5 Amazon coupon, that I got for purchasing something several months ago. In order to use it, [...]
Last night I took the last half-batch of whole wheat sweetroll dough out of the freezer, and let it thaw in the fridge overnight. I had thought about baking another batch of cinnamon rolls, like I did last week, but decided to try something different. Today I rolled out the [...]
Check out my credit card tickers in the sidebar. One paid off! If I stay focused, the others will soon follow! [...]
My son and I have started checking into our housing options at the end of our lease. It's a year away, but it doesn't hurt to have some idea what we want to do. Probably we'll end up living near each other, because it's good to have family nearby. We've [...]
It's only been a week since I told the guy from the credit card company that I don't want a new credit card, or more credit of any kind. In the mail yesterday, I received a stack of blank checks from his company, with the notation to call an 800-number [...]
On the fourth day of my spectacular four-days-off week, I'm doing dishes and ironing. And, as you can see, I've updated the graphics again on my blog, because it's easier for me to read dark text on light background, than the other way around.
My keyboard has developed a [...]
Today was a great day to stay home! I took a vacation day. You know there's something magical in the combination of loafing and getting paid!
This afternoon I heard a funny noise coming from the bathroom and went to investigate. Bubbles cascading out of my toilet! Gallons and [...]
Seasons are changing. It's time to pull some different clothing out of the closet and try for a different look. One of the drawbacks of working in a casual environment is that, as time goes on, you tend to get more and more casual. Because who's going to care, right? [...]
Today I received a call from the local branch of one of my credit card companies. The names have been changed to protect the guilty.
CC Rep: "Hi, this is Bob, the credit manager from Well Forgetit local office. I just ran your credit report, and it says you [...]
I just love having three days off in a row. I get so much accomplished. Yesterday I made a batch of cinnamon rolls. Today I'm making whole wheat sandwich-size rolls. I thought I'd make rolls this week instead of a loaf. It just seems like the rolls are easier to [...]
Here I am with a few days off work ahead of me! I started my off-time last night by putting a pound of pinto beans in a large bowl, and covering them in water to soak overnight. This morning, they're nice and plump from soaking all night. That will cut [...]
Maxed Out is a documentary, released in 2006, about the credit industry. There is a lot of information in this movie about credit cards, interest rates, and industry practices. It will show some of the effects credit and debt and bill collectors have on our economy, and personal lives. Maybe [...]
Now I know what to do with all those extra plastic bags that are multiplying in my kitchen!
[...]
Today I did my weekly bread baking. Now that I've gotten back into the rythym of baking, it doesn't take very long. Mix the dough, let it rise for a while, throw it in the oven till it's done, then wait for it to cool off. I never did get [...]
I know everyone is thinking today of the Twin Towers, but this is a different sort of anniversary. Today marks the one-year point on my job. I still think of it as a temporary job, because I'm not emotionally invested in it, and really have no company loyalty. I show [...]
Now that I have a decent supply of food and water put away, it's time for me to start assembling our individual 3-day emergency bags. We've got a nice large backpack, plus a sturdy over-the-shoulder bag that will do for now.
This will be the perfect place to put [...]
I got a headstart on dawn this morning with my cooking marathon. I wanted to get enough food cooked for the next week or so. Started with a big batch of apple-cinnamon muffins. I didn't want to take time to dig out a recipe, so I just winged it. I've [...]
The last three perfect lovely eggs were turned into deviled eggs earlier today and split between me and my son. The can of powdered eggs was opened. I "made" an egg of powder and water, and used it as a wash on a couple of pork chops, then dredged in [...]
My son noticed my increasing stash of emergency foods this week. Getting right to the point, he asked me, "What exactly are you saving all this stuff for?"
"Some sort of emergency. Like a winter storm," I told him.
"Are you expecting a nuclear winter storm?" He's a [...]
Maybe things are different somewhere else. Maybe there's a magical place where people get up, do their work, come home, and get ready for the next day's work. Maybe there's a place where people don't have an absolute sense of entitlement to do whatever they want. Maybe there's a place [...]
Today was grocery shopping day. Prices are still going up across the board. The little raise I got doesn't begin to cover the rising food costs.
For the past year, we'd bought 18 medium eggs for $1.00. Every week, same price. Then a couple of months ago, they [...]
My first day off this week. I was up late last night, poking around the house, watching a bit of TV. So I slept in, or tried to. At 7:30 a.m., workmen pounded on the door to warn us that if we didn't move our cars off the parking lot, [...]
I heard on the news this morning that someone won the Powerball jackpot, somewhere around $314 million. No, that wasn't me. I won $4, from a $1 ticket, which means that Powerball has been a better investment than my retirement fund has been lately.
I think our heat [...]
