Anyway, I actually do have shopping goals this month for a change. Of course, it's in a month where money is...well completely up in the air on dependability and what we'll be able to afford vs. not, but I still have to figure out a way to make some of this stuff happen as we're plain running OUT of things.
I wanted to buy some things we needed when shopping this week, but well...I ran out of money after buying foods that the son would eat (sad, but that stuff costs a bunch). I figured carefully on how much I could spend on groceries and things and quickly figured out that I was kind of maxed out on how much I wanted to spend after I got gas and would still have ANY money left in the bank after my husband bought fuel the next couple of weeks (like 20.00 type of left). So, I did something that used to be really hard for me to do. I texted my mother-in-law and asked if she had some cooking oil and rice I could have to see us through until (hopefully) things start to look up with incoming pay...sometimes you just need to ask for help when you need it (seen up top there after I had poured a bunch of the oil into my nearly empty oil container). She not only dropped off the rice and the cooking oil she also dropped off a check to help keep a bit of a pad in the bank until my husband's paychecks finally start coming in from the new job and she dropped off some egg cartons for me to use (thank you so much, Stacey!). I will repay her as much as I can in eggs as she will not only appreciate them, she'll use them :). Not only that but my father-in-law called my husband and offered him some additional work on his days off and/or after hours on his job depending on what his schedule was like. Which made ME happy (my husband has been terribly depressed since he found out how much fuel was costing and keeps worrying he made a huge mistake taking the new job. I just keep telling him to calm down and we'll see what his paychecks are like once he actually GETS one and go from there) as any additional income is welcome at this point.
So, onto the shopping goals for this month!
Regular Stores:
- Cooking oil (this one is a "hmm" on whether the bulk store or the regular store will be cheaper, so I'm keeping my eyes open to see)
- Hot dogs (as sales kick off for Memorial Day I'd like to get a few packages to keep in the freezer for grilling over the summer and just as something different for lunch as the daughter loves hot dogs).
Bulk Stores:
- Rice
- Heavy Cream (found out the ice cream I normally buy that was decently cheap and safe for my son's peanut allergy, isn't anymore due to them switching their production lines around. So, I'm once again down to making my own ice cream to be assured it's safe).
- Bread flour (I SWEAR I have a big bag of it around somewhere, but if I can't find it I'll have to buy new)
- Mozzarella cheese (maybe if I can find it cheap enough at either the regular stores or the bulk stores. I want it to make home made pizzas this summer with the daughter as pizza is one of her favorite meals).
That was so nice of your mother in law. I know my mom would do the same, I'm not sure on my mother in law. Possibly.
ReplyDeleteThis week I am again squeezing things onto the ljst for our summer trip. Since my husband does all the driving, I need to have energy drinks for him and those are expensive! Cheaper to buy ahead, but still. I also cringed as I paid retail last week for frozen princess graham crackers, but my 4 year old adores them, and theyve gotten hard to find and i want him to have them as breakfast on the trip.
My shopping goals are to get most everything else for out trip next month, and restock on basic baking supplies that have gotten low. I also need to find some jammies for my oldest, hes outgrowing every thing. So annoying! If he doesn't stop, he will be a teenager before I blink. :(
The transition time between jobs is always painful! I'm so glad you simply asked for a little help. I'm sure they were glad to. We have our house on the market, so I can't decide whether I should buy the Memorial Day sales or not. I just have no idea if our house will sell quickly or at all. If we don't have a contract by then, I'll probably buy at least a few of the things. The chips always seem to be a really good deal right then, as well as soda. I usually try to buy a couple of different types of soda than I would normally buy when the sales are good to offer whatever guests we have over the following months as well. We'll see!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful in-laws!
ReplyDeleteKeep looking up.
Blessings,
Susan
My shopping goals include cheese as well. I plan to shred it all and then freeze it. I find that it last longer shredded, and frozen, as the DH doesn't cut off chunks to snack on! Also easier for meal prep.
ReplyDeleteI also need to buy some flour, as I'm all out. I used up the last of it making homemade tortillas last night (easier to make than you'd think and cheaper and healthier than storebought). I usually buy a 10 lb bag of flour when it goes on sale (about every 3 months), and then store it in the freezer and then fridge. If I ever have a house instead of a condo, an actual pantry area is one of my must-haves (houses in Toronto are $1,000,000, so it is VERY unlikely that I will own a home in Toronto. Ah well, if I ever move to a larger condo, I want to have a storage locker on the same floor -- which I will then turn into a walk-in pantry!)
And I think it's so nice that your MIL was able to help you out. As difficult as relatives can be sometimes, they can also be big blessings as well. And if I remember correctly, your husbands job has benefits, right? Won't the reduced medical bills/eating lunches in even out the lower pay/cost of gas? Also, his current job is an investment in the family's future, as it will give him more transferrable skills for Iowa. Hope everything gets easier next week!