Days #19 and #20
Feb. 21st, 2010 09:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
somethingnewUnfortunately, technology conspired to not allow me to post yesterday. However, I do still have new things!
Day #19:
Saturday was grocery day and I have to say I'm not picky, I know that most of the stuff that's an "off-brand" is probably prepared in the same factories to the same specifications as the name brands. And, what I particularly like about the discount grocery store, is that I can go a little crazy and it won't break my budget. Case in point, I ended up walking out not just with the bread, yogurt, and lettuce I went for. I also got these amazing chocolate chip toffee cookies (three boxes, two went directly into the freezer), two different kinds of chocolate (for the emergency stash at work), grape tomatoes to go with my salads, two containers each of both feta and asiago cheese, frozen french bread pizzas, three bags of beef jerky, chips, chocolate frozen yogurt bars, and some other stuff I'm not remembering. For less than $40. I couldn't have gotten half of that at Kroger for $40.
Oh, and a package of instant mocha. Yeah. I know. The coffee purists are cringing. But it was on clearance for a dollar and I was curious. I've never had instant mocha that wasn't the stuff you get at the gas station. (Which I lived on as an undergrad.)
It's not the best stuff in the world, obviously not as good as the Starbucks mochas I can get at the cafe at work. But some sweetener helps. And that I have nine more packets means there are nine days coming up in the next two weeks that I can have one of those instead of running to the cafe to spend $3.50 on one. (And, trust me, I'm going to need them (and the chocolate). The search committee I'm on starts interviewing next week. Ten interviews in two weeks. Ouch.)
Day #20:
As just mentioned, next week - heck, the next two weeks - is going to be a little crazy. And, as also just mentioned, I bought salad fixings yesterday. I usually purchase these little side salads at work for lunch. It's just over a dollar and I get some lettuce, with decorative carrots and cabbage, and a grape tomato. Oh, and a dressing packet. I also mentioned that it's impossible to make the same for myself for five bucks a week.
Which is right, when you're looking at Kroger's prices for salad stuff. But I've been grabbing the occasional bag of lettuce at the discount grocery and realized yesterday that I could make a comparable salad of my own for less. $2.70 yesterday got me two bags of lettuce (with carrot shreds) and a small container of grape tomatoes. That made five salads. Larger salads than I'd usually purchase. With at least five grape tomatoes each.
And I know this because I premade my lunches for the entire week tonight. I've never done that before, let me tell you. I'm lucky to premake a single lunch once every two weeks. But this coming week is going to be hectic and stressful, which means I'm not going to sleep well and will need every minute available when I get up in the morning. So having my lunches for the week all lined up in the refrigerator is going to be a blessing.
Making the salads was followed by shredding the last of the chicken from two weeks ago (don't worry, it was in the freezer until this weekend) to go with the salads. It got divided into five baggies, though all but tomorrow's went back into the freezer. I like to try to mix things up a bit, so I don't over do it on the same thing every day. So I'll have beans with my salad a day or two this week, and may cut some deli sliced turkey I have for sandwiches for a day as well. I also set my yogurt out - one with each salad, and put a cookie with each as well. The only thing I couldn't plan for the entire week for was salad dressing - I only have two small tupperware containers, so I've got dressing for tomorrow and Tuesday, I just need to remember to wash and refill them for the rest of the week. (If not, it's 50-cents a packet at the cafe, which would put me about on budget for the salads if I bought three.)
The top shelf of my refrigerator looks like an organized person lives here.
Day #19:
Saturday was grocery day and I have to say I'm not picky, I know that most of the stuff that's an "off-brand" is probably prepared in the same factories to the same specifications as the name brands. And, what I particularly like about the discount grocery store, is that I can go a little crazy and it won't break my budget. Case in point, I ended up walking out not just with the bread, yogurt, and lettuce I went for. I also got these amazing chocolate chip toffee cookies (three boxes, two went directly into the freezer), two different kinds of chocolate (for the emergency stash at work), grape tomatoes to go with my salads, two containers each of both feta and asiago cheese, frozen french bread pizzas, three bags of beef jerky, chips, chocolate frozen yogurt bars, and some other stuff I'm not remembering. For less than $40. I couldn't have gotten half of that at Kroger for $40.
Oh, and a package of instant mocha. Yeah. I know. The coffee purists are cringing. But it was on clearance for a dollar and I was curious. I've never had instant mocha that wasn't the stuff you get at the gas station. (Which I lived on as an undergrad.)
It's not the best stuff in the world, obviously not as good as the Starbucks mochas I can get at the cafe at work. But some sweetener helps. And that I have nine more packets means there are nine days coming up in the next two weeks that I can have one of those instead of running to the cafe to spend $3.50 on one. (And, trust me, I'm going to need them (and the chocolate). The search committee I'm on starts interviewing next week. Ten interviews in two weeks. Ouch.)
Day #20:
As just mentioned, next week - heck, the next two weeks - is going to be a little crazy. And, as also just mentioned, I bought salad fixings yesterday. I usually purchase these little side salads at work for lunch. It's just over a dollar and I get some lettuce, with decorative carrots and cabbage, and a grape tomato. Oh, and a dressing packet. I also mentioned that it's impossible to make the same for myself for five bucks a week.
Which is right, when you're looking at Kroger's prices for salad stuff. But I've been grabbing the occasional bag of lettuce at the discount grocery and realized yesterday that I could make a comparable salad of my own for less. $2.70 yesterday got me two bags of lettuce (with carrot shreds) and a small container of grape tomatoes. That made five salads. Larger salads than I'd usually purchase. With at least five grape tomatoes each.
And I know this because I premade my lunches for the entire week tonight. I've never done that before, let me tell you. I'm lucky to premake a single lunch once every two weeks. But this coming week is going to be hectic and stressful, which means I'm not going to sleep well and will need every minute available when I get up in the morning. So having my lunches for the week all lined up in the refrigerator is going to be a blessing.
Making the salads was followed by shredding the last of the chicken from two weeks ago (don't worry, it was in the freezer until this weekend) to go with the salads. It got divided into five baggies, though all but tomorrow's went back into the freezer. I like to try to mix things up a bit, so I don't over do it on the same thing every day. So I'll have beans with my salad a day or two this week, and may cut some deli sliced turkey I have for sandwiches for a day as well. I also set my yogurt out - one with each salad, and put a cookie with each as well. The only thing I couldn't plan for the entire week for was salad dressing - I only have two small tupperware containers, so I've got dressing for tomorrow and Tuesday, I just need to remember to wash and refill them for the rest of the week. (If not, it's 50-cents a packet at the cafe, which would put me about on budget for the salads if I bought three.)
The top shelf of my refrigerator looks like an organized person lives here.
