The OFFICIAL February NO-SPEND & PANTRY Challenges!!! Anyone can join, come on in! - Page 6

[MAMom]

Originally Posted by wurzelkind

X-Posted in Nutriton&Good Eating!
Anyway....I'd like to make some fish patties for dinner to use up that pollock filets that have been in my freezer for way to long - 3 months maybe?- but I cannpt find a good recipe either on rezipezaar.com or allrecipes.com.
Can you mamas give me some help, please?!

My MIL makes great fish cakes (usually with the striped bass FIL catches). I'll try to remember all the ingredients:

- chopped raw fish
- bread crumbs
- shredded onions
- minced celery
- egg
- salt and pepper

(I don't have exact measurements - I just adjust to the right consistency. You could certainly use some mayo in there too.)

I think that's all...mix it up and fry in a pan in a small amt of oil.

[aprildawn]

I'm sucking this month. Really, really sucking.

Last Thurs DD1 had her chinese class. It's at her teacher's apartment which is about a mile from the big-time brand-new awesome Whole Foods. So, I put DD2 in the jogging stroller and we walked to WF. I spent $50!!! Tea tree oil, badger balm for sleep, wine, a cinnamon roll for DD1, tea, other stuff. Then I went to Costco on Friday. Spent $57. Then I went to Target because I'm going to sew DD1 dresses for this summer by attaching a gathered skirt to a t-shirt. I went to Target to buy t-shirts, picked up some DVDs that were on sale or that I've just been wanting. Spent $98!!!! Then I spent $96 on regular weekly grocery shopping yesterday. Holy smokes!!! I'm outta control. Someone take my credit card away from me!!

This week will be better. It has to be.

[katebleu]

I'm not doing real well this month either. We had put an offer on a house so I was gearing up for a major change in spending, and that's not going to happen now. I bought a pair of capris with my Old Navy card because I was mad about the house thing. We also went out to eat Sunday morning to straighten things out. I have to go to the store today, and we need a bunch of things regardless of their sale status. At least my store coupons came so I won't totally blow the budget at the store, but I promised DP we could do sushi on Valentines Day so I'm just going to write this week off and start over on Friday.

[nina_yyc]

Ladies of the no-spend challenge, please forgive me, for I have sinned.

The month started off well. I spent $150 of our $300 grocery budget on the 1st, but got a ton of staples and we still have plenty of food on the 12th.

Since then I have bought:

• Dinner out for DH (Valentine's, birthday, promotion at work)
• Plane tickets to visit my best friend in Austin in April - budgeted for, but still hurts
• And I will be spending $75 on a post-natal yoga class for March. Can't afford it, but I need to get back into fitness.

Mind you, I would rather live on beans and rice for a month and then splurge on a fancy meal than distribute the money through the whole month.:

I think what I've learned through the last month and a half of no-spend challeges is to curb the everyday little things that add up. I can now take a window-shopping walk without going into the coffee shop or the used book store. I have also stopped looking enviously at all the SAHMs on the street who are size 2 and wearing lululemon and $200 highlights, and started regarding them as a freak show.

[MamaFranklin]

Originally Posted by nina_yyc

Ladies of the no-spend challenge, please forgive me, for I have sinned.

TOO FUNNY!

I think what I've learned through the last month and a half of no-spend challeges is to curb the everyday little things that add up. I can now take a window-shopping walk without going into the coffee shop or the used book store. I have also stopped looking enviously at all the SAHMs on the street who are size 2 and wearing lululemon and $200 highlights, and started regarding them as a freak show.

$200 highlights?!?! Wow... Spending that EVERY MONTH would give me chest pains!

[Cruella_DeVille]

OOOH! I'm playing, even if Feb is half gone already!

ACK! I'll have to be more creative in my meal planning haha!

[bec]

I've not been so good.

I've spent money on:
Fixing the dishwasher
fixing the frozen pipes
Buying a new bra (desperately needed, as the last one broke)
Spring classes/summer camp for the kids
Craft project for dd's valentime's party at school
Groceries
A movie with DH
: : :

[katebleu]

Ok, so I ended up spending $28 at the grocery store in stead of the $15 I wanted to spend, but I got $40 worth of merchandise including tylanol, shampoo, a Valentines gift for DP (new chef's knife) and a shirt for me. I didn't actually need many groceries, mostly soda crackers and an onion.

[1growingsprout]

bumping....

[Jennisee]

We're still doing pretty well here. I'm getting more into the habit of looking for homemade or secondhand alternatives to things. For example, I'm getting started on my garden, and I've been saving plastic food containers all winter for starting the seeds and growing the seedlings. Also, instead of buying this to dry Ziploc bags, I'm going to put chopsticks into a vase. Occasionally, my sense of aesthetics gets in the way, LOL, but it's fun to find ways to reuse products and save money.

[aprildawn]

Jennisee -- the bag drying thing is a GREAT idea! I'm going to steal it. I think chopsticks in a vase will look as good as the contraption in that link. I'm terrible about throwing away my baggies.

I did well at the grocery store yesterday. Spent a little over $50. Then DH decided he wanted to grill for dinner. The weather was gorgeous yesterday. So he made a separate trip and spent another $20 or so. :

Last week wasn't good for no-spend. I went to the eye doctor (hadn't been since June 2003). And I bought a new pair of glasses (mine were 5 yrs old and my Rx has changed). Next week I'll be buying new contacts. So, the eyes are costing us some serious money. But it's gotta be done. I can't see w/o the glasses or contacts.

[lmonter]

We're doing okay. I think we're going to end up spending a little more than I wanted to, but we're still doing fine. I might shrink next month's food budget as well and see if I can do it that month, too.

I've been using up the ricotta in my fridge for homemade macaroni and cheese, so we had one meal for dinner the other night and there are 3 more in the freezer waiting for me. I need to make another batch to use up the rest of the ricotta next week. But this is also good because there's a bunch of pregnant mommies in my moms group, so I'll have something else ready to go for 'em if we decide to share that particular meal.

Just made banana bread today, made cookie bars yesterday, plan to make granola bars in a day or two, and there's something else I've got waiting in the wings... Oh, homemade goldfish crackers! My 3yo is so excited about these, except I've only got a dog bone and moon cookie cutter. But he'll definitely be fine with those. I just hope the recipe turns out as good as I hope.

I'm also gearing up for our garden. Saw a tip somewhere about using old (plastic) milk jugs as little planters. I'm all over that, and now my kitchen is littered with rinsed juice and milk gallon jugs. Need to find a home for them until I have enough to make it worth dh pulling out a power tool and decapitating and drilling them. Still working on figuring out drip irrigation though... Since we're so into our garden and making it better, we've been putting aside money every month for more supplies and seeds and such - pretty much all we started with is a sad old raised bed the former owners half-assed. Besides, if I'm going to grow something, it's going to be useful, not frou-frou pretty. Our only nods to frou-frou are leftover rose bushes that we totally ignore besides pruning and french marigolds to help with some pests. I'm such a spoilsport.

[Attila the Honey]

Anyone have any good ideas for a can of cherry pie filling? (Other than cherry pie, that is!)

[lmonter]

Little cheesecake tartlets? (chocolate crumb-type shell, cheesecake filling, plop a cherry or two on top of each one)

A crumb or cherry betty (vs. apple betty)?

A regular cheesecake would be my dh's automatic answer...

That help any or are you looking for something a little healthier?

[celestialdreamer]

Originally Posted by Attila the Honey

Anyone have any good ideas for a can of cherry pie filling? (Other than cherry pie, that is!)

mixed into plain yogurt?
warmed as a sauce for ice cream?
make a cherry upside down cake? (like a pineapple upside down cake only with your cherry filling instead)


I'm joining this challenge as I have been very, very naughty financially this last month. I'm not sure what to blame it on, maybe the fact that I have been really struggling with depression. We desperately need to finish remodeling our current home with what savings we have left, as we want to sell next year to buy a home on acreage for our future 'homestead' I really, truly want to live our dream, and to do it requires a huge change in our spending habits. We had been doing really good before Christmas, but during the holidays and since then I've been AWFUL. I can't blame it on my DH, it is definitely all on me...

I need to really pinch some pennies so that our bank account balance is always getting bigger rather than constantly getting smaller I know we are perfectly capable of doing that if we stick to a really good grocery budget and only buy what we need and try to get it on consignment. The kids will be needing new clothes probably next month but I know I can get them consignment and just get what they need rather than what is cute at Target. I need to start cooking more beans & rice type meals from scratch out of our pantry. I need your support mamas, I know I can do this, I just need help staying on track :-)

I'm officially joining for what is left of Feb and all of March.

[Jennisee]

celestialdreamer. I definitely battle the budget when I'm feeling depressed, but MDC can be a great source of support and motivation.

[Attila the Honey]

Originally Posted by lmonter

Little cheesecake tartlets? (chocolate crumb-type shell, cheesecake filling, plop a cherry or two on top of each one)

A crumb or cherry betty (vs. apple betty)?

A regular cheesecake would be my dh's automatic answer...

That help any or are you looking for something a little healthier?

Not necessarily healthier, but something that won't involve a trip to the store. I don't have the stuff to make a cheesecake, unfortunately. I have staples, though - flour, sugar, oats, etc.

I made a cherry cobbler and it went over very well, but I still have more cans of it so if anyone has any more ideas lay them on me.

[aprildawn]

Cherries -- serve them over pancakes. Or, make crepes and fill the crepes with the cherries. mix them into an oatmeal cookie batter.

[lmonter]

Originally Posted by aprildawn

Cherries -- serve them over pancakes. Or, make crepes and fill the crepes with the cherries. mix them into an oatmeal cookie batter.

Oooh, .

Or, depending on how adventerous you feel, you could try drying some cherries in your oven (I'm pretty sure you can do that, but I'm sure you'd have to drain them) and make some granola bars or something.

[frog]