Truthfully, we're dirt poor hillbillies. I've decided to air my dirty laundry here, here goes.We've been living on my husbands military retirement of $900.00 a month. There are no jobs here, though Husband has an interview today (hooray!), next county over. We purposefully chose a very low cost of living area, western NC, in the Appalachian foothills. We do garden. We do forage. Poke weed is coming up & it's time to gather/ can it. We have a milk goat & egg/ meat chickens. I only buy fruit in season & can it for the off season. 2 bags of deer apples are 50-100 lbs. of apples for $10.00 & you can make a lot of applesauce/ pie filling out of that. It's not as great as it sounds, my children are thrilled when we go to a friends house & get a whole banana or orange to themselves, as opposed to sharing or going into a smoothie at our house. But they are very big on sharing their fruit which is bittersweet to see.
We don't buy meat cuts. They just don't exist to us unless we slaughter a goat, chicken, or some kind person has hit a deer & calls us to come process it. That works for the winter, we're very dairy/ egg heavy in the warmer months. I preserve eggs in mineral oil for when they stop laying, but we are usually egg free in Dec./ Jan.
Sample Menu
Sunday I made a big pan of baked beans. They're good leftover warm, cold, or as a side dish. I saved 1/2 of the beans plain.
Mon. night was goat meat stew w/ peas. When frozen veg is $1.00 a pack, I stock up.
Tonight we're having baked sweet potatoes & carrots, usually the grownups just have regular plain baked, but we're out at the moment. Baked beans as a side. Tues. I work, so it's a crockpot/ leftover night.
Wed./ we'll have egg salad & I'll do something new w/ celery& goat cream cheese, I haven't figured out what yet.
Thurs. plan is to take the rest of the navy beans & puree them w/ onion, sour cream, tomato, pickled peppers for us (we had a weird bell/jalapeno cross in the garden last year, spicy bells!) & corn for them & break up the tortillas for chips & dip.
Fri. I'll be taking the children to Pizza Hut for their last book-it coupon & will make a grown up/ toddler pizza for us at home. I'll buy a personal pan for my 5 yr. old so she can feel included & make the store a little money, I always feel bad going in there & not spending anything. It's the only time we go to Pizza Hut.
Sat. I have (sandwich) ham & swiss cheese roll up w/ kraut cakes, I'm down to 1 1/2 qts. of sauerkraut & it's time to use it up.
Shopping notes
This time of year my kitchen is littered w/ quart& pint jars, being the end of the season. Last year I canned more than I ever had before & I feel hopeful/ excited to do more this year.
Weekly grocery staples (only at Aldi) I replace these as needed & able. Not everything needs replacing every week.
can of peanuts, canister of oatmeal, peanut butter
milk in the winter,1/2 & 1/2 , sour cream, plain yogurt for starter (goat milk doesn't yoge like cow milk),2 lb. of butter (splurge), 2lbs. of assorted cheese
coffee, tea
all purpose flour, olive oil, sugar,brown sugar, raisins, syrup
dry beans, tomato sauce/ paste/ diced, potatoes/sweet, celery, carrots, onions, cabbage. Once or twice a month, bags of spinach for salads, bananas
Fake crab & bacon once a month, tuna
cream of soups & noodles
TP, soap, paper towels, dish soap, deodorant, razors & cream for him (last about a year) & w/ weekly shampoos (more frequent in the summer) about 2 bottles of shampoo a year, just for the girls, boys use soap. I've decided shaving is stupid, feels weird & use the clippers in the summertime, cider vinegar works for deodorant. Another yearly purchase.
Usually $10.00-$20.00 goes into the fuel tank but I actually haven't told him that, he's got enough to stress on & everybody is healthy. The beginning of the month he'll give me $80.00 so that means a full tank & fruits to snack on. Fuel here is $2.43 this week.
I go to another store for wheat flour, bread flour, molasses, yeast, & Ovaltine (our Sunday treat), all our baking is done from scratch.
Our chickens, egg, milk, & veg are organic & free, unless you count the time trade-off which really isn't much.
Ground beef at Aldi (non-organic 80/20 fat) is $9.00 for 3 lbs. Sometimes we can get one of those.
Tractor Supply & the local farm store get our feed business.
Now you too, can be a hillbilly, use your knowledge wisely.