Month: December 2011

Project Food Budget / Healthy Budget: December – End of Month

Project: Food Budget End of Month Total: $491.51

My healthy budget goal is to eat seasonal, home-cooked meals while sticking to a $400 monthly budget for all food including groceries, dining out, entertaining, vitamins/supplements, and spices/herbs.

There’s two of us eating 3 (mostly) meals per day. Breakfasts are usually light, and we try to eat left-overs for lunch. My husband occasionally eats take-out lunch at work, & that $ comes out of his personal cash stash.

December – Month Two, Week Four – End of Month!

project food budget

It’s the end of December’s budget and I’ve spent a total of $491.51. Yes, as expected, I’m over my $400 limit. There were a couple of stock-up opportunities that I couldn’t resist.

  • iHerb.com* was having a great sale: groceries 10% discount, plus an extra VIP 12% discount, so I couldn’t resist stocking up on a few grocery items like Crofter’s jams, Bob’s Red Mill cereal & corn flour, Lundberg brown rices, and caraway seeds. Since I also include supplements in my food budget, the fish oil & vit D I ordered took a big chunk out of my budget.
  • The local grocery was having a decent sale on King Arthur flours, so I bought 3 whole wheat and 1 AP.
  • Then there’s the yummy take-out for New Years Eve!

The overage will be dutifully deducted from next month, leaving $308.49 for January’s budget. After my CSA meat delivery, it’ll leave approximately $56 for each week; we usually spend about $15-20 /week for dining out, so I have my fingers crossed I’ll make it. If not, I’ll just deduct the difference again in February.

December’s Grand Totals:
Dining Out: $ 85.84
Entertaining: $ 41.77
Groceries: $ 316.44 – includes my $80 CSA Meat delivery.
Vitamins & Supplements: 47.46

I’m looking forward to January – brand new year, a new start, I’m hoping I can keep this up!

Week+ of Meals

Thursday: Take out – steamed chicken/veggies with Japanese veg fried rice
Friday: left-over white rice with left-over (freezer) chicken/potato leek soup
Saturday: Christmas eve at inlaws, hmm, yummy.
Sunday: More yummy Christmas feasting.
Monday: Leftover Christmas potatoes w/ fried eggs
Tuesday: Leftover Christmas pork shoulder w/ tomato sauce, green beans, brown rice & pinto beans
Wednesday: Pasta w/ leeks & broccoli
Thursday: Roasted chicken legs (local) with roasted russet potatoes & beets
Friday: peanut butter & jelly sandwich – DH had bread pizzas
Saturday: Take out Chinese New Year’s Eve!!!

Want to Join the Project Food Budget?

project food budget

Happy New Year! Make 2012 the year you start your own food budget!

If you’d like to participate in the Project Food Budget, get the details and let Emily know you’re on board!

Here’s who else is participating:

*Link to iHerb.com is an affiliate link. Click on it, and you’ll get $5 off your first order, and I’ll get a commission. I’ve been buying from iHerb for many years, and they keep getting better and better. They’ve never let me down and their prices are excellent!

Is the New Year the Best Time to Start a “Healthy Diet”?

Why is it that the majority of “healthy diets” started on January 1st fail?

Well, first off, winter seasonal food choices are limited. Yes, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets and other root veggies are yummy, but are they exciting enough to keep someone motivated to continue eating healthier foods?

Then there’s the fact that winter weather is brrr cold, with more time hibernating in our homes. Days are shorter; by the time we arrive home to start cooking dinner, it’s dark. Some of us even feel a touch of winter depression. Physically and emotionally, it’s not always a “happy” time of year.

Wouldn’t it wiser to start a new lifestyle change when our bodies and minds are happier, say, during the spring or summer?

Springtime represents a fresh beginning; our gardens are renewed with fresh flowers and fresh produce choices starting to pop up.

summer veggies

By the time summer hits, we’re plentiful with berries, tomatoes, stone fruits, green lettuces, summer squash, eggplant, green beans, peppers, and melons.

The days are longer, the sun is shining and it’s easier to be more active outdoors. We just feel better in the warmer months!

You Can Still Make a Healthy New Years Resolution

No, I am not trying to discourage anyone from making a healthy New Years resolution, but perhaps concentrate on something specific that you can easily accomplish.

Instead of a general all-encompassing promise to “live healthier”, start small with a promise to reduce the sugar and cream in your coffee. Or perhaps a promise to eat home cooked meals at least 4 nights a week. How about making homemade lunches or eating oats for breakfast every morning?

Take tiny steps, and your goals will be easier to achieve. Once you have a few smaller successes under your belt, deepen your commitment to lower your calories and lose weight.

Hmm, I wonder if New Years Day was celebrated in the spring, would those healthy resolutions be easier to keep?

New Jennifer Hudson – Seeing & Hearing Double – Weight Watchers Commercial

Ugh, I know she has a lot of fans, but I find ALL of the Jennifer Hudson Weight Watcher commercials extremely annoying. Her voice sounds like screeching nails on a chalkboard, and this new commercial is no exception.

The commercial opens with the “old” Jennifer in a tight-fitting bright pink dress singing on American Idol, as the new improved, thin Jennifer comes from behind, singing in a creepy duet with her former self.

Ugh. Jennifer Hudson x 2 = even more annoying because she’s competing with herself to out-sing and (hard to believe) it gets more offensive than her “It’s a New Day” commercials!

Gawd, it’s not even January 1st yet, and I can’t even think about how many times we’ll have to listen to this awful commercial for the next couple of months! Where are my ear plugs?

UPDATE

Before I get a million Jennifer fans coming down on me, I should clarify!!!

I NEVER said she was a bad singer in general and I do not dislike her. It’s her commercials that annoy me.

There is a big difference hearing her sing one song, than hearing the weight watcher commercials played over and over ad nauseam.

UPDATE #2 January 2, 2012:

Okay, I admit the newest J Hud Weight Watcher commercials are not bad. The one with her singing “I am you, you are me, gotta stand up if we’re gonna be free” – with the other women who lost weight on the program. Her voice is strong without being over-the-top and it’s enjoyable to watch. There is another new commercial that is also equally better.

Project Food Budget / My Healthy Budget: December

Project: Food Budget Weekly total: $158.72 – includes monthly meat CSA total

My healthy budget goal is to eat seasonal, home-cooked meals while sticking to a $400 monthly budget for all food including groceries, dining out, entertaining, vitamins/supplements, and spices/herbs.

There’s two of us eating 3 (mostly) meals per day. Breakfasts are usually light, and we try to eat left-overs for lunch. My husband occasionally eats take-out lunch at work, & that $ comes out of his personal cash stash.

December – Month Two, Week Three

project food budget

This week, I did great: $158.72, which includes $100 for my first meat CSA delivery. I’ve spent $336.13 for the month of December, so that leaves a balance of $63.87 for the rest of the month.

I’m thrilled that I’m still on budget for the month. Only one more week left and I feel confident!

The only problem I foresee is iHerb.com is having a great 10% off sale for VIP customers, and I’m going to stock up on supplements, grains and other groceries. My order will be about $100, so it will take me over budget, but I’ll just adjust January’s total.

Dining Out: $4.89
Entertaining: $19.16
Groceries: $134.67 (including $100 meat CSA delivery)

Week of Meals

Thursday: Broiled, marinated flap steak (local) with white rice and steamed broccoli & carrots
Friday: Leftover frozen pork bean soup
Saturday: Family birthday party pizza
Sunday: Tomato fennel carrot soup over pasta
Monday: Turkey bacon sandwiches with cole slaw
Tuesday: Beef burgers with white rice and cole slaw
Wednesday: Roasted potatoes/onions with fried eggs

Want to Join the Project Food Budget?

project food budget

If you’d like to participate in the Project Food Budget, get the details and let Emily know you’re on board!

Here’s who else is participating:

(note: the link for iHerb.com is an affiliate link. You will receive $5 off your first order with them)

Spending Less For Food, But Not Too Low

I found an inspiring article on Small Notebook concerning food spending and how spending less is not necessarily the answer – blog comments are equally inspiring!

Find Your Family’s Own Unique Budget Needs

Comparing what your family spends for groceries to another family can lead you down the path to frustration & self-doubt. Every family’s needs & values are unique. Just because there is a food blogger spending only $250 per month for their family of four doesn’t mean that is the best direction for your family! Do find inspiration from other frugal budgeters, but don’t try to fit your family’s spending into their food budget, because everyone’s circumstances are different!

Spending Less But Getting Sicker

Back many many years ago, when food was REAL, families spent a lot more of their income on groceries (25% vs 10%). Most of us now have (more important) cell phone and internet to pay for, so food has become somewhat of an afterthought.

Big Food has taken advantage by producing subpar food products that can be sold for much less than healthier alternatives. Cheap food gives the illusion of frugality, but in reality, it’s damaging our bodies and our way of life!

Worse, while we’re spending LESS, we’re actually eating MORE! Calories are through the roof and meat consumption is out of control, polluting our bodies and environment. More Americans are obese, and chronic (deadly) illnesses like diabetes and heart disease are becoming the norm, pushing our medical expenses higher!

So yes, I am still trying to curb my grocery spending and stick to a reasonable food budget, but I have to remember that food quality MUST remain the most important aspect vs price!

Project Food Budget / My Healthy Budget: December

Project: Food Budget Weekly total: $35.84

My healthy budget goal is to eat unprocessed, seasonal, home-cooked meals while sticking to a $400 monthly budget for all food including groceries, dining out, entertaining, vitamins/supplements, and spices/herbs.

There’s two of us eating 3 (mostly) meals per day. Breakfasts are usually light, and we try to eat left-overs for lunch. My husband occasionally eats take-out lunch at work, & that $ comes out of his personal cash stash.

December – Month Two, Week Two

So far I’ve spent $180.76 (total) for the month of December, so that leaves a balance of $219.24 for the rest of the month.

This week’s total was $35.84, for two small trips (Saturday & Wednesday) to the local grocery store for essentials: Broccoli, bananas, dark chocolate, oranges, apples, pears, grapefruit, mushrooms, raisins, and Pomi tomatoes.

Dining Out: $10.00
Groceries: $25.84

This Saturday, our meat CSA will be delivered, and I’ve added a jar of honey to my order; it’ll add almost $100 to my spending for the month. I’ll have $121.84 to get me through 2 more weeks (including both Christmas & New Years Eve holidays). We’ll see how it goes. I’m not panicking yet! haha!

Week of Meals

Thursday: leftover freezer chili
Friday: freezer chicken soup w/ mushrooms, spinach and barley
Saturday: take out pizza – cheap with coupon
Sunday: leftover freezer pork with acorn squash & brown rice
Monday: Clam chowder
Tuesday: Broccoli, Cheese & Brown Rice Egg Bake
Wednesday: Leftover freezer chicken soup with freezer beans, chard & peas

Want to Join the Project Food Budget?

project food budget

If you’d like to participate in the Project Food Budget, get the details and let Emily know you’re on board!

Here’s who else is participating:

Emeril on Dr Oz Show

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse was on the Dr Oz show the other day, and I’m not a regular Dr Oz fan, but I just happened to catch the show. At first I thought that Emeril would be the one getting advice from the doctor concerning his obesity problem, but I was shocked to realize it was Emeril that was giving the audience health advice!

What?

Emeril’s Must Have Items to Revolutionize Your Health – watch the 4 part video of his appearance.

Does anyone else think it’s strange that an obese chef is dishing advice regarding how to live a healthy lifestyle? His three must-have items? Spices, non-stick pan, and gluten free pasta.

Seriously? You have to narrow your list of items that will “revolutionize your health” and those are your three picks?

How about adding more vegetables to your meal to bulk it up? Limit the processed pasta and eat more “whole” grains? Start your day with breakfast? Drink more water?

The worst part? He tucked in a sly promotion of his own non-stick fry pan! He claims you can save calories and fat by using non-stick. No, Emeril, you don’t need 3 Tbsp of oil to saute vegetables in a stainless pan! I sometimes don’t use any oil at all, depending on what the dish is!

And besides, what is so wrong with cooking with fat anyway? I’ll take cooking in my seasoned cast iron fry pan with a tsp of coconut oil over his toxic fuming non-stick pan any day! Ha!

This situation reminds me of when Kirstey Alley was pushing her crazy weight loss products while obese, or when Dr Phil wrote his diet book!

During the Dr Oz interview, Emeril avoids revealing any details about his own personal medical conditions, he does mention that he’s been trying to live healthier for the last two years. I’m wondering if he has diabetes, or a pre-diabetic condition, and that is what triggered his desire to “get help”. But at the same time, how can he expect people to take him seriously when he’s clearly still struggling with his own demons even after 2 years!

I admit I always watch him when he is on HSN, selling his cooking products, but I find his sales tactics to be very questionable – following the typical HSN sales banter: ooh better order now, these are flying out the door. Our inventory won’t last the day!

In fact, it’s ironic that while he’s now claiming to be healthy, just last weekend he was still hocking his “fry right or don’t fry at all” home frier on HSN. Talk about mixed messages!

So, why do I continue to watch him if I don’t really like him? Well, I like watching HSN Cooking shows to learn about new kitchen products. And secondly, I used to really like him years ago. I enjoyed watching his TV shows and thought he was a caring person. I guess I am hoping to perhaps find bits of the old Emeril underneath the sly, pushy salesman. I’m still waiting!

Project Food Budget / My Healthy Budget: December

Project: Food Budget Weekly total: $141.57

My healthy budget goal is to eat seasonal, home-cooked meals while sticking to a $400 monthly budget for all food including groceries, dining out, entertaining, vitamins/supplements, and spices/herbs.

There’s two of us eating 3 (mostly) meals per day. Breakfasts are usually light, and we try to eat left-overs for lunch. My husband occasionally eats take-out lunch at work, & that $ comes out of his personal cash stash.

December – Month Two, Week One

project food budget

I’ve spent $141.57 during the first week of December, so that leaves a balance of $255.08 for the rest of the month.

I’m a little bit nervous about this month, seeing that there’s an extra week plus the holiday, but I’m keeping the confidence up, and trying to plan ahead.

Whole Foods was my first stop @ $58.80 – lots of produce, including local cranberries, organic leeks, bananas, organic apples, organic pears, organic acorn squash, broccoli crowns, organic carrots, fennel, organic lemons, meyer lemons, mushrooms, (local) cocktail tomatoes, and satsuma mandarins, plus Earth Balance mindful mayo, brown cow plain whole yogurt, and olives at the antipasti bar. I also needed some pantry items: white & brown rice, organic ketchup, and bulk whole caraway seeds.

Trader Joe’s totaled $35.09: turkey bacon, raw almonds, peanuts, de-shelled pistachios, frozen organic corn, frozen organic peas, (2) frozen organic raspberries, frozen pesticide-free blueberries, and I was craving Barbara’s Multi-grain Shredded Spoonfuls cereal. I rarely ever buy cereal anymore, but I just love munching on this stuff, and it was a huge box for an excellent price!

I also picked up some King Arthur whole wheat white flour at the local grocery for $2.99 and two dozen local eggs for $5.75.

I had originally wanted to only spend $50-$60 this week, but since I needed to be in same area as Trader Joe’s so I knew it would be frugal-wise to stock up on a few things there, after my visit to Whole Foods. Since I’m fairly stocked now, I am hoping that I won’t need much next week, but some fresh produce. I’m lucky in that the local grocery has a decent offering of organic fruit, so I probably will not need to head to Whole Foods (hopefully!)

Dining Out: $33.45 – much higher this week since DH decided to replace the kitchen floor this week!
Entertaining: $5.49
Groceries: $102.63

Our local meat CSA will be delivered on Saturday December 17th, and I originally thought I should apply the cost as we cook/eat the meat. But that could be a nightmare to keep track of individual meats, so now I’m leaning toward adding the total each month as it’s delivered.

I’m really trying this month, but with Christmas and New Years Eve, I might be forced to go over a little bit. If that happens, I am not going to beat myself up about it. It’ll be okay. I’ll try my best, but things happen. I’ll just deduct the amount from January!

Week of Meals

Thursday: Take out
Friday: Braised beefalo brisket & cabbage with barley
Saturday: Left over beefalo & cabbage with white rice
Sunday: birthday party in the afternoon, so simple cheese sandwich with veggies for dinner
Monday: Spicy leek tomato soup with corn & beans
Tuesday: Take out – DH decided to work on replacing the kitchen floor this week, so it messed up meals a little
Wednesday: Potato pancakes (previously frozen left-overs) with eggs & toast

PS Next week, I won’t be so long-winded!!!!

Want to Join the Project Food Budget?

project food budget

If you’d like to participate in the Project Food Budget, get the details and let Emily know you’re on board!

Here’s who else is participating:

1st Post Project Food Budget – 1st Month Healthy Budget

Today marks my first official post for the “Project Food Budget” – a group of bloggers like me, that are trying to stick to a specific food budget every week/month – they’re already at week 9!

It also marks the end of the first month for My Own Healthy Budget challenge.

My Budget Details:

My budget goal is to eat healthy, unprocessed, home-cooked meals while sticking to a $400 monthly budget for all food including groceries, dining out, entertaining, vitamins/supplements, and spices/herbs.

There’s two of us eating 3 (mostly) meals per day. Breakfasts are usually on the small side on weekdays, and my husband occasionally eats take-out lunch at work. If needed, that $ comes out of his personal cash.

First $400 Budget Month

So, yay, I survived my first official month, with $ to spare. Soo sooo oooh proud of myself!

My budget was $400 for the month of November, and I spent $396.65

Dining Out: $86.60
Entertaining: $19.68
Groceries: $286.47
Herbs & Spices: $4.99

I need more practice in meal planning, but yesterday I tried to put together a week of dinners. We’ll see how easily it will be to follow. I’ll post next week on how I do.

Today, I used my $40 Groupon coupon for GNC and bought 2 bottles of multi-vitamins, 1 bottle of calcium citrate, and a bottle of organic apple cider vinegar. Not bad for an investment of $19 a couple of months ago!

Tomorrow I’m planning a trip to Whole Foods. I have my list ready on my iPhone, with estimated prices and I think I’ll be able to keep to $50-$60. This should get us through for 7-10 days before needing to go shopping again.

I’m excited for our first CSA (local) meat delivery this month, and I won’t be applying the cost until I actually cook the meat, hoping to stretch what’s delivered for the next 6 months into the summer months.

Want to Join the Project Food Budget?

project food budget

If you’d like to participate in the Project Food Budget, get the details and let Emily know you’re on board!

Here’s who else is participating: