Monday, February 18, 2013

Oh, Monday, Monday...And food waste and a menu for this week

Pin It

Oh, why can't we start every week with Tuesday?? Call me paranoid but I DO NOT like Mondays. On top of the fact that it's the end of the weekend and the beginning of the work week, there is always something going wrong on Mondays.

This morning my husband went to check on our tires. They weren't staying inflated as they were supposed to in the last few weeks. Turned out that two of the front tires were worn down to the ribs, and in one of the back tires there was a huge screw. No wonder they were deflating! Only one of the back tires was still in good condition. So before it was 9 in the morning, we already spent $200 on new tires :( At least, we got a good deal on them. But we only had $200 sitting in our car repair fund, so it was wiped out. On top of that, the guy who put on our new tires, told Hubby that there might be something wrong with car alignment, and that's why the wear on the front tires was more significant. And that means more repairs and using our emergency fund :( Now you see, why I don't like Mondays?...

And I was so immersed into thoughts of this new financial complication that I managed to do two loads of laundry and dry and fold it all before I realized that I forgot to use detergent :( Big big sigh...

I sure hope, your Monday is better than mine? :)

To put a cherry on top, we did our budget over the weekend and realized that we are $10 over in grocery budget for the month :( I'm really debating if we should bump the amount we set aside every month for food. It seems like everything is getting more and more expensive. We do spend a lot of money on seasonal fruit and vegetables, but I'm not about to deprive our kids of that. Do you feel like everything is getting more expensive where you live??

So for the rest of the month we are using what we have. Luckily, both our fridge and pantry are nicely stocked. I was really trying hard to use up all the leftovers last week, and I'm happy to say that we don't have any food waste two weeks in a row!! I'm excited about that :)

And this week we are eating:

Mon.- teryiaki salmon (bumped from last week), cauliflower bake
Tues.- plov, salad
Wed.- broccoli cheese soup, corn bread muffins
Thurs.- pasta, meatballs, steamed broccoli
Fr.- pizza and leftovers
Sat.- hot dogs, sweet potatoes, whatever fruit and veggies we have by the end of the week
Sun.- Birthday party with the family

OK, I just thought that this post was too gloomy. But there are still things to be happy about. Like these beautiful tulips from my Hubby and friends that I look at every time I walk into the kitchen:

 photo cafe5b0a-ea34-4f6f-ace7-a967ef53bbce_zpsd5c55894.jpg

I love fresh flowers any season but especially in winter. I can't wait for spring months when we'll have our own in the garden.

And another thing that brings a smile to my face today:

 photo a50a9fdf-61ba-489f-a220-5aacba4db951_zps4dbacad5.jpg

I'm getting more and more in love with sewing (still mostly straight lines :). I bought these great fleeces and minky fabric to make a baby blanket and some burp clothes for our new nephew who will join our family in a couple of weeks. Can't wait to sew them this week!

So what were your ups and downs today?

25 comments:

  1. Oh no! What an awful way to start off your day. At least you had the funds set aside for repairs. I hate dipping into the emergency fund too, but I always remind myself the Lord will take care of me. I don't have to worry about the what-ifs or whens. He knows what I need and how to get it to me. Don't fret!

    Here's hoping tomorrow's better.

    XOXO,
    Meredith

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Meredith! I know He provides and knows all our needs but often He makes us work for it :)

      Delete
  2. At least you had the money for the tires so that is always a good thing. And better to have safe tires when taking your family anywhere.

    I love the fabric

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. The repair guy told my husband that our old tires could blow up any time! Kind of scary!!

      Delete
  3. Your Tulips are lovely.
    Sometimes I forget to put soap in the washinng machine and it amazes me that the washing comes out clean (depending what's in) ehich mean I probably don't need to use as much as I do.
    Love the fabric.
    Carolx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I had some dirty kitchen rags there. They definitely needed another wash :)

      Delete
  4. Food ! It is so costly. Some weeks I can't believe how much my family can eat. They just seem to inhale it and it's gone. I find the winter easier as I rely on big soups and stews in the crock pot and this makes it cheaper, but the summer I crave fresh stuff continually and find I spend more! This year we can't grow any of our own either as we have building work going on so I am going to have to re think. Still - I love tulips too. Always makes me feel hopeful for some reason. XXX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is so costly! I have one kid who inhales food and another one who mostly wastes it :) I try to do a pot of soup once a week but kids are not much into soups, unfortunately! We still buy only seasonal fruit and vegetables,because everything is so expensive!

      Delete
  5. don't worry about laundry powder, it's the agitation of the machine rather than the powder than cleans clothes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's true. But I had some nasty kitchen rags there that really needed some extra cleaning :) I don't use paper towels, so I rely on rags a lot (with two messy boys here :)

      Delete
  6. I'm so sorry to hear about the problems with your tires. (I recently had a similar situation.) However, because you are a good planner, you had money to take care of it. That part you should be pleased about even though the whole thing was very frustrating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just really don't like when unexpected things happen (who does, right?:). I guess it also has something to do with me being a planner- I like everything to go as planned, and that's not how it happens :)

      Delete
  7. Yes Lena, I know all about those up and down days, having had a whole week of them last week. The tulips are beautiful, and flowers do make us feel better. Way to go on your new sewing adventure. Food costs? out of this World ! right there with the price of hydro. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You definitely had quite a week. My troubles are nothing comparing to yours!

      Delete
  8. Look on the bright side, you had money in the car repair fund, that's what its for :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I feel your pain! everything is sooo darn expensive! Car repairs and grocerys ohh I can relate!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know :( Everything goes up but the salaries, unfortunately:(

      Delete
  10. Your tulips are beautiful! I had an up and down Monday too...spent some time at the walk in clinic for a sore throat...$100 (that had to be put on the cc because still have not gotten my check card from my bank) later I have meds and diagnosis of a wierd sinus infection. Makes the second Monday off in a row for a holiday that I have had to spend $100+ on being sick. And I am right there with you in food costs, everything is skyrocketing and I really don't know what to do about it. Hope the rest of your week goes better!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh, I'm so sorry! And I hope, no more trips to the doctor for you!!

      Delete
  11. Love the fabric and the flowers - so cute. I am keeping my eye out for sales on flowers or markdowns, but no luck yet. That is one of my favorite things about spring.

    And as for Mondays, I really hate Monday holidays - why can't more holidays be on Fridays? Everything seems to get bumped back a day and I still have to fit it all in during the week. It's nice Adam doesn't have to work, but my plans get all messed up.

    Sorry about the car repairs. Something you might not know - Firestone sells lifetime alignments for the life of your car (not the tires) and we have purchased that for our van since we plan to keep it for a LONG time. I don't particularly like Firestone that much, but the lifetime alignment has been worth it. I don't know of any other service shop that does that. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I need to check them out!! I've never heard of lifetime alignments before!

      And my Hubby doesn't even get holidays of- it all comes from PTO :( So he only takes major holidays like Christmas off. But then we have more time for vacations in summer :)

      Delete
  12. Don't you just love starting the week with a bang to the checkbook? I am so glad you are sewing. It is such an enjoyable skill!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well, at least the rest of your week is all good with Monday out of the way....lol
    I so hate cars but they are a necessary evil in this world. I hope you get a chance to refill your car fund before you need to tap it again. Good thing you HAVE one! Lots of folks don't plan that well. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lena, I am so sorry about the car! Those tulips are gorgeous! They are my favorite flowers. Love the fabric! Jelous of your sewing skills!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...