Just made these, recommend!
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at the usually more expensive grocery store this morning, coffee x5, cheese x4, discount chicken x2.
The person checking us out said, “the steaks are on sale, I don’t think it is in the flyer though”. I guess it was pretty easy to profile us. Very nice of her, but we generally don’t buy the generic steaks.
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OK, so, we took a trip Friday-Monday and beforehand largely ate down our food stores, so I knew we were due for a stockup - but I’ve now spent $150 this week on food and that doesn’t count whatever Boyfriend bought at the Jewel yesterday (which was mostly stuff for him but a few things for me too).
I’ve noticed that, since covid, since there are so many things that we don’t do any more, a lot of my pleasure shopping happens at the grocery store. Today I had off for Veterans Day so went to Trader Joe’s and bought a whole shitload of stuff that was Completely Not Necessary. (TV: their coffee is good and WAY cheaper than the place I like to order it online so I stocked up on that.)
Goal is to go 2 weeks without a grocery run other than, like, if we need milk or something vital. I think the only thing we need for Thanksgiving is marshmallows for the candied sweet potatoes. This should be do-able if I focus on using what we have. (I.E. DO NOT BUY MORE SNACKS OR CHEESE, TRIS, YOU HAVE PLENTY)
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Groceries are insane with reduced dining out 
Meals this week
High carb
Cinnamon raisin toast, oatmeal, cereal
Carrot smoothies
Irish moss
Miso soup
Squash soup
Sushi bowls
Jerk fried rice
Kale and mushroom pasta?
Pasta with red sauce
Kraft dinner
Low carb meals
Salad with roast beef
Chicken breasts
Sole
Tuna salad
Frittatas
Kale and mushroom stir fry
Konjac noodles with red sauce
Stir fried konjac rice
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I feel very called out by this. I went to Aldi today in a stressed moment and I now have marcona almonds and salami and kettle chips and cheese crisps and and and…
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Leave me and my thanksgiving stuffing potato chips alone 
(This is a good reminder as I go to Costco AND Trader Joe’s over the next 2 days to prep for the 2 different family parties for Latte’s birthday. Our immediate families only but we both have big families lol).
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What is this?
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It’s a seaweed high in carageenan. Theoretically a super food. I’ve had it before from friends who were taking it with meals as a fiber appetite suppressant. But more importantly blends into a nice, low taste gel. Liquids that are too liquid are hard to keep down, and even when they go down they sit like evil sloshy messes.
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Finally used up the red pepper jus in butter chicken last night (I made eggplant shashukka the other day but forgot to add in the jus).
Was the label on the butter chicken incorrect because I can’t remember what year it is, or had it really been in the freezer since Sept '20? I’m going to believe the first, even though there was a fair amount of ice around the top. It tasted good.
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Oooh okay, I was thinking it was a dish I had never heard of!
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Plantain chips, dried mushroom snacks, chocolate covered dried cherries, a chocolate orange, pub cheese, unsalted tortilla chips…
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I paid off our cards for the month and I saved nothing post-tax but also didn’t have to pull from savings to pay the cards, so that’s good. I need to be more disciplined and I think reinstating our week ahead spending plan is prudent. I’m going to bring it up with husband tonight after dinner. I don’t want to take any chances since we’ve really decided to buy a house and since saving is time sensitive now.
I’m not sure how to count my down payment money because I have $10k in savings and another $10k in a taxable account. The taxable account is kind of risky though, so I think maybe the answer is to save the down payment in the savings account, but then I don’t want to ever be pulling money out of my “down payment” and I occasionally use my savings account that way. Advice?
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Is there a reason you can’t get another account? I have 3 accounts - one accessible by a card, so people can only steal a certain amount of cash if they steal the card. One for bills, where a keep plenty that if all our big annual bills came at once, we’d be fine. And one for savings where I stash everything else.
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Like another savings account?
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Yes, another savings account.
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Yeah I could do that and then take the money out of my taxable and put it in there. I had really been excited about opening that account! Maybe I need to let that go though.
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My accounts are all the same “type” as far as our bank is concerned and I just use them for different things. On your timeframe savings are going to matter a lot more than interest given current interest rates and you want to be sure the money is there, so the risk is too great in shares.
ETA but maybe someone who understands American savings might make more sense? What’s a taxable account? Like, is it cash or shares or…?
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No you’re right it’s in the stock market. I think what you’re saying makes sense and that I should do that, because it’s true the timeline is so short it won’t earn that much in the market anyway. Damn! Haha, I really liked that account.
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When I was saving for a house I had a savings account that I never pulled money out of for other things. It was ONLY for a house. Once I got the house it paid for the down payment and the remodel. My brain liked having a separate account for it. Of course I didn’t make much interest on it that way.
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Thanks @turtlegirl !
Meal plan for the week, I have a lot of produce already since I barely cooked this week. I’m stocking up on easy meals again since we plowed through my stock this week!
Breakfast- Sausage Frittata/Strawberry Protein Smoothie and Eggs
Lunch- Beef Chili + Chips
Dinner #1- Aloo Gobi + Chili Chicken + Rice
Dinner #2- Breaded Air Fyer Haddock + Fries
Emergency meals- ramen, tomato soup and pasta, pierogi + beets
Dessert- Rice Crispie Treats or Hershey Squares
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