To be fair, we do have an unusually large food stash right now. Well, for us. But yes, I am finding lots of options for eating down our stores!
2 Likes
I decided to MINDFULLY take advantage of a Black Friday sale and got some 30% off tea, which I have been RAPIDLY sucking down since it got cold so had run out of some favorites. I am ignoring all other urges to stock up via BF sales.
And Boyfriend got himself some 1/2 off Serious Winter Gloves at Land’s End - because for some reason he never owns any and Winter Is Coming.
I feel pretty good about these purchases and am going to stop here. SO many tempting emails today, OMG.
8 Likes
My credit card is still lost, it saves me so much
14 Likes
I have my CC number memorized. There’s no saving me.
10 Likes
It’s me
4 Likes
Thank you fraudulent charges for forcing me to get a new credit card to replace the compromised one I had memorized!
7 Likes
Yeah I don’t think that would work on me.
1 Like
Meal plan is done for the week. I decided tomorrow will be some random shopping so I’ll go to my normal produce store, the co-op for a few bulk items, and the euro import market a few towns over for some cheese and jars of stuff I like. So, it will be kind of expensive again, but the actual costs eaten this week won’t be high. I’m excited, it’s going to be so much fun going to the euro store. Real feta here I come! Giant beans! Pickled scapes! Zacusca! I will eat you alllllll!
Weekend- Squash Bisque + Rolls + Mushroom Risotto + Birthday Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast- English Muffin Sandwiches (egg, bacon, hashbrown, cheese)/Steamed Eggs
Lunch- Ministrone (kidney beans, white beans, celery, carrot, pasta, garlic, tomatoes) + Homemade Rolls
Dinner #1- Grilled Halloumi, Greek Salad w/ Artichokes and Fava Beans, Roasted Beets, Grape Leaves, Homemade Pita (dips?)
Dinner #2- Tofu Pad Thai + Roasted Root Vegetable and Miso Glaze
Dinner #3- Beef Chili Cornbread Casserole with Green Side Salad
Also my breakfast buffet was a success. DH proclaimed this his best birthday day and week ever! 
I made chocolate chips pancakes, fried eggs, egg salad, toasted english muffins, homemade blueberry syrup, bacon, sausage, chopped pineapple and oranges, hash browns, orange juice, and coffee.
Husband and I started doing mid-week dates a few weeks ago and we both really like them! It makes the week feel so much faster! Plus, on the weekends we like to do more outside things during the day so it’s nice to have an evening out already scheduled in. This week we’re going to save money by using a gift card to go see House of Gucci! We might stop by the dollar store for candy so I guess it won’t be completely free, but pretty close!
9 Likes
what makes it real feta in your opinion?
3 Likes
Taste. I don’t know much about the actual process to make it, but fresh feta just tastes so much tangier and more robust. Different types from various regions are so different too in terms of salt content, how sour or sweet it is, how much you can taste the milk, what the balance is (like what is forward versus develops later) etc. To me, the more commercial feta has less intricacy and more of a flat profile. I still eat it! I don’t think it’s bad or anything, but it’s just not the same. The texture can be different too, like sometimes it’s a little bouncier, sometimes drier and crumblier, I like that little squeaky bite to it.
7 Likes
Starting to work on my Christmas menu. Slight problem - anything I don’t make from scratch is insanely more expensive. Other problem, I want it done right which seems to involve doing everything from scratch. My mum is doing the major baking projects thank goodness. I want a nut loaf, but it’s intensive. Maybe I do a small one on a different holiday? Roast tofu is much easier and cheaper. I have to choose a beast to roast, and I think I’ll do smoked salmon. If we have the veg prepped before it’s easy. I think that the only tricky to accommodate need is the no onion no garlic veg gravy.
9 Likes
We always do your chili 1/2 rice 1/2 chili. It has a delicious texture and extends it! Or you could do it over a potato.
3 Likes
Rice also makes a great base for spaghetti sauce.
2 Likes
I love a big baked potato or sweet potato piled high with stuff!
1 Like
Going to spend some time reorganizing my skincare tomorrow during work to ward off any feelings of urgency around purchasing new stuff on cyber Monday. I don’t need it. I have plenty. I can replace it as needed and saving 15% to get it NOW when I don’t need it isn’t worth it.
8 Likes
I have been working on sticking to this too - though, on the flip side, I AM out of face cleanser and serum so I chose to take advantage of the 23% off The Ordinary sale. BUT I only bought what I needed, Past Me would’ve stocked up on a shitload of stuff I do not yet need.
3 Likes
It does suck to slog through a 2/3 full bottle of a cleanser I don’t like, but then I can take my time researching what to get next and delay that gratification a bit longer haha.
3 Likes
I am doing the same thing with moisturizer and eye cream! Only buying stuff I have NONE of.
3 Likes
At least with the cleanser, fiancé uses whatever I have in the shower, so it’ll be gone in double time 
I thought about going to the giant HomeGoods store in city between where I live and where my family of origin lives while driving home from a visit. No real need, just wanting to browse and shop and see what new things they have there, we don’t have in our store. I drove right past the exit for it.
It’s easy not to spend money if you just don’t go into the store at all.
12 Likes