Husband doesn't understand the concept of a budget... *Rant*

[Wifezilla]

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
ahem... I would spank mine if ever even thought about doing something "stupid" like that. It is a downward spiral.

The Chicken Lady
Do you guys ever shop at Aldi? We do.

when we were stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, I would go in there and get stuff for the pantry, milk and stuff for the weekend trips. Great place to save some bucks.

As for the whining husband who wants his canned chilli. I would give him the 100.00, take away any checks, debit or credit cards, shove his butt out the door and tell him to come home with 2 weeks worth of food FOR THE HOUSEHOLD on the 100.00..or live in the garage with his canned chilli.

 

[Bettacreek]

Oh, hubby is learning what life is like at home. He thought life was peachy for me, not having to work and just sit on my butt all day. Little did he know that there're chores to do, critters to take care of, a child who isn't always in a super great mood, etc, etc. The other day he said something to me along the lines of "oh my god, is this REALLY what you put up with all day long?!" Lol. No, I don't deal with this, I simply duct tape the kiddo to the wall and then flick my wand and everything else is done by magic, lol.

I love the menu ideas, keep them coming. They're making me hungry!

 

[BayCityBabe]

Sorry to hear that you are having a hard time.
I am chiming in with the Beans & Rice Brigade. The chips, fake cheese, convenience foods are not only expensive, they are bad for you. A bag of Dorritos is - what - $4.50????? And I am always appalled at folks who think soda pop is a staple.
You can do more with your money if you take the emphasis off meat, too. Use it sparingly with rice or pasta. I like to boil a chicken and make chicken soup, burritos, chicken salad sandwiches and chicken fried rice. I can get three dinners for four and two lunches out of a $6 chicken. Eating cheaply just takes more effort. My sister hates to cook. I know that a hotdog supper at her house costs double what I pay to make shrimp stir-fry.
Hang in there! Try to let this bring you closer in your relationship.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
VFEM! Is there an income cap on this? My fiance's pay JUST got restored again and things are so tight it isn't even funny. I think I may hurl if I see another package of ground beef.

No they ask no questions, and your income or abilities in finances do not apply!

I've done the lay off budget for a LONG time now. First of all, try not to cut so much from food if you can help it. Just know that beans and rice really do go a long ways! I made a great taco salad everyone loved and I always got 2 meals out of it. I also baked a bunch of extras.... bread, cookies and muffins made a huge difference like there were expensive treats in the house, but cheaper then buying cookies, chips and junk food at the store.

Realize that new clothes you can go without.... check freecycle and craigslist for good deals and freebies of things you need. I got a bag of unopened cat food free off of craigslist for the cat, and a friend gave us dogfood coupons and 12 free cans of dog food too!

Cut back your cell phone minutes if you can. We shut off our homephone and down graded our cellphone minutes during lay off time. I cut coupons every sunday too. I started rotating bills if I needed to steal some extra cash... like pay the electric and wait a month to do a double payment on water and do a half payment on electric. I never didn't pay any bill at all! But I always paid the mortgage!!!!

Also, try to sell some stuff you don't need on craigslist... then stash the cash in the house in case of emergency. I sold seeds from the flowers in my yard and was able to get an extra $50 back in october!

Just ideas.... good luck!

 

[onthespot]

Cheap food doesn't taste so bad if you just switch out which kind of cheap food you eat every day. Spaghetti, then chili, then fried rice, then tacos, then mac'n cheese, navy beans and ham, egg salad sandwiches, then bread pudding, then chicken noodle soup, then grilled cheese sandwiches, top ramen and peas, beans and franks, tuna casserole, burritos, phoney "almost stroganoff" with hamburger, biscuits and gravy, twice baked potatos, waffles with fruit for supper, whip your own cream, fried potato patties, lentil stew, BLT sandwiches (if you don't have real bacon, put lettuce and tomato and bacon bits) , see, doesn't sound so boring if you mix it up. Do NOT make a lot at one time. I would rather cook up fresh every day than hear whining about "not a-GAIN!" for food that I can just make it fresh later, stuff like shpaghetti just doesnt' taste good two days later. Try breakfast food for dinner, like french toast, or scrambled eggs over fried rice, creamed beef on toast, Mix up your starches and don't have the same kind two days in a row. Potatoes, rice, bread, tortillas, pasta, just rotate out what kind of cheap starch you are going to use, and build a meal around that.

 

[Wifezilla]

I don't deal with this, I simply duct tape the kiddo to the wall and then flick my wand and everything else is done by magic, lol.

NOW you tell me!! I could have used this advice 20 years ago when my first was born!

 

[eggzettera]

I think on the spot is spot on Except for big batches. Do big batches but freeze, save time & money. I like to make a large tomato based sauce on the weekend, it becomes: spaghetti, lasagna, baked beans, meat loaf, and eventually part of a soup or stew.

In my tomato sauce I really load it up with veggies so that it is really "stick to your ribs" sauce. I find that if you cut it up small enough the picky eaters will not recognize the parts they don't like (carrots, zucchini, etc.) & of course the right amount of seasonings don't hurt!

 

[debilorrah]

Vfem I can't thank you enough for that information!!!!!

 

[cackle]

My son and his wife just got a box of food from Angel Ministries. And they were very happy with it. The food was well labeled and fresh looking. He gave me the frozen peas they did not want and I was going to feed them to the chickens because I am a pea snob and only like the tiny ones. Well when I saw them I decided maybe I would give them a try. Threw some in the salad I was taking to work for lunch then into some rice for dinner. I was impressed with the quality of the food.

ALso check out the whole prok loins at Sam's those are great for roast, chops, stew or stir fry. I am not sure how much a pound but the last two I bought ran about 11.50 each for a huge pork loin.

Susan