Our company president sent out a nice company wide email yesterday in honor of International Women's Day, thanking all the women of our company. He grouped them by dept and said a nice little something about each. Me, being a dept of one got the following:
Thank you to the wizard behind the curtain, {One} – Thank you for making sure we have a business to be thankful for! Most of you will never know how much she does for ----, but I promise you, you’d know it if she didn’t!
That was sweet :)
We've already cut down our food budget that past 6 months or so, with dh barely eating meat. I no longer buy steaks or hamburger. Chicken breasts is the only thing I buy and we don't eat a lot of it. If we do it's an added ingredient in a casserole or recipe. And for now it's still cheaper than red meat.
I plan to try more store brand items going forward.
Eggs - now that production is on the rise (I'm getting about 2 a day now, sometimes 3) and will most likely get back to 3-4 a day, I'll have lots of extras. I've always shared with neighbors and our retired friend that stops by for visits. I still plan to do this, but I first want to get us a nice stockpile of them. More than I typically would keep. I want to go into next late fall/winter with as much eggs as possible to get us through without having to buy them.
Storage of eggs. I'm reading up on this. There seem to be several methods.
Freezing - what do you use the eggs for once thawed? can you fry it? or just for scrambled or baking type needs?
The best method, for me, seem to be just storing them, unwashed in the fridge and freezing. Fresh eggs from the hens, not washed of their "bloom", are supposed to last a good 6 months in the fridge. This should work fine for getting me through the winter/low laying months, if I plan ahead and keep enough, and make sure I am using the oldest eggs first all summer and go into the winter with the freshest ones. Freezing would also be good for any other excess. The first winter I had the hens they still produced really well and I didn't have to buy store eggs. This winter they pretty much stopped, other than maybe a few eggs a week. If I had known this winter would be less, I would have planned better. Now that I will expect this slow/no production I'm going to be prepared next winter.
The method of coating in mineral oil or using lime with water in glass jars doesn't appeal to me. If the eggs will last 3-6 months in the fridge that will work just fine for me. I will probably have to store several dozen out in our small fridge in the shop. I saw an idea to freeze scrambled eggs in muffin tins and then transfer to a ziploc in little "pucks". Each puck being equivalent to one egg. That looked like a good way to do it.
DH will just to have to figure out ways to reduce things a bit. Not his strong suit, at all. He does all our maintenance stuff. He's just going to have to figure ways to cut back a little here and there. Go a little longer in between replacing filters, etc. I'm glad we're heading into the warm months now, so the electric and propane usage will go way down, giving me that extra money each month towards these high prices coming. I'm sure next winter is not going to be good.
I did stop buying the litter box liners. I'm finding it easier to clean without them and they weren't cheap with only 5 liners per box. The kitty didn't like the liners and would scratch them all up with holes and pull the sides in, just making more of a mess. I'm also finding that for me, it's working well to clean out with the scooper every day and add fresh litter as needed, rather than dumping out a whole box of litter (like I was with the liners) and having to add all new litter each time (I was doing this weekly). I'm not going through litter as fast now. I do buy a 40lb box of the litter I use (Arm & Hammer Super Scoop unscented) and have it delivered.
We're still going to go on our drive to Utah in June. I figure the free night hotel room and free meals (we get dinner the night we get there, and free breakfast and lunch the next day) will offset the increased cost in gas. And like dh said when is the last time the two of us just went and did a little trip for just us? Like never! Even our trip last year to Texas was because we had to deliver that car.
With yesterday morning and this morning's snow dh is just letting it melt. We don't need to go anywhere until I need to go to jury duty on Friday and there is no more snow expected after today, it will melt off. Rather than get his quad out there, often just so he's busy and something to do, and plow the few inches off, he'll leave it. Save the gas/$.
I just placed a Walmart shipping order. I need a little hand whisk broom and dustpan to sweep up the kitty litter kitty always flings out. Then, of course, I needed to spend $35 for free shipping, so I figured out what else I'm low on. I'm low on Milk-bones and cosequin ds for the dog. I've always bought the 30 day supply for him. It's gradually gone up from $14-ish to $20. A little more time searching and I realized there is a 90 day supply for $40, so I ordered that, saving $20 over the next 90 days. I also need toilet bowl cleaner. I used to get Walmart's "the works" but it doesn't appear they make that anymore. Been just buying clorox or lysol. But, again, doing a little better search (from low price to high price) I found a Walmart GV brand for a 2 pack for $2.84 compared to a Clorox 2 pack for $3.78. So, being a little more mindful and taking a few extra minutes for my little order, I was able to save $21.
In my recent post, reader JRE commented and it's very eye opening. If farmers are seeing these kinds of insane price increases to grow their crops, I can only imagine what our food costs are going to look like in the very near future! It's all very scary.
I’m off topic here but just a little because prices!!! I’m sick with worry. I talked with my son last night he’s a farmer in NW Minnesota. Starting to get ready for spring. Farmers get their farm loans for the season set up before so had been all set. Now for his corn fertilizer it was first $400.00, then went to 600 and now $1000.00 a bag, it will cost him $100,000 more just for his corn fertilizer this year. Plus his fuel prices. The thousand of gallons he goes through and the cost increase is crazy. He also grows wheat, soy beans and sugar beets. Can you imagine the trickle through costs? Consumers will see this at the other end. He can’t figure out the why of the crazy fertilizer increase but every pre market cost increase comes around. ( and I don’t believe large companies are going to lose their profits).
When our propane tank just got filled I had prepaid 530 gallons last Sept at the lower price. That's what he pumped in, as close as possible, I guess but the little .2 gallon or whatever, LOL, left me with owing 26 cents. They actually mailed me a statement for this! What a waste of money. When I worked at a company that ran statements each month we ran a report of anything under $5 and wrote it off before the statements were even run. They had another company print and mail our statements and it as figured that each statement cost like $7 to process, print and mail. I don't know whether to just go online and pay it (which then of course they are going to pay a credit card processing fee, LOL) or just leave the balance there and pay it when we have our next fill up, which is usually June. It's just really going to annoy me that if I wait until June they are going to keep sending me a statement each month for 26 cents.
Years ago I froze eggs. I mostly used them in cooking and baking, but sometimes added a couple to fresh eggs when making scrambled eggs. I froze them in ice cube trays and stored them in a ziploc. I dont do that anymore. This year I think I bought 2 dozen eggs is all once I ran out of mine. I could have made it through the winter but I gave some to my kids.
ReplyDeleteI buy cosequin at costco when it's on sale. I can't remember the math exactly, but costco was like a third the price of wm. My dd has 3 dogs on the stuff and she says her savings on that one item more than covers her membership.
Thanks for the eggs info. I really really have always hated shopping at costco, LOL. But, if like you said, the savings on the cosequin ds covers the membership that is worth it. My neighbor said something a long time ago about cosequin at costco for dogs and her vet said to use the people version, as it was cheaper. But I'm not comfortable with that, plus I give him the chewable kind. I accidentally bought a bottle of capsules recently and just a pain to try to get him to take. Then I have to buy something else to try to hide the pills in. Does Costco ship stuff? that is probably the only way I'd get a membership, haha.
DeleteMy dd has costco membership and she just looked the price of the cosequin for dogs up (I couldn't see the price unless I was signed in). It's the same price as Walmart $40 for 180 tablets (though they sell in 2 pack for $80)
DeleteThats the online price which is higher than in store. Then it goes on sale every 3 months or so for like $10 off the 180 count. I wish I could remember what I paid but I bought mine 3 months ago. I will text my dd and ask her. She probably knows exactly she paid.
ReplyDeleteI knew she'd know. $26 for 180 when they go on sale.
ReplyDeleteshe said she thought she's seen them on sale in store and will watch :)
DeleteWalmart in store was $20 for 60. Thats the only size my store sells
ReplyDeleteI got the 180 ct online with Walmart, they probably don't sell that in stores.
DeleteI know you said you hate costco, which I can't even relate to because I love costco lol. It's an hour away so we only go once a month. We get there when they first open so they aren't busy. Then we go to winco. I dont buy everything at costco because a lot doesn't make sense for 2 people, and not everything is cheaper, but a lot is much cheaper, especially when on sale. I used to save enough on garbage bags and dogfood to pay for the membership, but I switched dogfood so I don't buy it there now. Dh's contacts are a lot cheaper there, as is his Metamucil. OTC medicines like ibuprofen and allergy meds are cheaper on sale too. My most exciting find recently was a two pack of travel mugs with straws on clearance for $4. I looked on Amazon and wm because my son wanted some and they were $22. They have great clothes too. I dont buy much produce, and very little meat because prices are high. I do buy chicken breasts there because they taste so much better than the crap wm sells, so worth the added cost. The list of what I get there is actually quite long lol.
ReplyDeleteI just can't do the crowds (it's always trying to get the big carts or flat carts around everyone else with a cart or flat cart. Drives me nuts. and long check out lines. We had a membership when we moved here and I had hoped in this smaller city it would be less crowded but it's not. It doesn't seem to matter what time it is.
DeleteWe usually go Saturday mornings, but Sunday is less busy. Get there a few minutes before they open and we are usually in and out before they get busy. Get there an hour after they open and all he'll breaks loose lol. Their lines move really fast, especially since they added self checkout, so that doesn't bother me, but a crowded store does. The samples seem to cause the biggest traffic jams at my store. I was perfectly happy when they quit doing those. People blocking aisle to get a tiny piece of cheese or a chip makes no fricken sense to me!
ReplyDeleteYears ago, I used to get off work at 3pm and that was a great time to stop at Costco on my way home. It was practically empty. Eventually even that time got super crowded. My dd loves going there, LOL.
DeleteMy dh is actually stopping at your costco today sometime between 4-5. I told him he was going to regret that decision but he wants to look at a generator we are considering buying. He wants to see it before I go in a couple weeks. Or hopefully he just likes it and buys it so I don't have to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteMy BFF's cat is potty trained so, they have zero litter cost. Mr. Smokey leaves a clean toilet than most humans I know. Too bad, he doesn't flush. I did not know eggs could be kept for so long. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletemy cat is obsessed with water, maybe he could learn, haha. From what I understand store eggs aren't good that long, they are already pretty old when we buy them, but fresh eggs, that you don't wash the "bloom" coating off, will last a long time.
DeleteI suppose I froze eggs the hard way, but i used 2 oz, 4 oz and 8 oz jars to freeze eggs. I used a beater to beat them and poured into the jars. I used them in baking and for making scrambled eggs. I was very happy with the finished product. They store quite well on the doors or in a bin.
ReplyDeleteIn 2020, I stocked up enough on Lysol and toilet cleaner that I still have enough and at a lower cost back then.
Put a timer in the chicken coop this winter for the light to come on two hours earlier and you will probably still get an egg or two a day.
Ok, having a light with a timer and on in the morning makes sense. At the beginning of their first winter I was turning the light on in their outside part of the coop, but it wasn't on a timer and I'd go turn it off and suddenly they were enveloped in darkness, while they were still out! So, I stopped and didn't really have any issues with them laying that first winter. But a timer to come on earlier in the mornings makes complete sense! I will try that next winter and get dh to hook up a timer for the light
Deleteedit: I was trying to add light at the end of the day, which didn't work because they need the light to get back into their coop, not suddenly have it go from light to dark! I knew I was doing something wrong after one day of it haha.
DeleteRight, they cannot see when the light just goes off. They need the waning light to get closer to bed and get on the roost. Put the light right in with them, not just on the outside.
Delete