Frugal Meals: Creamed Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

I have cut our grocery budget in half this month. 

Not an easy thing to do and I'm still working on perfecting my system. 

If you can call chaos a system. 

I'm trying to purchase less prepared foods and make homemade.  That means my dear husband won't have dinner ready for me when I get home from work.  :-(  The man does great with 3-5 step recipes and grilling, but I don't know if he wants to be in charge of recipes like this one...

Creamed Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

 

Note- This hasn't been baked yet!  The guys will be leaving for soccer practice before I return home from work and my husband will be baking this in the oven for their dinner.  Hopefully they will save me some!

 

I found whole chickens on sale this week and put one in the crock pot before leaving for work this morning.  I used the leftover chicken for this recipe and changed a few ingredients to match what we had on hand.

 

The biscuits are homemade freezer biscuits.  I made one batch and got the 11 you see on the casserole and 9 more that are currently in the freezer.

 

Biscuits from a can are inexpensive but when you are watching every penny, making them is much cheaper.  An added bonus is they are healthier for us, too.

Instead of spending $4 on biscuits, I bought French toast sticks for Liam and napkins. 

 

Liam was getting French toast sticks a couple of times a week.  Now he gets it every other week for a special treat. 

 

 As far as the napkins go, one night while we were sleeping, the cats had a napkin party.  They didn't even have the courtesy to hide the evidence.  My napkins are safely tucked away now.

 

   

 

This is my first time making both recipes and I will let you know how it turns out!

 

9-10-11

 



 

Soccer practice was canceled and I got to enjoy the meal with my family.

 

I give the biscuits two thumbs up.  I will definitely be making those again. 

 

I think the casserole needed something different.  I had used corn instead of the red pepper or other ingredients they recommended.  Everyone in my family likes corn and it was what I had on hand but the combination wasn't the tastiest.

 

My husband said we could add the recipe to our meal rotation.

 

Liam said it was "good" and had two helpings.

 

Matthew didn't gag when he tasted it but said he was undecided about his opinion.  I take the not gagging as a good sign with this kiddo.

http://www.food.com/recipe/potsies-creamed-chicken-and-biscuits-casserole-110047

http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/02/homemade-freezer-biscuits-recipe.html

Weekly Goals, September 9, 2013

Last week's goals did not go so well.  I'm not going to let it discourage me, I did get a lot of the day to day things done and my house is beginning to be put back together.  I have four weeks/20 days left of the work season and I hope things keep going this direction.  I would love to end the work season and be able to relax instead of having to spend an entire week cleaning.  (Having an immaculate home is not my priority, but I do need basic cleanliness and organization to help our days run smoother.)

Weekly Goals for September 2, 2013

1) Budget, save, budget and save some more?  Success!  My anti-budget husband and my avoid it and maybe it will go away personality made it through an entire week on a very, very tight budget.  I'm really proud that hubby followed through with the plan.  :-)

2) Mop floors  Done

3) Tame the clean laundry monster that lives in our room and in Liam's room  By the time I got around to the clean laundry, it was almost all gone and there was a massive dirty laundry monster staring at me.

4) Find 5 things to sell  Not done

5) Prepare Winter Clothes that Liam has grown out of to take to consignment store  Not done

Goals for September 9, 2013

1) Continue with the budgeting, planning and following through.  It can be done!

2) Prepare winter clothes for consignment

3) Clean my van

4) Clean and organize Liam's room

5) Start decorating for Autumn

Week One of the Spending Freeze Challenge

My husband and I are going to change our financial future if it kills us.  It'll more likely kill him, but that's another story.

My plan (that my husband has agreed to) is to spend no extra money for the entire month of September and to keep our basic spending needs to a minimum.  We need to make sure all of our bills are paid on time, there are no negative balances in our checking and we need to put some serious money into savings.

Week one was a success.

As a family, we did not eat out once. 

I went to a fundraiser/paint a picture event with friends this week.  I had already paid for it before the Spending Freeze went into effect.  It was held at a small café and I had $7 to buy dinner.  I had come straight from work and I knew I wouldn't be able to make it until I got home at close to 10:00 to eat.  Problem was that the meals they were serving were $10.  I ordered water, painted my picture and drove through McDonalds immediately after the event.  Not as yummy, but for $4.27, I stayed within my budget.

I allotted $80 for groceries this week and needed $15 of that to buy one of the wristbands for the rides at the festival we attended on Monday.  A friend of mine offered to cover the cost of the other wristband and parking in exchange for me helping out with her kids while she ran in a 5K.  I packed food and a gallon of sweet tea.  We had fun the whole day and only spent the $15 for the one wristband.

Which leads me back to groceries.  I spent $58 on groceries but it was not enough.  Don't get me wrong, we ate a meal every night and my husband had a lunch to take to work everyday, but our cupboards were B.A.R.E. 

This week I'm going to have to do something different...


To read more about our Spending Freeze challenge, click on this link: Frugal Living

Depression is No Laughing Matter

I wish I could write this post as a reflection of the past, it would be much easier.  I could gracefully skate across the challenges, frustrations, sadness and anxiety and end with a happily ever after message.

But I'm not there yet.

Yet.

Things have been off balance for me since about July.

Stress over work, missing my children and missing the pace of being a stay at home mom.

Observing my children's behavior as it changed and became more challenging.

Anxiety over buying a house, waiting for the mortgage to come through and trying to figure out how I was going to manage everyday living along with moving.

Then the mortgage fell through.

What should have happened in July, happened a week before we supposed to close.

It's all going to be fine.

We're not homeless.

No one died.

I'm still working so we can fix our end of the mistake rather quickly.

God is in control.

He knows what's best and will take care of us.

It could help my husband and I get on the same page when it comes to money.


Only, it all got messed up.

How can we change what we have struggled with for so long?

How can God help us?

Why would He want to Help us?

What if there are harder lessons that we are supposed to learn?

All of these thoughts are continuously running through my mind.  Sometimes I have in inner shouting match.  Optimism gets screamed at by Pessimism.

A few things happened in the last few weeks that have made me decide that I am depressed.

 At dinner one night, I asked my husband what he had done with the clean laundry from the dryer.  He said it was still downstairs.  Internally I screamed at him, "Why the (insert a not so good word here) didn't you just fold the laundry?"  Outwardly, I said "We're going to have to run all the clothes back through the dryer with a wet towel because they will all be too wrinkled."  I freaked myself out by swearing (those words don't usually come to my mind) and by how loud I was in my head.

I am missing my boys so much during the day that I sometimes feel sick to my stomach.  I have all these grand ideas about how peaceful our evening will be.  We'll read stories, make dinner together, have a relaxing bedtime routine and just enjoy each other.  I get home and am instantly overwhelmed.  People are yelling at each other, the house is a mess, I'm crying, and there is no peace at all.

I'm normally okay at work but this week when an 18 month old spilled her milk, which is a very age appropriate thing, I wanted to have a nervous breakdown.  I calmly wiped the spill up and reassured her that it was okay, but on the inside, my head was exploding.

Not good.

So, very not good.

I know I could go to my family doctor to explain things and she would probably give me some anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication.  I have been on something at two different points in time.

The first time was after our son, William, died from SIDS.

The second time was when my family had moved into my parents house to help my mother who had terminal cancer.


This time, I am going to try talking to a counselor about what's going on. 

I know I have all the right perspectives in my head, I just need them to be so loud that they can't hear all the negativity.

Caterpillar Update: Nearing the End

 The last of our caterpillars munching away...

Diego

 

 

Teddy

 

 

Diego, Friendship Jr. and Teddy

 

 

 



Diego, Friendship Jr. and Teddy

 

 

 If you look very closely at Friendship Jr., you will be able to see that it is darker than the other two.  The chrysalis will continue to darken as he transforms into a butterfly.

 

Matthew and Liam observing the caterpillars.

 

 

 

 

I found this little guy munching on a milk weed.  He is super cute and super fast.  My sister said that he is moth.  We're keeping him to observe what happens.

 

 

 

 

To see previous caterpillar posts- click below

 

http://seekhispurpose.blogspot.com/p/nature-study.html

Book Review: America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money

I knew we needed help managing our finances and I believe I came across a jewel when I checked out the book "America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money" by Steve and Annette Economides.  See?  I'm already saving money by checking books out from the library instead of purchasing them. 

 

 

 

 

(This only works if I remember to take the books back on time, but I'll save that for another post.)

 

Like so many other books on money management, this book has chapters on budgeting, debt, vehicles, housing, medical, savings and investment and vacations. 

 

 Some of the chapters you may not see in other books were kids and money, clothing, utilities, groceries and my favorite--- ATTITUDES.

 

The authors gave me practical everyday ideas that I can start doing now to save money.  Yes, me.  The once lackadaisical and avoidie girl has to get a tight grip on things and this book was a great place to start.
 

The first place I need to start is with our budget.  Steve and Annette advice to sit down often and update your family's budget because it changes. This may be why I always felt like I was failing at the whole budget thing.  It was constantly changing and I had this idea that that meant I wasn't doing it correctly... so I avoided it altogether.

 

They also recommend having the husband and wife do it together.  A definite goal of mine.  But how do I make it my husband's goal, too?  We're never on the same page. If we sat down and discussed things, we would be able to remind each other of the goals we set together.

 

The authors and their family buy most of their clothing from thrift stores.  It takes time to search but the amount of money they save is well worth it.  They also shop on the clearance racks and major sales.  Annette purchases clothes she finds for a steal seasons before her children will need them.  Planning and organization is key here.

 

Steve and Annette give their children an allowance.  It is based on the daily tasks that each child is responsible for doing and if it is done without reminding and with the right attitude.  Their days are broken up into four sections and when the child completes each section, they receive a check mark on their "Time Card."  At the end of the week, the checks are added up and then multiplied by the amount each child receives per check.  Depending on the age of the child, it ranges anywhere from 5-20 cents per check.

 

There are so many valuable ideas on how to teach your children to responsibly manage money in this book.  I've been inspired to implement plans and work with our children.  Currently, they each have piggy banks and Matthew has set goals and saved his money to reach the goal.  Good, yes.  But, we can do better.  I've been saving our spaghetti jars and we'll be setting up a save, give and spend jar for each of them.

 

The right attitude helps.  Instead of looking at what you can't have, look at what you can.  For example: Instead of looking at the fact that we couldn't go to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, I'm going to look at that beautiful home we'll be able to purchase after our careful planning and saving pays off.

 

 

 

Things I already do to save money.  They were ideas that were given in the book and I have been doing them for years.  Maybe I am not as bad as I thought.

 

#1 Reduce trips to the store.  Nailed it-- I don't even like to go to the store at all. Umm... I don't think that's what they mean.

 

#2 Menu Planning.  Having a menu and a corresponding list saves you money when you take fewer trips to the store and helps eliminate impulse purchases.  I also can tell my two kids, if it's not on my list, we don't need it.  If it's something they would truly like and can remember it before we take our next shopping trip.  I'll add it to my list.  (Hasn't happened yet.)

 

#3 Waiting and Searching.  When my family or I want something, we research it and try to find the best deal.  My hubby is awesome at researching and is getting better at finding deals instead of just taking what he can find.

 

#4 Vacationing and Saving on Food.  Four years ago, Matthew and I went on a vacation together.  We were gone for 5 days and we only ate out four times.  I made homemade rolls, cookies, and assorted goodies.  We stopped at the store and bought bread, milk, lunch meat, snacks, cereal, bagels and cream cheese.  This was huge for me because I love, love, love to eat out.  But, when I plan ahead and make foods that are more "treat like", it helps.  I was very pleased with myself after that trip.

 

 

Each chapter concludes with three starting points.  Beginners, intermediates, and experts can all look forward to knowing where to begin.

 

My favorite part about this book...

 

It's like I sat in a coffee shop with Steve and Annette.  We talked about family, friends and finances.  They were so kind and didn't make me feel ignorant or ashamed.  I got useful tools that I began to use right away. 

 

That's just the way conversations with friends go. 

 

They support you, encourage you and help you grow.

 

 

 

Steve and Annette Economides' website: http://www.moneysmartfamily.com/

Weekly Goals, September 2, 2013

My list from last week turned upside down...
Weekly Goals, August 26, 2013

1) Sort Through Toys Not Done
2) List Thirty-One Products on Shop the House Started
(I've decided to sell my 31 bags that I purchased for my business but don't need.)
3) Clean House Worked on but will not ever finish if people continue to live here.  :-)

Our moving plans have been put on hold.  There was another delay in the mortgage process and we're hoping that it will be within the next month.  Although it is really disappointing, I'm going to try to look at the only positive thing I can find.  It will give me a longer opportunity to get things ready.

Moving plans:
1) Laundry Room
2) Curio Cabinet
3) Basement Play Room
4) Liam's Room
5) Our Bedroom

Things started falling apart on our mortgage application the week before.  I had a couple rays of hope but they didn't turn out.  We lost the house we were trying to buy when our application was turned down.

It's fixable though.  The woman who messed things up no longer works for the mortgage company and I have a workable plan to fix things on our end.  My husband and I have talked (Well, mostly me.  But I did get him to nod his head a few times) and we should be able to reapply the beginning of November.

Everything works out for a reason... but I'm still devastated. 

Plus, it's effecting more than just my children, my husband and me, which is sometimes more than I can handle.

Weekly Goals for September 2, 2013

1) Budget, save, budget and save some more?

2) Mop floors

3) Tame the clean laundry monster that lives in our room and in Liam's room

4) Find 5 things to sell

5) Prepare Winter Clothes that Liam has grown out of to take to consignment store