Cleaning Out the Cupboards

     

...and the freezer, and the fridge. June was not a low spend month, but we can still stay within the $500 for household, groceries, health and beauty budget if I use up what we have already. We grabbed take out and ate out a little too much for my preferences this month too, so want to avoid that these last days of June. As we head into July, I'm aiming to spend as little as possible before a shopping for 4th of July weekend. This is not an actual meal plan, but options to make with what I have on hand with minimal purchases. Both DH and DD2 will need lunch items to pack. I'll eat whatever and my daughter will take leftovers but DH needs his sandwich fillings. 

In no particular order, here's meal options. 

• Chili dogs with cheese, potato wedges
• Sausage meatballs and cheesy potatoes, green beans
• Vegetarian chili, loaded with vegetables and at least two kinds of beans, grilled cheese sandwiches
• Chicken cordon blue and au gratin potatoes
• Spaghetti and meatballs
• Homemade pizza with last of pepperoni
• Pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches with baked beans
• Chicken and rice hotdish with steamed vegetables
• Quinoa rice blend, grilled haloumi,  stuffed peppers

This was my weekend shopping list:

• Deli turkey
• Cheddar cheese
• mozzarella cheese
• apples 
• yogurt
• bread
• hamburger buns 
• hummus
• baby carrots

A couple things we may still need:

• Hot dog buns 
• milk
• juice
• bananas

     I've got the last in a box of burgers to bring to either bring to the lake today or eat at home (weather is iffy again), along with chips and salsa, rice crispy bars, and a tuna pasta salad. I need to use up bunches of bananas and other odds and ends in my freezer to make multiple loaves of bread-hopefully the rain cools things off and I can pop in the oven tomorrow morning. Using up what is already on hand helps me keep my grocery budge tin reason, but I'd like to do better in July. 

Stock photo used before  'cuz I was lazy.

Floors Round Two

The installers have come and gone today. No, it is not the tile I had originally picked out.  I still am not sure how I see tile in basements all over the place but it wouldn't work in my basement, but this is what we picked out instead. Ignore the finishing that is needed.  We have some sanding down and restaining of the baseboards, wire closures to put back, and the wires will need containment. We still have DD2's college futon in the garage so temporary, while I take the time to source a new couch, it will have to do for furniture. I am happy with how this turned out, in spite of the change. It feels warm and homey despite the emptiness of the room. We will have a nice fall and winter once it is cold enough to turn on the fireplace and of course, move the television off the fireplace footings. (What do you call the little floor that jets out of the fireplace? Not the mantle but I am at a loss.)

My computer station is back in the room. Still more finishing of the area is needed, but I can get to my washer and dryer again. That is good because I have almost all my clothes out of my closet right now, and have filled one full trash bag with clothes for donation. If I haven't worn it recently, say the last year, it is going in the bag or bag number two. I've decided I am not saving any incentive clothes-clothes that do not fit, and won't really help me lose weight hanging in my closet. This meant my old favorite  A-line jean skirt went in the bag. I may have shed a tear over that, but I haven't warn it in at least five years. I'm at the stage in my cleaning and house prep where it looks worse than before I started cleaning. I'm not feeling energized, but am happy with the little progress I have made so far. With that, I better get back to work. No rest for the weary, or the hurried. 

Appliance Envy

I am a horrible housekeeper. I hate housework and do as little as possible required to keep the home to an acceptable standard, and my family in clean and appropriate clothes for the season or occasion. Three jobs I really hate are ironing clothes, vacuuming, and doing dishes. I've spent a lot of money on vacuums and very little and both have done the same relatively "sucky" job with mediocre results. Part of it is pup, and his hair that is really fine, but everywhere and it doesn't pick up well, and when it does, the filter is clogged immediately. Part of it is the bag, band, filter replacement that seems never ending. I thought I solved the bag issue with a bagless, but the filter seems to clog faster on the bagless than the old bg varieties. I also hate moving furniture and moving it back.  I do not vacuum often enough becasue of these annoyances.

He'd like the job of pre-washing the dishes.

Doing dishes is just a necessary evil. I'm not so lazy that I will resort to disposable plates, and not doing dishes  after a meal is the fastest path to having the whole house look slovenly. A decent dishwasher requires a decent garbage disposal.  Ours needs replacement right now, so I am finding bits of food in the dishwasher, causing me to feel like I am almost pre-washing the dishes before putting in the dishwasher. Then there are pots and pans that I don't like to run through the dishwasher.  Besides taking up so much room, I worry my nice pots will get warped in the high heat. We're on our fourth dishwasher in the house since we bought the place new, with new appliances in 1991. I don't know if that is too often, or about average.  The first lasted 12 years, the second only eight years, and then the replacement for that just a couple. We've had the current one for three years I think, and it just doesn't seem to be doing a good job. We need to get that disposal replaced and maybe that will make a difference.


Ironing just seems pointless to me, most of the time. I intentionally buy clothes that are wash and wear, and if I get them out of the dryer while still slightly damp, I can hang up those that do wrinkle and ward off the creases. I had a really pricey iron that was a wedding fit and I used it diligently when DH wore a suit and tie every day-and I hated every bit of it. Over time, I let the water build up, and overheated, and eventually that iron ran it's course and I replaced with a cheaper model that I still have, and use sparingly. On the cruise however both DH and DS had dress shirts and suit coats that needed touching up.  The staff provided this incredible iron that not only heated up instantaneously, the steamer actually worked as a steamer should.  Dare I might say, I might have enjoyed ironing a bit?  Even MIL commented about how nice the guys shirts traveled!  I didn't even notice the make and model, but what a wonder a good appliance is. 


My question to all of you, what do you use for each of these dreaded chores?  Do you have recommendations to me and others the next time a replacement is needed?  I'm looking forward to your thoughts, with appliance envy.