For those of you who are new, I’m doing a series on my blog: The 50 Buck a Week Challenge. The point is simple, Mr. Wetzel and I are only allowed to spend $50/week on groceries. For those of you who have been following this series, you know we’ve had quite a hard time sticking to this budget. Until last week. Last week we spent total of $41.83. This is the first time we’ve made budget since the series started. Woo hoo!
Archive | August, 2011
How To Make Raw Milk Butter in 4 Easy Steps
It is impossible to buy raw milk butter. If you drink it, you know how hard it can be just to find raw milk. Raw milk butter? Out of the question. Thankfully, butter is extremely easy to make. It takes about 20 minutes.
Phoebe, Month Four. Winnowing.
Our lives pass like the seasons. As autumn approaches and long necks of grain are sickled out of the fields, we find ourselves at the threshing floor. The body of the stalk is broken, pulverized. The wheat germ and the chaff are tossed up in the breeze, and a warm harvest wind blows the husks away. It is tumultuous. It is sweaty and rhythmic work. An entire field will pass through a few lengths of barn. At the cusp of two seasons, anything not rooted blows away and turns to dust. And we are left with a few heavy sacks of grain to carry us through the coming cold.
This Week’s Receipt (+ an update for last week)
I have been receiving a great response to the blog from people sharing their experiences with food budgeting, and I LOVE it. It’s so encouraging to hear tips from other people and stories of how people made it work, even when times were hard. I haven’t been able to respond to each of you (limited computer access, and all) but I hope you will stay engaged and continue sharing. I think being a good listener and being humble go hand in hand; I know I have a lot to learn about being a better steward of our food spending, and I will try to listen to other’s stories as much as you have listened to mine. Thank you for sharing your journeys.
This Week’s Receipt (+ an update for last week)
Before I can disclose our spending for this week, I need to add some purchases from the end of last week:
When we went to the farm to pick up our (already paid for) CSA share, I bought 3 apples, a yam and a sweet potatoe. The total came to about $5 (I didn’t get a receipt and forgot the figure). So, for last week, our total comes to:
This Week’s Receipt
We are off to a smashing start. One shopping trip, and we’re already over-budget. And this first week isn’t even a full week!
The “50 Bucks a Week” Challenge
How much money do you spend a week on food? When I discuss this question with people, I inevitably get frustrated, because people always tell me a figure that seems unreasonably low. In our house, we budget; we keep track of every dollar; and we know exactly how much we truly spend on food each month. And, let me tell you, it is hard to spend only $50/week on food for two adults.
Apricot Raspberry Cobbler
We had a raspberry bush at my parents house when I was young. I remember going out in the hot summers of Upstate New York to pick berries in the morning for raspberry pancakes, or in the evening to eat as a treat with a scoop of ice cream. Raspberries are one of the ultimate fruits, in my mind. Perfectly sweet and juicy, and full of so much strong flavor.
Corn and Zucchini Salsa
There are some people that love zucchini. They love putting zucchini in everything: muffins, sauce, bread, cookies, stir fry, roasted veggie mixes…you name it, they’ll find a way to wedge zucchini into it. I am not one of these people. I like my cookies to taste like cookies, my bread to taste like bread (or maybe bananas), and I think my zucchini should just taste like zucchini.
Hi, there! I’m Erin. I’m a crunchy Christian mom and artist. I love to eat local farm food and shop at thrift stores. I blog about our crazy life and baby girl (born April 2011). I love rainbows. My hair is messy. ^_^ I hope you enjoy my blog! (Read More about me here...)
