The Sweet Life On A Budget

Living Large In the Cheap Seats is starting to look a little different given the current state of crisis the world is experiencing.   The fact that we are being asked to limit our exposure to groups of people larger than 10 people really impacts our ability to get out and enjoy various local experiences.   Therefore going out in public is of a low priority in our household for the time being.   However, we are hoping to change that come late spring/early summer.    Therefore, I am going to focus on incorporating a little Hagge into my life with a few Small Group (aka family based) activities, Virtual Activities and things you can do now in order to secure more fun for the warmer months.   Well- hopefully.  Learning Can Be Fun Slowing Down- Our society has taken a deep dive into slowing down and staying in doors.   Even with the various states opening up and our craving to get out being very intense,  I thought people would still be a little scared and

  Pasta and Sausage is  a staple at our hour.  Note only is it a cheap meal but the entire family loves it.    When in a pinch, we pick up some Classico “sauce” gravy and it costs us a lot more than if we make it ourselves.   Therefore, I try really hard to always have the staples on hand and my crock pot ready to make some “sauce” gravy in the morning for our favorite dinner.  As a bonus, we use our gravy for making our weekly pizza dinner too.      Ingredients 2 (28 oz) Cans of Crushed Tomatoes 2-3 Italian Sausage Links ½ Teaspoon Salt 1 Teaspoon Pepper 1 Teaspoon Oregano 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder  2 Teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes Directions Place all ingredients in a crock pot on low for 6- 8 hours.   -I layer the ingredients in the crock pot in the following way:  Sausage Tomatoes Spices Stir in spices and then stir on occasion. Dinner Round out Serve with Pasta, Green Salad, Bread, Red Wine Bo

Our meals need to be nutritious, clean, flexible, quick and cost effective. Between our work schedules and after school activities, we need to carefully plan our meals so that we do not end up ordering out.   Our family has made a decision to purchase items for our pantry in addition to what we needed for the week.    Therefore, we budgeted $200.00 this month for this purpose.     In addition, we have noticed food price inflation  in our area along with scarcity of particular products.    When we inquired about the scare items, we were told  that the grocery store was trying to stock it, but was unable to get it.    Therefore, when we find this item, regardless of if it is on our grocery list, we pick it up.    What did we spend?  Week 1: $98.80 Aldi: $98.80 Rebates: $0.20 Week 2  We skipped shopping this week because of the request for everyone to be very vigilant about staying at home.  Rebate:  Week 3-  $298

Living Large In the Cheap Seats is starting to look a little different given the current state of crisis the world is experiencing.   The fact that we are being asked to limit our exposure to groups of people larger than 10 people really impacts our ability to get out and enjoy various local experiences.   Therefore going out in public is of a low priority in our household for the time being.   However, we are hoping to change that come late spring/early summer.    Therefore, I am going to focus on incorporating a little Hagge into my life with a few Small Group (aka family based) activities, Virtual Activities and things you can do now in order to secure more fun for the warmer months.   Well- hopefully.  Add a Little Hygge into your life: So, what is Hygge?  Hygge is defined as “a quality of coziness and comfortable cheerfulness that causes a feeling of contentment or well-being.”   I believe that Hygge is living a simpler lifestyle that is filled with c