Gardening in High Heels

cultivate a beautiful life

Budgeting Days

I went shopping again.  On a Saturday again.  And it wasn’t that bad!  I seriously never went weeks without grocery shopping like I do now.  I guess mix 2 parts being too scattered to think with 1 part being cognizant of what I’m spending, stir it up, and realize that there are ways to feed yourself without having to shop every week.

Sticking to a food budget is hard, but I love the accountability with Project:Food BudgetBut I really do appreciate the P:FB is keeping me honest and makes me really think about where I’m spending money when it comes to what I’m buying.  I’m sad to see this end.

I’ve been doing a lot of simple cooking with tomatoes, herbs, and pasta.  I’ve become addicted to a tomato pasta recipe from Jamie Oliver.  Tom Totin gifted me a cookbook when I was on his show (all episodes here!) and it stole my heart.

Jamie Oliver's summer tomato and herb pasta

My total bill at Giant Eagle this week was $36.69.  On Wednesday, even though I packed lunch, I went to Panera with my coworkers and spent $10.57 (total rip off!) which makes this week’s total $47.26/$50.

I am most excited to use up more of my zucchini, the only thing my garden is producing, and make a batch of these zucchini brownies.  There’s no oil or eggs (just bananas and apple sauce) and just a small bit of sugar (I cut down to about 1 1/4 cup), but you get deliciously tender, slightly fudgy, just a little spongy brownies.  I’m talking Stand-In-The-Kitchen-Eating-Straight-From-The-Pan good.

I also picked up some ingredients for a beef ramen.  I have the recipe from a Blue Apron box delivery and I thought I’d recreate it a little myself.  I didn’t go crazy buying weird mushrooms and miso paste, but I figure I can use what I have.  I’m also substituting broccoli rabe for bok choy because I couldn’t find a reasonably sized bok choy and I don’t like it that much to use 60 pounds of it.

How are you doing with your food budget?  Check out these budget badasses for more inspiration! Emily Levenson / McGinnis and Bean / Red Pen Mama / Seeking White Space / Gardening in High Heels / Melissa Firman / Copy & Post / Shea Lennon / Warm as Pie / Two Eggs Over Easy

Sunday Lately, 34

This week, a big truck came and took all 95% of my father’s furniture to his new apartment.  There’s still a little more to do, mostly cleaning, in the next two weeks before closing.

I also took my first Bodhi Suspension class this week at Dragonfly Pilates.  It was the most fun I’ve ever had working out.  It kicked my ass, but it was a great time.  It didn’t feel like 45-60 minutes went by.

And finally, my first #KatyMade Sub Box arrived!  It’s full off coffee goodness and the print is basically me and everything I stand for.  (September boxes are all about fangirling out, so get in on this action, like, now.)

Handmade Escapade KatyMade sub box for August is full of awesome coffee goodies!

Updating

I’ve been updating my house.  Spray painting furniture, building crap from IKEA, hanging pictures.  The walls in my house are pure plaster, so you need a drill and a big hatchet to break through.  It takes a while to get a picture hung.  My Pilates muscles will come in handy though.

Spray paint blunders

Speaking of updating, I re-wired these lamps with Jonathan’s help last night.  I finally feel confident to leave them plugged in when I’m not in the house.  I love actually being able to use them.

Reminding

It’s been a hard couple of weeks.  It helps to remind myself that it all comes to an end at some point.  As humans, we all try very hard to avoid discomfort, but sometimes it can’t be avoided.

Needing

Dude, I need a break from my break.  I took two days off last week to help my dad and I slept like a rock 2 out of the 4 nights I was off.  Hard work does a body good.

Wearing

Light jeans and tank tops.  It’s my summer uniform.  It also hasn’t been crazy-hot here with the exception of a few days, so I haven’t even turned my air conditioning on this summer.  It is glorious on my electricity bill.

Being

Quiet for the morning.  It’s a great feeling.  I suggest you try it some time soon.

What have you been up to lately?

Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup with Katy, Nicole and Meghan.  Use their themes or use your own. Just remember to link up with them so we can see what is happening with you lately!

Groceries..

Last week, I went shopping because my mom and step dad would be visiting.  I took food out of the freezer, made sure the garden was kinda producing something that we could eat, and planned out meals including sides (whoa I’m fancy, huh).

And they went out to eat every. single. night.

So I’m not shopping this week.  I’m still working off of last week’s leftovers because I can’t re-freeze something that’s already been thawed.  Fun fact: my uncle calls it “de-thawing.”  I love Pittsburgh.

Sticking to a food budget is hard, but I love the accountability with Project:Food Budget

Last week, I spent $37.88 / $50 for Project: Food Budget.

It really did help to have some meats stockpiled in the freezer because the sales at Giant Eagle were pretty meh.

It wouldn’t have even been that much if I hadn’t had to restock my chia seeds.  I know, I should really go to Trader Joe’s for chia seeds, but I didn’t have time to write a post last week let alone drive all over for little bitty seeds.  I’m okay paying a little more for convenience.

I also splurged on some Isaly’s chipped ham for my mom to take back with her.

The biggest win from the week was planning out a menu and shopping based on said menu.  The biggest fail from the week was not eating everything.  Which is weird to say.  I planned food for 3 people and ended up only feeding myself, so there was a lot of extra.

What do you do when you run into a surplus of food?

These other budgeting babes have way more meat and potatoes to their posts, so go read theirs.  Like..now. Emily Levenson / McGinnis and Bean / Red Pen Mama / Seeking White Space / Gardening in High Heels / Melissa Firman / Copy & Post / Shea Lennon / Warm as Pie / Two Eggs Over Easy

How are you doing with your budget?

"Hey, Groceries. Believe in love again." ~ Richard from Texas (Eat Pray Love)via

Also, every time I say groceries, I think of Eat. Pray. Love. and Richard from Texas calling Elizabeth Gilbert “Groceries.”  Does anyone remember why?  Help me out here.

Sunday Lately….32

Well this isn’t the 32nd Sunday Lately that I’ve written (far from it) but it’s week 32.  Already well into August.  And compared to last summer, I have done nothing.

Life was more entertaining when I worked for Yelp.

But anyway, back to Sunday Lately with Katy, Nicole, and Meghan.

Doing

Relaxing.  Since last Friday, I have been non-stop doing something every day, whether it’s just working late or drinks with the ever-so-wonderful Marissa.  I also made this fantastic vision board with Emily Cassel Wednesday night.  The theme is prosperity.

Prosperity image board making with Emily Cassel.

Well that was short-lived.  I have weeds to pull, a garden to water, boxes to move, Ikea crap to build.  I should just stop writing this post at this point and just work on that.

Speaking of garden, not much is growing aside from zucchini.  Enjoy this one, folks:

Zucchini from the garden is bigger than my head.

Appreciating

I am so appreciating the break in the hot weather.  I mean, I was wearing a hoodie and socks on Thursday.  My mom was here from Virginia and told me that the temperature when she left at 6am was our high for the day.  That’s kinda crazy for August.

Designing

I’d love to write something like, “Oooooh big things are happening, I was quiet for so long because I was working on something good.”  No.  I was just straight up lazy and didn’t feel like writing.  So I didn’t.  Should I have pushed myself anyway?  Yes.  But I didn’t so there’s that.

Anyway, I’m not really designing anything.

Humming

Fitz & The Tantrums “The Walker” has been stuck on a loop for a while.  So that’s been fun.

Expecting

I’d really love to have a quieter week this week, but I don’t think I can expect that to happen.  I’m also expecting to shake the dust off, oil the hinges, and remember how to do this whole blogging thing.

What have you been up to lately?

The time I went shopping on Monday

If last week’s discovery that shopping on Saturday morning isn’t met with much terror, let me be the 500,000,000th person to tell you do not (I repeat, do not under any circumstances) go to Giant Eagle on Monday after work.

Sticking to a food budget is hard, but I love the accountability with Project:Food Budget

No good can come from it.

Picture me saying that like Carrie Bradshaw in the “The Post-It Always Sticks Twice” episode of SATC when she’s talking about men.

There are still some things left over from last week’s trip and I only needed a few things, mostly just part-skim ricotta cheese for these lemon chia muffins that I adore from Table for Two.  I thought I would be in and out.

Insert frazzled-looking animal meme saying, “Only needs one item, she said. It’ll be a breeze, she said.”

I ended up grabbing a few other things: bananas so I can let them go bad and make Emily’s banana bread, eggs because I use them in waves and I’m currently in a high-egg-volume time, mango, and the best yogurt known to man AKA Liberte.

That was my splurge for the week (and it was on sale).  Seriously, if you haven’t tried Liberte yogurt, you do not know what you’re missing out on.  It’s almost as delicious as ice cream and a serious afternoon pick-me-up.

So this week, I spent a grand total of $14.49 out of $50 for Project:Food Budget 2015.

It’s almost not even worth mentioning because it wasn’t even a “real” shopping trip.

Up on the menu this week will be salmon burgers from the freezer, chicken tacos from today’s left overs, pork stir fry from left overs, and a dinner mooched off of my father that will no doubt result in more left overs.

Thus wraps up the month where I only wrote about grocery shopping.  While you’re anxiously awaiting me to return to a more regular schedule, check out these budgeting beauties: Emily Levenson / McGinnis and Bean / Rainaldi.org / Red Pen Mama / Erra Creations / Seeking White Space / facepalmmama / Gardening in High Heels / Melissa Firman / Copy & Post / Shea Lennon / Warm as Pie / Two Eggs Over Easy

How are you doing with your budget?

Let’s Play

           

People Really Dug These

We Belong in the Garden Together