Save away

Well, the update is that I've been overall pretty good and stingy. I'm not so bad that I will sacrifice fresh fruit or veggies yet. Thanks be to God, we haven't had to go there in a very very long time. But I managed to go to Wal-Mart about 10 days ago, and have only been back to the store for milk, juice, bread and apples. We go through about 3 gallons of milk a week, so I'm at Costco weekly doing that. We have been eating our way through the pantry and freezer, and so far, these have been our meals, plus or minus a few I've forgotten:

Soup last week: Lentil, sausage potato chowder
Soup this week: Chili

Chicken cutlets
Roasted chicken
chicken salad sandwiches
potato boats (like potato skins, but I keep the potato in)
Brats
Turkey sausage
Sliced roast beef sandwiches
chili dogs
spaghetti
fish sticks

Lunches for the Mr. have been leftovers, plus a splurge on turkey breast pastrami which is yummy-good. Lunches for the boys have been pb/j, turkey pastrami, cheese/crackers, chicken nuggets, you know, the usual. Fruit/veg for each meal, breakfast has been cereal or whole grain pumpkin bread I made (that was good), and snacks generally goldfish, nuts, bananas, homemade cookies. I keep finding crackers I bought before Christmas, so we'll have snacks for a bit, yet.

A few expenses of course this week: renew Costco, piano lesson tuition, and I believe we're in the market for brakes for my car, and ER copay. Those were expected and unexpected. My splurges this week: I bought lunch for Bear at school--I did this for Buzz a month ago, so it was his turn. I also bought a soda, after about a month-long hiatus from soda. Yea, that was pretty good.

Lunch with the Bear was fun--the thing about elementary school is that they want you there, and are thrilled to sit with you. They don't necessarily want to talk to you, they just want to say to their friends: "look, my Mom's here, and she brought me McDonald's!!" And the friends ooh, and ahhh. It's a good place to be, and I'm glad to do it.

Another update: Yes, yet another ER visit for the family: Bear decided it would be interesting to kneel in the shower (who knows why) and slipped and cut open his eyelid. After much debate between me and the Mr, I conceded, "you won't rest until an actual professional assesses the situation, will you?" and he and Bear were off. I apparently got compliments on my Steri-strip job (thanks to my sis-in-law, the dr., for telling me to do it), and the doctor agreed that while it wasn't a "have to" situation, she'd give the stitches anyway, since it was his eyelid. Maybe I'm ready to do my stint as a medic at the frontlines. Oh wait, that's sort of what I do anyway, isn't it?