Austerity August: Day One

  I'm going to try to do a little update each day on how I'm squeezing the August budget to get the maximum return from the minimum output.
Today's breakfast: Toast made from homemade bread baked on Tuesday, American cheese omlet made with cheese & eggs in the fridge purchased at Aldi last month, coffee (teens & adult son don't eat breakfast)

Morning snack: a nice hot cup of tea with lemon

Lunch: Chicken salad sandwiches, made with planned over chicken from Monday night and bread baked on Tuesday, raw baby carrots, koolaide

Tonight's dinner date night will be spent in, dinner is one pulled from July's menus that I hadn't made, GF requested this : Skillet Lasagna (uses all ingredients already on hand), salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, carrots shredded with my food processor) with dressings from GF's refrigerator, garlic toast (on hand in GF's freezer)
We plan to spend a nice evening watching some tv shows on demand that we like to watch together.


I will be staying out at the GF's for the weekend (teens have full schedules and adult son J will be in charge). I have already packaged the dry ingredients in a ziplock bag and put applesauce in a separate container for baking bread tomorrow at his place (there is yeast in his freezer so I don't have to bring that) and I have preplanned out our meals for the weekend based on my August menu plans.

Other frugal activities: Washed and line dried a load of laundry; replaced Damp Rid bags in basement from new ones adult son J purchased after the flood; watched a couple of tv programs with youngest son that we recorded on DVR. Let gas company rep in to do mandatory check of gas meter.
Paid all utility bills, insurances, daughter L's college tuition for fall semester, and renewed zoo membership using a promo coupon that got us 10% off on the fee.
I took another look at the pantry, fridge, and freezers. I sat down and made out a very short grocery list and household item list. I have decided to wait until Monday to shop.
And now I'm going to spend some time reading a library book until it is time to take youngest son H to work and then out to GF's house.