Back To The Basics

This week I've had a wake up call. I've spent way too much at the grocery store and come home with just one or two meals. Which means then I had to go back a few days later...and once again spent too much. This happened three times in one week.

I haven't been planning my menus and therefore haven't had a grocery list. We haven't been eating very nutritious meals and have been snacking on junk too much. I told my husband that I would make a good menu up for this week and go shopping today, when I realized that no, I won't go shopping but rather I will be doing some pantry cooking the next few days to use up items that have just been sitting in the cupboards and freezer. It will save us some money (which we need to do as we have had bills piled on us recently) and make do with things that need to be used up. I will just be purchasing some milk and butter today (the butter is on sale and I'd like to stock up) but otherwise I will need to become creative in the kitchen.

We also recently ran out of baby wipes and I was about to run to the store when I realized that not only could I save some money by not using wipes but also save a lot of waste (pun intended?!) from going into the landfill by using just a washcloth. My husband hasn't been too happy with that change when it came his turn to change Joe but using a washcloth is just as easy as using wipes on a baby. I have kept the travel sized wipes in the van for when we are out and about but I realize that these little convenience items that we use everyday are not necessary and are wastes of money. We have been back to cloth diapers for at home use as well. It's saving money and is better for the environment.

Now it's time for me to go see what I can find for us for lunch!