Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Monday's Happenings & March Grocery Shopping Week 1

Today was a sunny day with the highs in the mid 60s.  Lovely weather.  Daughter and I had a quiet morning.  I did some office work, made milk rice (rice cooked with milk - I used coconut milk, but regular milk can also be used; it's a bit like rice pudding, but a firmer texture and not sweet) and a curry with canned fish (mackerel) for brunch.

In the early afternoon, I took daughter to the airport.  I always hate to say goodbye to her when she has to go back, but today, I was good and didn't cry.  It was the first time, I think, that I haven't teared up!  I sent her off with one of the 10 lb. bags of sugar, a bag of oranges and lemons picked from the garden, and some frozen food.

After I dropped her off at the airport, I ran some errands.  I went to the bank, picked up my medications from the pharmacy, and did a little bit of grocery shopping.  I checked if the pharmacy had eggs on sale, but they had no eggs at all!


March 6 Groceries

At the grocery store, I picked up some  bananas, grapes, and another pound of butter for $2.99 (just in case that is the lowest sale price!).

1.44 lb. bananas @$.59/lb. = $.85
1.68 lb. grapes @$.99/lb. = $1.66
1 lb. butter = $2.99
Total = $5.50

March grocery budget = $75
Spent to date = $5.50
Balance left in the budget = $69.50

After I came home, I did more office work, renewed my library book, cleaned out the fridge, emptied the waste baskets, and took the trash cans to the curb.  Then, I called a friend to give her some information she wanted and did a load of laundry.

My daughter's flight, which was supposed to leave at 2:00 p.m. was delayed till 5:00 p.m.!  It was coming from Denver and they were having bad weather.  She was able to get a different flight which left at 4:30 p.m., instead, which was a little better.  It arrived at Oakland airport at 5:45 p.m.  By the time she took the subway from Oakland to Berkeley and walked from the station to her apartment (she says the 20-minutes walk from the station is faster than waiting for the bus!), it was 7:00 p.m.  We video chatted later in the evening and she said she unpacked, did a load of laundry, made her budget for March, and had some of the frozen food I had given her for dinner.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe flight and trip back to her apartment
- She reached her apartment before it got too late
- Fresh oranges and lemons from the garden
- Sunshine and pleasant weather
- A relatively productive day (I did my to do list!)

Monday's To Do List:
- Office work (work from home) - DONE
- Take daughter to the airport - DONE
- Clean out fridge - DONE
- Empty waste baskets/kitchen trash, etc. - DONE
- Take trash cans to the curb - DONE
- Clean the litter box - DONE
- Load of laundry - DONE

Tuesday's To Do List:
- Office work (work from home)
- Bring trash cans in
- Put away dried laundry
- Do another load of laundry
- Clean the bathrooms
- Water the indoor plants

10 lb. bags of potatoes are on sale for $.99, Tuesday special, at one of the grocery stores.  I am tempted to buy a bag, but that's a lot of potatoes to eat before they spoil.  Loose potatoes are on sale for $.25/lb.

Also, whole tilapia are on sale for $.99/lb. too (again, Tuesday special).  I haven't cooked tilapia before, though.  Have you?

Here's the rest of the picture I posted above - he came to see what I had bought and decided to snooze in the sunshine!

Cat Naps!

What do you think?  Should I buy the 10 lb. bag of potatoes for $.99?  What about the tilapia?  Anyone have a favorite recipe for tilapia? 

23 comments:

  1. You did so well with all your goals! $0.99 for 10 lbs is such a great price, however I bought a 10 lb bag at the same price last year and a lot of it spoiled. I would say, unless you eat a lot of potatoes, don't bother. However, maybe you can split it with one of your relatives? Or your neighbor?

    Tilapia is a white fish that doesn't have much flavor by itself so it's perfect to use in many recipes. Personally, I just bread it and pan-fry it most of the time. But I've also tried it in other recipes such as this pecan-crusted tilapia recipe.

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    1. Thanks, Nathalie, that recipe sounds delicious. I did think about giving some of the potatoes to my cousin, if I bought a whole bag. I think I will try the tilapia and see if I like it. But, right now, I don't feel like going out and grocery shopping, so I just might stay home, instead! We'll see how I feel later in the afternoon. Hope your day is going well and you are not as sore!

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  2. Could you split the bag of potatoes with a neighbor or cousin?

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    1. That's what I was thinking, Live and Learn. Provided I gather enough energy to go shopping, today!

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  3. Too bad you didn't know about the delay beforehand, you could have spent more time together. This time of year potatoes sprout easily, probably why they are on sale. Unless you have room in your fridge to store them, the probably won't last. Don't know if your garden is big enough, but you could plant any of the sprouted ones, it's cheaper than seed potatoes. I just like to broil fish with a little butter and herbs. All fish is good to me!

    Hugs
    Jane

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    1. Yes, daughter was told the flight was on time when she checked before we left for the airport. Otherwise, we could have spent another hour or two together. I do have room in the fridge, so that's a possibility. My garden is big, but I've had no luck with growing potatoes or sweet potatoes! They sprout and I get all excited, and then, they die! Broiling the fish sounds good, too! Thank you for the suggestions, Jane. :)

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  4. I'd buy the potatoes. Lots of things you can do with them and maybe you can give some to a friend/neighbour?

    I know what you mean about goodbyes. I hate them. I always cry when I leave my Mum as I only see her once a year and a lot can happen in a year. I'm okay when I leave daughter - it's difficult but it isn't quite as far away! Sending a little hug your way.

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. It must be hard to leave your Mum after a visit. Does she live on her own?

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  5. So glad you had a nice visit with your daughter. About the potatoes? I vote yes! You can always make mashed potatoes and freeze them in little mounds on a cookie sheet, then place them in a freezer bag and pop them out one serving at a time,
    I love fish but I never eat talapia,

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    1. Yum! Mashed potatoes! What a good idea! Thanks, Anne. Maybe I will go ahead and buy the potatoes. I'm still debating about the fish, though.

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  6. Adding to the comments you already have received - I would buy the potatoes and share with a friend/relative. It is not a good idea to store potatoes in the refrigerator because the cold temperature of your refrigerator will turn its starch into sugar more quickly, so that you'll be left with a sweet, gritty potato. Store them in a paper bag in a cool — not cold — place.

    Tilapia can be cooked like you would any white fish such as cod. It is mild and I quite like it. Lots of good recipes on The Iowa Housewife blog at www.iowasue.blogspot.com

    Sorry your CVS didn't have the eggs you wanted. Our CVS had plenty but sometimes the specials soon run out. Expect all the shops will have them on special before Easter.

    Hope you are feeling well.

    Sandy

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    1. Thank you, Sandy. I am feeling a lot better, but just a tad lazy to want to go shopping! Next week's sales ads came in with today's mail, so I'll take a look and decide what to do. I hope all is well with you and yours.

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  7. I'd buy the potatoes, mash potato freezes really well, and it is nice to give some to family as well. If your garden is too dry for potato growing you could get a bucket with a couple of holes pierced for drainage. Put a layer of compost and put a couple of potatoes in and cover with about 4 inches of compost and when the green shoots come through, put another four inches of compost and keep repeating till bucket is filled then let them grow till flowering and when they die off tip the lot out and you should have a lot of potatoes. Keep the bucket (or buckets) by the back door so you remember to water! Have a good day, Sharon

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    1. Sharon, thank you so much for sharing how to grow potatoes in a bucket! I've never tried that and now, I am all excited to try it!

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  8. Me again, here is a link to an English that grows all his potatoes in buckets, scroll down till you see a photo of lots of black buckets, you see that he starts of with them half full.

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  9. Oops forgot to put the link!!! http://marksvegplot.blogspot.co.nz/2017/03/my-garden-right-now.html

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. I am definitely going to check this out and share it with my friend who does the garden for me! Homegrown potatoes! Yay!

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  10. http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cornmeal-crusted-catfish

    I used to fix tilapia using this recipe a lot when I was a teenager. Changed catfish to tilapia and left out the Cajun seasoning.

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    1. Thank you, Jess. Lovely to hear from you! Hope all is well with you and Bubby. Take care of yourself.

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  11. I really like tilapia (although, with all fish I try to abide by the Seafood Watch recommendations) and use it in a couple of ways. As everyone has mentioned, it's pretty mild flavored on its own so can stand up to seasoning. I like it pan-fried with cajun seasoning, baked with a panko and herb crust or with a horseradish/sour cream/dill topping.

    The potatoes are tricky! It's hard for us to use up a 10lb bag, but it's also hard to pass up that price. Mashed potatoes do freeze well and so do hash browns or diced potatoes made from baked potatoes. But really we prefer potatoes cooked fresh, so I've been better lately about buying the 5lb bag, which we can finish in time. Good luck growing some, if you try that!

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    1. Thank you, Laura. I think, I will try a tilapia fillet to start with, rather than the whole fish that is on sale. As for the potatoes, I think I'll give them a miss, this time around.

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  12. Bless, I understand your sadness at seeing your daughter leave to go back to her home..
    My daughter and family , only live about 15 minutes from me, and some times, when she leaves, I have to fight the tears away. I miss her and the time we use to have together.. Such good friends.. My son lives 2 hours from me.. Really sad, to see him go.. I usually don't get to see him but about every couple months. They are both really busy with their families.. But a Mama... never can quit missing her babies.. smile
    I have already read todays post [so I know you didnt go shopping for the fish and potatoes.. dont worry , it will be another sale soon.] Love Talipia , never bought it whole.. only in fillets.

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    1. Thank you, Judy. Yes, hard to say goodbye to our children. But I video chat with daughter every evening, so I get to "see" her, that way. :)

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