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A few dry morsels

Oh, how exciting. I truly enjoy Meredith’s Blog Like Merchant Ships and love her term “cheerful frugality”. Now my joy has increased as Meredith is now sharing every Monday over at Frugal Hacks. Her Monday subject? Why, Cheerful Frugality, of course!
Today’s post is on grocery budgets. Anyone who’s read here for very long knows this is a subject near and dear to my heart. Menu planning and grocery budgeting have become passions of mine that require skill, cunning, a good dose of penny pinching and a lot of prayer. While it once struck me as silly to pray over my grocery list- it is now the norm. God is good and He knows my needs.
I believe I would menu plan and budget for groceries even if money was “no object”. It is sometimes frustrating but often fun, challenging and rewarding.
Anyhoo- back to Meredith’s post today—go here and read it first and then come back to commiserate with me. Back yet? Good!
I was eagerly nodding my head all thru her post. I, too, have learned you need to have more “lying around” than just ingredients. And I, too, know to keep Mr. Steady’s favorite munchies on hand and not to skimp and replace his favorites (nothing can beat a real Oreo, by the way). If I had to analyze my grocery shopping weakness, I would have to say its fresh fruit. We love to have fresh fruit on hand- and a variety of it too and that’s not always cheap.
So—what do I keep on hand for noshing? [Besides the prerequisite Oreos for the boys, you mean]: cheese crackers, cubed cheese, fruit snacks (yes, those sugar laden gummy thingies) and fresh fruit (right now we are loving apple slices and a dab of peanut butter!)- plus sometimes we have homemade Jell-O and/or pudding. I make special desserts on average 3 times a week and depending on what it is- it can be a snack too. We also enjoy popcorn for snacking.
Oh and did I mention root beer floats? We really like those too! [Usually an evening snack/dessert.]
Check this out from Meredith: Your attitude is key to making a lean grocery budget feel full.  As Proverbs 17 says, “Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.” 
I couldn’t agree with her more! We can make much out of little. Even a paltry meal can be “more than” with the right presentation. I have learned that presentation is as much a part of the meal as the ingredients and taste. I could slave over a hot stove and make the more expensive gourmet meal and yet serve it on paper plates with plastic silverware on a cluttered table right from the pot that I cooked it in on the stove- and what does that tell my family? How does it make them feel? But take a paltry meal and serve it on a table laid with a fresh table cloth and your best dishes, taking the time to put the food on platters and pretty serving dishes and serve water in fancy glasses (perhaps with a twist of lemon on the rim) . . . . and how does that make your family feel? Special and loved.
Once I changed my attitude about cooking and serving meals- once I started seeing it as yet another ministry to my family- well, dear readers, that’s when it really began coming together for us. We love our family meal time and it has become a blessing to me to serve my family in such a way.

Untitled Comment

3:15 PM, 2007-Sep-18 .. Posted by Lynne

Amy,
The three things I learned from your blog regarding frugal grocery shopping are:
1.Aldi's
2.Making a weekly plan actually lowers your stress and saves you from impulse shopping.
3.When serving a simple meal, having a desert makes it not seem so "basic". A dinner of soup and cornbread vs. a dinner of soup, cornbread, and fresh baked apple crisp are two entirely different meals. I never thought about this until I started to read your menus. I noticed that with a "heavy" dinner you don't usually include desert, but with a "lighter" dinner, you do. I don't remember you writing about this, but it shows up in your menu plans. It makes a huge difference in my family's satisfaction level.

Lynne!

3:45 PM, 2007-Sep-18 .. Posted by YPAmy5

Hi! I want to say “nice to see you”- LOL.
You are right about the dessert thing and I’ve never really taken much notice of it- it’s just something I automatically do. Thanks for pointing it out! And you couldn’t be more right about dessert dressing up a meal. My children always eat better when they know what’s waiting for them for dessert!
I wish everyone had an Aldi’s close by- I know it is the top reason I can keep our budget so low.
Have you found a new YP yet? I continue to pray.
Nice to hear from you-
Amy W