Cooking on a budget.

So I was on Pinterest the other day and found this blog were the woman feeds her family of four on $200 a month. I know I thought the same thing yeah right. So I am going to attempt to see how low I can get my budget. Let me make a disclaimer about my budget: I had already gone to Sam's and bought my meat and this summer I went to the local Farmer's Market a lot and bought a lot veggies that I put in my deep freeze Also this does not include my stuff like toilet paper and washing detergent ( Her blog didn't include those either. So here is week 1 menu and the money I spent. $76.82

Meal 1:Smoked Sausage Dogs, Baked Beans and potato salad
Meal 2: Shrimp and chicken Tacos with pinto beans
Meal 3: Hamburger steak with gravy and onions mashed potatoes and corn on the cob ( I had a salad instead of corn and potatoes)
Meal 4: Filet Mignon, baked potato and salad
Meal 5: BBQ Porkchop, fried okra, purple hull peas

We had bread most of the meals and they were buttered hotdog buns that were left over. I didn't eat any because I am trying to lose of some ten pounds I have gained over summer!!

A lot has changed....

Well, I have been neglecting this for some time now. With the past months events I thought I would turn to this as an outlet! On April 27, 2011, Joel, Grady, and I joined our friend Bob for dinner. While we were laughing and cutting up, my brother in laws world was being shattered!! Joel is from Pleasant Grove...some of his family still lives there. That night when we got home Joel's Mom ran out on the porch and told us my sister-in -law had passed away. I stood there in disbelief! Not only had Greg lost his wife but his home was gone, too! The tornado that struck Pleasant Grove had left a void in this family! I have told many people since then..you see it on TV and think this could never happen to your family...and when it does your in shock! My BIL, nephews and niece are holding it together. It breaks my heart that these kids will now have to grow up without their mother! I know how tough it is. We have been going back to BHAM to help Greg....if there is a silver lining in such a terrible event..it that it has brought this once close family back together.

On a light note...no promises but I am going to try and write on blog a week!

Update

Well, so much has happened since I last wrote. I'll start with today. My baby graduated today at school and is now in the 3 year old room. The teacher also told me to bring big boy underwear and they would wean him from his pull ups. My baby is turning into a little boy. The burning urge to have another baby comes and goes. More goes, I am not sure I want to be tied down again, plus my business is really starting to grow and I want to cultivate it more. We gave up so much to get it where are and I devoted so much time to Grady. I would feel guilty if I could not do the same with the second child. I guess I will keep going back and forth for awhile. On to my business. I thought I was all set to go with my minority certification, but no I am not. I have to take to more state test. One of these test I have to go back to college for. So this semester I will be enrolled as a full time student, full time wife and mother, and business owner. So much for having any kind of life. Oh and the last thing for tonight, last friday we bought some new furniture a living room suit and kitchen table and chairs I will update tomorrow with pics.

Cooking Chili!!

For those of you who don't know I love to cook. I can work all day long and find such as release in cooking a meal from scratch. So anyway to my point. Last year we entered the Church cook-off and we won 3rd place. We entered this year and won 2nd. Next year maybe 1st at the church. We entered another one this weekend. We won first!! I don't know if I am just that good or everyone down here doesn't know how to cook! I tasted the other and they were pretty nasty and I am not just saying that just be cause I cooked.

So on another note, I have been trying to get my minority certification on Friday I finally received it. This was no easy task. I had to send them my life history, had an on site interview, and last had 8 people drilling me for an hour about my company. This was all to see if it was really my company and I had to control. No I can get some of that money Obama is about to hand out!! Sorry to any Dems.

I have lived in MS for almost three years. When we moved down here it was like I closed myself off. Before we moved down here I was a very social person but it changed once we moved. Part of my New Years resolution was to get back to the person I was. I am starting to work out again to get back my self confidence. I started going to church. I also made a friend. I have met a lot of people but I found Shannon. She is the first person I feel really comfortable around since I moved here. I feel like MS is actually starting to feel like home.

February

I've been following a few people bogs. So, I decided to start my own. So here I go. Well, Feb. is a busy month for us. Joel and I started dating this month, got married this month and Valentine's Day is this month. This year we will be Married three years. My mother in-law says after that its smooth sailing. She also says that you die at 70 so I only half listen. Hopefully we will be able to get away this year. The weekend of the 21st I will be going to Bham to celebrate Melanie's Bday. I can't wait this will be the first time I have left Grady with his Daddy for more than a few hours. Hopefully, they will both be alright without me.