As homemakers, the keepers of the home, so to speak, it is important that we make every dollar stretch as far as it can. That often means being super creative at the grocery store. I believe it goes further, requiring that we also grow as much in home gardens or pots as we can. Why grow our own food when produce sometimes goes on sale so cheaply that it seems futile to put in all of that hard work and time? The answer is really rather simple.
We save money when our families are no longer sick all of the time and requiring doctor visits. The produce that we buy in the grocery stores, unless we only visit expensive health food stores, are often laden with chemical upon chemical. We can't see these with our eyes - or even taste them - but they are there in the form of pesticide, and herbicide, residues. Who wants to eat Roundup® or Malathion? Don't know what they are? Google them and then decide for yourself if you want your family ingesting any part of them.
Here in the north, it is hard to get anything in the garden before May or even June. I am in the process of getting my new garden fenced so I can keep my dogs out of it, as well as rabbits and deer. As for the raccoons, they will climb over the fence. Hopefully the dogs will scare them away. By the way, I have been told by people who have done this with success, that planting marigolds around the edges of your garden will keep rabbits away. I am going to do it this year, as they are pretty even though they are strong smelling.
For my menu this week, I have again taken books from the library to get new recipes and ideas that will help me stretch my budget. This is the time of year when our resources are at their lowest and I have to be so careful not to overspend.
Monday
Slow Cooker Beef Stew (from Southern Living's What's for Supper?)
Salads and Fruit
Tuesday
Meat Loaf (from Alton Brown's Good Eats, the Early Years)
Baked Potatoes
Tossed Salads
Wednesday
Chicken Thighs in slow cooker (Southern Living)
Baked Potatoes
Green Beans
Thursday
Bacon and Potato Hash
Friday
Pizza and Pop
Saturday
Easy Skillet Chicken Cordon Bleu (Southern Living)
Mashed Potatoes
Salads
Asparagus
Sunday
On Your Own
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