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One Hundred Dollars a Month

I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.


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Green Bean Salad with Cashew and Bacon Topping

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The HH made this {crazy delicious!} cold green bean salad with cashews and bacon a few weeks ago when we were knee deep in fresh green beans. I don’t know about you, but I could eat a salad every day for lunch and never get tired of salads. I also love bacon and cashews. 😉

This salad has a nice crunch and is the perfect blend of sweet and savory. Unique enough for potlucks, bbq’s, holiday dinners and this salad would be great for those of you who love to meal prep. Plus, this green bean salad will stay nice several days in the fridge.

I hope you’ll love it as much as we do.

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh green beans, chopped
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup roasted cashews
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup Crasins {optional}

Directions

Cut the ends off the beans and chop them into bite-sized pieces and blanch them. Once you have blanched the beans, set them in a bowl of ice water to cool for 5 minutes before draining. In a large mixing bowl, whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar until fully incorporated. Stir in the beans, bacon, cashews and Crasins if you are using them. Toss until well coated. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

~Mavis

Looking for a few more yummy salad recipes? I’ve got a bunch of them HERE.

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Daily Deals – Lucy’s on the Hunt Again, Using Row Covers and Online Deals

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Quote of the Day  “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” ~ Albert Einstein

This dog! It’s like having a VERY active toddler 24/7. She’s so sweet, yet so mischievous and keeps us on our toes. Yesterday she helped in the garden by digging a few holes and trying to find voles. She didn’t find any though so I have a feeling the little critters got the hint they’re not welcome in Lucy’s yard and have moved on to the neighbors property. 😉

Life, it’s one big adventure here. 🙂

Have a great day everyone!

♥ Mavis

*This deal post will be updated throughout the morning so be sure and check back for deals. * Amazon prices can change without notice. Please verify price before ordering. Amazon offers Free Shipping with a $49 purchase or Amazon Prime. {Sign up for a free Amazon Prime 30 day trial!}

Available Kindle Books I think look interesting…

The prices on Kindle Books can change quickly, so grab them while you can. Don’t have a Kindle? Download the kindle app on your other devices. It’s easy! 🙂

Amazon has this cool Kindle Trade In Program they’re offering right now that is perfect if you’re looking to upgrade your eReader. Just follow these steps:

1. Answer a few questions about your current Kindle’s condition to receive a trade-in quote. Even non-working devices are eligible!
2. Print a shipping label and send your trade-in for free—they’ll verify its condition within 7 days.
3. Once your device is accepted, an Amazon Gift Card plus a 25% discount for a new Kindle will be automatically applied to your account. Sweet!Subscribe and Save Deals

Subscribe and Save prices reflect a 15% discount for ordering 5 or more items in 1 month.

Looking for ways to extend your growing season? Check out my post on The Benefits of Using Row Covers for some quick tips.

Home and Kitchen Deals

Chocolate Cake Brownies with Chocolate Icing: I’ve never met a brownie I didn’t like, but I have liked a few more than others. This one takes the cake {no pun intended}!

Add on Items

*These are all Amazon Add-on Items and they will ship with qualifying orders over $25 and are eligible for free shipping on $25 orders with Amazon Prime {or will ship FREE on $35 orders without Prime}. 

Kid’s Stuff

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping Trips – Week 36 of 52

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The HH and I worked in the yard all day yesterday with the intention of driving to Market Basket to stock up on groceries after dinner. So there we were, eating our chicken stir fry at 6:38 last night when he asked what time Market Basket closed. And well, because I am a total shut in, I didn’t have a clue and had to look up their store hours on my phone.

And would you believe they close at 7pm on Sundays? “How cool is that?”

  1. I got out of grocery shopping late at night {Yes, after 6pm is LATE!}
  2. I love it when businesses stick to their values/beliefs. {Go home, spend time with your family!}
  3. They’ll be open tomorrow. {From 7am – 9 pm}

Also, the amount of businesses closed around these parts on Labor Day? It was pretty amazing. It felt like it was 1985. You know, when we weren’t all obsessed with having everything now, now, now or running to the store for one or two items.

In other news, the HH and I attended our little town fair on Saturday. No carnival rides, or anything in particular to note but we did notice the horse rides were set up right next to the children’s archery booth. Geez…. I hope there wasn’t any close calls.

On our date to the fair, I dropped $5 for a Frito Pie {with all proceeds going to The Dempsey Center}. It was the first time I had chili in a bag of Fritos before and I thought it was pretty good for carnival food. Fritos are kind of one of those things that are best eaten once a year, don’t you think? It’s almost like you can feel the smelly corn grease going down your throat as you’re taking a bite.

I followed the Frito pie up with a piece of Fry Bread for $5 {proceeds went to an Eagle project} because everyone knows when you consume food at a fair, anything goes.

The HH paid $5 for 5 egg rolls from a lady and her kids that were selling them out of a big aluminum pan. No warming tray, no refrigeration just a giant pan full of egg rolls on a card table with a tub of orange sauce with a plastic spoon in it.

I think the fair was an all day deal too, but hey apparently now that my husband has a closet full of flannels for winter, drives a tractor and is sporting a 2 1/2 a month old beard… he’s a risk taker.  The kind of guy who will take his chances with food that’s been sitting out for I don’t know how long, does it really matter? It looks fine…. kind of person.

Corn season {for us anyway} is officially over. It only lasted about a week and a half and we basically ate corn twice a day but it was good while it lasted. I wasn’t planning on growing corn again next year, but I’ve changed my mind.

Next year though I’ll make sure it’s in a location that gets more sun and maybe dedicate a little more garden space to grow it in.

If you love biscotti and you love figs, you need to try my Fig Biscotti recipe {I didn’t add the hazelnuts this time}. I like to dunk my in my tea… and the biscotti freezes well too.

Well, it wasn’t a super exciting week food wise, but we have guests arriving this week so I need to get out there and get some food shopping done!

How did you do this past week? Did you make anything new? Find any deals? I’d love to know.

~Mavis

Total Spent in September $10.99
Total Spent in August $259.90 <– $30 on salami splurge
Total Spent in July $276.56 < – $38 Spent on Amish meat and cheese
Total Spent in June $206.47 <- Attempting once a month grocery shopping
Total Spent in May on Groceries $216.50 <- Included a stock up trip to King Arthur Flour
Total Spent in April on Groceries $169.98
Total Spent in March on Groceries $306.75 <– Apartment life, moving across the country and settling into a new house
Total Spent in February on Groceries $259.81 <- Living in an apartment and buying a lot of ready-made meals
Total Spent in January on Groceries $240.15 <– Packing mode and not cooking from scratch as much

Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Daily Deals – Starting Kale From Seed, Electric Tea Kettles, Stonewall Kitchen Gift Basket, Online Deals and More

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Quote of the Day  “I have to be alone very often. I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel.” ~ Audrey Hepburn

This morning, I think around 2 am, I pulled the folded comforter at the end of our bed up over us. A few hours later I awoke to a COLD house. It was lovely. As I sit here typing, I am wearing a pullover sweater. FALL…. I think it’s finally on it’s way. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Goodbye mosquitoes and humidity, HELLO chilly breezes and puffy coats. Yipeeeeee!

Wishing you the happiest of Mondays.

♥ Mavis & Lucy

*This deal post will be updated throughout the morning so be sure and check back for deals. * Amazon prices can change without notice. Please verify price before ordering. Amazon offers Free Shipping with a $49 purchase or Amazon Prime. {Sign up for a free Amazon Prime 30 day trial!}

Available Kindle Books I think look interesting…

The prices on Kindle Books can change quickly, so grab them while you can. Don’t have a Kindle? Download the kindle app on your other devices. It’s easy! 🙂

Subscribe and Save Deals

Subscribe and Save prices reflect a 15% discount for ordering 5 or more items in 1 month.

Thinking about growing a row or two of kale this fall? Check out my post on Growing Kale From Seed. I planted my seeds about 10 days ago and they are almost ready to set out in the garden!

Home and Kitchen Deals

Each month, Amazon Prime members can download and keep one free book from their Kindle First selection of six pre-released picks. Here are this month’s selections:

Add on Items

*These are all Amazon Add-on Items and they will ship with qualifying orders over $25 and are eligible for free shipping on $25 orders with Amazon Prime {or will ship FREE on $35 orders without Prime}. 

My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe: There are few things better than a good carrot cake. Well, maybe a second slice of said cake!

Stonewall Kitchens has their Maine Morning Breakfast Gift Basket on sale for $149.95 $74.99 {50% off!}. These make wonderful gifts to send to people who live far away.

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Mavis Butterfield Etsy