Getting back on track

[heyaim]

Anyone else have a hard time staying on a budget during times when your life is out of control?

I'm an Office Manager at a pool/spa store owned by my parents. When April arrives all hell breaks lose at the store. 10-12 hour days, 5 days a week. By the time I get home the last thing I want to do is cook for the family.

This year has even been more insane. The beginning of July my mom had a stroke...Dad is taking care of her full-time (she will make a great recovery over time, but will probably never come back to work. It could be several months before she can be alone to take care of herself). So that left me running the business...working 10-12 hour days, 6 days a week. Thank goodness we are closed on Sundays!

All of this has left my budget on the backburner. I'm slowly getting back on track. I've made it home in time to cook dinner 3x's last week...that's a start. School starts this week, so I'm going to have to create a menu to stay on track.

Anyway, I'm trying my darndest to stay on budget this week. No taking the easy way out and grab dinner on the way home.

[Wino]

Buy a crock pot. I used to use one to cook food while at work.

A few rules:
Get one with three temperature settings. It MUST have "warm" as a setting.
Make sure you fill it up above the heating elements.
Be ready to freeze leftovers and re-heat them at a later date.
Spaghetti, stew, and similar soupy-stuff works well.
I add noodles only in the last 30 minutes or so. If you add Ramen noodles (throw out the flavor packets, because they're chemical additive nightmares), you can add them 10 minutes before serving. They are great for adding bulk.
Use fresh ingredients. Just cut/chop stuff up and put it into the pot. Put it on high until hot, then put it in the fridge the night before. Take it out and put on warm in the morning. It'll be ready when you get home.

Problem solved; good home-cooked meals; no work when you get home from work.

And it's cheap.

[bjl584]

I'm with Wino. Cook in bulk. I often make things in my crock pot and can get several meals out of it. Stew, Chili, Roasts, Hot Sausage, Meatballs, the list is endless. Yiu can make any of them fairly cheap, and they will all give you several meals. Prep is fairly easy on all of them too.

[Gailete]

Read up on Once a Month cooking and make the weinter, downtime months, your time to make and freeze meals ahead. When Hubby and I got married, on our honeymoon we cookd and froze a lot of meals so that wehn I went back to work I wouldn't have to drag myself home and have to cook. Surpise, I got sick and never returned to work and those meals in the freezer were a God send! I still try when I can to make food that can be frozen and some put aside until needed, such a a day I'm having a flare up and hubby can warm things up. You know that cooking is going to be rough every summer so prepare for it.

I also second the crock pot. One easy thing to make is take a frozen chuck roast, throw it in the crockpot with a can of mushroom soup and cook it for hours. It makes its own gravy and the meat is falling off the bone. You can do the same thing with frozen chicken legs.thighs ony use cream of celery or chicken soup.

If you have a bread maker, make pizza dough in it and then just throw the pizzas together. It can take less time that ordering one.

[heyaim]

Thanks! I'm not a fan of the slow cooker during the summer months. Use it all the time during the winter. I'm going to suck it up and use it as much as I can to get back on track. So far so good the last couple days. Baby steps, right?

[Wino]

Just an aside, but I read a news article years ago about a guy who died with something like $800K making around $500 a month his whole adult life. Before going on with the story, what good is dying with a lot of money? I know I told my parents that I hope they spend their last nickle two seconds before they finally expire (though I told them this back when they were in their late 40's, and I am in my 50's now, I wasn't suggesting they were near to expiry).

Now on with the story: This gentleman would take a can of beans and open the can slightly with a can opener, then put the can over his pilot light on his range before going to work. The heat from the pilot would be enough to have hot beans for dinner when he got home.

Too bad the modern electronic ignition ranges don't have pilot lights. I don't think I could ever be this frugal.

Wino

[debtupset]

There are times when it can be hard because of busyness and needing to spend more than normal. But a budget can be adjusted for increased expenses. Better to do that than ignore it because you'll likely really overspend. It's worth a few minutes a day to keep on top of it.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

You have the worry of your Mom's health and probably your Dad's, too, as he takes care of your Mom. You have your children at home (and a spouse?). You have an increase in the time and responsibilities of the business. That's a lot. Honestly, I think it is probably a good thing to give yourself a little break from cooking in a scheduled fashion if it will give you some leeway. But as you say, it does need to fit into the budget. That probably means planning it ahead of time.

Can the business take on another employee? Can the business pay you more since the increased hours actually end up costing you more in food for the family?

Has your spouse(?) been able to do some cooking? Are your children old enough to do some meal prep? How about just having sandwiches some nights?

[angiegrainger]

Budgeting when it's hectic

Life certainly has a way of getting in the way of our 'plans' doesn't it?

When life is crazy or out of control, best to keep it simple. Don't worry about your entire budget, just focus on one thing you are trying to change. Start with a daily routine that keeps you grounded. When it comes to money, for example, each morning set aside 5 minutes to remember what you're saving for. Dream. Remind yourself why paying attention to your money is important.
Angie