Me, Liberal???

This week, Sweet Hubby and I had a discussion. That did not sound bad did it? It is the same discussion we have every week. Money. Primarily, grocery money. Sweet Hubby is a tightwad frugal. I, on the other hand was raised to believe if there is a check in the checkbook, there is money to be spent. Now I have over the years matured in this area. I am not nearly the spendthrift I use to be. Groceries, however, have been an area of contention between us. We have tried everything. He gives me cash..I get 1/2 the groceries needed. He gives me my own account and more money...I get 3/4 the groceries needed. I try doing the Grocery store shop hop...finding all the sale items. I do well dollar wise, but it is way too stressful. I immensely dislike to grocery shop, so doing it 3 or 4 times is not appealing. Super Wal Mart is the way to go, I hear. I go and spend MORE because I wander in to the DVD's, crafts, or clothing departments. I generally shop at our Hilander store..a Kroger store. I really like the people and I LOVE it when they scan my card and it says I saved $42.36 on my weekly bill. Still my bill is well over the budget every week. Hence the weekly "discussions". While reading Coppers Wife this morning, she gave a link to a USDA site that shows a schedule which gives you an idea of where you fit in the grocery shopping category. There is Thrifty, Low Cost, and Liberal. I was pretty excited as I could show Sweet Hubby that I am doing well. I was sure I would be in the Low Cost. Cheryl and Niki were both in the Thrifty category and they eat very well!!! Better than we do here. I was SHOCKED that I was $100 a week OVER liberal. I have some work to do!! How about some help here! I need a personal shopper. I bet if I hired Cheryl or Niki to do my shopping for me AND paid them to do it, I could still save quite a bit of money! I expect my comment box and e-mail to be filled with tips to help me bring down my grocery cost. I do not have a freezer (other than the one in my side by side) as I gave it to my kids. I have no room to store lots of bulk items, though if it was a priority I could find it. I think I could save enough on my grocery bill to buy another freezer also...no excuses.Here is a recipe the kids and I are going to try. They don't sound as good as a Tollhouse, but it would be fun for them to make.

Scripture Cookies

In a bowl, combine:

1 cup ___________ (2 Kings 4:41)

1/2 cup dry powdered ______ (Leviticus 20:24)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

In another bowl, combine

1/4 cup_____ (Exodus 29:7)

1 Tablespoon_____ (Psalm 119:103)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1_______ (Luke 11:12)

1 Tablespoon_______ (Isaiah 12:3)

Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly; the batter will be very stiff.

Drop teaspoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Be careful not to over bake, or they will come out hard. (yields approx. 24 cookies)

Sounds like fun!! I will let you know how that turns out. I know what you are thinking, Niki!

I have mentioned this book at least once, if not more and it is now released. There is a contest where the authors are giving away 10 autographed copies.

Here is the Link to the Book and the Information on the Book.http://www.visionforum.com/booksandmedia/productdetail.aspx?productid=84332&categoryid=168productdetail.aspx?productid=84332&categoryid=168

I did make some headway on my embroidery project last night. I could have gotten more done had I not sewn it to my night gown! My list of sewing projects is stressing me out. For this month alone, actually before Thanksgiving, I need 24 napkins and a matching table runner made, and 2 aprons. That does not include Christmas projects. I better get busy! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!