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Personal Grocery Challenge – Week 4

This week, I had $34.14 left out of my $300 grocery budget for the month. I needed milk and was lucky enough to find 4 half gallon jugs marked down to $0.99/each! How cool is that?! I’m very thankful. We’ve already gone through one, but I’ll check again tomorrow or Saturday morning to see if there are any others! I also had to buy some more allergy meds because we’re out and something has my allergies kicked back into high gear. The only other item needed this week was more green tea for my dear husband to drink. When he gave up drinking soda, he switched to green tea, which I happily buy for him.

Items bought:

  • 4 half gallons of milk – $0.99/each
  • 2 (24 ct) bxs gen. sinus & allergy med. – $ 3.85/each
  • 4 Totino’s pizza – $1.50/each
  • 1 bag chips $2.00
  • 3 gal. green tea – $2.98/each

So, my total spent (with tax) for the week comes to $30.83. Not too bad! That leaves me with a balance of $3.31 for the month! As long as I’m very careful, I’ll come in just under budget! Sorry I don’t have a picture. Hopefully, I’ll remember to take one next week.

Don’t forget to check the The Grocery Chart Challenge to see how everyone else did this week!

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Fresh Eggs

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I LOVE FRESH EGGS! There is nothing better than a fresh egg.

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Before we started raising chickens last spring, I had never had a fresh egg, but I was really looking forward to it! I waited impatiently patiently for the time when my young pullets would start laying for me. When they did finally start, we were in the middle of moving them from a small coop to a much larger coop and was pleasantly surprised to find 2 little eggs in the far corner of the little coop the day before we actually moved them!

I waited until I had enough eggs for the whole family to have some and then I scrambled up some fresh eggs first, and then I scrambled up some store bought eggs. Just the color was completely different. The store bought eggs were almost white compared to the bright orange yolks of the fresh eggs. And the taste! Oh my! There really is no comparing the two! Store bought has NO taste when comparing them to the fresh eggs. My family has gotten to the point that, on the rare occasion we do go out to eat for breakfast (or to Cracker Barrel were you can get breakfast all day) we do not eat the eggs. They are so lacking in flavor that they taste terrible. This is mostly due in part to the fact that we free range our chickens. They do get layer feed, as well as some scratch and scraps of food (no meat), but the majority of their diet comes from what they find themselves.

Right now, I’m getting an average of 14 eggs per day, but I get as many as 17. The Lord has been so good to us and provided us with just enough people wanting to buy my eggs that it covers the cost of their feed. That is all I prayed for, and He provided. I’m not in this for the money, but it does get expensive even with them free ranging, so this really helps out and makes it more affordable. My girls (and guys) are well loved and very spoiled. They get lots of treats (i.e. veggie & fruit scraps, oatmeal, etc.) and think they should have them any time someone comes out the back door.

If you have never tried fresh eggs, please do! They are so much better for you! It has been proven that fresh eggs from chickens that are free-ranged are much better for you than any store bought eggs. According to Mother Earth News here are the nutritional values of fresh eggs from free-ranged chickens:

  • 4 to 6 times more vitamin-D
  • 1/3 less cholesterol
  • 1/4 less saturated fat
  • 2/3 more vitamin A
  • 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
  • 3 times more vitamin E
  • 7 times more beta carotene

WOW! Eggs really are good for you! Who knew that you could find so much nutrition in such a small package? All I can say is “YUM!”!!

Don’t forget to check out The Diaper Diaries to see what everyone else has to say about “Things I Love Thursday”!

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And then there was one

Out of my original 42 eggs, I ended up with one chick. I’ll be able to tell in a couple of weeks if it’s a cockerel (baby rooster) or a pullet (baby hen).
If you’ve been following along, you know that I’m really devastated that this is all that I’ve gotten, but there nothing that I could do. Unfortunately, the thermostat on the incubator went bad and got WAY too hot on day #2 which killed most of my eggs. I’m really very lucky to even have this little one. It’s a miracle baby to be sure.
We did manage to get a copy of my receipt to submit to the manufacturing company for a replacement thermostat and a replacement motor for the automatic tuner. I will probably still be on the look out for another incubator, but since it’s not going to be needed until spring of next year, I’m not going to be in a hurry.
Here’s a pic of what the little guy/girl looks like all fluffy:
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Gotta love fluffy chicks!