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Inexpensive Dinner Choices…

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Last night, my husband and I went shopping in our pantry and made Spanish rice, pinto bean, and spicy sausage goulash. I would say it was good but I pride myself on honesty so I’ll just say it was… edible. This meal didn’t have me worrying about exceeding my daily recommended caloric intake since I wasn’t likely to return for a second helping.

We’re still working our way through those 37 meals hidden in our pantry and freezer and it’s likely to get a whole lot worse from here but I’m ready for the challenge.

Before you express concern for our health, we are still purchasing perishable items like greens and dairy products and my parents having been sharing the fruit from their apple and orange trees.

So here’s the question…

These are desperate financial times, what is your cheapest (and somehow still healthy) dinner?

Dealing with Setbacks…

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One of the unavoidable – and sometimes most painful – steps in the journey to become debt free is setbacks.

We had been looking forward to becoming debt free in about 12 months, but our schedule has been delayed due to the bout of unemployment. I could tell you that I’m not disappointed… and I could also tell you I was excited to see my check engine light pop on this morning – but I’d be lying.

Setbacks and adjustment are just a part of the journey.

How are we dealing we ours?

Rather than jump straight into reducing debt, we are going to rally up our depleted savings. Depending on my husband’s actual start date, we should be back up in about 2 months. After we have a stable amount, we’re going to jump right back into the fight against our debt.

The good news? My husband will start working at construction prevailing wage rates in February or March. Prevailing wage rates are higher than he is currently earning and should help us get back on track faster.