Mar 20, 2007

Hillbilly Housewife?

So, it's been back to reality around here and most of that is good, some of that is sad. It's funny how only a few days somewhere else ( Ok, somewhere beautiful like the Bahamas) can change your whole point of view about some things.Like make one want to sell everything and move everyone out of the United States ;)
The whole cruise ship shtick is not really my cup of tea however, and I don't really enjoy flying, so I'm opting for private transportation- big yacht and champagne style ( with Lot's of Dramamine, of course)... that's not too outlandish, is it?

Ok, enough of dreaming though! :)

We have been trying The Hillbilly Housewives ( at the hillbilly housewife.com) emergency $45 menu for 4-6 for 2 days now, and have you seen this site?
I have to say, my first impression, after yippee!! seeing how much money we saved this week grocery shopping, is Oh Man This Is A LOT Of Work! Maybe (?) I am spoiled so this is not really so much work after all, but for me, I am getting used to making my own bread and my own tortillas ( very tasty, but sooo much easier to pull out of a convenient bag from the bakery at Super WalMart...) and a stew that takes 40 minutes to prepare for lunch?? Like I said, maybe I'm spoiled- but Oh, My! There is also not a lot of meat- ok, none, if you don't count bacon or hot dogs - which I guess are meat? Let's not think on that too much--and I don't mind not eating meat but the growing men around here like their meat and so there is a little grumbling going on already. I think I may have to add some meat or by the end of the week I may be deemed the meat-depriving help -meet, a path I am afraid to walk down ;)

The best idea I have learned from the hillbilly housewife so far( love that name too, btw ;) is how to use reconstituted milk. I remember drinking this as a kid and even remember the big white box with the red flower on it ( Carnation.) We however bought the store brand and it is not too bad, not like 2%- thinner- but excellent with a little vanilla extract and a tiny bit of sugar. You can also mix it half and half with 2% ( or whatever you use.) This will save us a lot of money, and I wish I had thought of using it myself before this. A large 4 lb. box of powdered milk cost about $8 but it makes 5 gallons of liquid milk and at about $2.50 per gallon for,this will amount to a substantial savings for us over a month as we tend to go through at least 1 gallon of milk a day around here. Seems it is just as healthy as the stuff in the gallons at the grocery store, so why not give it a shot?


Going through farming and pioneer life stories in home school this month have really been enhanced by going through this weekly menu. Neither of us can imagine what it would Really be like to make all of our own things,to have to do without fresh vegetables and fruits in the winter months and to have to poop ( sorry Lol!)in a dug out hole and use something like dried corn husks to wipe ( shudder!)but that was the reality for some families and may even be very similar to what more working class poor Americans are going through today than we realize.

...Can I just post this picture? Just for fun? I didn't want to rub in our fantabulous cruisealicious gifty, but I really miss those palm trees and
turquoise waters! ~~ long , wistful sigh~~ :)
That's me and my hubby surrounded by all of the above mentioned ... I wasn't dreaming! It was really Real!! ;) :)


1 comment:

julie said...

beautiful stacey! ahhh...the beach! love, julie