FHE: Twice A Year...

We've all heard of daily, weekly, bi-weekly and even the often forgotten monthly chores. I have those, too. But I'm sure most of us also have those "would rather not but very helpful "TWICE A YEAR" rituals. (don't deny it, you know it's key to your sanity; especially if you are *whispering* a M-O-M, MOM!)

Tonight, our FHE was making sure that the kiddos know we're back to "back to school" mode which meant that there are certain errands to be done like buying and portioning our meat for the first few weeks of school. Their treat, "Race to Witch Mountain" movie and a bowl of ice cream for enduring our other errands today. We also treated them to Wendy's for lunch (saved $10!)

So here are mine: (indulge me, plz...)
- Wash and sort my children's clothes according to size and wear damage. (Aug & Apr)
- Change out bedroom sheets and curtains completely for seasonal purpose (Apr & Oct)
- Sort through the children's library for books to donate or continue to collect
- Reassess our family's budget (yes folks, spending is seasonal, too!)
- Go to Costco for pantry refill (except the last 4 years in AZ, I had Coupon Sense) (Sep & Mar)
- Arrange a reading list for each of my children (Oct & May)
- Rearrange or "refresh" all my main living spaces (Mar & Oct)
- Get a lot of meat, cut and portion them for upcoming meals (Aug & Mar)

So, that means, I'm almost done with my August errands. *fingers crossed* I was so proud of myself, between the B1G1F and B1G2F deals on meat at Albertson's this week, I was able to get 15 lbs of steak, roast and chops for only $37.00! And... and... I was able to cut and portion them into 31 different meal ideas! That's a whole month baby! And since you can't eat red meat everyday, I also have chicken and tilapia fillets to further stretch our meal selection! *woot woot*

My friend Heather dropped off something for me and so she got to witness this ritual. She said, looking at the big pieces of meat, it doesn't seem like it can feed a family of five for a month. But I showed her different small cuts and simple recipes and she realized that it works. It helps that my fam was there to vouch for me. (hee hee)

Sample Meal:
Dinner:
1.25 lb of Beef Sirloin Tip Steak- 3 steaks bbq'd
Steamed rice
Tossed salad with grapes
Grapes
Ice Water

When Mr. Man cut meat for everyone, he started out with about 5-6 bite sized cubes. By the time we were all done, we still had a whole steak left and salad for leftovers.

Lunch:
BBQ Steak- cut into thin strips
Bread
Salad
Lemonade

or (if no bread):
Bbq beef fried rice with peas and carrots /bananas/ice water

I have been feeding my FAMILY OF FIVE this way since March 2002, when I-Dude was born. Most of my recipes, even the ones I get online, I reduce the meat to only about 1/2 or 1/3 lb; and just be generous on veggies/fruits, starches, grains and beverage! And they're still alive... ;-)

Don't get me wrong, because of our crazy schedule, I indulge up to 1 lb of meat for the fam when Mr. Man wants to grill so I don't have to cook anything the next day or have cooked meat to whip up a quick dish. I also, do often fumble and resort to deli fried chicken or Panda; and get the occasional run to McD's or BK. But most of the year, I cook 3x a day and even all day during the major feasting holidays. (We never really eat a whole pound of meat between the five of us. It just works out like that. Thank goodness the fam loves leftovers or "redos".) Now that I also know how to bake sandwich and french breads, I will start making one every three days for this school year. (wish me luck, I can sooooo use it!)

Ok, what are some of your "twice a year" errands? Do you even have any? (I hope so, I don't want to find that I'm odd or anything.)