Wednesdays are my shopping days, because that's a good friend has that day off of work - and we go shopping together every week. It's kind of our weird, nerdy thing. haha. But mostly, we both are lightweight obsessed with Aldi. And Target. So it works out.

This week I spent $43.03 at Aldi and $54.20 at Target - mostly because we were out of cat food ($17.49 for the big bag), BADLY needed to replace our furnace filter ($12.39), and needed more vitamins ($8.19). The remaining items at Target were lean cuisines, a box of Kraft mac & cheese, and a random item for $5 that will be a gift to friends. All in all, a very productive trip. On the menu for this coming week:

- Meatloaf + Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Homemade Perogies
- Turkey Tenderloin + Butternut Squash Risotto
- Split Pea Soup
- Lasagne Rolls
- Emergency Pizza

We call frozen pizzas in our house "emergency pizza" because it's really a backup. We keep them around when we don't feel like cooking or are craving junk, to keep us from running out to a restaurant. A $2.50 pizza in the freezer tends to be a better bet than spending $20 out. And we have those garbage food cravings more than I care to admit...

Tonight I'll be making the meatloaf for us and our friends' dinner night. We trade off every week, so it's a nice treat for one couple to not have to cook, and it's an excuse to get together and play board games. I'm thinking we'll have a friend or two over on Sunday when I make the perogies as well. I've never made them myself, but this past week I did an authentic Hungarian chicken paprikas that was soooooo good, and now I'm feeling adventurous

Really, I'm just excited that I'm in the mood to cook again. Last night I was stoked that the husband was at a work dinner so I didn't have to cook... but then I was really craving Chinese. So I made myself fried rice and baked a batch of peanut butter cookies on top of that. So much for not cooking. haha.

But honestly, we save so much money when we do cook - and this past week we used up everything we purchased. I'm trying to rid us of the bad habit of buying food and letting it go bad. Another habit that I'm not proud to admit, and is more true than I'd like it to be. Now that I've got a bit more time to prepare my menu and actually cook, I'm seeing it as a nice challenge.

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Speaking of having more time, this weekend will be the first in 3 months where I don't have a single shoot (or am getting married). It feels GLORIOUS to have the whole weekend to use however I want. While I'm sure I'll spend at least a few hours editing, we've also planned some fun fall activities. Mostly carving pumpkins and hiking. Cheap, and a lot of fun. Can't wait!!

Hope you are all having a great Wednesday!