BIG take from Shaw's and some little man pics :)

I haven't posted about my shopping trips lately, because I haven't really hit any earth-shattering sales and I've been pretty well on budget all month. But THIS was just too good to pass up - if you live near a Shaw's, today is the last day for this week's sales, so GET THERE!!!

Their promotion is a big General Mills sale - 10/$10, 6/$10, 4/$10 and 3/$10. 90 percent of what they offered had printable and circular coupons more than once over the last month or so. AND, if you buy $30 worth of stuff, they gave you $15 Catalinas towards your next purchase! Now, I think some stores are spitting out one $15 Catalina. My stores are giving out three $5 certificates instead. BUT you can still clean house, if you either have a patient cashier or you just don't care if they get mad :)

I will post a photo of my booty as soon as I can get the pics developed (My camera is busted and we had a disposable digital on hand!) but I took home $130 worth of goods including 2 Sunday papers, I paid $42.11 out of pocket AND I still have about $30 worth of catalinas left! SOOOO, after coupons, store sales, and catalinas I brought home FIVE BAGS of goodies for $12.11!!!

I split my transactions at the register - I let her ring in about $30 worth of stuff and then cashed out with my coupons - I WISH I had read THIS POST over at "Cent"sible Sawyer because apparently the $15 catalinas print based on presale prices not after coupons! I could have done even better. Anyway, after that transaction, the register printed out six $5 off catalinas. So I let her ring in a few more items, and handed her a catalina and my coupons. I did that twice more and got pretty much everything else for free! AND I still have $30 in coupons left! Like I said before, the cashier was getting kinda snippy with me...but I made sure there weren't a lot of people in line behind me and I shopped at an off-time. So I just let it roll :)

A lot of what I got was non-perishable, and I will probably be donating a bunch of it when the Thanskgiving food drives start - that's one of the wonderful things about learning how to shop like this - not only do I have MORE than enough on hand to feed my family, I can still help others even on our limited budget!

And as promised, here's a few pics from my nephew's 2nd birthday in September - the boys don't get to see much of each other since my bro lives in NY but they didn't seem to have a problem getting along :) Click to view the album...

Cousins - September 2008

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Brick #4 - Give a Little Sweat Equity

I had rockstar dreams. Once upon a time, I was going to be a famous actress/singer/dancer and live in the lap of luxury, with a team of dedicated employees to cater to my every whim.

Right.

Now I am the caterer...and taxi driver, personal shopper, accountant, maid, butler, activities coordinator...I should get paid by the hour! Then I could live in the lap of...oh nevermind.

With all of that going on, don't I deserve a little convenience in my life? Perhaps. But I had to sit down and take a hard look at where the small amount of money we had was going, and somewhere along the way it occured to me that HUNDREDS of dollars were disappearing out of our wallets because we were buying convenience food.

Let me clarify a little bit - in my book, "convenience food" includes ANYTHING that I could make for myself, but I choose to buy a pre-packaged version. Yes, that includes bread, pancake mix, soup, precooked meats, shredded cheese. Anything that I could DIY in my meager kitchen. There were two thought processes going on:

1. What am I buying just to avoid putting some time in at the stove?
2. What is the benefit if I did it myself instead?

The answer to the first question was a long list of prepared meals, breakfast foods, snacks, and easy dinner solutions. The answer to the second question was short: I save a LOT of money, and I KNOW what is going into my family's mouths - no fillers, preservatives or extra junk. This required me to put firmly in place another brick:

4. Give a little sweat equity in the kitchen, gain a lot in the wallet

Let's dispel a few myths about making things homemade:

It takes too much time
My breakfast muffins take 10 minutes to mix, 20 minutes to bake (while they're baking, I can do other things!). I often throw some together before I go to work in the morning, it's that easy. Same goes for most dinners that I make. Ten or fifteen minutes of prep, and I can go about other business while things cook. Especially in the crockpot - I've been known to toss ingredients into the 'pot before work, set it, and dinner's done when I get home. Easy Peasy! At first things took longer to make, but that was just me re-acquainting myself with the stuff in my kitchen :)

One of my biggest time savers was making extra portions of a meal and freezing them - I haven't yet ventured into once-a-month cooking, but making extras while I'm already in the kitchen has been a lifesaver on nights when we aren't getting home until later in the evening. Sometimes those freezer meals are the only thing standing between me and the temptation to order out. That alone saves me almost 20 bucks a week...more if you include the fact that our leftovers often become lunch at work!

I can't cook.
YES YOU CAN. You don't need to be Julia Child in the kitchen, you just need to be able to operate an oven/crockpot without breaking something. It's really just following basic instructions, if you could program your iPod you've worked harder at that than you would in the kitchen! Two of my favorite recipe sites, Cooks.com and Recipezaar.com are chock full of simple recipes with minimal ingredients. A good basic cookbook (my personal favorites are How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food and The Best of Cooking with 3 Ingredients (Flavors of Home)) can be your best friend and help in areas you aren't comfortable with - I always had questions about cooking raw meat...now I roast with the best of them!

I won't really save any money because I have to buy the ingredients
OK - most people know that is about as false as Tammy Faye Baker's eyelashes. But I do actually know people who think this way! They figure that buying ONE of something over TEN somethings makes the ONE something cheaper. But most of the time, the raw materials that you use will add up to a LOT less when you consider that you're buying enough to make SEVERAL somethings instead of just one meal.

Investing some sweat equity in your kitchen is ESSENTIAL to successfully feeding your family on a small budget. I am a working mom (anywhere between 32 and 48 hours a week) and my husband works as much or more. My son is a mini-hurricane right now. I DID NOT think I had the time to do the home cooked meals thing every night. But I knew that I could make the same thing as packaged meals for a fraction of the cost, so I made the choice to TRY.

I started just making the effort to plan very basic protein-veggie-starch dinners. The more I did it, the easier it became to branch out and try new recipes. If you stick to recipes with less than 10 ingredients (and follow your price book!) most of your dinners will end up being under $7 for 4-6 portions. That's an ENTIRE WEEK of dinners for less than 40 bucks.

Getting familiar with the flour jar will also cut major costs. I make homemade muffins, buns/rolls, and pizza dough just about every week. ALL THREE of these recipes cost me $2.73 COMBINED. That's six muffins, 12 dinner rolls and a whole pizza pie. There are a TON of cheap recipes for muffins, breads, breakfast bars and such out there, just find the ones that appeal to you! The only think I don't bake myself right now is sandwich bread - only because I get it SO cheap at Price Rite. If I can figure out how to make it for less than 75 cents a loaf, I'm all over it.

I even make our own version of 100 calorie snack packs. I buy a BIG bag of the snack of choice, and divvy it up into snack baggies. The cost? Around 5 bucks for about 20-30 servings. Those snack packs at their CHEAPEST are 2 bucks for SIX. My cost for the same number of servings - $0.25.

The added benefit of all this work? You know EXACTLY what's going into the mouths of your precious family. No fillers. No added preservatives, extra sodium, or things you can't pronounce. I don't know about you, but it makes me sleep better at night. And my husband is healthier than he's ever been, in spite of his diabetes....there's something to this "home cookin' thing"!

Next week we'll spice it up! Literally ;)

Some great resource sites:

Make ahead recipes - Your Own "fast" food

The $5 Dinner Mom - Awesome recipes, all for 5 bucks or less per meal!

Saving Money with Homemade Convenience Mixes - everything from breads to sauces to seasonings, and tips on making homemade even healthier.

Grab and Go foods

The Crockpot Lady - if it can be done in a crockpot, she's tested it! Another awesome recipe site.








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Old Navy Fall Sale

OK - I just got back from a little shopping excursion for the Boy Wonder at Old Navy - if you have ANY fall shopping to do for your little ones, GET TO OLD NAVY!! I had read this post at "Deal"icious Mom and decided to check out my local store...



Right now, they are giving an extra 50% off of all infant and toddler clothes with red markdown tags. That means 75 percent off - I bought two long sleeved button down shirts (99 cents each) and three thermal-style shirts (two dollars each) for 8 bucks. The one I shopped at had a lot of summer shirts on the racks, if we hadn't just inherited a ton of 3T sized clothes I'd have gone nuts with stuff for next year.

The Thermal shirts didn't actually have a red tag but they were on the lower racks (where the old stuff goes) and did ring up at a super discount (marked down from $8.50 a piece to 2 bucks). I had grabbed a newer style from an upper rack that didn't ring up on sale so I just had them take it back. Call your local store to confirm whether they are running this sale, and on what items.

Happy shopping!









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Get your Halloween on!

Halloween is a huge holiday in my house. For my husband (the Misfits/horror movie/Tim Burton fan) it's bigger than Christmas. We start planning our costumes just after Easter, and the pumpkins go in the window as soon as September is past.

We have wanted to do a big Halloween blowout party, our apartment doesn't accommodate a crowd well but we're working on an evil plot to take over my Mother in law's house :) I have visions of family costume contests, silly themed games, and a LOT of mischief!

If you are lucky enough to have a Halloween party in the works, you HAVE to check out this contest - Oriental Trading company is giving away FREE party supplies! OTC is my absolute go-to source for cheap party goods. You get good bulk pricing, a great variety, and they ship really quick. I've used them on several occasions and never been disappointed.



Browse the site, but be sure to enter the contest! And send me an invite to your party :)










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Major Milestone!

I had a pretty good shopping run this week - I didn't do too much with coupons but I did get all of the shopping done for just under 50 bucks! Most of it was essentials, but I did a little stocking up too. Here's how it panned out:

Price Rite - 4 pounds bananas, milk, yogurt, 2 bags frozen veggies, bread, flour, 2 pounds zucchini, red and green pepper, 4 bottles of diet soda, 2 pounds ground turkey, quick oats, 1.5 pounds american cheese, cooking spray - Total $31.08

Seabra (it's another discount-type grocery store near my house, I decided to check it out) - 2 dozen eggs (on sale for $1 each!), quart strawberries, 5 pounds country style pork ribs - Total $10.43

Stop and Shop - 24 pack of double roll toilet paper - Total $5.21 (on sale for $5.99, had a $1/1 coupon)

But here's the REAL milestone. I went over my spending for the last 4 weeks, and my TOTAL spending was just under $250...that INCLUDED enough diapers, wipes, toilet paper and paper towels for the next 2 months!!! If I were to consider just the food items and not paper/cleaning stuff, that would mean this month I was UNDER $200 in groceries! I call that Mission VERY Possible! :)

Wow.

Week 1 - $80.00 (this was a decent stock-up week for meat and canned goods)
Week 2 - $22.00 (Nothing but the essentials)
Week 3 - $90.00 (got diapers, wipes and paper towels from BJs plus basic food needs)
Week 4 - $47.00

Grand total for 4 weeks - $249.00






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Dunkin deal!

From now until November 11th, Dunkin Donuts is selling their small lattes for 99 cents every weekday from 2-5pm! The Pumkin Latte is really yummy and perfect for those chilly fall days that are just around the corner. When I got one yesterday I saw that they now have a regular 99 cent menu too - every day is a different featured item!

Find your local Dunkies HERE

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Circus days

When I was a kid, there were a couple of things I looked forward to every year. The last day of school...the annual trip to the mountains for family camping...and the circus. Back then (waaay back then!) Ringling Brothers was the only game in town, and they are still the only circus that hits my heart and brings me back to some amazing childhood memories. I brought the little man to his first circus this year, and watching him get caught up in the sights and sounds made me understand why my folks would be as excited as me when the Ringling trucks would start rolling in.

I can't pass up an opportunity for a good discount on something like this, and Mom Central has teamed up with Ringling Brothers to offer a discount on select tickets! The only thing better than awesome family memories is awesome memories that fit my budget :)

For the 20% discount, just visit http://www.ringling.com/ , pick a show date, and use the following code: MCC

The code is valid for the circus shows in the following cities:

• Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 4-7, 2008


• Kansas City, MO - Sept. 10-14, 2008


• Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008


• Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008


• Boston, MA – Oct. 8-13, 2008


• Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2


• Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008


• St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008


• Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008


• Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009


• Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008

“*Please note that the code is valid for buying tickets with the following ticket price brackets: $24, $19, and $13

If there's not a show in your area, come visit me...we have plenty of room :)




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CVSuccess!

So I've been dabbling in the whole CVS game thing for the last few weeks, I did pretty well but never had anything enormous to report...until now!

Last week, I had taken advantage of 3 particular deals that involved ECB's, and walked out of the store with $9.99 in ECBs.

Today, I was after laundry soap:

Purex liquid laundry soap, $2.99 each - with $2 ECBs when you buy 2
used two $1 off 2 coupons from the 8/10 smart source insert
Total: $12, minus $2 in coupons, minus $9.99 ECBs = FREE - plus $4 in ECBs

So CVS just paid me $4 to buy enough laundry detergent to last me 4 months. SWEET!


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Getting back on track

After work today the hubby and DS came by to pick me up and we did the weekly shopping - I was greeted from the back seat with a hearty "ah wee wah!", Wonderboy-ese for "I love you!", so my night started off quite well :)

I have pulled back a bit on the coupon shopping - the sales on things we actually use haven't been great, and I'm realizing that I really need to start keeping a price book.... Couponmom is helpful in guiding me towards the better deals, but the prices in my area tend to run a bit higher than what she posts for my supermarkets and I need to be the expert for my area. I have to figure out whether it will be better to do an Excel spreadsheet or pencil-and-paper, but at least I have all of my receipts for the last 3 months.

It wasn't a banner week like last week, but the overall cost was $75.98 and a big chunk of that was meat for the freezer and spices and stuff for the pantry. Here's the overall breakdown:

Price Rite: pasta, salsa, frozen spinach, chili powder, curry, fajita seasoning, green apple, cheese (2 pounds), water chestnuts - TOTAL: $18.07

Stop & Shop: paprika, parsley, crushed and diced tomatoes ($1 each), Ziploc bags, 2 packages drumsticks (on sale $0.99/lb) - TOTAL: $21.56 ($8.94 store savings, $1 coupon)

Shaws: Bananas (on sale $0.39/lb), sugar (on sale $1.99/5 lbs), chicken dogs ($1 pkg), Tin foil, plastic wrap, pork tenderloin (on sale $1.88/lb) - TOTAL $36.35 ($31.67 store savings)

The pork tenderloin was a big expense, but well worth it - this was a whole 10.50lb tenderloin. I rung up the store butcher and had him slice it into 1-inch chops...which didn't cost me anything extra! Pre-cut boneless chops go for between $2.50 and $5.50 a pound and are only a half inch thick at most. Mine are thicker, it's a better cut of meat, and I can either sliced the chops down to half an inch, or butterfly and stuff them. All for less than $2 a pound and the willingness to think outside the meat package. My lesson learned? Make friends with the supermarket meat guy :)

I took stock of my freezer, and realized that I have enough meat down there (including today's purchases) to cover me for over 30 dinners. More, considering that I am trying to include at least one pasta and one vegetarian dish each week to help cut costs. I might hop on board if there's a crazy meat sale in the next few weeks, otherwise I need to focus on eating out of the freezer and the pantry, and keep making stuff from scratch instead of buying the convenience version. Who knows...I might actually get daring and try my hand at a loaf of bread :) Not too bad for a former city girl...



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Moooore for your money

The price of milk has been making me crazy. I get that rising gas prices means that the basic necessities will also end up costing more because of increased production and transportation costs, but JEEZ! Milk is one of those things my household can't cut back on...the boy doesn't drink any juice so it's either milk or water. And hubby keeps milk in his diet to make sure he's getting a good intake of protein and non-starchy carbs for diabetes management.

When milk went up to $3.29 (at it's cheapest - the brand name stuff at the grocery stores was almost 4 bucks a gallon), I had to do something. I did NOT want to touch powdered milk, everything I heard about drinking reconstituted milk was BAAAAAD. So what was a frugal mommy to do?

I can't remember where I first read about it, but I found several sites that recommended buying whole milk and cutting it with water. I usually buy 2% anyway, so the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. My local Price Rite sells whole and 2% milk at the same price (I know some grocery stores mark up the whole milk), so it wasn't going to cost me any more to give it a try.

It's been a month now, and I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised! I didn't even tell the hubby about it at first, just to see if he'd comment on the taste. I tried it myself, and if anything the watered-down whole milk is just a teensy bit creamier than regular 2% but I couldn't detect anything unusual! The best part is, when I buy a gallon of whole milk and water it down at home, I end up with a gallon and a half for the price of a gallon. Half a gallon of free milk a week makes a big difference in the long run.

Here's the math and method behind the milk multiplication :)

You will need:
1 gallon whole milk
1 clean container (either a washed empty milk gallon or other plastic container - I just clean out the most recent one that's been emptied)
Measuring cup

1. Remove 5 and 1/3 cups of milk from the whole milk gallon, pour into empty container.
2. Add 5 and 1/3 cups cold water to the whole milk gallon and refrigerate.
3. Add 2 and 2/3 cups cold water to the extra container.

I've baked with it, had it straight, used it in cereal....and haven't had a single issue. Give it a try and see if it works for you!

Got a tip to share? Post it in the comments!





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GOOG411

I hate it when the cell phone bill comes. Mostly because I am notorious for "misplacing" (i.e. running through the wash, losing in the trash, leaving completely behind) any important phone numbers or addresses for places we need to go or errands we need to run. So I am the one to blame for all of the 411 calls that show up on the bill. And at $1.75 or more, those add up FAST.

Enter the information mavens themselves, Google.

Did you KNOW they have their own information line? Apparently they have stretched their Googly arms to reach out and touch all of us perpetual phone number misplacers. The best news? It is COMPLETELY FREE. No crazy surcharges, just whatever your regular phone company would have charged if you dialed direct.

I've been using it exclusively the last month, and I haven't had a single issue. What I really like is that they give you the top options for your request....have you ever tried to get 411 to help you find a business when you're not entirely sure which town it's in? Yeah, that's like pulling teeth...sometimes the live operators are worse than the automated system. But with GOOG-411 the automated system gives you as many listings as you're willing to listen to.

Perfect example - a few weeks back we needed to cash one of my husband's checks but we were driving to a Doc's appointment that was 30 miles from home. It's a chain bank so I called up GOOG-411 to see if they could help. We were on the highway, so I gave the town listed on the nearest exit sign, and the bank name. Duh....moving car....means we weren't in that town's area for long. But Google to the rescue, the system started rattling off locations, and eventually I heard one for the town listed on the NEXT exit sign. They connected me, I got specific directions, and we were good to go.

Just another way to whittle down those nasty little charges that end up turning into big green-eating monsters!






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The slippery slope

I've been remiss in posting my shopping trips the last little while...mostly because while I have been good about only buying things on sale, I haven't been very good about keeping track of what's going out of my wallet and whether I'm on budget. This month is bound to be a little more expensive than usual, I did a lot of stocking up when we got back from camping (total shopping was around $160), and I'm trying to latch on to some of the holiday weekend grocery sales and fill out the pantry a bit. But I don't want to get lax in watching my spending and my savings just because I had a tough week, old habits die slow, painful deaths and I want to stay on track!

This week I did pretty well, all things considered....I'm probably in better shape than I think - but being budget conscious is as much about where you're at mentally as financially. I FEEL like I've done worse because I haven't been keeping the mental tally like usual. Which means I can easily convince myself that I missed things along the way and suddenly we're in danger of having nothing but old receipt lint in the wallet :)

I have to sit down with the receipts but here's a few good finds from Friday:

Store #1
Boneless chicken breast - on sale $1.77/lb, bought about 6 pounds
Chicken things - on sale $1/lb, bought 3.65 lb (this price happens every other week)
Total spent: $14.50 Total saved: 14.28 Almost 50% savings

Pork shoulder ribs - $1.69/lb (the package I got was 5 pounds, enough for about 8 portions)
Ground Perdue turkey - $1.99/lb
Pepsi 12-pack cans - on sale 5/$11 but I had a coupon for "buy 4 get one free" so I got 6 for $11, that works out to $1.83 per box
Total spent: $28.86 Total Saved: 23.09

No big coupon excursions for now, I worked WAY too much and just didn't have it in me to do the legwork in time for weekend shopping. I have Tuesday off so I may see what I can come up with while the boy naps.... Menu Plan Monday is upon me again and I will be posting a bunch of new recipes tonight!




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The CVS game - first attempt

So I got a little daring today and made my first attempt at the whole CVS game thing, sort of.

I didn't delve in as deep as some go, I only made one trip and I'm probably not going to head back this week unless I feel REALLY crazy...the motivator for tonight's excursion was a $4 off when you spend $20 coupon that was expiring tonight. But I took the opportunity to see what I could come up with between the CVS flyer and the coupon lists from Couponmom.com, and how I could do with ECB's and store promos.

I admittedly could have done better, it was already kinda late at night when I sat down to figure it all out. But for a first attempt I think I did pretty well!

Here's what I bought:

1 Kotex Lightdays 16 ct - on sale for $1.49 ($1 off coupon from online)
2 boxes OB tampons 40 ct - on sale 2/$9 (1.50 off cpn)
2 boxes Stayfree Maxi pads 36 ct - on sale 2/$9 (BOGO coupon)
2 boxes Carefree pads 120 ct - 2/$9 ($1 off coupon)
**used a $4 off $20 purchase coupon

Paid $16.50 out of pocket
Got back: Two ECB coupons totaling $6.49 and one coupon for $5 off $25 purchase.

Total rewards returned $11.49

So at the end of the day, I paid 5 bucks for enough feminine products to last me the next 15 months. I can actually already use the $5/$25 coupon this week to get some skin care stuff and earn more ECBS...I can see why this is so addicting!

Not too shabby, if you ask me :)




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Drowning in Cheerios!

****SEE THE END OF THIS POST FOR STOP AND SHOP'S REGISTER ERROR THAT COULD GET YOU FREE STUFF!!!***


Stop and Shop had a pretty good deal this week - certain GM cereals (Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs Combos, and Lucky Charms) were 4 for $6...that works out to $1.50 a box, slightly less than what I pay for the Price Rite brand of Cheerio knockoffs. Already a great deal, right?

It got better.

ALL of the GM cereals are on a "$4 off when you buy 4" promo. Not really a great sale, considering that most of the cereals are $3.50 to $4 each. BUT.....I stopped at Couponmom.com and hit up the Grocery Coupon Database. This is a handy tool if you find an item on sale but can't remember whether there was a coupon for it, as it allows you to search with keywords (Cheerios, cereal, General Mills, whatever..) and will show you ALL coupons that have not yet expired, what circular they appeared in, and any online coupons for the same item.

I plugged in "General Mills', and was given a gift....SEVEN GM coupons. All for $1 off. Four of them were for the "specialty" cereals (Total, Fiber One, flavored Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs). Two were $1 off any two cereals. One was $1 off any three ( I saved this one for another time).

Soooo....in two trips to S&S I picked up EIGHT boxes of cereal for $12.

It panned out like this:

First trip: One box each of Cocoa Puffs Combos, Total Cranberry, Fiber One Caramel Delight, and Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. $4 taken off at the register, plus $4 in mfr coupons. Spent $8

Second trip: Four boxes Cheerios. Sale price of $6 for all, used TWO $1 off 2 boxes coupons. Spent $4

NOW...FREE STUFF TIP:
I didn't capitalize on this because my DS was getting ancy in the cart so I just dealt with it at the register. BUT....at least in my area, Stop and Shop has NOT entered the $4 off 4 boxes promo into their register system. So it rings in wrong. If you do what I did and bring it to the attention of the cashier on the spot, they will enter a manual coupon and send you on your way. IF YOU WAIT TILL YOUR TRANSACTION IS DONE and bring it to the customer service desk, they are supposed to credit you one box of cereal free PLUS the 4 bucks off because it's their mistake.

I still got 8 boxes for $1.50 each so I'm not complaining...but how sweet it would have been to get a freebie too!



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Menu Planning Monday - August 18th

Well I did manage to get some shopping done after vacation, and I hit upon a couple of really good deals! The tubs of Lloyds BBQ chicken, pork and beef were BOGO and I had FIVE $1 off coupons...so I got all of them for 2 bucks a piece (normally 6 bucks). And I had a couple of dollar off coupons for the sandwich size Thomas' muffins, so I got 2 packages for $2 each. Found Minute Maid lemonade on sale for $1 and I had a $1 off 2 coupon, so I picked up two for a buck. Overall it was a big stockup week, but I have plenty of ammunition for the next few weeks :)

Here's how the week's menu is shaping up...cost is total for the meal including any leftovers:

Monday: English muffin pizzas (with the large muffins) and mango & peach fruit salad ($4.00)

Tuesday: Chickpea Stew with rice ($3.44)

Wednesday: Baked Chicken drumsticks, mixed veggies, baked potato ($4.50)

Thursday: Lloyds BBQ pork on bulkie rolls, corn on the cob, steamed broccoli ($4.00)

Friday: Italian Chicken Skillet over rotini pasta ($4.35)

Saturday: Steak seasoned with hot sauce (Black and blue sauce from http://www.bandanabillsblazing.com/ - it's blackberry and blueberry...very cool!), veggies and easy cheese biscuits (see recipe below) ($7.75...splurge night!)

Sunday: Baked Ziti and leftover cheese biscuits with homemade garlic butter ($5.50)


Don't forget to head on over to OrgJunkie.com to check out hers and other monday menus!

Easy Cheese Biscuits
This recipe is one listed in The Best of Cooking with 3 Ingredients by Ruthie Wornall. I add more milk until the consistency is a little stickier because that's how I like them :)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups baking mix
2/3 cup milk (I use closer to 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients until soft dough forms. Beat for 30 seconds. If dough is too sticky, add more baking mix. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.






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Ready to play...the Drugstore Game?

I've spent a lot of time talking about how I play the grocery game - particularly using the Couponmom.com to track coupons and sales and get the most bang for my buck. I've also used her site to track down deals at the drugstores like Walgreens and CVS....but did you know there's a whole school on how to play the DRUGSTORE GAME????

Money Saving Mom has the best explanation I've seen out there for how to play the CVS game. To be honest, I have avoided getting too deep into CVS because Extra Care Bucks confuse me. And I have a hard time keeping track of them, DS seems to get into my purse before I can file them away and use them later. But MSM reminded me that there's no rule saying you have to save those ECB's for another shopping trip. Yes, it requires a bit of preplanning. Yes, it also requires multiple trips to the CVS. But since I hit more than one store anyway, it's not impossible.

The idea is, you look for items that give you ECB's and use multiple trips and manufacturer's coupons to get lots of stuff for free. She uses a great illustration with a deodorant sale that lays it out pretty clearly. Here's how she explains it:

Deodorant is on sale for $2.49 with $3 ECB's and a max of 5 offers. She points out this is already a moneymaker, because the ECBs are more than the item cost. There happened to be a $1 off/1 coupon in the paper. If you can score multiple coupons, the trips would pan out as such...

• Visit 1: Buy 1 deodorant with your coupon and pay $1.49, earn $3 ECBs
• Visit 2: Use ECBs and 2 coupons to buy 2 more deodorants. Pay tax, walk away with $6 ECBs
• Visit 3: Use ECBs and 3 more coupons, buy 3 more deodorants and one item worth $1.50. Pay nothing and walk away with $9 in ECBs

You make almost 8 bucks off of CVS by doing this...and don't have to buy deodorant for MONTHS! And the deals aren't just to be found in the weekly circular, they also put out a monthly ECB catalog just for CVS cardholders.

I haven't yet tried this particular technique, but the idea of a big chain PAYING me to shop there definitely has its appeal. Oh - and check with your local store, the one near my house accepts ALL competitor's coupons. That includes those Walgreens coupons that show up every week. It requires a little more vigilance too, making sure I'm not spending more than I would at Price Rite even after the ECBs...but I feel the bee stirring in my bonnet :)



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Splenda, anyone?

I wasn't going to blog tonight, but I had another MAJOR coup in the savings game.

I've been browsing the blogosphere to get info that might be helpful to pass along, and I came across Bargain Hunting Moms. I had tagged her site a while back as a reference for online shopping deals, but when I visited tonight, her header caught my eye - she had just paid $19 for 128 Pop Tarts, shipped, from Amazon.com's grocery clearance. They have a thing going on right now where you use the coupon code CLRANC78 and get an instant $10 rebate at checkout on clearance grocery items.

My curiosity was piqued, so I hopped on to Amazon to check this out.

I mentioned when I started this blog that my husband is a Type 1 diabetic. One of the items I constantly have to blow my budget on is Splenda - it's the only non-chemical tasting sweetener that has been remotely useful in baking recipes as far as I can tell, and he hates to put the pink stuff on his oatmeal. So how happy was I to see that they had 3-bag packs of Splenda on the grocery clearance?

They were $26 for three packs, so with the $10 instant rebate I'd be looking at $16 for three, or $5 and change per bag. Even at the bulk stores I have to pay 8 or 9 bucks for a bag, so this was already VERY appealing. THEN I remembered that I had earned a $10 Amazon gift code for filling out a survey.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I just bought THREE bags of sweetener for $6.

Had to share this before vacation, in case the code expires soon. Check out all the Amazon Grocery Clearance Items and see what gems you can come up with!



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You spent HOW much?

That's the reaction I've been getting this week.

I think I'm becoming the poster child for stocking up and shopping the pantry - I'm several weeks into the mission and this week wasn't just a surprise - it was a mental a-bomb. I've been doing really good the last few weeks stocking up when the sales were good...but the proof was definitely in the pudding...

My total spent in groceries in the last 10 days? $7

No, that's not a typo.

How'd it happen? I've got a great stockpile of meat in the freezer, so dinners were covered. We had plenty of veggies and fruits between fresh, canned and frozen to last more than the week. We had enough breakfast food handy, and I got a deal on lunchmeat the other week plus there were always leftovers. So all I needed was:

Milk $3.29 gallon jug
Eggs $1.49 dozen
Bread $1.10 wheat loaf, $0.75 white loaf.

Grand total - $6.63

I think I just peed a little.




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Another budget challenge...

I had a little chuckle to myself when I read this article - MSN Money put Melinda Fulmer on a challenge - feed her family of four on only $100 for a week. Now that included no household or paper products, but she also restricted herself to not using coupons, and not relying on the warehouse stores like BJ's and Costco. What impressed me is that she also completely avoided the "all-pasta, all-ramen" menu that might be extremely cheap, but also extremely unhealthy.

I did learn a few things though - did you know that the government considers spending $182 a week on groceries to be a "Moderate" food budget for a family of four? That's almost $800 a month! I am currently on track for a $225 month for three of us - but my meals could easily serve four adults and still have leftovers, so I feel pretty confident that even when I am dealing with hungry teenagers, I will still be fully half of that "recommended" budget.

The stigma of coupon shopping has GOT to go....I was among those who couldn't be bothered with clipping them, and now I thrive with them. She makes the comment "many of these are for things that are too fattening or just too expensive to begin with"...and yet I have purchased yogurt, juice, milk, bread, hummus, even fruit and eggs with coupons. I do rely on Couponmom to do a lot of the tracking for me, but it now takes me about 15 minutes at a computer with a printer to pull the info I need and print the coupons I want....I went from fear and loathing to downright adoration in just a few weeks and it has DEFINITELY been worth the learning curve. She even used Couponmom to check the non-coupon store deals, so why not cash in all the way?

Same goes for the idea that there's something wrong with shopping the warehouses, discount grocers and local ethnic markets. If you TRULY want to save money, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't investigate these goldmines. Ms. Fulmer avoided such stores because she "could have saved even more, but this had to be something everyone could do". OK...if you CAN save more, why wouldn't you? Can't everyone find a bargain in their area? I am lucky enough to live really close to a Price Rite, but there are 3 other good discount food chains in my state and I checked - in 10 years and 4 different towns, I've never lived more than 8 miles from one. And I wish I had thought to find them!

She did make some excellent points, and reminded me that I have to get back on task with one very important tight-budget tool. She found that "every meal and snack has to be meticulously planned, and the whole family has to eat it." Meal planning is something I have been lax about, but when you have a budget so tight it squeaks, you have to make every meal count and maximize everything you have on hand. It's possible, but extremely difficult, to do that on the fly. She also discovered some of my favorite budget savers - use less expensive meat in stews, casseroles and crockpot recipes to stretch it further, add more vegetarian (bean-based) meals to the mix, and don't be afraid to use canned meats and veggies. Stew meat and london broil do great in casseroles and slow cookers, and two chicken breasts can easily feed a crowd when diced small in a stir fry.

She pointed out that lunches were really challenging - I have definitely found that as well...I crave variety and don't like constantly falling back on sandwiches or leftovers. But until I can afford to get crazy for lunch AND dinner, it's an occupational hazard. I balance it by making sure I have a variety of fruits and veggies so that if the main lunch is the same, the sides can be mixed up a bit. She mentioned using bean and cheese burritos for lunch - that's one I haven't tried yet!

And the biggest adjustment for me - as she puts it "Dinners were tasty but required a lot more preparation than I was used to". Budget cooking takes work. Too much of our money is thrown away for the sake of convenience! Yeah it's a pain, and it takes time...I lived on my own for so many years that grand preparation of meals had all but escaped me by the time I settled down and had a family. But now I can whip up a meal for six that costs me less than one sit-down entree at a restaurant. Ms. Fulmer ventured into uncharted territory for me - she whipped up a few desserts on top of her meals - but it just inspires me to try adding that to my repertoire as I get more and more comfortable in the kitchen.

At the end of the day, she learned the same lesson that I have become a student of - we waste a lot more money at the store than we realize, and it IS possible to cut back drastically and still leave the table satisfied!



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Pennies into Dollars

Ever take a look into your wallet and wonder where that $20 disappeared to? Balance your checkbook at the end of the month and find you need to make a bigger-than-expected adjustment because of debit card spending you forgot about? We've become the Convenience Nation....everything is at our fingertips, including the means to spend money thoughtlessly on things we don't need or don't feel like waiting for. I found a pretty good article on MSN Money titled "10 little expenses that add up fast" - it brings to the forefront how much cash we throw away a little at a time, not realizing how fast it becomes a budget-breaker. Here are a few of my favorites:

Coffee
Kind of a no-brainer, but how often do we find the drive-thru calling our name? I am a personal fan of the Dunkin Donuts large hazelnut, milk and one sweet and low. But at $2 a pop, it quickly becomes a budget killer. I only work 4 days a week - but if I were to get just one a day, that's $32 a month - I spend less on groceries some weeks. On the flip side, a container of Folgers that makes about 200 8-oz cups of coffee will run me about $10 when it's not on sale. which works out to a NICKEL a cup. For the same size coffee I get at D&D (20 oz) that's still $0.12 per cup. Even if I get the expensive flavored creamer from the store I'm still saving over $15 a month by brewing at home. Plus I never have to worry about getting "greasy" coffee...you know what I mean!

Cigarrettes
Public service announcements aside, this is a woefully expensive habit. The national average cost for a pack is at $4.54 right now, so a pack-a-day smoker is shelling out over $200 a month. Quitting smoking isn't just a health benefit, it's a budget benefit in a huge way - and if you're serious about quitting your doctor can probably get you a prescription for the quit-aids (Nicorette, Chantix, smoking cessation programs) so that your insurance copay covers it. And you'll live a lot longer to enjoy your newfound stash of cash too.

Bottled water
Did you know that Evian spelled backwards is "naive"? I'm still convinced it's just some french dude's backyard hose water. Seriously, bottled water is the WORST convenience consumable ever. Most bottled waters are from municipal sources anyway, so other than being chemically "purified" a bit, they aren't much different than your local tap water anyway. And if, like me, you come from a city where the water is fluoridated, it's better for your kids' teeth to give them water from the faucet. The impact on your wallet? Bottled water is between $1.25 and $1.50 for 20 ounces - so just one a day will run you $37.50-$45 a month. But who gets just one? Actual spending is probably a lot closer to $60-75 a month. Even if you buy the pallets of Poland Spring at BJ's, it's still going to run you more than your tap water. If you're attached to a well or your house has old pipes, a Brita filter will clean up the water nicely and still be less expensive.

Weekday lunches out
Forget to pack yourself something for the office? Don't feel like yet ANOTHER ham sandwich and fruit cup? There's not many inexpensive options if you're breaking out the takeout menus at work. After tax (and tip if they deliver) your chinese food is going to run about $6-7 each time. Getting out of the cubicle instead? Plan on at least $10 for a sit-down lunch. Doing that just a couple of times a week will creep towards $80 a month. I make whole dinners for 4 that cost me less than 6 bucks - if sandwiches aren't cutting it anymore, make an extra portion or two of your dinner meal and pre-package for lunch later in the week. Stock up when the frozen dinner entrees are $2 each (yes it does happen). Or if you live close enough, go home for lunch and shop in your fridge. No matter what you choose, more of your money will land in your bank account at the end of the week.

Vending machine snacks
The 3 o'clock munchies....we've all had them. A few hours left in the workday but the body is calling for a little energy boost - and it's the M&Ms, Fritos, Smartfood, or Snickers from the machine in the hall that answers the call. I remember when a couple of quarters could get me a candy bar - but now they will run you between $0.75 and a dollar. Once a day, and it adds up to over $20 a month. My solution? Buy in bulk if you have a pet snack food and invest in 6-oz storage cups and ziploc bags. For a quarter of the cost, you can keep yourself in snackie goodness all month long.

Unused gym memberships
How long ago did you sign the auto-withdrawal form, and when is the last time you were there more than twice in a month? Regular gym users get their money's worth, but if you find yourself with an ever-growing list of reasons not to go, cancel it. Most gyms will offer "day" passes for about 10 bucks, so unless you are going at least once a week you will actually save money by NOT having a membership. Or take the truly frugal route - put on your sneakers and take a nice walk, run, or bike ride. If you want to build muscle, invest in some basic freeweights and find a corner of the basement to turn into a small home gym. It's not the fancy equipment that makes you fit (otherwise the Bowflex company would get a Nobel Prize) - it's the effort you put in. If Jack LaLane could do it without the help of Work Out World, so can you.

Little steps to save money add up fast - almost $300 a month with just these few tips. It might require a little more work on your part, but your own time and effort doesn't cost you a penny...and saves a LOT of dollars.




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