Menu Plan Monday

We are going to be eating a whole lot of TOMATOES for the next while, because I made out like a bandit at Publix Italian Days this week. I may need to make a quick trip back to the store because I was shopping with two kids and it's nearly impossible to juggle coupons, an infant in a front carrier, and a "car cart" with a toddler in it while trying to keep one's mind focused on shopping!

We were also planning on eating leftovers on Saturday night and discovered that we really didn't have any. That's a good thing, because it means they were being eaten for lunch! But I had to swap out one of the meals I had planned for this week.

Anyway, here's my plan for this week (tentatively):

Sunday: Pancakes, Bacon, Eggs
Monday: Chicken Fried Rice 
Tuesday: Chicken Enchilada Soup (making my own cream of chicken soup)
Wednesday: Mini Meatloaves (based on this recipe, except I have to make mine without cheese), orange slices, fried potato slices
Thursday: Tomato Soup, grilled cheese (for Mr. V and Libbie)
Friday: probably eating out, my grandparents are going to be here
Saturday: Leftovers

If you're interested, here are the steals I got at Publix this week!

$5 off 20 General Mills Deal
2 Green Giant frozen boxed vegetables / 2 @ $1.00 each
--used 2 .50/1 q's that doubled = .00

4 cans Muir Glen diced tomatoes and tomato sauce / $5.34
--used 2 $1/1 q from MuirGlen.com, 1 $1/2 q from coupons.com (not there anymore), and 2 $1/2 store q's from the Italian Days ad = .34

6 cans Progresso beans / $4.00
--used $1/4 store q from Italian Days ad = $3.00

4 cans Progresso soup / $4.58
--used $1/4 store q from Italian Days ad and $1/4 q from CouponNetwork = $2.58

2 cans Green Giant veggies = $1.29

1 large can Hunt's crushed tomatoes = .95

1 small can Hunt's tomato sauce = .34

TOTAL: $8.50
 - $5/20

GRAND TOTAL $3.50

- And I actually would have saved more if I had bought four cans of veggies and four cans of beans, but I am more likely to use the beans. But if you do that you can use the $1/4 store q in the Italian Days ad for canned veggies.

Other steals:
Sargento extra sharp shredded cheddar - $2/pkg, used $1.50/1 store q = .50
Sargento shredded pepperjack - $2/pkg, used $1.50/1 store q = .50
Mentos - .50, used .50/1 q, made .50

Not too shabby! With my other groceries, I spent $60.10 and saved $45.65.

Added to Menu Plan Monday, Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix, and Super Savings Saturday at MoneySavingMom.



----
Subscribe to the RSS feed or by e-mail.
Twitter much? I'm vanderbiltwife there, too.
Join my Facebook Fan Group

Pay for Next Year's Christmas, Part II

See Part 1 here if you missed it.

MyPoints

MyPoints is super easy. Sign up. When they ask what you’re interested in, click on everything. Trust me. Use an e-mail you have reserved for junk mail or these sorts of things. MyPoints will send you many “BonusMails” throughout the day. Click on any of them that just requires you to click to get 5 points. You can also accumulate points by shopping online, printing coupons and using them, or using their toolbar. You can trade the points for gift cards. I’ve gotten many gifts cards for Starbucks, Target, Red Lobster, and Maggiano’s this way. I was able to give my sister-in-law a $10 Panera card just by clicking e-mails!

They don't have a referral link thing, but if you're interested in signing up and wouldn't mind if I got 25 points because of it, e-mail me and I'll send you a referral e-mail.

Amazon Affiliate Program



I’m sure you’ve noticed that I try to link products, books, and movies I’m talking about to Amazon. Mostly this is so you know what I’m talking about and you don’t forget about it before you have the chance to search yourself! But I do make a small percentage if you buy something through one of these links (4-6%). Anyone can sign up for the Amazon Associates program and you should, especially if you have a blog! They’ve now synced with Blogger and Twitter, making things really easy to link to.

I get my payments in the form of Amazon gift cards. Cause like I said, you can get anything on Amazon! But then again, I’m not making $10,000 a month from it like Mr. ProBlogger!

Coupons

Occasionally, especially around the holidays, I get coupons in the mail for things like $10 off a $10 purchase. I've seen quite a few from JC Penney's the last year or so. Of course, their thinking is that it gets you in the store to spend more money. But if you truly use it as it's stated, you can get items for FREE to give away!

I got one of those coupons from the LifeWay store this year, and used it to buy my father-in-law some nice, gourmet coffee, which he loves. Completely free!


I hope this has been helpful to you and you’ll be able to get some “Free Money” this year by using one or more of these programs! So, tell me: Any other useful tips you've used for buying gifts for cheap or free?

Pay for Next Year's Christmas, Part I

 
Like many Americans, we are a little tight fiscally right now. Especially considering that my last day as a full-time employee was last Monday! Until our house sells in Nashville, we’re doing a little relying on freelance and a lot of relying on God.

I admit that my love language is gift-giving and thus I LOVE picking out presents for my friends and family. But this year especially we’ve had to face the fact that they’d much rather have our presence than our presents, especially ones we can’t afford.

It’s hard to know precisely. but I think I spent about $70 out of pocket for Christmas this year. And I probably should have spent less; I got a little slap-happy with the after-Thanksgiving sales and bought Mr. V two ties that were a little more than I wanted. All of the money I spent, however, fell well within our Christmas budget. The cash went toward Mr. V’s ties, a gift for our best friend in the world, some homemade potholders for Mr. V’s mom, and a thrift store outfit for his sister. Here’s how I “financed” the rest. I hope you’ll be able to use some of these sites and tricks starting NOW to work toward saving money for your Christmas next year!

PaperbackSwap



I’ve been a member of PaperbackSwap for over three years now. I’ve really limited the number of books I’m getting shipped to me lately since I have WAY too many—more than I could read in two years, probably. So I had some credits racked up from books I sent out. I was able to get six books from my mom, dad, and sister’s wishlists in gently used condition. Including one I’d had on my wishlist for two years for my dad! Sure, I wanted to give it to him in Christmas 2007, but now was just as good and the wait paid off! It was in pristine condition.

Swagbucks



Swagbucks is an incredible program I’ve been using since about February that I found out about through Jessica Turner. You use Swagbucks as your default search tool online and rack up swagbucks as you search (almost always 2-3 a day, for me). Then you redeem these bucks for prizes or gift cards. The $5 Amazon gift cards are 45 Swagbucks; and since I think you can get pretty much anything on Amazon, I’ve always redeemed my bucks for those gift cards (they send a code via e-mail).

Your other bucks come from codes shared on their blog, toolbar, and Twitter; trading in old cell phones for them to recycle; shopping online; and referring friends. You are matched for the first 100 bucks each of your friends gets through searching. It rocks!

I’ve “made” about $90 in Amazon gift cards this year and used those to buy Christmas gifts and help buy my Ergo carrier.

Stay tuned for more ways to pay for next year's Christmas! And while you're waiting, Amy has some more great tips on this topic!

A Grateful Heart and a Stack of Coats

Most of the time now, I feel poor.

If I sit back, it feels silly. We have enough money to pay a mortgage and a rent, drive back and forth to Chattanooga, pay a baby-sitter, all of our utilities, for groceries, and for a little fun. We eat out every Sunday after church--that's built into our budget.

I've seen true poverty. In 1999, I took my very first plane trip ever at the age of 17 to the Dominic Republic for a mission trip. There, as a part of World Changers, my group helped construct the second story of a small green church with cinderblocks and cement. We walked through the neighborhood, feeling the desperation. We saw the slums, houses made of tin caked together with mud. I saw a Haitian family of 10 living in a hut with pigs and chickens.

Since then, I've been to Thailand, where I saw the aftermath of a terrible tsunami. I saw where five people slept on one bed and had to pee in a hole in the ground. I've been to rural China, where there are no lights after dark and I slept on the guest bed--made of logs and bags of rice. I've seen hungry children in Nashville who just want to find the safe place their home isn't.



Considering all these things, feeling poor is almost indulgent.

One of my friends gave me a coat for Libbie yesterday. I sat there, staring at it, thinking about how she would have five coats by Christmas (I know my parents have purchased one for her)--including a boutique one, one from Mini Boden, and two from Gymboree. There are little girls out there Libbie's age who don't have one coat.

I am so thankful for the abundance we have been given. I am learning more and more to embrace simplicity and let God plan our lives. And I want to share what we have been given. That's why we sponsor a child with Compassion. And that's why I hope you'll give me some ideas as to where I could donate a few precious little girl's coats.

Mary is hosting a carnival each Thursday through Thanksgiving on giving thanks. I hope you'll consider going and reading her post on Compassion today.

When NOT to Go to Kroger

Warning: Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go to Kroger on Senior Discount Day (Wednesday) during triple coupons and the Mega Event!!

It had been a very long time since I went to the Kroger store in Bellemeade, a pretty upscale area of Nashville. I think maybe they had just built it when we lived closer to the area and I went there once or twice. It was a shock to my system when I went in this Wednesday on my lunch break and saw a cello player in the produce section.

I am SO not kidding.



It was one of the nicest grocery stores I've ever been in and a far cry from our Nipper's Corner Kroger near where I live. My Kroger is just your basic grocery store, where you're lucky if the cashier says hi. There are definitely not announcements about how if you are a senior and have a pineapple, you can get a free gift on aisle 13. (SERIOUSLY! OK, maybe they do this at my Kroger and I'm just not ever there in the middle of the day on a Wednesday.)

Anyway, this post is really about the incredible deals I got at Kroger using triple coupons and the Mega Event. If you're in Nashville, the Bellemeade Kroger is doing triple coupons until Tuesday and I think the Mega Event ends this Sunday (11/8). Usually the Nipper's Corner Kroger does triple coupons as well since it competes with Harris Teeter, but I haven't been by to verify that.

Here is what I got on Wednesday for $4.46--and that is WITH $1.07 tax! (All coupons .99 and under were tripled.)

*Three (130-count) boxes of Kleenex tissues [$1.49 ea, used .50/3 coupon = $2.97]
*Two Lean Cuisine pizzas [$1.99 ea, used $2/2 catalina coupon = $1.98]
*One Bird's Eye Lightly Sauced frozen vegetable [$1.99, used .50/1 coupon = $.49]
Two StarKist tuna pouches [1.35 ea., used two .50/1 coupons = FREE--no overage, they adjust the amount down with triples]
*1 package Pillsbury Simply Refrigerated PB cookies [$2.49, used .55/1 coupon = $.84]
1 box MultiGrain Cheerios [$3.17, used $.75/1 coupon = $.92]
*2 boxes Betty Crocker special potatoes [$1.49/ea, used 2 .40/1 coupons = $.58]
*2 cans Carnation Lowfat Evaporated Milk [$1.49/ea, used 2 free vouchers from Carnation Challenge, but there is a coupon for .50/2 available = FREE or $1.48 if you were to use coupon]
3 cans Hunt's tomatoes (2 fire-roasted and 1 whole tomatoes) [$1/ea, used .75/3 coupon = $.75]

- $5.00 for Mega Event

* denotes items that went toward the Mega Event, where when you buy 10 items, you get $5 off your order. I acutally got 11.

Those numbers won't work out exactly, because the $5 came off first and they adjusted coupons so items would not be more-than-free. But it does appear that before tax I only spent $3.39 on all of this food! Can you even believe it?

I will likely donate the potatoes, along with another 2 boxes I have from a previous Mega Event purchase, to a food pantry since I'm not big on the boxed potatoes. And I gave the cookie dough to a friend and made a little girl very happy. Since I don't have a lot of excess income to gift with right now, being able to get these items for pennies and use them to bless others is a HUGE BLESSING for me!

Linking up to Super Savings Saturday so others can see these coupon match-ups and hopefully use them as well! I found great match-ups at Stretching a Buck and Mommy Snacks, which helped me plan precisely what I wanted to get. Just keep in mind prices may vary per area so I checked against my ad.

Frugal Fashionista Style

I know I have my own carnival going on, but I've been waiting MONTHS to share some frugal style with you via Jen's "fashion show"!

This was my go-to summer outfit that I wore everywhere. I just LOVED the skirt. Although it was one size too big, wearing a longer top you couldn't tell at all. The skirt was $2 at Goodwill on half-price day! My Ralph Lauren tank top was also $2 the same day. My cardigan was on clearance at Lane Bryant and I picked it up for $5 brand-new! And although my shoes were not as inexpensive, I wore them and one other pair throughout my entire pregnancy and am still getting good wear out of them. That makes them a deal in my book! (And they were from Payless in the first place...)

(sorry the picture is so blurry)

When we were visiting the new house in Chattanooga for the first time, I eyed a small consignment store that looked promising. Not only did I find my $7 Vigoss jeans there, I got this lovely suede jacket for $5. (As well as some great gray work pants.)

Probably 75% of Libbie's clothes come from either thrift stores, consignment sales, or are hand-me-downs. This pink Liz Claiborne dress came with matching bloomers and was 75 cents at a small local thrift store. More frugalista baby fashion here.

Right now pretty much all of my clothes are from thrift stores, as I'm still carrying baby weight and my body is just different than it was pre-pregnancy. If you look hard enough, you can find some GREAT pieces. My #1 tip is search out thrift stores in upscale areas. Our local Franklin Goodwill is a goldmine, even for plus-sized girls like me!

Visiting Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for great frugal tips on all aspects of life!

A Working Parent Tip

These days, we're REALLY trying to save money due to the abysmal selling-our-house situation. So I try to take my lunch to work most every day.

In the mornings, however, I'm not only trying to get myself ready for work, but also getting my baby girl up, changed, dressed, fed, and packing her diaper bag for the day. She eats a LOT of little things so it takes me time to prepare all of those each day. In addition, she wears cloth diapers so if they aren't already folded and stuffed, it's another task I add to the morning routine.

(This single parenting during the week stinks! Not only do I have to get all our stuff ready, I have to make sure she's not trying to swim in the toilet or falling down the stairs.)

If there is not something I can easily grab for breakfast or lunch, I often give up and end up eating out for lunch at work.

So my number one solution to this has been to divide up leftovers in individual portions right after dinner. That way, I can easily grab a tupperware container on my way out the door in the morning and have a delicious lunch.



I keep them stacked at eye level in the refrigerator so I can see my selections and make a quick choice.

This tip helps me save money, eat healthier, and it works for me!
___

If you're visiting from Works for Me Wednesday, I have a fun little carnival going on called The 12 Days of Libbie. I'd love it if you'd link up a post you've written that loves on your kid(s)!

Shopaholic Cheapskate

The theme of this week seems to be: I have a confession.

Confession 1: I am on the verge of giving up breastfeeding.
Confession 2: I make my Christmas list all year round.
And coming tomorrow ... I hate tomatoes.

But for now, Christmas.

I am pretty cheap. I'm no Money Saving Mom, but I've whittled down my grocery bill this year, buy almost all secondhand clothes at Goodwill and consignment sales, and try to keep the random purchases to a minimum. This is totally learned behavior, but I'm getting more skilled. And more patient! (And can I say, I TOTALLY love my Vigoss jeans I bought for $7 at a thrift store in Chattanooga! Best fitting jeans I've ever found. They're these...but not size 1!!)

And so, I shop by wish list. I've used both Amazon wish list and Kaboodle, but I prefer Amazon, especially now that they have universal wishlist--where you can add anything from anywhere on the Internet. There's not much you can't find listed on Amazon, but for clothes especially, the universal list is awesome.



It's nice to be able to add year-round when I think of something I might actually really want or need, as opposed to sitting there on Thanksgiving Day, a pen forced into my hand, trying to rack my brain for something. I definitely don't expect to get gifts only off a list, but I know I enjoy having a list for others and I hope they feel the same way for me. (And my mother-in-law refuses to shop except off a list.)

I go through periods, though, where I obsess over it. (Surprise, surprise. What can I NOT obsess over?) I've been on a bit of a wishlist kick lately--especially after seeing the adorable things at the Dayspring/(in)courage store. Current desires are Department 56 Christmas village items, Broadway soundtracks (always!), and cookbooks from my fellow bloggers!

Usually I have most of my own Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. I haven't even given it a thought until today, though. Guess it's time to get the wheels turning.

Have you thought at all about Christmas? What's one fun item you'd put on your wishlist (or is on it already)?

Kaboodle
Amazon wishlists

Should Entertaining Be Part of a Grocery Budget?

The place where I really struggle in sticking to my grocery budget of $40 a week is with entertaining and taking meals to people. Both of those are things I enjoy, ministries even.

Through Sunday School, I am often called upon to take a meal to a family with a new baby or someone who is sick. I like to bring food into work and be able to help out co-workers who have had surgery or are down for the count. My work team is close-knit and visited me several times when I was on maternity leave (once bringing me a Subway cold cut combo--the pregnancy "don't" that I craved).

Mr. V and I also love to have people over, despite my abysmal housekeeping. I like to think the meals make up for the state of the house. And when I have people over, I feel compelled to serve salad, main course, sides, dessert--an actual meal, as opposed to what Mr. V and I usually eat (a casserole; a meat and a veggie; grilled cheese). And don't get me wrong--I LOVE it. I love to feed people and it blesses me to have other enjoy my food.

But usually we do things on the spur of the moment. I don't take into account a meal for company when I plan our menus, because who knows if we will have people over that week. And so, quite often, I end up spending another $20 here and there at the store buying ingredients for these meals. And then I feel that I've gone over my grocery budget--time and again.

What do you do? Do you always have the fixings for a company meal on hand? Or a casserole you can make up in a flash to take to a sick friend? Do you have a separate budget for it? I would love your input on this.

Super Savings Saturday

Some days, couponing just makes me annoyed. I hate doing it, but I make myself.

And then today, I was gleeful. I had the time to do it; I did my homework on Southern Savers and printed out the right coupons. I zoomed around Publix, getting only what I planned on, and saving a ton of money. Kroger was not quite as easy, and I ended up going a tiny tiny bit over what I wanted to spend. I should have put something back, but it was such a small amount and I still struggle with being embarassed over that.

At Publix, I bought blueberries, one plum tomato, Huggies baby wash, Granny Smith apples, Muir Glen tomato paste, Publix redskin potato salad, 2 Tai Pei frozen dinners, A-1 marinade, and Blue Diamond almonds. With my coupons, the Huggies wash was 14 cents, the marinade I got a 55 cent overage, the potato salad was 45 cents with a Baby Club coupon, the almonds were 59 cents, the tomato paste was 9 cents, and the Tai Pei dinners were 99 cents each. I spent $7.54 before tax.

At Kroger, I bought Marzetti veggie dip (on clearance), salsa, shredded cheese, cheese slices, frozen cornish game hen halves (.99 with $1 off catalina coupon), bakery buns, Dole salad (.71 on clearance), a Betty Crocker warm delight (.49 with cellfire and doubled manufacturer coupon), ground turkey, cherries, peaches, 6 yoplait cups (1.80 for with cellfire and doubled mfg Q), tortilla chips, lunchmeat ham, Santa Cruz strawberry lemonade (.74 with coupon), refried beans, natural peanut butter, granola bars, and a salmon fillet (1.98 on clearance). I spent $29.93 before tax.

Altogether, about $38 before tax, but more than $40 after tax. I'm trying to not spend over $40 total. But still, a very successful trip! I'm trying to do more shopping for what I can get really, really cheap and making what I can with those ingredients. So for this next week, I have 2 rolls of lean ground beef I got for about $1.50 each and some shrimp I got for $4, as well as a freezer meal.

I found all my deals for this week on Southern Savers. I'm also linking this up with Super Saver Saturday at Money Saving Mom.

Menu Plan Monday

OK, I have to admit that I came home from the grocery store gleeful and told Mr. V, "I won the grocery game!" I don't subscribe to the real Grocery Game, but you know I do my own coupon-sale configurations to get great deals each week. This week I got two bags of Kraft shredded cheese for 32 cents. TOTAL. I nearly did a happy dance.

As I was unloading groceries, I got the call from my dad that my grandpa's funeral will be Sunday, so I don't think we'll be home Fri-Sun nights. So these meals will probably be moved to next week, but here's what I was planning.

Monday: grilled sandwiches, fruit salad, tortilla chips
Tuesday: shrimp skewers, rice, broccoli
Wednesday: church (spaghetti)
Thursday: burritos (OAMC)
Friday: BBQ Chicken Cornbread Pizza (from Rachael Ray 365, extremely similar to this recipe except the topping is ground chicken, red bell pepper, and barbecue sauce, topped with cheddar)
Saturday: Cheddar Butter Burgers (OAMC), onion rings, corn on the cob
Sunday: sausage, eggs, grits

OAMC = Once a Month Cooking

I met my $25/week budget ($40 week - money spent on OAMC) and found some wonderful deals this week! Here's what I got.

Publix ($12.03)
2 ears corn
Bertolli oven meals (sale + $1.25 coupon)
1 mango
4 shrimp skewers (on sale $10/10, used $1 off fresh meat coupon from Publix baby club)
2 Healthy Choice meals
Publix American singles (penny item)

Kroger ($13.05)
tortilla chips
strawberries
wheat kaiser rolls
2 pkg. Kraft cheese (on sale 3/$5, used 2 $1 off coupons from coupons.com, used $1 off dairy item coupon from Publix baby club--Kroger takes competitor coupons. Total--32 cents for both!)
frozen corn
1/2 gallon milk
lunchmeat ham
8 oz. tomato sauce
3 peaches
1 red bell pepper
Lysol toilet bowl cleaner (sale + coupon = 82 cents)
2 Jiffy corn muffin mixes\

For more menu plans, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie. For more grocery savings, head over to Money Saving Mom!

Publix Bargain Meals: Ranch Chicken Kebabs

Gotta love a holiday grocery ad! Lots of good deals to be had this week. For once, I am making up my own recipe to use the very best deals I can.

Deals:
chicken thighs, .99/lb
corn, .25/cob
Kraft salad dressing, 1.50--plus use $1 coupon from coupons.com
vidalia onions .67./lb
red potatoes 2.99/5 lb. bag
Near East couscous 1.10


Ranch Chicken Kebabs
Serves 6

1 lb. chicken thigh, cut up into bite-size hunks (.99)
1 Vidalia onion, cut into a very large dice (about .30)
1 lb. small red potatoes, quartered (or cut into large hunks if your potatoes are a little bigger) (.60)
2-3 T. ranch dressing (.04 if you use coupon on the dressing)
chili powder

Thread chicken, onion, and potato pieces onto long skewers, alternating order. Brush the kebabs well with ranch dressing. Let sit in fridge for about 30 minutes, long enough to let the ranch flavor set in a little. Take out; sprinkle with chili powder. Broil in oven until done or grill. Serve with grilled corn (or boiled or broiled) and couscous.

TOTAL $4.53

Most Boring Menu Plan, Ever

Not that the meals are that very boring, but I only had to do VERY minimal shopping since we're going to be out of town for the Memorial Day holiday.

Monday: Hammy Cheese (OAMC), carrots

Tuesday: Herb Baked Chicken Breasts from Betty Crocker's Come Home to Dinner, broccoli, corn fritters

Wednesday: dinner at church
Thursday: Cheddar Butter Burgers (OAMC), onion rings, peas

OAMC= Once a month cooking, if you haven't been here before! Click here to read about my experience with it.

This week at the grocery, I used NO COUPONS. Can you believe it? But I just needed very few things. Since we're not going to be here for three nights, I just included the items we're bringing for Sunday School breakfast tomorrow in our normal grocery budget, because I could.

P.S. We're bringing orange juice, watermelon, and Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (OAMC) without going over our normal grocery budget! Something I never would have been able to do before!

Here's what I got this week for $18.86 before tax.

2 Granny Smith apples
orange juice
broccoli (several heads)
whole wheat elbow macaroni (orange-stickered for $1.09 at Kroger)
terra chips
watermelon (1/4 whole)
1 bag frozen chicken cutlets
1 bag frozen corn
1 box panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

As always, you can check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for other wonderful menu plans. If they are good recipes, next week I'll share how to make the herb chicken breats and corn fritters. 'Til then!

This Week's CVS Adventure

This was the first time I was brave enough to do multiple transactions at CVS in order to maximize my savings. It worked! And they didn't fuss at all. I think the cashier was impressed with what I got.

I generally only CVS if I need something, unless I can get stuff for free or more-than-free. In this case, I needed baby sunscreen. The CVS brand costs $7.99.

Transaction 1

--1 Bayer Contour glucose meter $14.99 - $13 coupon (I think it should have been for the whole $15, but I didn't put up a fuss. It also has a rebate which I might try and see if I can get! If not, hey, nothing lost)

--1 Schick Quattro $8.99 - $4 coupon

--1 Bayer crystals 4 ct.

___________________

$8.98 + $1.77 tax = $10.75

Used $6.89 ECB

Paid $3.86

Got $11 ECB ($5 glucose meter, $4 razor, $2 aspirin)

Transaction 2

--1 12-pack Lipton teas $5.99

--1 6 oz. Stacy's pita chips $3.00 - $1 coupon

--1 bag Doritos $3.00

--baby sunscreen $7.99 <-- got for free b/c of buying above 3 items [spend $10, get sunscreen promotion]

_____________________

$10.99 + .93 tax

Used $9 ECB from above transaction

Paid $2.92 OOP

The baby sunscreen itself was $7.99. I paid $6.78 total for everything here. I could have used my other $2 ECB that I earned in transaction 1, but I decided to keep them for next time (silly, like it matters one way or the other).

Other recent CVS adventures:

My Ego is Just Slightly Inflated

I Love CVS Today

Menu Plan Monday

Hey! If you're here from Menu Plan Monday, you should check out my Once-a-Month Cooking Extravaganza that took place this weekend. I've decided to divvy up those meals over 8 weeks. My part of the cooking was $125, so that leaves me with about $25 a week instead of $40. We'll eat 2-3 freezer meals a week and have plenty for lunches. My OAMC meals will be designated (OAMC) for you!

Monday: No Fuss Chicken Cordon Bleu (OAMC), egg noodles, peas
Tuesday: Hashbrowns, eggs, grits, breakfast sausage
Wednesday: church (chicken quarters)
Thursday: Orange-Apricot Pork Chops (OAMC), corn on the cob, rice
Friday: Remaining pork chops (I think there are 4 big ones packaged together), fried green tomatoes, baby carrots
Saturday: supper club (going out)
Sunday: leftovers/scrounge

I thought I was adding up stuff as I went along at Kroger today, but either I miscalculated or something rang up wrong and I couldn't tell, but I went over what I thought I had spent. Oops!

Here's what I got this week. I spent $28.77 (again, oops), but I will cut back next week to make up for it. Or at least try!

Publix ($7.76)
Sun Chips (sale + coupon)
Fat Boy jr. ice cream sandwiches
Cascadian Farms granola bars (1/2 off + coupon = $1!)
4 ears corn (4/$1)
baby carrots
Publix BBQ potato chips (penny item)

Kroger ($21.01)
Sobe drink (free with catalina coupon)
3 boxes Uncle Ben's rice mix (sale + coupon)
organic onion rings
2 Granny Smith apples
2 packs hot dog buns
1 doz. eggs
green beans (to make Libbie food)
2 clearance jars baby food
2 pkg. Oscar Meyer hot dogs (sale + coupon)
1 green tomato
2.5 lbs. oranges
pop-tarts
Johnsonville breakfast sausage (sale + coupon)

Find more wonderful menu plans at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Triple Coupons, How I Love Thee

As always, more great menu plans are available by clicking on the logo there!

Here's the menu plan for this week. My goal is to clean out the freezer, because Meredith and I are doing once-a-month cooking on Saturday! Eeep!

Monday: Creole Shrimp and Grits
Tuesday: Orange Marmalade Tilapia--thanks Once a Month Mom for the recipe!
Wednesday: Steaks, veggies, orzo
Thursday: Baked Ziti
Friday: (Sort-Of) Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza
Saturday: BIG cooking day! Leftovers
Sunday: Leftovers/whatever meal I didn't make during the week 'cause there's always one, somehow!


Around these parts, Harris Teeter was doing triple coupons up to .99 this week. So Thursday night I ventured out and got some things there. I find their prices here are pretty high, though, so some things weren't a good deal even with triple coupons! Then I found out that some of our Krogers are doing triple coupons as well--including the one I normally haunt. So tonight I went and got the rest of what I needed this week (and other freebies) there.


I spent $38.93 this week--and saved $43.86 with coupons! (And my total includes some things I don't normally include in my budget, non-food and baby items.)


Here's what I got.



Harris Teeter
Palmolive dish soap
Planters big nut bars
2 boxes brown sugar
garlic powder
Wet Ones wipes
graham cracker pie crust
Colgate toothpaste
2 foil casserole pans
frozen cinnamon monkey bread
garlic Texas toast
Veg-All frozen veggies
6 Dannon yogurts
Daisy sour cream


Kroger
green pepper
2 bags No Yolks egg noodles
shredded mozzarella
colby cheese slices
pizza crust (2-pk)
eggs
1 loaf bread
green onions
asparagus
Reese's 100 calorie bars
2 lbs. grapes
chocolate raspberry mini delights
gouda cheese (could have saved a lot had I not gotten this, but thought we needed a splurge! And this is what the BBQ chicken pizza recipe calls for.)
2 pkg. Mentos gum
tomato paste
Land O Lakes spreadable butter
Kraft BBQ sauce
3 2-pks baby food
2 kiwis
1/2 gal milk


WOW!!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm feeling ... off this morning. And insanely sleepy. So I will proceed with this in the most boring, straightforward fashion and forgo the musings this morning.

Monday: John McCain's Ribs, corn on the cob, salad
Tuesday: Ham and Hashbrown Bake (freeze half)
Wednesday: church (spaghetti)
Thursday: salad supper at church
Friday: Mexican Unstuffed Shells
Saturday: Orange Marmalade Tilapia, rice, broccoli/cauliflower blend
Sunday: Leftovers

(I borrowed liberally from the menus at Once a Month Mom this week. Thanks, Trish and Cortney! And can I mention I am SO EXCITED Meredith and I are planning to do our own Once a Month Cooking BIG DAY!)

I spent $42.50 before tax this week (looking at my receipt, I think my ribs cost more than I thought they did. I have a bad habit of not checking my receipt at the store--bad plan!!).

Here's what I got this week (at Kroger):

orange juice
4 c. shredded cheddar
yo-plus 4-pk yogurt (coupon)
marmalade
Kroger brand Pop-Tarts
frozen fruit popsicles
pasta shells
2 pk. Ortega taco seasoning (for .52!)
4 lbs. pork country-style ribs
2 cans "healthy" cream of mushroom
3 lemons
1 bag salad
bag frozen tilapia fillets
1.1 lb. apples
1 can tomato sauce
4 ears corn
1 lb. ground turkey
soy sauce

Click on the Menu Plan Monday icon to check out more menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday

I'm home sick. Not being able to breathe is taking its toll! Enjoying the rest today.

I'm not planning for any further than Thursday, because both (!) sides of our family are coming in for Libbie's baby dedication. Who knows what kind of craziness will ensue!

Monday: Steak Stir-Fry
Tuesday: Creole Shrimp and Grits (modified to use frozen, already flavored shrimp)
Wednesday: church
Thursday: Quick Baked Chicken (like a chicken shepherd's pie)

I need to go lay back down, so I will skip the detailed list to tell you, yes I came in under my $40 budget. Because of fewer meals and manager's specials, I was able to stockpile some good lunch things and buy the items to make a meal to take to one of Mr. V's colleagues who had a baby recently.

There were some great deals in Kroger's $10 for 10 special this week. As always, you don't have to buy 10 to get the deal--1 is $1. I got Quaker rice cakes and Suave deoderant for free because I had coupons that doubled. And I got some Bird's Eye steamfresh veggies for .30 each, because of .35 coupons that doubled. Check your coupons against the ads to see what great deals you can find!

I Love CVS Today

I kinda have a love/hate relationship with CVSing. Usually, it seems like no matter how ready I am with my list, coupons, ExtraCare Bucks, etc, I still end up spending way too much out of pocket. But I have been trying harder lately. Really studying the ad, other sites that outline scenarios, and clipping more coupons. This week I scored! And I even had Libbie with me, which makes me a little nervous--but she slept through her first CVSing experience.

I was determined not to buy too much today--just stick with what I could get for a couple bucks. And it worked!

Here's what I did today:

2 bottles Pantene Natural Fusion Shampoo: $3.50 each = $7.00

--Used $3/2 coupon

--Got $2 ECB back

1 Skintimate cream shave: $3.49

--Got $3.49 ECB back

2 cans of Pringles: 88 cents each = 1.76

--Used $1/2 coupon

1 Degree Girl deodorant: on clearance for $1.85

--Used .75 coupon

--Goes toward Unilever free ham

1 Dove deodorant: on clearance for $2.40

--Used $1 coupon

--Goes toward Unilever free ham

TOTAL $10.75

Used $7.99 ECB

Total OOP $2.76

Got back $5.49 ECB for advertised deals, .50 ECB from unbeknownst source, and $4/20 coupon.

The Case of The $8 Veggie Tray

aka: Why I went over my budget even though I barely bought any meat. And had only spent $30 an hour into my shopping trip and had everything I needed.



Anyway, for those of you who don't want to hear The Saga of My Grocery Shopping Experience every week, here's what we're having for dinner this week. Click the icon for more great menu plans today!

Monday: Sweet Potato Hash with toast
Tuesday: Strawberry-Balsamic Chicken, brown rice, extra strawberries
Wednesday: Taco salad at church
Thursday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots
Friday: Grilled Chicken Pasta Alfredo
Saturday: Potato Soup, homemade bread
Sunday: Easter dinner (we're providing ham and dessert and having 6 friends join us! I haven't shopped for this yet and didn't include it in my budget anyway.)

So, the veggie tray. I think I got a little excited because I did SO well at Publix this week and then got most of what I needed at Kroger and still had (I thought) $10 left to spend. I think I started throwing stuff in my cart a little too quickly, including an $8 veggie tray. Now, we do need to eat more vegetables and this is a good way to do so. But I could have made a tray myself for less. But, what's done is done. Here's what I got this week!

Publix ($8.36)
Kashi frozen meal (free with coupon from kashi.com, I don't think they're offering it anymore)
Breyer's ice cream (1/2 off + coupon = 1.75)
Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta ($1 off coupon)
Emerald chocolate almonds (1/2 off + coupon = 1.90)
Trop50 orange juice (1/2 off + coupon = .90)
Ragu alfredo sauce (1/2 off + coupon = .26)
1 sweet potato
Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage
loaf white bread (penny item)

Kroger (37.46)
Veggie tray
strawberries
chuck steak (1.83 manager's special)
Anjou pears
1/2 gallon milk
frozen veggie mix
Jell-o pudding
Dannon yogurt 6-pk
1 can crushed tomatoes
wheat bread
2 boxes Wheat Thins (B1G1 + coupon = $1 for both)
3 bags shredded cheese
deli ham slices
deli cheese slices
salsa (.88 manager's special)
frozen stir-fry blend
bananas
crushed pineapple
5-lb bag potatoes

TOTAL
$45.82 before tax. In other words, had I passed up the veggie tray, I would have been good and under my $40 a week goal.

Oh well.