End of the Year Wrap-Up

I'm busy tallying up all of my grocery receipts to give a grand total of savings for the year. Savings were down some this year because I did not pursue prescription transfers and drug store deals. There simply was too much going on and I had a fairly good supply of shampoo and the like. I'll be back shortly with a tentative grand total and a game plan for next year's budget.

Less than 48 hours now....

It's been a busy week even being off for several days. I really had more to do than I thought.
Tomorrow, Thursday, I have to get one more gift and solve a gift card situation. Groceries and green beans have been procured. The ham is reserved and is scheduled for pick up early Friday morning.

I still have more cleaning. After several hours of cookie baking with two four year olds, I will need to give the kitchen floor a good mopping tomorrow. I plan to be up bright an early to get things started.

While I finish my chores, I am taking a bloggy break until after Christmas. Hope you and your family a Merry Christmas and enjoy lots of good food and good tidings.

Weekly Menu

I just realized that I never posted a menu for the week.

Saturday - Buffalo Chicken Fingers and Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - BBQ Pork Chops, Mac and Cheese
Monday - Spaghetti
Tuesday - Cubed Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli
Wednesday - TBD
Thursday - Tacos
Friday - TBD

Here's a hint to jazz up jarred spaghetti sauce. Brown ground beef and add a jar of spaghetti sauce along with some dried oregano and basil. To this add up to one cup of red wine and up to 1/4 cup of virgin olive oil. Allow the sauce to simmer until it is well blended and thickened. This is a great way to use up a partial bottle of wine.

Another trick is to add some tomato paste (about two tablespoons) and some olive oil. Simmer as noted above.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

In the mail today, I got a .19 refund on the last bill I paid off. Heck, the postage and the cost to cut the check was way more than that .19! It reinforced the concept that I had paid that off and now they owed me money.


Christmas this year is a totally cash one. They'll be no big bill come January or February to fret over. Gifts will be thoughtful and useful. We all made Christmas lists of things we could really use. (Except for the little kids, of course!)


I have tomorrow off and I'm expecting a plumber to come resolve an issue we have. I hope it will be less expensive than last time. While I'm on the subject, let me emphasise that you should NEVER put raw rice into your garbage disposal. I made the mistake of throwing a cup of raw rice into the sink. After running the hot water and disposal, the drain (and disposal) became horribly stopped up. It ended up costing $400 to get the clog cleared. Since then, only very small quantities of pasta or rice are allowed down the drain. Potato and vegetable peels always go directly into the compost pile. (It's much cheaper than the plumber's fee.)

I hope to get the house cleaned, laundry and dishes done (before the plumber gets here) and some baking done. My plan is to make a batch of six different cookies - bake half now and freeze the other half for Christmas eve baking. Molasses cookies tomorrow and maybe fudge! (Fudge is always better after it ages a few days!)

Holiday Status Update

The tree is decorated, the outside lights are up and on.

The outside decorations have been a bit of a disappointment this year. Evidently, the icicle lights have reached their limit. We will definitely have to replace these for next year. I also wanted to get a new yard decoration but it was a bit pricey. It's still a possibility, we'll see how the budget shakes out over the next week or so.

Inside decorations are good. I wish I had some more bling for the kitchen. I historically have had indoor icicle lights in the kitchen but since my big window is gone, I'm not sure what I can do to bling it up.

Christmas cards went out last week.

Baking will start in the next few days.

I'm still waiting for the Christmas Spirit......

Groceries and Menu

Sorry I'm so late getting this posted.

My grocery expenditures for the week was just less than $50. No big bargains, no coupons, just essentials.

Saturday - Pot o' Chili
Sunday - Kbobs and Roasted Vegetables, Brussel Sprouts
Monday - Chili over Baked Potatoes
Tuesday - Spaghetti
Wednesday - Waffles and Sausage
Thursday - Chicken and Dumplins'
Friday - TBD (Chili cheese fries?)

I relied heavily on the freezer and pantry this week. The chili was from stockpiled items, I had potatoes already. I threw the spaghetti together with some leftover sauce with meatballs - I added some fresh sauce to stretch, some olive oil and red wine. DH said it was very good. Wednesday's sausage is from the freezer as will be most of the Chicken and Dumplins.

I did learn an important lesson this week. Spaghetti Sauce jars do NOT freeze well. Last time I cooked chicken, I put the strained broth (cooled) into a spaghetti sauce jar and a canning jar. The canning jar did fine but the spaghetti sauce jar was severely cracked when I removed it from the freezer. On a positive note, they make excellent storage containers for grains and half boxes of pasta. They look good and they are easier to store than all those packets and half empty boxes.

To Do List to To Done.....

I've got a list of "to do" items a mile long, it's a good thing I have tomorrow off.

The outside lights are up and just need to have the extension cords hooked up. I loaned out a couple of our outside decorations so there wasn't quite as much to put up. I was able to get the garland and lights hung Sunday while it was still, relatively, warm. I should be able to quickly get the deer out in the yard tomorrow.

The tree is up and decorated. I find that the biggest time saver has been to install the lights in a way that I'm able to disconnect the cords where the tree comes apart. The lights get stored ON the tree. Usually, it's a quick set up with little or no light adjustments.

This year, we added a Christmas train around the base of the tree. It's a little bigger than we originally thought but it's fun. I'm hoping to have the train run through a gift tunnel. (We'll see how that works!)

I have a couple of Christmas craft projects that I need to finish - actually, to be honest, I need to start them! Tomorrow will be a busy day.

Reading Update

I've read 43 books so far this year. 13 since I received my Kindle in October. I have reached and exceeded my goal for 2010.

Update on Kitchen Reno

Here's how this renovation project has progressed since mid-October.

1. Replaced an old, rotting, single-paned window that would not open with a brand new casement window that cranks open. I have enjoyed this emmensely.

2. Removed a large multi-paned window (single pane) and a ill located back door and replace with new french doors. These doors have integrated blinds within the window. Double paned for energy efficency.

3. New siding as needed on the back of the house has been painted.

4. New sheet rock inside the back wall painted.

5. All of the kitchen walls have received a coat of paint.

6. New light fixture, new knobs.

Still to do:

1. Paint lower half of wall a darker accent color.
2. Clean and paint/touch up cabinets.
3. Remove and refinish cabinet hinges
4. Paint new door inside and out.
5. Decorate to coordinate new gray color with warn neutral colors of house.

Grocery Shopping and Menu Monday

Sunday - Hamburger Steaks and Baked Potatoes
Monday - Brunswick Stew and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Tuesday - Wanchai Ferry Chicken Dinner
Wednesday - Chicken Tortilla Soup and Salad
Thursday - Smoked Sausage and Mac and Cheese
Friday - TBD (as usual)

My grocery trip today (Sunday) was very minimal. I only spent $27 but since I purchased a few dairy items, some produce and one package of ground sirloin, I used absolutely no coupons. Let's just call it cold turkey from the coupons and sales.

I may take a quick run back at Publix Wednesday if I find a deal I really need to take advantage of. I still have a lot of options available in the Freezer and Pantry that need to be consumed.

Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner including Roasted Turkey, Cornbread Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans, Whiskey Carrots, Cranberry Sauce, Gravy and Rolls. A real feast.

We are grateful to have shared our dinner with our children and grandchildren.

Oops!

I've woefully neglected blogging for the last week. There seemed to be so much to do with getting the kitchen straightened out and prepping for Thanksgiving.

As it stands now, the table is set and all the prep work is done. Pies and brownies are baked. I should be able to get the bird in the oven and finish everything in a few hours tomorrow. Details and pictures to follow.

Here's hoping that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Grocery Deals

I was really late shopping this week. I finally got to Publix Tuesday after work. Since I had picked up some milk, eggs, etc. on Sunday, I was mainly focused on the deals for the week and a couple of items we were out of.

Just the facts: OOP was $25, Savings of $20.47!

What did I get?
A great deal on Wanchai Ferry. The usual price of $7.99 is well above my threshold for a nightly main dish for two. Publix had a great BOGOF coupon in a recent ad. I combined that with two $1.50/1 MFs for a net price of only $2.50 per package. I picked up two.

Free or nearly free: Vigo rice, Mahatma Rice, and Helluva dip. Good deals: Domino brown sugar, Hunts tomatoes, Stove Top.

Then, I went to Kroger Wednesday. They routinely have the Tyson Boneless Skinless chicken breasts for $1.99 a pound (with card). This week, they are $1.79 a pound. I picked up three packages, two Blue Bell ice creams, two value sugars and some candy for holiday gifts.

OOP was $26. Savings = $23.02. (The Kroger customer service rep was great. I realized halfway to the car that I had forgotten to use my Blue Bell coupons. I quickly got $2 in cash back. Sweet!)

Total for the week. OOP $50, savings $43. Not too bad.

Menu Monday

OK, I just threw this together. It was 3:30 on Sunday evening. I bought milk, doughnuts and hashbrowns at Walmart. I had picked up something for dinner Saturday night at the grocery store and not much else.

I shopped the freezer and decided that I could make a pot of vegetable beef soup WITHOUT a trip to the grocery store. Monday's dinner would be a Wanchai Ferry entree. I will shop Tuesday after work for a couple of items and some of the specials for the week.

Sunday - Vegetable Beef Soup
Monday - Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken
Tuesday - Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Wednesday - Waffles and Sausage
Thursday - Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Friday - TBD

Not bad for minimal shopping and planning. Right?

Busy Weekend Recap

Wow! I'm so far behind in my weekend chores but let me give you a quick recap.....

Friday, the contractor started on the door replacement. He was here, with his helper, early to get started. By noon, the door and the window were out and he was rebuilding the new header. By the time I got home at 4:30, the new door was in and they were wrapping up for the day.

Saturday, he came by and put some more sheetrock mud on and did a few more general things. I was able to get the exterior siding caulked and ready to paint. Sunday I got out early and got a first coat of paint on the siding. (It still needs a little touch up and some spots could probably use a touch more paint.) The contractor came by to give a final coat of mud and get the trim work (door trim, baseboard, chair rail and crown moulding) back in place.

It's amazing the difference the trim makes!

It was a good thing that the paint got on Sunday since we had rain today (Monday) and will likely have rain again tomorrow.

Now, my to-do list is still quite long. I need to get the remaining wallpaper over the cabinets taken off. Then I need to sand the mud and prime. After that, I need to paint the walls and finally, paint the trim. (Oh, and I need to caulk inside.)

Oh my! I'm going to try to take it a little at a time.

Executive Decision

I'm changing the menu selection for Thursday:

Spaghetti with meatsauce, Salad will replace Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Why? I'm having my kitchen wall torn out Friday morning. Spaghetti will give me a little more time to prepare. Sorry, kids! We'll get to that Casserole next week.

Wait, I'm having a Dave Ramsey moment.....

Today is a red letter day - in a good way. Another debtor bites the dust.

I just sent the payment off to payoff a small loan that I had. I paid it off about six months early by doubling the payment for the last few months. Now, I'll take that extra money and apply it to the next one. It's a slow and sometimes tedious process but it works.

If I remember correctly, this is the second debt we've paid off this year. Yea!!!! I originally had hoped to get three done (that included hubby's car) but we've elected to do some home repairs that have taken some cash. The car, even at it's normal payment amount, will be paid off in less than a year.

My goal is to get two more paid off next year, provided we're both still employed. (I'm still dealing with some uncertainty over my job. But really, isn't everyone? What happened to the 'good ole days' when you didn't have to worry about your job if you were successful? In our current economic times, performance is unrelated to job security!)

Well, back to the positive. One more down, more to go.

Awesome Candy Deals

We picked up a bag of tootsie pops (50) at Walmart Friday night along with a bag of milk duds. The pops were $2.43 and the milk duds were about $1.25. I thought that was good. Until...

Saturday we went to Target. I checked the Halloween aisle and didn't find much. We had to go back Sunday to return something so I checked again. I found some Kraft caramels. At first, I thought that they were there by mistake but I decided to scan and check. Imagine my surprise when I found that they were marked at .19 a bag. Nineteen Cents! I picked up six.

At Walmart, I also found a container of Wilton Halloween cookie cutters (19) for only $2.50! These were still $9 at another Walmart.

Freezer Week 4: The Freezer Strikes Back

OK, we've done a pretty good job of using freezer and pantry stuff for the last few weeks. I still find that we have an abundance in our freezer, especially the side by side. We're continuing on our quest to use the freezer stuff for one more week.

Sunday - Hamburger Steaks, Baked Potato**
Monday- Stuffed Chicken* and Pantry Side**
Tuedsay - Waffles**
Wednesday - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup**
Thursday - Chicken Enchilada Casserole*
Friday - TBD

Saturday Super Sales (Grocery Goodies)

OK, so Publix finally had some decent deals today. My OOP was just under $70 and I saved $38! The best deals were the Krusteaz Cookie Mix - the sale price was $1.09 each less a $1 coupon, it was only nine cents. (Don't hate me, I got five.)


Also, the Barber Stuff Chicken was a good deal. You get two stuffed chicken breasts in a box and these are usually $4.99 for a box. They are on sale bogof (so, $2.50 a box) less a $1 coupon on each box. That's .75 per serving.

It's the best Publix trip I've had in at least a month.

Fall home projects

We've been wanting to replace the window over our kitchen sink since right after we moved into our house seven years ago. It was old, single pane glass. It would not open without significant effort. The draft coming in that window in the winter time would cool the dishwater before you could get the dishes done.

We also had an issue with cooling the kitchen in the spring and fall and getting odors out in the summer. (No ventilation.)

Now, you ask, why did it take so long. We tried to find someone to replace the window several years ago but no one was interested in giving us an estimate for only one window. That was when the housing boom was in full swing.

Then, we spent over a year budgeting on a single salary and that made projects such as this impossible.

Finally, Ta Da! We finally got it done. We figured out this past summer that we had a contractor in our neighborhood and he was interested in doing some small projects as his time permitted. He ordered a window and replace it two weeks ago.

Of course, this was not inexpensive because I wanted a casement window that would crank out instead of having to lift a window. It was a custom ordered unit and we did have to modify the structure slightly. Our contractor replaced some siding outside and I replaced some backsplash tiles inside.

Now, the curtain is hung and it is beautiful. It cranks easily open to bring the inside outside or the outside inside. Fresh air!

Next, on with the next project. We're replacing a large multi paned window and exterior door in the kitchen with a french door. It's ordered and should be ready to go in about a week. Again, not inexpensive but we need to "button up" the exterior of the house before winter sets in. We're hopeful that we will not only improve the look and efficiency but also see some energy savings as a result of these two projects.

Catching up on some paperwork....

I got some more of my grocery receipts tabulated. (I'm sure that there are more hiding around the house somewhere!)

Right now, I show an OOP (out of pocket) for grocery at $3,198.04 (ytd) with a documented savings of $1,229.80 which reflects a 27% savings.

This isn't as good as last year's savings numbers but we still have about 8 weeks left in the year and most, if not all, of the savings and oop expenses are for grocery and household items. I've not really worked the drug store deals this year and we had enough supply of toiletries (shampoo, deodorant, etc.) that those expenses for this year were fairly low. Not may of the local drug stores are offering gift cards for prescription transfers except for Rite Aid. (I've not had real good luck with Rite Aid since they never seem to have the drug I need when I need it.)

Planning ahead, I'm going to be stocking up on some over the counter drugs before the end of the year. My understanding is that for the tax year 2010, these drugs are still counted towards your medical expenses and they will not be for 2011. (I may be mistaken on this, but I'm trying to boost my medical expenses before the end of 2010 to try to meet the threshold for a medical tax deduction.)

Freezer Week 3: Revenge of the Pantry

OK, I thought that title was absolutely hilarious.

Saturday - Chicken Fingers, Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Honey Lime Chicken* with Long Grain and Wild Rice
Monday - Meatballs* and gravy over noodles
Tuesday - Stuffed Potatoes (broccoli)
Wednesday - Manwich and Fries*
Thursday - Smoked Sausage* and Red Rice
Friday - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

As for grocery shopping this week, I picked up some salad stuff and some milk from BJs while we were there. I got the Chicken Fingers, eggs and bacon from Publix and finished off with some miscellaneous items from Walmart. I want to say that my total was probably $75-80. That included chicken strips for 9 on Saturday night. (Good thing they were on sale!)

I think I'm going to continue Freezer Pantry week one more time. I still have a good deal of stuff in the freezer and I still need to dwindle down the pantry some.

Thrifty Storage Containers

I buy, and we eat, a lot of spaghetti sauce. Many brands now come in glass jars that resemble canning jars. I don't do a lot of canning but I have discovered that the jars make excellent storage containers for dry goods - pasta, grits, brown sugar, corn meal.

If the jar lids smell like spaghetti sauce after washing, you might soak in a baking soda solution. You can also use a small piece of plastic wrap under the lid. (The only thing that has not done well is powdered sugar. The smell/flavor transfer of the lid was very noticeable.)

To dress up the collection of jars, you can paint the outside of the lids with a spray paint.

Oranganizing Tip

I had this huge pile of papers that were in desperate need of organization and filing. I bet you have the same thing: bank statements, old bills, medical receipts, warranty papers, etc. I think that the papers reproduce overnight sometime. From time to time, I've tackled this task only to never get finished or have my progress diminished in short order.

I think I've finally found a process that will work. First, it takes too long to sort every item into its individual folder or make a decision on the spot if it should be tossed, so I'm taking a two phase approach to this.

Phase One: divide all items into one of the following categories:
a. Trash - unnecessary receipts, envelopes, unneeded paper of any kind
b. Shred - anything in the above category that has personal information
c. Money - bank statements, bills, investment information
d. Medical - receipts, cards, statements, policies, etc.
e. Miscellaneous - anything that should be kept but does not fall in above categories

Throw the trash away and shred items nightly.

Phase Two: When all items have been sorted, start with money. Divide between old and discardable and keepers. (Trash or shred as appropriate.) Then sort and file remaining money items.

Repeat this process with medical - sort by year, if necessary.
Finally, address miscellaneous items.

I've been working on this process for three nights now, about 30-60 minutes a night. I have almost everything sorted and will begin on the filing phase next week. That will be the fastest I have E.V.E.R. gotten caught up on my paperwork.

Remember when TV was free?

As an adult, I can't remember when we didn't "pay" for tv. Over the years, we've had cable service and satellite and back again to cable and now back to satellite. What amazes me is the fact that we pay so much for so little. After all, we can only watch so much tv in a 24 hour period.

Just a few months ago we swapped our cable service for satellite service. With the initial discounts, the monthly fee is about half what we were paying cable. Cable was about $80 a month and now satellite service is about $45. Of course, after the first year, that will bump back up to almost $80 again. (Note to self, need to find some friends who can sign up for satellite so I can get the referral credits.)

Now, with the satellite (unlike the cable) we limited ourself to four tvs. I know, four sounds extravagant but it's all what you get used to. Our office has no satellite service but we did have an old tv in there. We decided that we'd try the new antennas to get the free digital airwaves.

What we needed:
television - already have an extra one
digital cable converter - already have thanks to that federal government give away
antenna - found one at walmart

First we tried a $30 antenna that could be mounted inside. After several hours of moving the antenna around, we only got a few channels. That one went back. We picked up a Phillips exterior antenna. It's pretty small and very light weight. It was about $38 plus tax. We installed it just outside the room we wanted the tv in and after a couple of hours of tinkering with the direction, etc. we can now get at least three local channels. No continuing costs. It will also give us access to some local channels in the event the satellite service goes out.

Super quick post and menus

Things were super busy at our house last week and I just didn't get the opportunity to post. I think things have begun to calm down but we'll see. I have many projects that I'm trying to get done before the weather turns off cold. (More on those items later this week.)

This is our second freezer week. For the first week, grocery expenditures were just a little less than normal but this most recent Saturday, I was able to spend less than $50 for some fresh produce, dairy and bread items and two meats - ground beef and sausage.

This week's menu: (four dinners driven by freezer items)

Saturday - Chicken Fingers and Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Vegetable Beef Soup*
Monday - BBQ Sandwiches* and beans
Tuesday - Soup* and Grilled Cheese
Wednesday - Grilled Chicken* (weather permitting)
Thursday - Tacos (by request)
Friday - TBD

On an interesting note, I asked the two four year olds what their favorite dinner at Nana's house was. Tacos! That's why we're having tacos on Thursday night. I bet if I could get an answer out of the 18 month old, he'd say smoked sausage.

I may go for a third freezer week next week. My freezer is so full and I need to cycle through some of the items. I also need to get some of my pantry items moving.

Menu Mishaps Continued

The menu missteps from last week just kept coming. Apparently, it's an epidemic because they are continuing this week already.

Saturday - Chicken Fingers and Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Pot Roast Planned, Spaghetti and Meatballs actual
Monday - Pot Roast Planned
Tuesday - BBQ Pork Chops and Mac Cheese
Wednesday - Left over pot roast
Thursday - Pepper Steak
Friday - Waffles and Sausage

I didn't find that the deals at Publix were that great this week. I still spent $60 (and saved only $19) AND I spent $30 at BJs on meat, croissants, and bananas. For the $30, I got a mega pack of ground beef which I made into 54 meatballs (Italian and Plain), Pork Chops that I separated into two meals for the freezer, and a packet of beef which I sliced for pepper steak.

Lessons learned this week, a frozen pot roast will not thaw overnight or even in 16-17 hours. I put it in the fridge Saturday afternoon and it still was not thawed by early Sunday morning. I will try it again Monday before work and hope it fared well.

Next week will be an eat from the freezer week. I will only purchase fresh produce, dairy (if needed) and any specials that are really good deals.

When plans go awry....

I had planned Steakhouse Noodle soup for tonight but when I pulled the package of steak from the freezer, I quickly realized that it was not enough for our dinner. What to do? I briefly considered chicken strips and mashed potatoes, but we're having chili over baked potatoes tomorrow night. Then, I considered a frozen chinese dinner but we had such a lovely chinese dinner Friday night that I didn't think that was suitable either.

I finally settled on spaghetti with meat sauce. I was quick, easy and allowed me to use the bread we had left over from last night as garlic bread. I pulled a small green salad together and we were good to go. I'll be moving the Steakhouse noodle to (probably) Saturday night. I'll pick up a single serving steak to supplement what I already have.

Next week may be an eat from the pantry/freezer week as I cycle through some of the stockpile that is older. It will also allow me to reduce my grocery expenditure (or stock up on deals) since I will have tag expenses and a new window coming in the next week or so. I need to check the deals for next week before I make a final decision.

Super Quick Update and Menu Post

I didn't find many good deals at Publix this weekend. Total OOP was abou $80 and I saved $30. I splurged on a couple of items - mini vanilla wafers, guacamole, triscuits, pizza crust, etc. (How can a box of vanilla wafers actually cost $4?) I was going to stop by Kroger to get some chicken breasts but nixed that plan in favor of using some already in the freezer.

I rode with DH on an errand Friday night and he treated me to a lovely Chinese dinner - real cloth napkins and all.

Saturday - Homemade Pizza
Sunday - Hearty bowl of Chili
Monday - Steakhouse Noodle Soup and Salad
Tuesday - Chili over Baked Potatoes
Wednesday - Pancakes and Sausage
Thursday - Italian Chicken and Potatoes with Onions
Friday - TBD

Hopefully, more later if time permits.

Menu Monday

Sunday - Chicken and Dumplins with a wedge Salad
Monday - Meatball Subs
Tuesday - Potato Soup and BLTs
Wednesday - Sub Sandwiches
Thursday - Smoked Sausage and Red Rice
Friday - As usual, TBD

Weekend Savings - all in one post

Super Savings September Continues.

First, DH and I decided to tackle the second garage door ourselves. We found replacement pulleys at Lowes for less than $5 each. We bought a set of cables and some chain lubricant but we didn't need them. It probably took about an hour and a half to systematically replace the pulleys and get things all matched up to the other door (professionally done).

Since the garage door service man charged $150 to replace the four pulleys on the broken door, I think we clearly saved $130 in doing it ourselves. It took a little time, but no one had to take off from work. We still need to replace the bottom panel on one of the doors but that needs to wait until the window gets installed in case there are any unexpected obstacles or expenses.

Grocery store savings.

In my opinion, this wasn't a great week for deals at Publix. There were a few good deals but nothing outstanding. I picked up three bottles of WishBone dressing and used MQ and TQ. I was unhappy that my cashier would not let me stack any coupons. Edge Shave Gel was on sale for $1.67 each. I was able to use a buy one, get one free coupon making each one only .84 cents. I found a $2 MQ on a package of Advil Liquid Gels. It made the box only $2.49 for the box. My OOP at Publix was $75 with a savings of $30.

DH was gracious enough to drive and drop me off at Kroger so I could pick up some $1.99 a pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I got four packages for $14 with a savings of $11.

My total OOP was $89 for the week with a savings of $41. That's a savings of about 31%.

Drug Store Savings.

Finally, DH had a new prescription that he needed to fill. The doctor had cautioned him not to fill it at one of the national drug store chains because they charged $30. He recommended Kroger. We checked out Walmart's $4 drug list (we were heading there anyway) and found that it WAS on the list. We picked up a 30 day supply for only $4 and did not even have to send it through the drug plan. Now, depending on how you look at it, that's either a $26 or $6 savings. Either way, it was a smart move and more savings for Super Savings September.

Delicious Cookie Recipe

DH loves the molasses cookies at Starbucks. I've been looking for a recipe to make these at home since the 'bucks can cost you lotsa bucks. I found a recipe that claimed to be 'just like' those but I made a few minor modifications. The result is a soft, chewy cookie that is bursting with all those fall spices. It's similar to a soft gingerbread but not quite as strong.

Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup light brown sugar
1/8 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (generous) salt (coarse grind preferred)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup white sugar, reserved for rolling

Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg and molasses until well combined.

Sift together flour, soda, salt and spices. Add slowly to butter mixture, scraping down sides. Batter will be very soft. Chill for at least one hour.

Roll into 1" balls (just smaller than a golf ball) and roll in sugar. Return to chill for an additional 20 minutes. Bake on parchment lined baking sheets at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will rise, remove when set but before bottoms begin to brown.

Makes about 32-36 depending on size. Storing in airtight container keeps the cookies soft. Best within the first few days.

These cookies got good reviews when I took them to work.

The accidental saver

After I finished my work Wednesday, I went down to Walgreens to pick up a prescription I had called in for refill. I went into the store to make sure that they had applied the manufacturer's coupon before they started checking me out. This particular drug manufacturer is offering a $25 coupon for every renewal through the end of the year. That's almost half my co-pay so it is really important to make sure that we get that savings!

While I was leaving the store, I noticed that they had marked down some Planters Flavor Grove Almond snack packs. They are usually .99 each but they were marked down to - GET THIS - 10 for $1. They only had one flavor so I passed on the onion and garlic kind and chose the Sea Salt and Olive Oil flavor. There were only 10 so I got all 10. They are very tasty! And you are probably wondering why they were marked down!? Because they are "best by" 9/23/10. I guess Walgreens doesn't want to risk not being able to sell them OR risking the liability of selling something past the "best by" date. Generally, I consider these as a guideline. As long as we don't go toooooooo far past the date, all should be well - besides, nuts go rancid so it will be easy to tell when they are 'past their prime.'

I guess Murphy has moved in.......(updated)

or, why does everything have to break at the same time?

I've been trying to get a new window installed in my kitchen for a couple of years now. I wanted a casement window that would crank out because it is impossible to lift open a window over a sink. No one carries the casement windows in stock so it had to be measured and ordered. I guess when the building industry was booming, no window guy wanted to be bothered with just one window. Well, one good thing about a down economy, I finally found someone who can get that window ordered and installed. It's been ordered and should be delivered in about two weeks. It will be more expensive than I anticipated but I hope that the improvement in limiting the cold air in the winter and allowing some of the hot air out in the summer will be worth the cost.

Then, as soon as we gave the ok on the window order, the garage door fell yesterday and broke the cabling and pulley system. In addition, we've got to order a replacement panel for the bottom of the door because of some wood rot issues. We've braced and patched this up over the last year but now, while we can afford it, we need to get it replaced. (Updated: The repair company came by today and quoted $179 to repair the door. Fortunately, the cables did not have to be replaced - only the pulleys - so the total bill was $152. It only took the technician about 30 minutes to complete. He wanted $100 to replace the pulleys on the second door. That will have to wait!)

I don't know what's next. Help me by keeping your fingers crossed that we're done. We really want to focus on some small improvements for the remainder of the year. We hope to get some repairs done to the wood trim on the house and get it painted in the spring. Our front porch also needs some TLC which is problematic because no one makes the balusters any more. We will either have to get some custom made or completely change the design.

It's always something!

Non-grocery savings...

I found a great bargain at Target last Saturday, a set of 400 count sheets for half price. They were the right size (deep pockets for a tall mattress) and the right color, so the price of $25 was the clincher. Regular price was $50.

My second deal (I guess it was a deal) was finding replacement parts for my pressure washer. I was considering a new pressure washer and the cheapest I could find was a slow seller that had been marked down to $90. The defective part was available on line for $25 plus $7 shipping but it would be 15 days before I would get it. That part would still limit me to the turbo wand. I went to Home Depot to see if they carried the parts. (That's where I originally bought it.) They did not have that part but I was able to buy a universal wand with a quick exchange connection for the nozzle. With the turbo nozzle, it was $40 but I have the option to purchase different tips for different purposes and I have a longer, stronger wand that could - if necessary - be used on a different pressure washer later on.

At Walmart, I found a package of bleached muslin 108" x 108" for only $5. That's cheaper than the fabric store - with a coupon.

Menu Monday

Saturday - Chicken Tenders and Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Honey Lime Grilled Chicken and Yellow Rice
Monday - Homemade Subs
Tuesday - Vegetable Fried Rice and Egg Rolls
Wednesday - Waffles
Thursday - Chicken Enchillada Casserole
Friday - Manwhich or Pizza/Pizza

Grocery Deals

I picked up four packages of boneless, skinless Tyson chicken breasts at Kroger. At only $1.99 a pound, these are always a bargain and about half the price that Publix normally charges. Along with the chicken, I bought a small container of sour cream. Net OOP was $11, savings of $15. I love those trips! How can't you like saving more money than you spent.

Then, over to Publix. I spent just at $100. My savings were $57.

The best deals were the All Small and Mighty detergent. At $2.99 each (BOGOF), I used a combination of Publix, Target and Manufacturers coupons to pick up four at about $1.50 each. Since these last me two months each, I am set for laundry detergent through the end of the year - and then some. I also picked up two packages of Finish dishwashing detergent. I got all the usual items - milk, bread, potatoes, etc. I splurged a little on some chili oil and spent about $20 in deli purchases - ham, salami, potato salad and chicken tenders.

Funny thing, I picked up about $10 of chicken tenders (I really recommend these for a quick and delicious dinner) with intentions to have them for dinner Saturday night. I'm not really sure what happened but my watch stopped and started again an hour and a half later. I didn't realize it was so late when we went over to Target. When I questioned the time, DH said that he wondered why we had gone out instead of eating at our normal time. To fix the problem (we were both starved by then), we dropped back by Publix and picked up some fresh tenders and some heat and eat mashed potatoes. That original order went straight into the freezer for later this week.

Grocery Deals

By far, the best deal at Publix this week was the BeechNut baby food. It was BOGOF at .55 for two. I found a coupon for $1 off 10. I picked up 20 assorted jars for a net price of .17 each. Sweet. I also picked up two packages of cookie mix, some LouAna oil and Pam. Not a lot in the way of specials this week that I was interested in. I guess that's to be expected after the great deals last week.

Publix did have ground sirloin and beef brisket on sale. I picked up three pounds of ground sirloin and two briskets (one is safely tucked in the freezer for a later dinner).

Kroger has the Tyson boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale again for $1.99 a pound. I picked up three packages and a five pound bag of potatoes. Kroger has a four day sale going with Blue Bell ice cream for only $3.33. That's a really great price but my freezer is full and I don't have any coupons left.

Menu Monday

Saturday - Homemade Burgers and Tater Tots
Sunday - Crockpot Brisket, Buttered Noodles and BLT Wedge Salad
Monday - Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday - French Dip
Wednesday/Thursday (interchangeable):
Tacos and Spanish Rice or Vegetable Fried Rice with Egg Rolls
Friday - TBD

Weekend Bargain Shopping

I went to my new favorite store Saturday and got two little gems.

First, I picked up an off white long sleeve blouse with a large peter pan collar. I was looking for something to wear under a tan and black plaid jumper for the fall. I would have preferred short sleeve or 3/4 sleeve but I can wear the long sleeve into winter. It was only $4.64. I also found a brand new tan turtleneck - with the tags still on it - but whoever had tried it on before, left an unbearable perfume odor. Just can't do that.

My second bargain was a sweet brown alligator purse by Liz Claiborne. It's in PERFECT condition. I even found the original 'inspected by' tag in the bag. I'm not sure it was ever used. It's a little smaller than I'm used to carrying but it will work for a while. It was only $2.64! That's right TWO DOLLARS AND SIXTY FOUR CENTS. I would guess that it would be somewhere in the $30 range retail.

Oh, did you want to know the store - Goodwill.

Super Saving September

With some new uncertainty with work longevity (layoffs pending), I've decided that September will be an opportunity to pack the pantry and take advantage of some super savings. Savings percentages and amounts will be more important that total OOP. I picked up a few random items on two trips to Walmart over the weekend.

By far, the best savings adventure was at Publix. Combining the excellent buy one, get one free offers along with some high value coupons allowed me to purchase 10 boxes (1 pound each), 6 jars of Newman's Pasta Sauce, 6 blocks of cheese, some other random and regular items along with a 7 pound Boston Butt. My OOP was only $75 AND I saved $75. I have a few more coupons so I'll be making another trip to Publix tomorrow for 10 more boxes of pasta and some more cheese. (I heard that the velveta cheese is BOGOF at Publix and it makes a good deal with the $5/5 Kraft coupon.)

My second trip to Publix netted another 10 boxes of pasta, one sauce (found another coupon), six more blocks of cheese, bread and a pint of milk. OOP was $11, saved $22. That makes my savings $97 on a $86 OOP. Woo Hoo!

Menu Monday

Saturday - Dinner out with Friends
Sunday - Crockpot BBQ Sandwiches
Monday - Honey Lime Grilled Chicken
Tuesday - BBQ Sandwiches
Wednesday - Frozen Chineese Dinner
Thursday - Ball Game Night - TBD
Friday - TBD

Our menu is pretty fluid this week with the holiday, friends in town, and a Braves game on Thursday. Almost everything is subject to change or substitutions.

Honey Lime Chicken

1/3 cup lime juice
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Jalapeno chopped (without seeds)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 Tablespoons Honey
1/3 cup fresh cilanto, chopped

Mix all ingredients in plastic bag and add chicken breasts. Marinate at least one hour or overnight. Oil grill grid and place chicken on grid over high heat. Grill five minutes, turn (oiling grid again) and reduce heat to medium. Cook until fully done. Remove to upper grate or place over foil if it begins to get too dark or burn.

Another Awesome Publix Trip

My grocery trip on Saturday again included little ones so I made a second trip Monday night. I was at a loss as to what we were having for dinner when it occurred to me that I had the August Deli Coupon ($5/$10 purchase). I made a quick run to Publix to pick up some deli meat and potato salad - using that coupon - and some of the other weekly deals.



Two cartons of Blue Bell ice cream, normally $6.59 each on sale for $3.99 less $1 MQ on each. Four OR popcorn, regularly $2.75, on sale for $1.37 less a .40 coupon doubled making them only .57 per box. I also picked up three more packages of Rico Rice (.99 for 3 pounds) and two bags of sugar (coupon and sale priced). Along with these specials, I also picked up some cheese (on sale) some fresh veggies and two mailing envelopes.



When the register finished, my OOP was $44.84 with a total savings of $32.45. Not bad! $4 of manufacturer's coupons, $7 of store coupons - includes the double portion of the MQs, and $21.45 in Special Price Savings. That the key. You have to buy what you ANTICIPATE needing WHEN it's on sale - not when you want it and not when you need it. As always, planning ahead saves money.

Menu Monday (Tuesday)

OK, I had a little (ok, a lot) of difficulty in getting a menu together for the week. I had two open meals and ultimately, I decided based on a Publix Deli Coupon. (I love those!)

Saturday - Grilled Chicken
Sunday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Monday - Homemade Sub Sandwiches and Deli Potato Salad
Tuesday - Potato Soup and BLTs
Wednesday - Chef Salad
Thursday - Lasagna, Salad and Garlic Bread
Friday - TBD

We may have some friends visiting over the weekend and it's a holiday (three day) weekend so I am already looking at what some of the menu choices will be - based, of course, on what's on sale. I see from the Sneak Peek that Boston Butt is on sale beginning Thursday. Mmmm, get that crockpot out for barbecue.

Almost like making money - AWESOME trip to Publix

AWESOME.

I only picked up a few items at Publix last Sunday. I double checked the sales and coupon matchups that end tonight. I decided it was worth a second trip.

While DH was shopping at a nearby book store, I stopped in and picked up a few things. First, I picked up four boxes of Mini Wheats at $2 each less both a manufacturer's coupon and a target coupon. Three three pound bags of Rico rice for only .99 each. (This is a real steal! Mahatma or Publix brand rice can cost about $1 - $1.25 per pound. Getting three pounds for only .99 is great!) Two bags of Wise Potato Chips at $1.80 each less two .50 coupons that were doubled. I picked up a Lysol Bathroom, Kitchen and Disenfecting Wipe for only .85, .35 and 1.45 respectively after sale and coupons. I also picked up some personal paper products using a store buy one, get one free coupon and a manufacturer's coupon. Also, I picked up some paper cups, canned tomatoes, tea, and sausages.

I was disappointed that they did not have any of the Wanchai Ferry frozen dinners. I picked up a rain check so I'll have to run back by in a few days.

Now, for the totals: OOP was $26.18..........My savings.......(drum roll please).....



$36.55 ALMOST LIKE MAKING MONEY !

Menu Monday and planning ahead

Saturday - Chicken Fingers, Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Hamburger Steak, Baked Potatoes *
Monday - BBQ Pork Chops, Baked Mac and Cheese
Tuesday - Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken
Wednesday - Pancakes and Sausages
Thursday - Smoked Sausage, Red Rice
Friday - TBD

* I had originally planned fish and chicken on the grill but the day got away from us and we ended up taking the easy way out.

My grocery shopping was a bit limited this week. I picked up a few random items at Walmart and then some essentials at Publix along with the chicken strips (Saturday). Probably less than $65 combined. There are a couple of items I'd like to get back to get seconds on. I think there's a deal on five Kelloggs products with a $5 Publix gift card. (I need to check the details and see if it's worth a second trip Wednesday.

Fortunately, the freezer is brimming with little white packages of various meat products. I'm working through some of the staples in the stockpile. I want to build up my supply of canned goods before the winter sets in. I've discovered that Walmart has several good quality vegetables items worthy of stockpiling.

My plan for September is to create a game plan for Winter Stockpiling - what to get, how many, where, etc. I want to analyse what I have currently in the stockpile and what items need to be eaten before the end of the year. Including in this will be my anticipated baking supplies for the holidays. It's a lofty goal....we'll see how it goes. I also want to get my grocery expenses tabulated for the year because that savings year to date .......over there ......>
does not reflect the total amount saved year to date.

October will be the month I focus on stockpiling drug store items - health and beauty, shampoo, eye solutions, hair color, etc. Ahh, so much to do...I better get on it.

New Reading...

I just finished a series by Beverly Lewis. She write primarily Christian books and many are based on Amish lives. It's interesting reading with well-rounded characters and intriguing situations. I particularly enjoy the simple lifestyle that is portrayed is filled with God-fearing people who work hard.

I would recommend these books to anyone who was interested in escaping to a new world - for just a little while.......

Grocery Shopping - too many stores

I started at BJs (Wholesale Club) Saturday morning. I picked up some boneless pork chops, bananas, broccoli, advil and croissants. (About $30.)

From there, I went to Publix. I had the little one with me, so I focused on what I needed to get through the weekend. I spent about $45 and got a boneless top sirloin, bread, veggies, bread, milk, deli meat, etc. (I saved $ I have to find the receipt ;]).

Thirdly, I picked up a couple of items at Walmart - brown gravy mix, juice. Just a couple of bucks.

Then, to round all this shopping out, I went back to Publix, with coupons and without the little one and bought the specials. Barber Chicken regularly $2.50 per piece on sale for $1.25 per piece less coupons for a net price of $1 each. Not the best price but not bad. Super Pretzel regularly $2.99 per box, on sale for $1.50 per box less a .50 coupon doubled, they were only .50 per box of 6. Great for weekend snacks. Scotties tissues were on sale for .62 (from $1.25 regular priced) less a coupon for $.50/3 or .86 for three. A great deal on tissues! Lysol wipes are on sale for $2 each. I had a coupon for $1 off 2. For $3, I got two. Publix also has a store coupon for Buy one, get one Kotex products. I paired this with a $2 Manufacturer's coupon to pick up two packages for only $1.15. A great price! Finally, I filled an antibiotic prescription for FREE. The best deal of all. The antibiotic is normally priced at $13. I paid $28 OOP and saved $30.53, plus the antibiotic.

Menu Monday

Saturday - Homemade Subs and German Potato Salad
Sunday - Vegetable Beef Soup
Monday - BBQ Pork Chops and Mac Cheese
Tuesday - Vegetable Beef Soup with Grilled Cheese
Wednesday - Subs or Chef Salad
Thursday - Spaghetti with Meatsauce, Salad
Friday - TBD, $5 Pizza, Pizza ?

Happy Birthday!

Today is DS's birthday. Hope he has a great one!

School Update....

Three weeks done, only 9 to go?

I'm working on week four now and I'm barreling through these pretty quickly. If I can keep up this pace, I might be finished before the end of the year.

Back in the saddle again

I saved $54 at Publix Saturday.
I had a list.
Coupons matched and ready.
Lots of deals.

Probably the best deal was the Ragu pasta sauce. It's $2.19 for two, less a $1 Publix coupon and a .60 manufacturer's coupon. Net was .50 for two. I got six. I ran out of the manufacturer's coupons but I picked up a few more Publix qs so I'm heading back tomorrow. Even at $1.19 for two, (.60 each) it's a bargain. The Publix coupons expire 8/22.

OOP was right at $100. Saved about 30%.

I've already gotten a preliminary list ready for the coming week.....

Menu Monday

Saturday- Pot of Chili over pasta
Sunday - Steak and Baked Potato (treat)
Monday - Leftover chili
Tuesday - Crockpot Roast
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Left over Roast
Friday - C.O.R.N. (What ever is still in the fridge!)

Sunday's dinner was quite a treat for us. Publix had Strip steaks on sale so we splurged. A great, filling meal for less than dining out.

How's school going?

Glad you asked. Well, really you didn't but here goes anyway.

It's going well. I've turned in two weeks worth of work and expect to turn in the third week's Wednesday. It's not rocket science but it does tend to be a little harder to understand when you are utilizing a text only format. So far, my major issues have been some inconsistency between books and understanding what the assignments really wanted.

They could have done a better job of organizing the program into one succinct syllabus instead of having to merge two syllabi (is that right?), a packet of tests, a workbook and a supplemental addendum. Very confusing. Here's an example:

Test 7
Part one - do exercises 5, 7,9 in book A
Part two - using addendum C and chapters 10 and 12 from book B, complete exercise 5 in the workbook.
Part three - Discuss A using Chapters 2,3 and 5 in Book A, Chapter 7 in Book B and Workbook example D.
(Confusing!)

Oh well, so far, so good.

This Week's Menu

Saturday - Taco Salad with Margaritas
Sunday - Pepper Steak
Monday - Homemade Pizza
Tuesday - Stuffed Potatoes
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Sausage, Peppers and Onions
Thursday - Buffalo Chicken Fingers and Mashed Potatoes

This weeks menu was driven by two things. First, it's hot and my cooking was limited to quick and cool meals. (We really enjoyed the taco salad. It used up some extra taco meat in the freezer.) Secondly, there was a bag of salad peppers on sale at the grocery store. I used the peppers for Pepper Steak, Homemade Pizza and for the Spaghetti with Peppers and Onions.

Thursday will be odd for us since we'll be dining alone. Usually we have family dinner night with DS, DDIL and the little ones. One of the little ones (4 yo) will be starting baseball this week and we've skipped dinner until we can figure out if we need to change to another night.

Thursday's dinner utilizes the remainder of a bag of chicken fingers left in the freezer.

Next week, I hope to do a better job of finding the sales, using the coupons and stocking the pantry again. We've used some of the items in the pantry to help rotate stuff in and out. Summer seems to be a good time to do that - especially with DH working.

I've been MIA for a few days ....

I've been really busy the last week. Sorry for the lack and lateness in posting.

First: Shopping and Menu
Not too many great deals at the grocery store this past weekend. I ended up getting just what we needed to get through the week plus some deli chicken fingers. My menu plan this week is driven by the heat. Everything had to be something that did not require long cooking times or use of the oven.*

Sunday - Chicken Fingers and Mashed Potatoes, Fresh steamed Broccoli
Monday - Grilled Chicken and Rice-a-roni (the chicken ended up being Italian chicken in the oven since we had a hard rainstorm just at dinner time - so much for that plan)
Tuesday - Homemade Sub sandwiches and Deli Potato Salad
Wednesday - Stuffed Baked Potatoes (more Broccoli)
Thursday - Chef Salad Bar and French Bread
Friday - TBD (Maybe a homemade pizza or another sub)


Events:

Well it was a good thing that I planned for an oven free menu. It has been extremely hot here and cooking at 5-6pm just makes everything worse. Saturday morning we woke up to no air conditioning. It was 79 degrees in the house before 9am. Fortunately, DSIL was able to wrangle us up a used part to get the unit back up and running by mid-afternoon.

DH was able to resurrect our old tv after a couple of hours and a new $99 part. We now have a mega screen in our bedroom. DS came by Sunday to help his Dad hang the tv on the wall. (Smart people that we are, we trashed the stand for the tv after a few years figuring that we'd never need it. Ha! I made a second trip to the store to exchange the wall mount after we were assured that the smaller one would work. Fortunately, the store sold us the larger one for the price of the smaller one since they had led us astray and caused a second trip.)

While he was here, DS also took a quick look at DH's car which has developed a leak and a minor problem. I think we have a plan on how to address this problem and hopefully, it won't be a big deal.

School Work:

I turned in my first assignments and test and did well. I just submitted my second set of work today and I will be working on the third section later this week. I would like to get the first half of the work done before Thanksgiving if at all possible.

Busy, Busy.

Menu Planning for Next Week

It is so hot here and at dinner time, cooking - either on the stove or in the oven - just heats up the house. My plan for next week is to severely limit the meals requiring the oven or extended stove top.

Some ideas include a salad, sub sandwiches, grilled chicken, microwaved main dishes, or a Chinese dinner from a frozen bag. Now, I need to go off and think about the menu plan.

All-in-One Post

First the menu:

Sunday - steak, baked potato and italian beans
Monday - Cubed Steak and Herb Butter Rice, Sliced Tomato
Tuesday- Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken
Wednesday - Fried Rice and Egg Rolls
Thursday - Spaghetti
Friday - Chili Cheese Fries

Grocery Deals:

I only took advantage of one deal this week. I had to squeeze grocery shopping in along with all the other things we had going on this weekend. And, I had a six month old with me.

There was both a manufacturer's coupon and a Publix coupon for the Wanchai Ferry frozen dinner. This dropped the price by $3.50.

Adventures:

We bought and planted a tree to disguise our new satelite dish (or as we referred to it, the eyesore). Our TV died only four days after committing to a two year agreement with Direct TV. Fortunately, replacing was much less than our original purchase price four years ago. (We are hopeful that a part will get the old tv up and running again. If so, we will move the old tv into another room and use it until it dies again.)

If you ever need to hang your flat screen on the wall, I would recommend an OmniMount. They are easy to install, quick to hang and very secure. Having one already on the wall made switching out the tvs very quick and easy.

Menu Monday

Sunday - Chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and broccoli
Monday -BBQ Pork Chops and Mac and Cheese
Tuesday-Garden Salad and Cresent Rolls
Wednesday-Smoked Sausage and Spanish Rice
Thursday-Fajitas with rice, black beans and guacamole
Friday-TBD

Garden Updates

Gardening fun

Well, here we are in July. My original seeds were started in early March. As I recall, I planted (with the help of two four-year-olds) cilantro, carrots, radishes, and lots of miscellaneous peppers (jalapenos, bell, banana).

I tried planting radishes and carrots in both a container and in the raised bed. Ultimately, I pulled the plants because I got lots of greenery but no roots. I think the problem was that the seeds germinated and were trying to grow after the weather got too warm. I believe that the soil needs to be finer as well. I'm going to try the radishes and carrots again after the weather begins to cool along with some other cooler weather crops.

Last year I had awful luck with my cucumbers. I don't remember getting a single fruit before the vine starter to wither away. This year, I planted the cucumbers in the raised bed. The tall plant you see above is two cucumber plants. So far, we've already harvested one tasty cucumber. I planted three more plants about two weeks ago. They should start climbing any day.

I should be able to begin harvesting some jalapeno peppers later this week. I see a couple of banana peppers and no bell peppers yet. The original cilantro has already bolted and gone to seed. I harvested most of the colander seeds today. I'll harvest the rest later this week and find something else to plant in the bowl, maybe some more herbs. Or maybe I'll try some garlic again! Stay away squirrels.

The tomatoes have done fairly well so far. We've

harvested a few fruits and there are several more getting ready any day. I am really enjoying two large barrel planters we received as a gift from a friend. They were moving and no longer needed them. I drilled some drainage holes and used regular coffee filters as a way to hold the soil in. They don't look very pretty but I may paint the outside after growing season is over.

Things I've learned this year. Cucumbers perform best planted in the ground. Squirrels like to dig up garlic - really like to dig up garlic. Spagnum moss is expensive but is worth the money to lighten your soil. I would like a second raised bed for next year. (Maybe hubby could build me one over the winter? :) I'm thinking about designing some kind of cold frame to use over the raised bed. If I could find an old window or a scrap of plexiglass, that would be great. In the meantime, we'll be enjoying some jalapenos with some pico Thursday, fresh tomatoes in our salad and maybe another cucumber soon.

In non-food gardening news, my dahlias are getting bigger every day. I've never grown these before and I don't really know what to expect. They are close to three feet tall and most have had to be staked to keep them upright. I hope to see some blooms soon.

New Long Term Project

I'm working on a new project. This is something that will help me both at work now and will also give me some additional skills for any future jobs.

My project is a self-study paralegal course. I have a maximum of one year to complete the course. (Six months for the first section, and six months for the final section.) Upon completion, I will receive a certificate from a reputable state college.

As a result, I have decided to limit my blog entries to a maximum of three per week. As always, I will post my menu along with any significant grocery deals. If weekly events dictate an additional post, you'll see one.

Menu Monday

Saturday - Leftover Roast Beef
Sunday - 4th of July - Hamburgers and Hot Dogs
Monday - Salmon/Chicken on Grill
Tuesday - Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Wednesday - Pancakes and Sausage
Thursday - Spaghetti and Meatsauce
Friday $5 Pizza, Pizza

Grocery Deals

We were invited out to a Summer Solstice party at the lake Saturday. It was an adventure for us. Unfortunately, between that and Father's Day Sunday, I didn't get to the grocery store until Monday.

The best deal was the Louana oil on BOGOF for 1.70 each, less $1 on a MQ, making the net price only .70. also picked up some $1 mashed potatoes and Campbell's soups. I picked up two bags of gold potatoes that were on sale for $2.99 for each five pound bag.

I spent $66 and saved $35. Not bad!

Menu Monday

Sunday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Monday - Hamburgers with Potato Salad
Tuesday - Stuffed Chicken Breast with Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday - BBQ Sandwiches with Beans and Potato Salad
Thursday - Mexican with Chips and Cheese Dip/Salsa
Friday - TBD

Ya gotta love Redbox!

Redbox is currently running a promotion where two same time rentals gets you a free rental with a code sent by e-mail. I rented the two movies and somehow missed the e-mail until the expiration date had already passed. I sent an e-mail back to Redbox and explained the situation.

Redbox sent me an e-mail with a code for a free rental. That's customer service!

Don't be That Boss!

I just read this book today and found it facinating.

It's a account of two different managers and how their strengths and weaknesses in professional communications and managment styles affect their respective employees. I would recommend this to both employees AND managers. I'm sure you'll see your manager AND yourself in some of the scenarios given.

It should be required reading for anyone entering a field who manages people.

Menu Monday

Saturday - Chicken Fingers and Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Burritos, Spanish Rice
Monday - Cubed Steak, Rice and Field Peas, Brussel Sprouts
Tuesday - BBQ Pork Chops, Mac and Cheese
Wednesday - Steakhouse Noodle Soup and Baked Potato
Thursday - Chef Salad and Breadsticks
Friday - Beanie Weenies or Coupon dine out

I made (saved) $120 today!

We use a mega bank for our primary joint account. Due to the effects of a year's unemployment, our bank balances have taken a hit. As a result, we fell below the minimum balance to have free checking and they've been charging us $20 a month.

I stopped by our bank branch this morning and took a few minutes to talk to someone about this issue. My goal was a determine why we were being charged and what I could do to stop it. We're very close to being at that minimum requirement.

To eliminate the monthly fee, I either need to change the account type or raise my balances slightly. While I determine what I want to do, the bank has agreed to charge back $120 in fees. WooHoo! Not a bad use of 30 minutes of my time.

My inclination is to change the type of account because we do not fully utilize the services that are included and we have access to a safe deposit box at another bank. I'm going to sleep on it a few days before I make that decision.

Best Grocery Deals, Philosphy and Menu Monday

First off, the best deal this weekend was two bottles of ready-to-drink Similac. These were less than $6 each at Publix. I picked up two and used two $5 Similac checks and a $3 Publix coupon. Other good deals were Margaret Holmes beans ($1 each less a .35 coupon doubled) and Wise chips for less than $1. I picked up a pound of Mahatma rice for just pennies. With Barber stuffed chicken breasts at 2 boxes for 4.99, I used two $1/1 coupons and got four ready to cook servings for only .75 each.

I'm also working on building my stockpile of canned vegetables. Currently I purchasing store brand Kidney beans at Walmart, store brand green beans at Publix and Bush baked beans wherever they are the cheapest. Alternatively, I'm working on using up some of the starch items I purchased last year.

Menu Monday:

Sunday - Hamburger Steak, Baked Potatoes and simple Green Salad
Monday - Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Scalloped Potatoes
Tuesday - Mexican soft tacos
Wednesday - Hash Browns, Sausages, Eggs with Cinnamon Toast
Thursday - Lasagna, Garlic Bread
Friday - Beanie Weenies

...gettin' things done.

If you're in a funk, the easiest, fastest solution is to accomplish something.

Today I managed to get several things finished that I had been procrastinating. I finally managed to get most of my coupons organized and filed in their appropriate place. (Wouldn't you know that I'd find a few more just after I finished that task!)

I got my car cleaned out and the car seats put back in. I cleaned out the cargo area but did not get the remainder of the car vacuumed. It still looks much better. Hopefully, I can get the vacuum to it this coming weekend.

My ironing is done and up to date. Most of my laundry is done. There isn't a huge stack of dishes in the sink. My bed is made. I finished up a book and expect to return several books to the library tomorrow after work.

The cherry on the top of this accomplishment sundae is spending the day with the littlest grandbaby. His mom, a school teacher, is just finishing out the school year this week.

"In the Funk" Menu

I'm not sure what happened when I went shopping this past weekend. I bought some stuff but nothing to bring a menu together. Add in a holiday, family dinner and a general funk, and here's what you get.

Saturday - Chicken Fingers and Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Grilled Chicken, Potatoes, Pasta Salad and 3 Bean Salad
Monday - Crockpot Brisket on rolls with leftover salads
Tuesday - Takeout subs (free with stamped card)
Wednesday - Leftover Brisket with Mashed Potatoes
Thursday - Smoked Sausage, Savannah Red Rice, Steamed Broccoli
Friday - who cares! It's Friday.

Menu Monday - Historical Edition

I'm so far behind this week that I'm just getting around to posting my menu.

Sunday - Homemade Hamburgers, Potatoes and Onions
Monday - School Night - last one!
Tuesday - BBQ Sandwiches, Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob
Wednesday - Italian Chicken, Herb and Butter Rice, Green Beans
Thursday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Friday - $5 Pizza, Pizza

Reading...

I just finished two more novels: Summer on Blossom Street and Twenty Wishes. To be honest, I read Twenty Wishes last year but it was much better the second time around. Knowing the characters (by reading in sequence) was really the key.

Currently, I reading The Survivor's Club and The White Queen. So far, both are very good. I'm keenly interested in the subject matter of The Survivor's Club. With The White Queen, I'm only one chapter into this historical novel but it is what I'd expect from Philippa Gregory.

I'd better run, Dancing with the Stars is on. It's the ONLY reality show that I will watch. Down to three couples. I think I know who will win......

Gardening Updates

When I checked on the garden and watered the plants today, I noticed that my sugar snap peas have two tiny pea pods. They seem to be doing the best of all the plants in the raised bed. The cucumber plants were partially eaten by some uninvited guests - squirrels I surmise.

I also noticed that one of these renegade squirrels was eating the carrot tops and in the meantime breaking off some of the pepper plants. I carefully checked to see if there were any "roots" on the carrot plants but I did not find any. In an effort to thwart his damage, I pulled up the carrot plants and tossed out the greens. I'm not having any luck with the root plants. I don't see that the radishes are getting any roots either.

I do see that the tomato plants are developing tiny tomato fruits. I believe that temperatures have to be above a certain point for the plants to flower and make the fruit. Obviously, we've had more than adequate warm temperatures over the last week or two. I found two or three rogue watermelon plants over by the compost pile. (Hubby requested these.)

My dahlias are growing very well. I purchased two packages (3 bulbs each) for only $5 total from Walmart. They were part of a Breast Cancer program and were on clearance. I think I got them in the ground just in time. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised they're doing as well as they are since I had two preschoolers helping with that planting :) I'll get some pictures posted later in the week.

Menu Monday

Saturday - Homemade pizza
Sunday - Bowl of Chili
Monday - School Night
Tuesday - Chili over Baked Potato
Wednesday - Cubed Steak and side
Thursday - Chef Salad Bar
Friday - TBD

Menu Monday - again on Tuesday

Saturday - Soft Tacos (leftovers)
Sunday - Crockpot Roast
Monday - school night (only two more left!!!)
Tuesday - Leftover Roast
Wednesday - Vegetables with Baked Mac and Cheese
Thursday - Smoked Sausage and Savannah Red Rice
Friday - Leftover Buffet or $5 Pizza, Pizza

Grocery Shopping Summary

As I mentioned in a recent post, I'm trying to limit my grocery purchases to necessities.

This week I probably only had a half a buggy or less. Meat purchases were limited to one roast and two cubed steaks for the freezer. I picked up some produce and a couple of staples. Milk and cream rounded out my selections. I'm still transitioning back to not having DH home for breakfast and lunch. Hopefully, my grocery purchases will soon reflect this more.

My total purchase was $115. (I know, I just about fainted until I realized that $40 of that was for a gas card. BP cards were $10/$50 with a $25 grocery purchase.) I also bought a dual pack of contact solution and splurged on full price Ice Cream - $6. What an outrage! Where are those Blue Bell coupons?

Reading Update

My annual goal is to read 30 books in 2010. (I read 20 in 2009 so I believe this is achievable.) Check out my reading list on the right so see what I've finished so far. I just picked up four books at the library yesterday and have two more waiting for me.

Menu Monday - Well, I guess it's Tuesday

Saturday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Sunday - Surf and Turf, Rice and Steamed Vegetables
Monday - School Night (leftover spaghetti)
Tuesday - Stuff Potatoes
Wednesday - BBQ Pork Chops and Mac & Cheese
Thursday - Mexican Fiesta
Friday - TBD

Saturday Cooking Chaos

We had originally planned to work in the yard today but the weather was not very cooperative. It was very humid and threatened rain most of the day.

Alternatively, I picked up 7 pounds of ground beef from BJs and my regular groceries from Publix. From the 7 pounds, I used four pounds to make Italian Meatballs. I probably got somewhere around 80-90 meatballs to put in the freezer and use for dinner tonight. From Publix, I decided to get DH a small salmon filet to put on the grill. I was going to pick myself up a small steak but realized that they had their top sirloin on sale. I picked up one of those from which I can cut myself a steak, a small steak for DH (surf n turf) and some chunks for either a stew, soup or k-bobs.

I was able to pick up 20 pounds of sugar this weekend. I found a 10 pound bag at BJs for $5.50 and thought this was a good deal since the lowest price I had found the previous week was $2.77/5 pounds. As it turns out, Publix had their store brand of sugar on sale for $2.49 so I picked up two more bags.

Included in my groceries this week were two of the special "Buy ours, get theirs free" (or is it the other way around?) for Classico sauce and pasta. I was still amazed that my grocery purchase was over $80 - not including the purchases at BJs. I suspect, as I've mentioned before, that prices for groceries continue to climb.

Continuing on my cooking adventure, I also put together a banana pudding with some very ripe bananas and some garlic cheese spread to go along with our dinner tonight. I also tried to replicate my lemon scone recipe by using orange zest and juice. I think it will make a good addition to our breakfast in the morning.

Menu Monday

Saturday - Chicken Fingers, Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli
Sunday - Crockpot Roast with Potatoes, Carrots and Onions.
Served with pan roasted brussel sprouts.
Monday - School night
Tuesday - leftover roast
Wednesday - Manwich with Fries
Thursday - Italian Chicken with Scalloped Potatoes, Califlower and Broccoli
Friday - $5 Pizza, Pizza (carryover from last week)

Grocery Shopping Wrap-up

Is it just my imagination or have grocery prices gone up in the last few weeks?

For the last couple of weeks, my grocery shopping has been limited to just the items we needed and a few fresh items (meat, dairy, produce). I've not used a lot of coupons lately because of this. I wanted to cycle through some of my stockpile. (This is important because use by dates come quickly when you have a large supply or any item.)

I wanted to pick up a package of cookies since we just finished up the Vienna Fingers I purchased last time they were buy one get one free at Publix. Initially, I was just going to pick up another package of the Vienna Fingers because we enjoy these with a cup of coffee. Imagine my surprise at finding the price of these at a whopping $3.99 - outrageous. I was also surprised at the price of brussel sprouts and sweet onions.

I also noticed that sugar is really expensive. Almost $4 for five pounds. What's up with $3.99. I saw sugar for $2.77 at Walmart and thought that it was too expensive, of course when I saw the price at Publix, I had to reconsider. I will be checking out the price at BJs Wholesale Club as well.

My focus for the next few weeks is to utilize some items I already have and buy just what's needed to fill out my meals. I also want to use some of my stockpile items such as the Betty Crocker Potatoes and Lipton Sides. I need to stock up on a few items that I'm low on.

It's also time to switch over to summer meals. (I know this sounds funny but summer foods focus less on soups and oven meals and more on salads and grilled items.

A red letter day.....

P for paid. We paid off a consumer loan today. Can I get an AMEN?

Slowly but surely we're working through our debt. It's been going very slowly while we dealt with a severe reduction in revenue over the past year. Fortunately, DH's working a temporary assignment which should result in a permanent position next month. We're also taking some additional steps to liquidate a currently unused assets. This will reduce our monthly outlay and allow us to make quicker progress on our remaining debt. (We're using a Dave Ramsey type process to get out of debt.)

Things are beginning to look up and we're hopeful that the worst may be over. As a precaution, we're aggressively paying down out debt and continue to reduce our monthly expenses. You never know what tomorrow may bring - sometimes you need a big umbrella.

Menu Monday

My grocery shopping trip yielded no spectacular bargains this week. I found that most of my purchases were either meat, dairy or produce with a few staples thrown in. I have subsequently discovered that I need to stock up on sugar. I probably only have about 10 pounds in storage so I will be looking for some deals.

Saturday - Homemade Hamburgers and Potato Salad
Sunday - Vegetable Beef Soup and Breadsticks
Monday - School Night (probably a bowl of soup for me)
Tuesday - Vegetable Beef Soup and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Wednesday - Salad or Stuffed Potatoes
Thursday - Spaghetti with Salad
Friday - $5 Pizza, Pizza

Menu Monday

Saturday - Ham Fried Rice and Egg Rolls
Sunday - Sirloin Steaks, Roasted Vegetables
Monday - school night
Tuesday - Cube Steak and Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday - Potato Soup
Thursday - Chicken and Dumplins
Friday - $5 Pizza, Pizza

BOLO

Check your local Publix Ad. This week they are offering $10 off a $50 BP Gift Card with a $25 grocery purchase. (Ad coupon required.)

This is a good deal if you frequent a BP gas station. I had to ask my cashier since the display was out. They substituted two $25 cards for the single $50 card.

One cool dude...Wordless Wednesday

Menu Monday

Saturday - Chicken Fingers and Mashed Potatoes
Easter Sunday - Ham, Mac and Cheese, Fresh Green Beans
Monday - School Night
Tuesday - Ham with Baked Sweet Potatoes, leftover M & C
Wednesday - Potato Soup
Thursday - Spaghetti and Salad
Friday - Ham Fried Rice and Egg Rolls *

The Ham Fried Rice and Egg Rolls is a repeat from last week. The first attempt was unsatisfying. The ham (from the freezer) had a strange smell so we elected not to use. In all the taste was good but the rice was overcooked and therefore had a mushy texture. DH suggested that we try this again since he does enjoy it.

Saturday Projects and Improvements

Both yesterday and today were great - weather wise. I was able to get the lawn moved yesterday after taking the little girls to dance class and lunch. We also tried to play at the park but the slides were too hot.

Home Improvement

Today, we were able to re-seal the deck on the cheap. I think our total expense was about $10 for a deep napped roller cover and a paint brush. (I do not like to clean paint brushes when paint thinner/mineral spirits are required.) We had a large can of Thompson's water seal in the basement (a gift from the prior owners). We also had a small amount of tinted water seal from the last time we sealed the deck. We mixed the tinted material with the clear and completely resealed the deck (two coats on the oldest portion) for less than $10!!!

Hubby did a great job of getting it on. (We also figured out that a roller/brush was more effective than the garden sprayer like we used last time!!!) It looks great and it should hold up to the weather until we can afford to replace the older section.

We also put a screen around the air conditioner. I saw in Lowe's ad that they had one on sale for $19 but when we went to purchase, the screen was $19 per section, not for the whole screen. We ended up purchasing a slightly different screen and used only two sections. It's vinyl so it will hold up to the weather and be easily cleaned. I also hope that by screening the a/c, it will keep the unit cooler during the later part of the day.

Gardening/Lawn Care

To make way for the screen, I moved some daylilies and I will be transplanting some sunflower plants that I sprouted from seeds. Currently, I have eight sugar snap pea plants at least four inches tall in the raised planting bed. I see no evidence of the snap beans sprouting! I may have to start again :( I was able to transplant some cilantro plants today. I have many pepper plants up about 2 inches tall. I am unsure about the carrot plants.

We were also fortunate to secure the services of a neighborhood fellow to aerate our lawn. It was an unplanned expense but at a good price.

Menu Monday

Saturday - Buffalo Chicken Strips and Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Hamburger Steaks and Baked Potatoes
Monday - School Night
Tuesday - Ham Fried Rice and Egg Rolls
Wednesday - Sub Sandwiches and German Potato Salad
Thursday - Mexican
Friday - Pizza (either homemade or $5)

Deal of the Week

This week I found a couple of great deals - again at Target.

First, I picked up a wire shelving using for only $9. It had been sold originally for $29 but was on clearance. I think they decided not to see the four shelf unit any longer. I had hoped for two but they only had one by the time I got over there.

Second, DH picked up a metal tool bar. It was only $1.25 marked down from $5. I think he can find a spot for that in the garage.

Finally, I picked up a folding drying rack. It too was only $8 (and change), marked down from $28. This will allow me to dry more items without the use of the dryer. I find that by line and flat drying many items, they last longer.

New Rainbarrel

We appreciate being able to harvest rainwater for our irrigation needs. Having had two summers under drought conditions, having a ready supply of rainwater is a real bonus. Unfortunately, a pre-made rain barrel or a re-claimed wine barrel can run anywhere from $75 to $150 - not in the budget last year or this year.

Our first frugal attempt at a rain barrel was a large heavy duty trash can. DH cut a whole in the lid and fitted it to a flexible pipe feeding directly from the downspout. He installed a plastic spigot at the bottom. I think it cost about $30. Practical and functional, yes but certainly not aesthetically pleasing. Our biggest problem was that the barrel sat in full view of the neighborhood. We started looking for alternatives. Again, no options less than $80 or more.

Our luck changed when I won a rain barrel at work. It was large and came with a metal spigot. The problem was that it was ugly. Just plain ugly - not any better than what we had. Sometimes, you can change ugly.

Krylon makes a paint that is specifically made to bond with plastic - Fusion. DH took a can or brown matte finish and painted the barrel. Then he used a can of the hammered finished metal to paint the horizontal bands on the barrel. It was much better than the trash can and better than the plain white barrel.

To give the barrel a more realistic look, I took a couple of small paint brushes and a very small can of black matt paint and painted some vertical lines about 3" apart all around the barrel. Then I painted faux knots and grain lines in the "boards." Our total cost included two cans of spray paint (Fusion), one can of hammered metal paint, and a small can of black paint. I'd estimate our cost was less than $20.