Menu Plan - August Update, September Plan

We've had fewer interruptions to our schedule in the last half of August, but somehow we still have a lot of unused items from our August Menu Plan. I think we had leftovers a lot more than I anticipated. Sometimes you just don't how much your children will want to eat.

So, at this point we haven't used everything from our list Here's where we are...

• Hamburgers on the grill x2
• Steak on the grill x2 x1 (DH actually requested we not do this more than 1x/month)
  
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts - in the Slow Cooker (We had Sweet Vidalia Onion Chicken Breasts instead, because I had more of those in the freezer than the Lemon Pepper)
• Sesame Ginger Chicken Breasts - in the Slow Cooker
• Slow Cooker Pork Roast
• Beef Roast in the Slow Cooker
• Spaghetti x2
• Pizza x2 (using this dough and this sauce)
• Sloppy Joes
  
• Tacos (first time I've made them and my kids loved 'em -- who knew!?)
• Meatballs
• "Go To" Chicken Casserole
  
• Honey Garlic Chicken (Planned for tonight 8/31)
  
• Parmesan Crusted Porkchops
• Crabcakes (received as a gift)
• Breakfast for Dinner
• Potato Spinach Sausage Casserole
• Vidalia Onion Pie
• Omelets
• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Leftovers x4

Now on to the September plan. This time I took a slightly different approach. I took the suggestion of The Happy Housewife and asked my family what we should put on our plan. I even asked them for suggested side dishes. Stir Fry, being hubby's favorite, is back on the menu and there are lots of Italian dishes. My family loves just about anything that involves spaghetti sauce. I wonder if I could learn to make it from scratch instead of always doctoring up a name-brand jarred sauce. Maybe.

My brother will be in town over Labor Day weekend. He'll be helping with some tasks at my Dad's. So, we'll need to keep the meals very flexible for those days. I didn't plan meals for those days as we'll mostly be eating from Dad's freezer.

The Plan for September:
Stir Fry x2
Mac & Cheese/Hot Dogs
"Go To" Chicken Casserole - from the freezer
Tacos
Chicken Tettrazini
Breakfast for Dinner - waffles, sausage, fried apples
Hamburgers on the grill
Meatballs - maybe Sweet & Sour
Spaghetti x2
Pizza x2 (using this dough and this sauce, topped with ham & pineapple)
Honey Garlic Chicken
Parmesan Crusted Porkchops (holdover from August)
Sloppy Joes (another holdover from August)
Chicken & Dumplings (probably on the first really crisp day)
Tortellini
Vidalia Onion Pie (holdover from July & August!)
Omelets
Twice Baked Potatoes
Leftovers x4 (it usually ends up being more like 6-7x, but we'll be optimistic here)

This week specifically I'm planning:

Monday
B - Waffles, bacon, fruit
D - Honey Garlic Chicken, corn on cob, cantaloupe

Tuesday
B - Baked Peach French Toast
D - Stir Fry (with onion, carrots, green pepper, zucchini) & cantaloupe

Wednesday
B - Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal
D - Mac & Cheese/Hot Dogs, zucchini, cantaloupe

Thursday
B - Bird in a Basket
D -"Go To" Chicken Casserole (Hubby will probably be doing the cooking, so I chose something easy, all he has to do is heat it up)

Friday
B - French Toast & fruit
D - Dinner w/ extended family

Saturday
B, L & D - w/ extended family

Sunday
B - Scrambled Eggs & toast
D - Tortellini , green beans, cantaloupe

Lunch:
Lots of leftovers, PBJs, smoothies, turkey & cheese sandwiches

For more great menu plans visit Organizing Junkie.

Make Your Own Yogurt

I'm making yogurt today. So I decided I'd re-post my yogurt recipe for Frugal Friday. (You can view the printable recipe here. This recipe was originally posted March 8, 2009.)

Ingredients:
½ Gallon whole milk
½ Cup powdered milk*
½ Cup plain yogurt (full-fat or fat-free)

Equipment Needed:
sauce pan
wooden spoon
candy thermometer
mixing bowl (not shown)
Crock-pot
large thick towel (like a beach towel; also not shown)

Directions:

1. Pour milk into medium pot over medium heat.
2. Stir in powdered milk; raise heat on stove to medium-high.
3. Heat milk to 190°; stirring often and checking temperature often. This will take about 10-15 minutes, depending on your stove.
4. While milk is heating - 1) plug in Crockpot; set on low; 2) Fill sink about 1-2 inches with cold water; place about 6 cups of ice in a bowl.
5. When milk reaches 190°: remove pan from heat. Pour ice into sink of cold water. Then, pour heated milk into medium-size mixing bowl.**
6. Cool milk to 110°: place mixing bowl into sink of cold water, stir milk occasionally, check temperature often. This will take much less time than the heating ~4-6 minutes.
7. When milk reaches 110°, remove bowl from sink. Pour milk into Crockpot.
8. Pour yogurt into Crockpot and stir.
9. Turn off and unplug Crockpot.
10. Wrap Crockpot in large, thick towel.
11. Do not disturb for 8 hours.
12. After 8 hours, yogurt should be thickened and ready to store.
13. Store yogurt in containers in refrigerator. It will thicken a bit more in the fridge.

Yields: 4 pints plain yogurt

To serve: eat fresh from the fridge, mix with your preferred fruit, or a few drops of vanilla. My kids prefer a tsp of splenda or sugar stirred in also.

Notes:
* Since powdered milk is rather granular I have found it helpful to run it through my food processor for several seconds for a finer texture. This makes for fewer "chunks" - which my children do not like.
* It is not mandatory to pour the milk into a second bowl for cooling. I do this because putting a hot pot in cold water will warp the bottom and I don't wish to warp my pots.

Here's how the prices break down for 1/2 gallon:
$0.60 1/2 cup yogurt
$1.49 1/2 gallon whole milk
$0.27 1/2 cup powdered milk =
$2.36 for 1/2 gallon of yogurt = ~$0.22/6 ounces; Cheaper than any sale I've seen.

If you've never tried making yogurt - give it a try. You'll be surprised at how easy it is. I certainly was!


For more great frugal ideas, visit LifeAsMom.
And for more recipes visit Food on Fridays @ Ann Kroeker
Recipe Swap @ The Grocery Cart Challenge
Friday Feasts @ Mom Trends
Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum

Free Bacon - Really I did it!

Last week I posted about the great bacon coupon that is available at Smithfield (click here) and the possibility of free bacon. Then we ran into a few problems along the way with the coupon policies of various stores.

Well, this week I found a store that really did accept the coupon. I even got a little overage. I went to Martin's for a few things to finish out my groceries for the week and while I was there I checked out the bacon prices. Martin's has bacon on sale BOGO this week, normally it's $4.99/lb.

I bought 2 lbs. of bacon and used 2 coupons from Smithfield. When I checked out, both coupons worked without a hitch. I even got the overage. So I got $6.00 off of $4.99/2 lbs of bacon. That's $1.01 overage applied to the produce I purchased.

Yes, I am a happy camper (doing the happy dance!!)

If you don't have Martin's in your area, check out Giant. Martin's is an affiliate of Giant. You will need a Martin's loyalty card to make this deal work.

Directions on how to get your coupon:

1. Be sure you have software to print coupons. If you don't have the software, go here or here and you should be able to download the software - it enables you to print the bar codes. The software is free and has never interfered with any other program on our computers. (Hubby, the computer geek, would not let me use it if it did!)
2. Go to the Smithfield website and click on "sign up" (top of the webpage).
3. Complete the Member Services Registration.
4. When finished it should prompt you to print your coupon. You can hit the back button of your browser to print it twice.

Personally, I love Smithfield bacon, especially the Maple Flavored bacon (and no, no one is giving me anything to say that!).

Now, Go. Get your coupons. Get free bacon. For Real. Go. Now.

Seeking the Minimum Level

Last year when I was hotly pursuing the frugal life I read The Tightwd Gazette (found in my sidebar). I read this book cover to cover. This summer, I decided it was time to re-read it and refresh my memory.

One of the articles titled "Seek the Minimum Level" encourages you to seek to use the minimum amount of whatever it is you're using - shampoo, toothpaste, sugar, other ingredients, etc.

Using less is one of the basic frugal habits. It can save time, energy and money in so many different ways. So, it got me to thinking...

1) Where have we already cut down on how much we use?

• make-up: If I'm just going to be at home all day, I don't need to wear make-up. If I'm just going to the grocery store, I don't need much, just a bit.
• dishwasher detergent: I re-read the directions on my washer and discovered I don't need to use as much as I thought I did.
• shampoo: I haven't used used shampoo for a few years, but hubby realized he didn't need to use shampoo every day, so if he hasn't been particularly sweaty, he skips a day or two between shampooing. You know what? I can't tell when he's shampooed and when he hasn't and his scalp is in better condition. All that shampoo was drying out his scalp! I haven't had to buy shampoo for him in over a year (partly thanks to stockpiling). For the most part a nickel size blob of shampoo will wash the kids' hair. I used to use a quarter-size blob.
  
• toothpaste: I don't need to fill every bristle with toothpaste to get the job done. The brushing is really the more important part. So, now I try to only fill about 1/3 of my toothbrush with toothpaste. This makes the tube last longer. Thus I spend less money on toothpaste!
• laundry detergent: This is definitely an area where I've learned to adjust the amount I use depending upon the size of my load. I have a very large washer and it can wash a whole queen size comforter. However, most loads are not that large and don't need all that detergent. A small amount is usually enough to do the job.
  
• coffee: A year ago I drank two cups of coffee every day and I always added milk and chocolate syrup to it. That's cheaper than Starbucks, but still not the cheapest. Then over the winter I started making my own hot chocolate mix and adding that to my coffee. That was cheaper, but still not the cheapest. About a month ago I went out of town and I didn't take my hot chocolate mix with me. I stopped adding chocolate all together. I still add milk and a very small amount of Splenda, but it's cheaper. I also stopped drinking two cups. Now I drink one cup. Someday I'll give up coffee altogether, but I'm not quite ready to do that yet. Occasionally I indulge in my mocha latte, but not often. Now it's a treat, not a need.
  
• Lower-cost Brands: There are some brands of products I bought because, that's what my mother bought. I was used to them. But as the year has progressed I've discovered that there are other good toilet papers other than Charmin. And, the store brand baking powder does the same job as the pricier brands. I've made the switch to store brand on many products, unless I can get the brand name on sale (matched with a coupon) cheaper than I can get the the store brand. There's more to do in this area though. I haven't successfully made the switch on paper towels yet.
• Haircuts: One of the things I've learned to do this summer is cut my son's hair. While we were visiting my brother's family I asked my sister-in-law to teach me how to trim my son's hair. She's been doing it for years with the 4 males in her household. So, I asked for a training session. I need some practice. But, that will come. My son loves his buzz cut and it's been time frugal as well - no more combing hair in the mornings.
  

2) What new areas can we try cutting down how much we use?

• water: I do think we use too much water at our house, especially for bathing. I plan on taking a tip I saw somewhere before and mark a line on the tub as to how full the kids can fill the tub. When it reaches the line, they have to turn it off. That way it doesn't keep running and running ... and running and running.
• spending less of budgeted items: I'll confess this is an area I could improve upon. We do very well at spending less than we make overall. We don't carry a balance on the few credit cards we have. Overspending isn't a problem for us. But here's the thing... if I have $100 in my weekly food budget, I tend to spend $100. Why? I don't always need to spend that much, but I often do. What if I tried to spend $5 less for a month? and I put that extra money into savings instead of into Cheetos? Hmm. And then if I succeed for a few weeks, could I drop it another $5. I wonder how long I could keep that up? And what about gifts? If you find the gift on sale for $10.00 instead of $15.00, is it necessary to buy a second gift to supplement? Definitely an area for exploration.
  
• beverages: this is an area where I know we could spend less. We do not drink alcohol. And, I rarely drink soda. Hubby does better at this than I do. He usually drinks water, except one cup of coffee in the morning. I tend to drink milk and the kids prefer milk or juice (though they're usually limited to just 1 cup of juice per day). But, what if we drank water instead? This would be cheaper still. And then, maybe I could more easily drop my grocery budget by $5.

Most people have some area where they could adjust and use a little less and thereby spend a little less. So, what areas of your life are you using less? In what areas are you seeking the minimum level?

If you're looking for a copy of The Tightwad Gazette, you can find it in my sidebar.
For more frugal ideas visit LifeAsMom.

Purple Lava

This is my very favorite smoothie in all the world. It's wonderfully thick, cold and absolutely delicious. Last year when we had an abundance of strawberries and blueberries I came up with this wonderful concoction. It has been dubbed "Purple Lava" by my husband because it is so thick. It is purple. It pours like lava.

Thus ... Purple Lava.
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 C plain or vanilla yogurt (or use this recipe to make your own)
• 1 C frozen blueberries*
• 1 banana
• 1/2 C frozen strawberries*

Directions:

• Place ingredients in blender in the order listed above.
• Blend all ingredients until smooth, You may need to stir often as you go.
• Pour and serve.
  

Notes:
* If using fresh berries add ice to make it colder and thicker.



For more cool recipes to eat and drink visit LifeAsMom.
And for more great food visit Food on Fridays @ AnnKroeker.

Cheap Mocha Latte

Back in our DINK (double-income no kids) days, I got accustomed to drinking mocha frappoccinos by Starbucks, almost every morning. It started with an occasional visit to the Starbucks near our home, then hubby found the bottled version at BJs and surprised me with a case of them. Before long it was a habit, an addictive habit.

Then, we had kids. What had been a wonderful indulgence, I quickly realized, was a luxury that just didn't fit the budget. So, I found a cheaper version... this time it was adding a special Chocolate Caramel creamer to my home-brewed coffee each morning.

Then, we moved. And I could no longer find my beloved creamer. None of the stores in our new town carried the flavor I loved. I made several requests at several local stores, but to no avail.

So, I came up with a new plan:
1 cup coffee + 1 splash milk (or half & half )+ 1 squirt of chocolate syrup = One mocha-latte

My version is really good and a whole lot cheaper than buying Starbucks, even the bottled version. And it's easy too! It works for me.

Maybe one day to be even more frugal I'll give up the chocolate and then the milk. Nah ,I'd probably give up coffee all together if I couldn't at least have it with milk.


This was originally posted on my old blog on October 8, 2008.

SUPER HOT!! Free Bacon at Safeway this week!

Get ready girls. This is one smokin' hot deal. I've never seen a coupon for more than $1.00 off bacon before.

You can get a coupon for $3.00/1 Smithfield Bacon at this website. (Click on the link.)

Here's how:

1. Be sure you have software to print coupons. If you don't have the software, go here or here and you should be able to download the software - it enables you to print the bar codes. The software is free and has never interfered with any other program on our computers. (Hubby, the computer geek, would not let me use it if it did!)
2. Go to the Smithfield website and click on "sign up" (top of the webpage).
3. Complete the Member Services Registration.
4. When finished it should prompt you to print your coupon. You can hit the back button of your browser to print it twice.
   

The word from Gina at MoneywiseMoms is that Safeway will have Smithfield bacon on sale 2/$6.00 starting tomorrow. With the coupon that makes the bacon free!!

Thanks to a Tweet from DealSeekingMom I realized that Shoppers also has Smithfield bacon on sale this week - 2/$5.00, also making it free. Update #1: I realized this morning, that our Shoppers does not take printable coupons over $0.99, so I have eliminated this part of the deal.

The sale at Safeway goes through August 25. At Safeway you will need the Safeway Club card in order to take advantage of this deal. Update #2: At least 1 reader had their coupon rejected. Safeway's official policy is that they do not accept printable coupons for more than 50% of the value of the product. However, I will say that not all stores follow this policy. I suggest you ask a clerk about the coupon before you go to purchase your bacon. I still suggest getting the coupon. At a later date, perhaps at another store, this will be a good deal. Bacon is frequently on sale for $3.00 at other stores in the area.

Now, Go. Get your coupons. Get free bacon. Go. Now.

Thanks to MoneySavingMom, MoneywiseMoms and MyFrugalAdventures for putting this one together.

August Kids' Picks - Reading

This summer I instituted a new rule for library visits. I told the kids they each had to pick 1 new book they'd never read each time we went to the library. Here are some of what we discovered. Some were new to all of us, some were new to the kids, all are books they wanted to read again.

Family Favorites:
Spoon! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Scott Magoon. This book was an delightful surprise. At the beginning of the book, Spoon is "blue & bent out of shape". He's lamenting all the things his friends, Knife, Fork, and Chopsticks can do that he can't do. But, his mom reminds him of the things he can do. As the story progresses we find that Knife, Fork and Chopsticks are jealous of Spoon because of all the fun he has. the illustrations are delightfully simple. Hubby and I loved the little things that showed up throughout the story - Mom reads spoon a story about his great-grandmother who fellin love with a dish and ran off; Spoon's pillow is a sugar packet. Lots of funny delightful surprises in this book. The kids were requesting to read this book every day we had it from the library. Definitely a must read.

Among the Odds & Evens by Priscilla Turner. In this story X and Y crash land their Aerocycle in the "Kingdom of Wontoo". At first they are quite puzzled by the differences they notice in residents of this new land. The evens are orderly and predictable, but the odds dress peculiarly. As the story continues X and Y discover that two even parents always have even children, but two odd parents always have even children as well. X and Y find this behavior to be puzzling. This would be an excellent book for teachers and homeschoolers as they introduce odd and even numbers and especially when teaching the rules of adding odd and even numbers.

Joseph (age 7) recommends:
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble & Steven Kellogg. This funny book takes you through one crazy mixed up field trip to a farm. Mom asks her daughter how the trip went and the daughter replies, "boring, kind of dull, until the cow started crying." "A cow...crying?" "Yeah, you see, a haystack fell on her." The trip gets crazier and funnier as you progress backward through the day's events and discover how one funny event caused another fnny event which caused another, all because Jimmy brought his boa constrictor on the field trip. Joseph loved the silly chain of events events and their explanations. I loved the magnificent illustrations as the opportunity to talk about cause and effect in a very funny setting.

Cora (age 5) recommends:
Miss Bindergarten Gets Reeady for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate. This has become a classic book for children entering kindergarten. The story progresses through the preparations of students (animals) and teacher, Miss Bindergarten (a dog) as they prepare for kindergarten. Cora loved watching the various students and the teacher go through the various tasks of getting ready for school. I loved the way the book reinforced the letters of the alphabet - each animal's name starts with the same letter as the kind of animal (Adam an alligator, Christopher a cat, etc.). The rhyming text just adds another wonderful layer to the book.

Goldilicious by Victoria Kann This is the latest in the series of Pinkalicious books. Cora came home from preschool talking about Pinkalicious, so we went looking at the library and first discovered "Purplelicious" and then found the first book, "Pinkalicious". All of these are wonderful girly girl books. In this most recent book Pinkalicious has an imaginary unicorn named "Goldilicous."

You can find these books at your local library or under, "I Recommend" in my sidebar.

For more children's book recommendations visit 5 Minutes for Books.

Giveaways at $5 Dinners

Ohh I'm so psyched. Erin at $5 Dinners is giving away 5 coupons for FREE Breyer's Ice Cream.

As this is my very favorite brand of ice cream (I rarely buy anything else, even on sale), I am really hoping to win at least one.

If your family needs a break from the heat. Go here to enter to win a coupon. The giveaway ends on Saturday 10 Am EST.

She's running a whole bunch of giveaways this week to celebrate her anniversary. You just gotta check them out.

August Menu - Update

If you ever wonder why I don't plan a daily must-stick-to-it menu, here are a few examples...
Since the beginning of August,
1) Post-VBS, hubby insisted that I not cook that night. He said, "I will order and pick-up pizza or Chinese, which do you want?" He ordered enough that it provided 3 meals worth!
2) We were out of town 2 days.
3) He had unexpected meetings which kept him away at dinner time twice.
3) We had 2 unexpected events that took over our dinner time. One to which I contributed a side-dish, the other was a celebration for which we went out to eat.

So, at this point we haen't used a huge amount of our August Menu Plan. Here's where we are so far...

• Hamburgers on the grill x2 x1
• Steak on the grill x2
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts - in the Slow Cooker
• Sesame Ginger Chicken Breasts - in the Slow Cooker
• Slow Cooker Pork Roast
• Beef Roast in the Slow Cooker
• Spaghetti x2 1x
• Pizza x2 (using this dough and this sauce)
• Sloppy Joes
• Tacos (first time I've made them and my kids loved 'em -- who knew!?)
• Meatballs
• "Go To" Chicken Casserole
• Honey Garlic Chicken (on the grill?)
• Parmesan Crusted Porkchops
• Crabcakes (received as a gift)
• Breakfast for Dinner
• Potato Spinach Sausage Casserole
• Vidalia Onion Pie
• Omelets
• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Leftovers x4 x2
  

Other meal options this week include:

Breakfasts:

• grits (daughter) & oatmeal (mom,dad,son) w/ raisins or blueberries
• Egg in a hole
• Muffins or Quick Bread and scrambled eggs (looking for a good strawberry muffin recipe - recommendations??)
• Creamed Chipped Beef over Whole Wheat Biscuits (held over from earlier in the month)
• Pancakes
• Breakfast Casserole (haven't decided exactly which one yet)
• cereal

Lunch:
Lots of leftovers, PBJs, smoothies, turkey & cheese sandwiches


You can find more menu plans at Organizinng Junkie.

Free Groceries at Safeway

Get 'em while they're hot. Only 3 more days to take advantage of this deal.

As I mentioned earlier today, I headed out to Safeway today, expecting to get a good deal on granola bars and fruit snacks. What I ended up with was even better than I could have imagined. I first read about this deal at MoneyWiseMoms. My son loves to take Nature Valley granola bars in his lunch. I had found a similar deal last fall and had stocked up on granola bars. They lasted him through most of the school year. It was wonderful. But this deal was looking to be even better than last year's. (you can see that deal here, though not for long as that's my old blog and I'll be shutting it down soon.)

First, I followed Gina's advice and loaded all the e-coupons I could find, printed all the printables and scoured my coupon box for every coupon that matched.

So here's the deal: Nature Valley granola bars and Trix cereal are on sale at Safeway for 4/$10.00; Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks & Gushers are on sale 4/$8.00 add to that an in-ad Safeway SuperCoupon, e-coupons, printable coupons which double, 2 peelies I found while shopping and a catalina promo and you wind up with one really rockin' deal. There are several other items on sale as well, but for me these were what my family likes. In order to use the SuperCoupons you have to purchase them in sets of 4, and your total has to equal at least $20.00 , but that total is before the SuperCoupons and manufactuer's coupons are deducted.

Here's how it worked for me:

Transaction #1
Bought:
4 boxes Nature Valley Granola Bars @ 4/$10.00 (sale price)
4 boxes Trix cereal @ 4/$10.00 (sale price)
1 Kraft Mac & Cheese @ 10/$10.00 (sale price)
1 loaf bread @ $1.09/loaf (sale price)
Total before all coupons: $22.09

Used:
2 ecoupon NV granola: -$0.40 = -$0.80
2 e-coupon Trix: - $0.55 = -$1.10
1 SuperCoupon for NV Granola bars: -4.00 (4 boxes/$6.00)
1 SuperCoupon for Trix cereal: -$4.00 (4 boxes/$6.00)
1 SuperCoupon for Kraft Mac&Chese: -$0.41 (1 box/$0.59)
1 NV Granola: $0.70/2, doubled = -$1.40
2 printable NV Granola: $0.40/1, doubled = -$1.60
4 printables for Trix: -$0.55/box, doubled = -$4.40
2 peelies on Trix: -$1.00/2 boxes = -$2.00

OOP Cost: $2.38, plus I received 1 $2.50 catalina off my next order

Transaction #2
Bought:
4 boxes Nature Valley Granola Bars @ 4/$10.00 (sale price)
2 boxes Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes @ 4/$8.00 (sale price)
2 boxes Betty Crocker Gushers @ 4/$8.00 (sale price)
1 Kraft Mac & Cheese @ 10/$10.00 (sale price)
1 loaf bread @ $1.09/loaf (sale price)
Total before all coupons: $20.09

Used:
2 e-coupons BC fruit shapes: -$0.40 = -$0.80
1 e-coupon BC fruit snacks: - $0.50 = -$0.50
1 SuperCoupon for NV Granola bars: -4.00 (4 boxes/$6.00)
1 SuperCoupon for BC Fruit Shapes/Gushers: -$4.00 (4 boxes/$4.00)
1 SuperCoupon for Kraft Mac&Chese: -$0.41 (1 box/$0.59)
1 BC Fruit Gushers: $0.50/2, doubled = -$1.00
1 BC Fruit Shape: $0.40/1, doubled = -$0.80
1 NV Granola: $0.70/2, doubled = -$1.40
2 printable NV Granola: $0.40/1, doubled = -$1.60
1 Catalina from last transaction: -$1.00/2 boxes = -$2.50

OOP Cost: $2.58*, plus I received 2 $2.50 catalinas off my next order
For a total of $2.42 overage. Whoo Hooo!

* I can't make this transaction add up. I've double checked the receipt several times and I can't figure out what happened. Most likely I miscounted coupons. But the total on my receipt was $2.58. It was a great deal. I'm not arguing with it.

After all this, when I told hubby about it he called me his merchant ship. (High praise I'd say.) I'll enjoy that compliment for a long time.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Gina for posting the original sale and all the links to e-coupons and printables. Those links are what made this deal really work for me.

Safeway Deal

I'll post the details later, but I just had to mention what a great deal I got at Safeway. I started at MoneywiseMoms and expected to get a good deal. But, I ended up making money! I am so psyched I can barely type. For the basics of the deal go here.

Many thanks to Gina for her original post.

I've gotta head to Shoppers for the Kraft deal and then to Martin's for some produce. I'll be sure to post it all later today.

Surviving a Heatwave

How to survive hundred degree heat with 80% humidity...

Stay indoors.

Build a clubhouse:
No Grown-Ups Allowed:

Don't you just love first grade spelling! It works for us!


For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5MinutesForMom.
And for more of what works, visit WeAreThatFamily.

Free Summer Stuff - A Few Reminders

Just in case you missed it before I thought I'd remind you all of a few freebies from the summer...

1) Free Chocolate: Each Friday morning at 9:00 you can get free chocolate from M&M Mars. The promo continues through September 25. I've gotten the limit -- 4 coupons for my family. Each week 250,000 people can get a coupon for free chocolate. Go here Friday morning to get yours.

2) Free Movies: Regal Free Family Film Festival still has two more weeks in our area. Regal theaters throughout the country are showing G and PG rated movies at specific times each week for free. Go here to the Regal Website to get more details and find out which theaters in your area are participating. We went to Star Wars the Clone Wars last week and this week we're going to see Charlotte's Web.

3) Free National Parks: There is one more weekend of fee-free weekends at National Parks all over the country. We went to Fort McHenry (home of the National Anthem) in July and we're planning a trip to Harper's Ferry this weekend. You can go here to see a list of the parks in Maryland that are participating and here to to get more details and find locations in other parts of the country.

Don't you just love free stuff!

You can find more frugal tips at TightwadTuesday @ BeingFrugal.net

Wash Your Vinyl Shower Curtain - Cheap and Easy

Did you know you can wash your vinyl shower curtain in your washing machine?

Really. You can.

I had no idea you could do this until very recently. I was spending a night at my sister's and she mentioned cleaning her shower curtain in her washing machine.

My sister is not always frugal with money, but is very frugal with time and energy. She's got a ton of stuff going on and anything that will save her time and energy is right up her alley. So, when she mentioned this, I knew it must work. Because she just would not be doing this if it didn't save time and energy.

I went home, did a quick Swagbucks search and low and behold I found a whole bunch of people who wash their shower curtain in the washing machine. I was shocked and in amazed.

My shower curtain was disgusting by this point. I had been busy and the shower curtain had been one of the things I let go for more important tasks. I took that shower curtain down, tossed it in the washing machine with a couple of towels (to add friction) and washed it like a normal load.

It worked! My shower curtain hasn't been that clean in ... well ... longer than I'll admit to the whole wide internet.

This is definitely a tip that's frugal on my time.

For more frugal tips, visit Frugal Friday @ LifeAsMom

Earning Gift Cards

So I'll admit I was rather skeptical at the beginning.

I kept seeing these posts about this thing called "Swagbucks". Several different bloggers were talking about earning gift cards just by doing searches on their computer. That sounded like a, "Yeah, right!" to me. I don't believe anything is ever free. There's always a catch, right?

But, I kept seeing these posts. So, finally after a discussion with hubby, I decided I didn't really have anything to lose by trying. So, I signed up. I put Swagbucks on our main computer - the one I and the kids use most.

It didn't take very long, maybe 10 minutes tops. And, then, without any real effort I began collecting points, theycall them "Swag Bucks". I'd do my usual search whenever I needed to find something new and every so often, I'd accumulate another Swagbuck or two.

It's been a few months now. I haven't advertised it (aside from a note in the sidebar). I haven't pushed it with anyone and lo and behold I've earned myself a couple of gift cards at Amazon. It's really pretty cool.

The Swagbucks search engine is powered by Google and Ask. I've found the results are pretty good. Occasionally I have to switch over to Google, but not very often.

Really, I wouldn't encourage anyone else to do this if it wasn't working for me. But, it is working.

Go ahead. Sign up. You know you're going to be searching for something on the web soon. Why not earn some free prizes at the same time?

There are lots of prizes to choose from. You can earn gift cards to Amazon or Starbucks. But you can also get gifts for your kids. I've got my eye on a Superman notebook for my son.

Click on the button below to get started:

It works for me, it'll work for you too!

Summer Fruit Dip

This recipe is one I inherited from my mom. I've no idea where she got it from originally. She used it at several church receptions and I think we had it at my wedding reception (though that's so long ago and such a blur I barely remember anything).

Anyway, this is a delicious, sweet dip which hubby and I love. I almost always have some on hand in the summer.

Summer Fruit Dip
(printable recipe) 

Ingredients:

• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• 6 oz orange juice concentrate
• 1 ½ Cup milk
• ¼ Cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Mix together pudding, orange juice concentrate and milk.
2. Add sour cream and blend.
3. Chill overnight.

Notes:
We love this dip best with melons. It's also very good with bananas, grapes, strawberries & blueberries. I don't recommend pineapple - it's an odd combination.
I definitely recommend chilling this overnight. It helps thicken the dip.
It's best with whole milk and full-fat sour cream, but you can do it with skim milk and low-fat sour cream, it just may not be as thick.

Enjoy!

Find more great recipes at:

For more great recipes visit:
Tempt my Tummy @ Blessed With Grace
Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff

Menu Plan - August

I mentioned my new menu plan method a few weeks ago.

We didn't use as many of the dishes as I had planned in July, so many of them will be carried over to August.

Here's what I've got planned for August:

• Hamburgers on the grill x2
• Steak on the grill x2
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts - in the Slow Cooker
• Sesame Ginger Chicken Breasts - in the Slow Cooker
• Slow Cooker Pork Roast
• Beef Roast in the Slow Cooker
• Spaghetti x2
• Pizza x2 (using this dough and this sauce)
• Sloppy Joes
• Tacos
• Meatballs
• "Go To" Chicken Casserole
• Honey Garlic Chicken (on the grill?)
• Parmesan Crusted Porkchops
• Crabcakes (received as a gift)
• Breakfast for Dinner
• Potato Spinach Sausage Casserole
• Vidalia Onion Pie
• Omelets
• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Leftovers x4

This isn't quite 31 meals, but we're already 2 days into the month and I've discovered from the past few months I don't need to plan a full month, because, well, life interrupts even the best laid plans.

I'm looking forward to trying out this menu plan. I deliberately planned several meals on the grill and several meals in the Slow Cooker for when the temperatures are really hot and I don't want to heat up the kitchen. I've also planned 4 non-meat meals, which is new for us. I think I counted 5 new recipes for my family- that may be a bit too much for the kids, we'll have to see. I still need to figure out what to do with the meatballs, maybe meatball subs? I haven't decided yet. Have a suggestion?

I'm planning the Slow Cooker Pork Roast for early this week so I can link up to the Ultimate Recipe Swap this Thursday.

At some point early in the week I'll have to plan a Make-Ahead Day for breakfasts because we're beginning to run low on everything except cereal and oatmeal.

Other meals this week:

Breakfasts:
muffins & scrambled eggs
grits or oatmeal with raisins or blueberries
creamed chipped beef over whole wheat biscuits
cereal
pancakes with fried apples

Lunches:
leftovers, PBJ sandwiches, turkey & cheese sandwiches, smoothies

For many more menu plans visit Menu Plan Monday, hosted this week by TheHappyHousewife.