Operation $40K

First of all, you have to love a store that lets you used EXPIRED coupons - for up to three months after they expire! That is Cub Food's policy - which can help compensate for the fact that they don't double. Everything you see, cost me less than $17! I can't itemize for you as I can't seem to find the receipt but soups were $.39, goldfish crackers were $1, Chunky soups were $1.25...and then comes the coupons! I had expired coupons for FREE hot dogs and FREE macaroni, coupons for all the soups -- it was fun seeing the total drop! Our Sentry store has Chunky Soup for $1.89 a can. The 20 cans you see would have cost $37.80...and the rest of the stuff would have to be added in. I love it when things are put into perspective, LOL! A lot of these things have the Campbell's labels for education seals on them...and when you spent $15+ you got a bonus 500 points! This is particularly good for us as Sarah is in a contest at her school...that 500 should jump her considerably...

This is my super easy "go to" meal that is a hot pick for a theme party in the Tupperware World. It takes less than 5 minutes to assemble and cooks all by itself while you are free to do other things. You CAN make a few variations: *Use Chicken and Alfredo sauce *Use chorizo and Chihuahua cheese *Use frozen spinach instead of ground beef TWENTY MINUTE LASAGNA Ingredients: 1 Box Oven Ready Lasagna noodles 1-1 1/2 lbs. Ground Beef 1 carton Ricotta Cheese Spaghetti Sauce (26 oz.) 1-1 1/2 lbs. shredded Mozzarella cheese 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan cheese Mushrooms optional Directions: Precook Ground Beef, set aside. Mix Spaghetti sauce, meat and mushrooms together. Spread a thin layer of this mixture on the bottom of a Rock ‘N Serve Deep container. Stir Grated Parmesan cheese into Ricotta cheese. Spread Ricotta cheese onto 3 pieces of lasagna, then arrange them across dish. Spoon sauce/meat mixture atop. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese atop. Repeat layers as often as desired, ending with ...

That's right, $215.40! I was behind a lady at the grocery store today who had a cart that was less than half full, didn't buy any sales specials and used no coupons. She wipped out her debit/credit card without blinking an eye and paid for it. If that was me, I would have needed CPR, LOL! She had some great things like a Hormel Pork Tenderloin roast, fresh veggies, etc but I got those same things a few weeks ago when they were B1G1 AND I used coupons! That poor lady. She is like a lot of shoppers who go to the store without a list and just buys what might be good for dinner. I know you are smarter than that! =) Here is what I took home today, keep in mind that I have a Cub Food's run to do tomorrow... I got: 8 4Pks Hunts Pudding @ $1 (normally 1.15) 12 cans Chef Boyardee Ravioli/pasta @ $1 (normally 1.19) 1 gallon milk @ $2.15 2 Ragu sauce @ $1.50 (normally ($2.09) chocolate chips $2.29 - not on sale but we wanted to make cookies! Apples $2.49 *on sale Bananas $.64 *on sale...

We used to joke at my restaurant that today's soup was cream of yesterday's special. This fits perfectly as beef stew is simply dressed up left over pot roast, LOL! This is simple to make - and great in a crock pot! Start with the left over pot roast. Remove the meat from any fat, shredding it as you go. For each cup of shredded meat you will want 2 small potatoes, 1/4 cup frozen peas, 1/4 stick celery and 2 carrots. Peel and dice the spuds, toss into the crock pot. Peel carrots and cut into coins, then add to potatoes. Cut the celery the same way you did the carrots, and add to the pot along with one bay leaf. Now, for some liquid -> 1 can cream of mushroom soup with 1 can of water...add a little beef bouillon and dehydrated onion. Set on high for one hour and then to low for 4-5 hours. Stir in any left over pot roast gravy, your frozen peas and the shredded meat. Cover and simmer one more hour. You can stir in a little bit of instant potatoes if it is a tad thinner than yo...

I have 115 coupons just sitting there -- and they are all for $2 off a package of Splenda. Here is the neat thing: I just noticed that THIS WEEK, Walgreen's has Splenda on sale for $2.99, limit of three packages. I will be making SEVERAL transactions...at SEVERAL Walgreen's stores in the next few days! Do we use it? No. There are members of my family who do: My Mom and Pop are diabetic, my mother in law is diabetic and my aunt is. I will give them all some to have on hand and then, use it for making treats for them! I will give Mom and Pop a few coupons to hit stores themselves, that leaves 85 boxes for me to get (NOT!) I figure, 6 boxes per visit, I can get 30 or so boxes for my stock pile and pass the rest onto Freecycle people...unless one of YOU want some. I will gladly send 5 coupons to each of the first 5 people that tell me they could use it, but hurry - that deal at Walgreen's ends Saturday night -- I would have to get them in the mail by Wednesday at 5PM for you to...

This was a great post from: Abundance On A Dime that I thought I would share - enjoy I know, I know - you really don't want to think about Christmas right now; you're still getting used to your family's new fall schedule. However... Christmas is only 3 1/2 months away, months that are going to fly by! So if you want to keep from overspending during the holidays, NOW is the time to start planning. This also makes it easier to plan homemade gifts as you can make them gradually over the next 3 months, rather than all in the last two weeks before Christmas (I just might be speaking from experience when I say I don't recommend the latter!) Things to do now: -If you are planning on spending significantly less on Christmas this year than in previous years, now is the time to discuss that with your spouse, kids, and any extended family members and friends with whom you traditionally exchange gifts. -Take an inventory of your gift stash (if you have one) and start making detaile...

Right on the front of the flier was a bunch of GREAT deals! Spaghetti Os $.39 a can Campbell's Tomato Soup $.39 a can Gold Fish Crackers $1 a bag And a perk for my daughter who is in a contest at her school: If you spend $15 you get a bonus 500 soup label points... I also saw boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.99/pound! My plans are to get 6 bags of Goldfish, 12 cans of soup and 12 cans of Spaghetti Os along with a big package of chicken for about $20. (I do have a few coupons for the soup and spaghetti Os, they just won't be doubled at Cubb's). I may repeat that exact same transaction another time to end up with a total of 1000 soup label points (in addition to the 48 off those cans...) I still have more than enough beef/pork/veggies/cheese/butter in my freezer and my pantry is full enough - I will only need to stock up on a bit of fruit and milk! What are you looking at for at the store this week?

It was interesting to read the blogs of a few other Thrifty Mamas...everyone seems to have a different approach to meal plans! Some list what they plan to make for the week but don't have a set night for it...some to themes like this: Sundays – Grilling Mondays – Noodles Tuesday – Tacos Wednesday – Sandwich Night Thursday – Mexican Friday – Pizza Saturday – Burgers, Hot Dogs, and Other Hand Held Items It got me thinking about what I normally do -- after a quick inventory I usually have a meatless night, a fridge clean out night and a night off (either using a gift card or having dear hubby grill out). As the weather changes for the cooler, I will be making a pot of soup each week...I put half into smaller containers right away and toss them into the deep freeze so we aren't eating that same soup all week long. The crock pot can be a wonderful asset for those busy days, especially when you have packs in the freezer to make assembly super easy! (but more on that later...) Here is...