Operation $40K

We went into Madison today and used our free coupons for a carousel ride at Ella's Deli. On the way back, we hit HyVee and picked up a few things... -Hot dogs were 3/$5 - the OLD Oscar Meyer ones we like and I had some $.75 coupons to bring them down to 3/$2.75. -Ketchup was $.78 -cake mixes were $.77 we got 5 for birthday party cupcakes, etc -Kruncher potato chips were $1.88 and we had a $1 coupon -Hunts Spaghetti sauce $.75/can - we got 4 -$.99/pound for Gala apples (.20 off for getting a tote) -$.49/pound for bananas -$1.88 for organic grape tomatoes -3 donuts for tomorrow morning @$.79 ea Grand total spent; $18.99 HyVee doesn't show anything but coupons on their receipts for savings -- they don't include sale prices, so I am working the rough math out of my price book (another post for another day) ...which brings my retail up to $35.98 and a savings of 47%. I could have lived without the donuts and tomatoes but that is what I get for shopping with the kiddo, LOL! Not v

I wan't overly thrilled at the sales this week so I only did one transaction and found myself pulling things out of the new coupon book too. I added a few things I needed to make those breakfast cookies I talked about and this is what I got: -3 Deli Creations @2.00 (were 2.69) - for hubby's lunch -1 Rhodes rolls ($2.49) -2 loaves white bread ($1.19) -Capri Sun @$2.39 -Canola Oil ($3.29)- not on sale but I needed it! -Skippy PB @$2.19 -Diamond Almonds @$2.19 -5 Gerber Baby Food @$1.00 -Skim Milk @$2.09 -1 Armour Maple sausage @$1.50 From the Bulk Food section: -Jumbo dried Apricots $.81 -Craisins $1.62 Coupons used: From the coupon book: .61 off both loaves of bread, .52 off the Skippy, .63 off the Armour sausage and >20 off the baby food. THEN...$1 off the Capri Sun (doubled), Rhodes $1 (doubled), 3 Deli Creations $1 (doubled) and $1 off canola oil (not doubled) Grand total: $16.50 out of pocket for $34.02 in groceries...that means I saved 51%. Not very good compared to my o

I just thought I would share this newsletter I got as it was full of some great info and ideas - enjoy! Happy Tuesday! One of the common questions I get asked both on and off site is, "What are you buying this week?" It's a little bit strange because it's not the typical, "What's for dinner?" question you'd normally get asked. What I'm buying has a whole other implication than what we're eating. So, this week, I'll share what I'm buying and why. During my shopping trips over the next few days, I'll be chasing deals on marinades and zipseal bags. Why? Some of the best condiment sales will be happening this week and next. I'll be able to stock up on brands l like, Sweet Baby Ray's and Lawry's to name a few, for less than $1 per bottle. This is the time of year I make the big push to refill the pantry. The zip bags are for the meat sales that will be happening throughout the summer. Buying the meat and freezing it in mar

Occasionally, we like to go to Target, get a small slushie from the deli and walk around. Why do we get small ones? As long as you are there, you can refill them for FREE. Today, that is what Ms Sarah and I did! I had already scoped out the Target Deals and planned on the following: Herbal Essence Travel Size Products (Gel, Shampoo or Conditioner) – $0.97 Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/16 RedPlum insert Free after coupon Jergen’s Natural Glow (trial size) – $1.99 Use $2/1 printable -->http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13927&zid=ym31&nid=10&bid=alk0518100551b3552d3fa24118 Free after coupon Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs – at $2.54 Buy 4 and use 2 Buy One Get One Free printable-->http://www.facebook.com/Nabisco100Cal?ref=ts&v=app_121542301195089 Plus use Buy 3 Get 1 free Target printable on their website As low as $0.63 each after coupons So...1 lotion and 1 shampoo fro traveling and 4 boxes of snacks, grand total = $2.53 (add another $2.64 for the small slu

From their own website: Step 1: Buy stuff. It's simple. You go shopping and, with fuelperks!, you'll save 10¢ PER GALLON for every $50 you spend. Plus, you don't have to spend all $50 in one visit: we'll track your spending over time so your discounts keep adding up. Step 2: Save on gas. Take your fuelperks! card to a participating gas station, and watch the price roll down on the pump. The more you shop, the more you save...When you redeem your fuelperks! rewards, you will be able to pump up to 20 gallons of gas in one transaction at the pump, for one vehicle. When the pump shuts off, your discount will reset to zero. Be sure to have a secure grasp on the nozzle to avoid shutting off the pump. This is a great program -- I like letting my balance get to $1 or 1.50 and then head over to fill up my vehicle. If gas is $2.75 a gallon, after swiping my reward card it drops down to $1.25 a gallon! Now, here is a few tip to rack up the points. Gift cards count for th

This is something that I just rediscovered...I used to make it a lot. It's frugal, a great way to disguise leftovers, keeps well and reheats well, freezes well and has a ton of variations. Of all the basic recipes I have ever tried, this gets the most compliments, try it and enjoy! Ingredients 3 eggs 1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 6 ounces cheese, shredded (mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss, etc) 2 cups of add-ins (chopped whatever you want)** 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell Preheat oven to 425*, pop pie shell in for 5-10 minutes to crisp it up a bit. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and half-and-half. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Place shredded cheese in the pie shell with the 2 cups of add-ins. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350*, and bake for 25 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is set. Allow to set 5 to 10 minutes before serving. ** I l

The "Magic Bullet" that is...I found a complete set at a garage sale for $1. We've all seen those infomercials with the hansdsome, fast talking man and his sexy accdent and have learned that we can do almost everything in 10 seconds or less with his wonder toy. The only thing I couldn't remember was what the price was...but figured that $1 was probably a pretty decent bargain, LOL! I checked out the website and saw that for just $99, I could get two complete sets with a 30 day supply of their protien powder. This leads me to believe that the bullet was probably about $39 off...and it came with the Free juicer and blender options! It did NOT have the cute little cookbook, but there are always a billion recipes at the click of a google search! I have tried a few things in it -- my guacamole recipe did take a tad longer than the 10 second promise, but was faster than the way I used to do it. It did a pretty decent job chopping a few small veggies for a quick omlette. Why

A few weeks back, I had a killer migraine and Mom & Pop came to the rescue. Sarah and I were whisked away to their house so I could recoup from the Morphene shot and my kiddo wouldn't be unsupervised. Pop was making his Tostadas for dinner -- I don't remember much about that evening but DO remember that heavenly smell! Here is his recipe, we recreated is for dinner this week and it tasted as good as I remember it smelling! I couldn't eat Pop's because I was so sick...but it sure made my mouth water, LOL! First, you pan fry some tortillas in hot oil to make them crispy and dry them on paper towels to catch the extra grease. While they are cooling, cook off some ground beef and drain the fat. Add a can of petite diced tomatoes, small can of green chilis, can of refried beans and a can of refried black beans. Add a little water and stir in a packet of taco seasoning. Let simmer so all the flavors can "marry" each other. Chop lettuce, tomato, onion, green pepp

April was the last payment for Sarah's Preschool. That was $130 a month our of our pocket, in addition to the occasional snacks we supplied and time in the class to help. Our May tuition was paid with our deposit check from the beginning of the year. It was WELL worth every penny as she LOVES her teachers and fellow friends of the class...in fact, we invited them all to her Puppy Birthday Party for later this month! This fall, she will be going to Kindergarden -- free. There will be no monthly payments for education sooo --> Let's talk math...$130 a month x 8 months of no longer paying it means we save another $1040 this year on expenses! Am I adding that money right away to my savings? No, it just means that I will have $130 more each month to put in. :) Preschool was a necessary thing for Sarah to do - she needed to be with kids her own age, learn to take turns and share as well as understand that there is a teacher who directs her (and the other kids). I really think it h

Here is the plan for the week...after looking at what I have in the freezer, and what I did NOT make during the disaster of a migraine that I had last week and what is on our family calendar. Breakfast is usually the same: cold cereal* or oatmeal* with a piece of fresh fruit (apple, strawberries, grapes or banana). I plan to make Breakfast Cookies (from a friend's blog) towards the end of the week to use for next week! Lunch is either leftovers, peanut butter* & jelly sandwiches, quesidillas, or cold plate with sausage or diced chicken - cheese* - crackers* & fresh fruit. Dinner: Monday - left overs/fridge clean out Tuesday - Beef Tostadas* Wednesday - Meatless dinner: baked Mac N Cheese* with onions* and peas* Thursday - Frozen pizzas* (We WILL get to these eventually, LOL!) Friday - breakfast for supper - pancakes and eggs! Saturday - soup and sandwiches Sunday - Grilled Veggies, Grilled Tilapia* * Denotes items that were free or almost free from my coupon clipping. I kin