A new year begins tomorrow, but for me it is just like any other Thursday. Thursday is the day of the week when we deposit my dh's paycheck, so I do like Thursdays (lol).

I have been very busy this past month, partially busy w/ the holidays, and partially hibernating bc I like to lay low around Christmas. We did manage to meet our goal of spending $200 total on Christmas for all 3 of our children. They each got 3 gifts, and then they got 2 joint gifts. One of the joint gifts was a microscope I got from cvs (free, bc I paid w/ ecbs). We spent nothing on my dh's gift, bc his mother sent him (not for the kids or me, just for him) enough cash to cover his computer production thingie magig. We did spend $60 on me, I chose 4 throws for the living room- it took me 3 yrs to find different size throws in the same color...And the color had to coordinate w/ our remodeled living room. My living room is now perfect, something our whole family is enjoying (I am the happiest, bc the unfinished lr was on my "to do" list). Our family had a wonderful, extremely frugal Christmas.

I made my husband's bosses homemade maple walnut fudge, and chocolate walnut fudge. (using nestle chips I got for $.25,woohoo).

I had to come up w/ a nonsweet hostess gift for the woman hosting my dh's work party- I gave a glade candle holder/scented candles, and lypsil lip gloss (both free from walgreens/cvs deals). Even the gift bag was free from a cvs ecb deal.

My 8 yr old needed new dress pants for the Christmas party- so I went shopping in our attic, and found him a brand new pair of black cords that fit him perfectly.

My dh wanted to bring a food item to the party, so I made 3 dough balls 2 days before the party- and we brought 3 perfect new york style 16 inch pizzas with us, which were an obvious hit (one thing we know, is pizza,lol). Moving to Ga, from PA- the thing we missed most was good pizza, so we figured out how to make what we couldn't buy!

The kids and I made Christmas cookies and fudge to give to our neighbors.

My dh didn't get a Christmas bonus, but for now he has the wonderful gift of continued employment.

Hopefully I will post here w/ more frequency in the next month:)

publix shopping trip

I went shopping a day early, since I had to leave the house to deposit my dh's check. I may be forced to change the shopping week to thursday to thursday, since I always go to the bank on thursdays.

I got the following:

lays classic chips, $2
dominoes confectioners sugar $.69/ea, minus $.25/1 coup $.19/ea
2 dominoes brown sugar, $.69/ea, minus $.25 coup $.19/ea
kosher salt $.69
6 glass plus, $1.25/ea, minus $.50 coup is $.25/ea
3 crisco canola oil, $2.25/ea, minus $.45/coup, $1.35/ea
3 mt olive pickles, $1.39/ea, minus $.50 coup, $.39/ea
4 betty crocker hash browns,$.80/ea, minus $.35 coup, $.10/box
2-100 count- lipton tea bag boxes $1.97/ea, minus $.75/2 coup, $1. 67/ea
5 lb white lilly bread flour, $1.99, minus $.55 coup=$1.44/ea
4lb navel oranges, $1.50
16 oz polly o mozzerella $3.49
16 oz pollyo ricotta, $2.50
sheff marsala wine, $6.29

total spent was $30.98, total saved was $51.10

My dh requested lays potato chips (even specifying the color bag,lol), we are almost out of kosher salt, my dh and 12 yr old love pickles, glass plus (generic windex) is excellent for getting stains out of carpet/clothing, we go thru lots of powdered sugar w/ scratch donuts, white lilly flour was a decent price, the bc boxed potatoes are just dirt cheap, and I used up all the marsala on chix marsala last week. I was planning on buying the ricotta and mozz cheese- I was quite pleased to find it on sale today. Publix was out of all purpose white lilly flour, so I got a raincheck for 2. Now to go to kroger and see if there are any more $.55/1 coupons....

tomorrow I am going to make lasagna (including scratch noodles) w/ bolognese sauce (from the freezer), spinach (from the freezer), and the pollyo cheese I bought today. Since the 16 oz size was less than the 8 oz, I will even have some leftover to make cheese ravioli. The meatballs I made last night, ended up being enough for two dinners in the freezer, last night's dinner (and bedtime snack), today's lunch for me, and tonight's dinner for all 5 of us. I also need to make pizza dough tomorrow night, for dinner sunday/monday. Sunday is pizza, and mon will be a hoagie.

My general plan for feeding my family for less, is to stock up hugely when the basics we use often are on sale. This means some weeks all I buy is produce, some weeks it is all meat, and others it is strange odds and ends. It is a rule rather than the exception for my pantries to be bursting at the seams. I also try to cook from scratch as frequently as possible, altho I try to limit myself to one big meal preparation/day.

Betty crocker cookie mixes were cheap from kroger a few weeks ago... the bag directions call for butter and egg. My 12 yr old subbed out canned pumpkin for the butter, added the egg, and cooked as usual. They came out even better than usual, slightly orange tinted, but softer and very yummy. Perfect for frosting w/ the free betty crocker icing from publix last week:) Generally, I go for scratch items, but my kids enjoy the instant mixes, and I never pay more than $1/box, I still have 5 boxes of brownie mix I got for $.10/ea. We always sub out pumpkin in cake and brownie mixes. My kids are 12 and 13, and enjoy baking- the mixes make it difficult to mess up, and following the pkg directions (and subbing out ingredients!) is a good life skill. Subbing out the pumpkin is both frugal and healthful. (we still use plenty of canola oil for frying french fries!)

I imagine I will need milk, eggs and reg flour before next friday. Everything else should be good. Kroger has potatoes on sale $3.99/10lbs thru sat, so I will be buying another bag. Hopefully I will find a bagged salad reduced to $1/bag!

RECIPES

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

3 28OZ CANS OF PUREED TOMATOES

1-1.5 LB GROUND BEEF (PREFERABLY GROUND CHUCK)

1/4 CUP WINE (RED OR WHITE)

1/2 CUP MILK

2 CARROTS, PEELED AND DICED

1 ONION, FINELY DICED

1/2 TSP FRESHLY GRATED NUTMEG

1/2 TSP PAPRIKA

1 TBSP BUTTER

SALT TO TASTE

SAUTE ONION, CARROT, NUTMEG, AND PAPRIKA IN 1 TBSP OF BUTTER ON MEDIUM HEAT FOR 2 MINUTES. ADD GROUND BEEF AND SALT. WHEN GROUND BEEF IS HALFWAY COOKED, ADD IN WINE. STIR W/ A WHISK TO ENSURE GROUND BEEF IS IN SMALL PIECES. ADD IN PUREED TOMATOES. SIMMER FOR 20 MINUTES, THEN ADD MILK. SIMMER FOR 30 MINUTES. SERVE OVER PASTA W/ GRATED PARM CHEESE, OR USE AS SAUCE FOR LASAGNA.


BLACK BEAN CHILI

INGREDIENTS

1 LB SOAKED BLACK BEANS

3TBSP FRESH GROUND ANCHO CHILI

1 LB GROUND BEEF

3 28 OZ CANS PUREED TOMATOES

1 ONION, DICED

1/2 RED BELL PEPPER, DICED

1 JALEPENO, DICED

SALT TO TASTE

SAUTE GROUND BEEF, ONION, RED BELL PEPPER, GROUND ANCHO CHILIS, AND JALEPENO IN A LARGE POT. ADD BEANS AND TOMATOES, AND SIMMER FOR 2 HOURS. SERVING SUGGESTIONS- CHILI CHEESE FRIES, CHILI CHEESE NACHOS, CHILI DOGS, OR IN A BOWL GARNISHED W/ GREEN ONION/SOUR CREAM/CHEDDAR CHEESE.

MEATBALLS

1.5 LB GROUND CHUCK
1 LB ITALIAN SAUSAGE
1LB GROUND PORK
3 CANS TOMATOES
3 CUPS BEEF STOCK
OLIVE OIL
3 GARLIC CLOVES, CRUSHED
RED WINE
ITALIAN SEASONED BREAD CRUMBS
4 EGGS

MIX TOGETHER ALL GROUND MEATS, ADD 4 EGGS, AND MIX IN BREAD CRUMBS UNTIL THE CONSISTENCY IS CORRECT FOR FORMING MEATBALLS. FORM INTO MEATBALLS AND SET ASIDE. HEAT UP OLIVE OIL IN A LARGE SKILLET. PUT MEATBALLS INTO SKILLET, BEING CAREFUL TO LEAVE ROOM BETWEEN THEM SO THEY DON'T STICK TOGETHER. ADDIN CRUSHED GARLIC CLOVES, AND A LARGE DASH OF WINE. BROWN MEATBALLS ON ALL SIDES, THEN ADD 2 CUPS TOMATOES. PUT MEATBALLS/TOMATOES INTO A LARGE STOCKPOT, AND ADD IN BEEF STOCK. REPEAT UNTIL ALL THE MEATBALLS ARE COOKED. SIMMER IN LARGE STOCKPOT FOR 2 HOURS. SERVE OVER PASTA W/ PARM CHEESE.

budget savers

This is a list of some of the things I do on a regular basis that save me money.

Make my own laundry detergent- what I do is probably cheating, but it works.... I use 2 bars felsnapatha (or ivory), finely grated- mix it w/ a box of borax and a box of washing soda- then fill up two tupperware containers designed for cereal- that are ideal for this (bad for cereal, bc the seal isn't tight enough to keep cereal fresh). I have an HE washer and this detergent works perfectly.

Make my own stocks- I save all ends of celery (especially the leafy ends), and all onions scraps, plus garlic scraps-I keep a ziplock baggie in the freezer, and I add to it as I go. I save all chicken bones- the neck from inside a whole chicken, the cut off wing tips from whix wings, the bones from a roasted chicken.... free stock.

Make my own pasta sauces- I make massive batches of meat sauces... 3-4 28oz cans on tomatoes, to one lb of beef. I freeze half imediately, then I freeze any leftover after next day's lunch. I make bolognese sauce, cinncinatti chili, black bean chili- as these are my family's favorites.

Make my own pierogies and freeze them individually.

make my own hamburger patties and freeze them individually.

Smoke our own meats, and dice and freeze for easy meals.

Make stock from the bones of above smoked meats, for making soups.

Make batches of soup as large as possible, so there is enough for 3 meals, plus one for the freezer. (bean and bacon soup is one I make regularly).

Make my own pizza dough.

Invested in a Kitchen Aid Pro standmixer, invaluable when baking!

Stock up on items that are free after sale and coupon. The following are items I have gotten free after sale/coupon that are in my pantry: Quaker oatmeal (8 18oz cannisters), Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce (10 bottles), lawrys marinade (10 bottles), carnation evaporated milk (16 cans), scotchbrite sponges (20), celestial seasonings tea (6 free boxes, plus 2 boxes for $.50/ea), suave shampoo (4 bottles), loreal shampoo (2 shampoo, 2 conditioner), 15 glade scented oil air fresheners, johnsons buddies soaps (15), cottonelle toilet paper, tomato sauce, kashi waffles, general mills honey nut cheerios, kellogs poptarts, uncle bens rice mixes, fish oil supplements (5 bottles of 75ct), betty crocker frosting... Those are all $0 oop, and a few gave "overage" to pay for other items...

I utilize the cvs ecb program, walgreens RR and easy rebate program to get free, nearly free, and even moneymaker items. Currently I have the following items in my linen closet from those places- 4 glade glass scents, 2 loreal revialift, 1 loreal age defying radiance, always infinity pads, kotex panty liners, garnier hair products, loreal lipsticks, covergirl lipsticks, excedrin,advil PM, oral b toothbrushes, gum toothbrushes, reach toothbrushes, colgate toothpaste, suave bodywash, softsoap bodywash, benefiber sticks, pepto bismal chewables, sudafed, glade candles, dishsoaps, mascara, many pricy hair stylers, windex, oust surface and air, febreeze, this still incomplete list is getting to large:)

I have a little brand loyalty as possible, I go with whatever is the best deal. There are a few items that are brand specific (flour, baking soda...), so I really stock up when there is a sale.

I buy 6 sunday papers every week there are coupons.

Those tins of ajax bleach powder that are $.39/ea w/ coupon frequently at walgreens are perfect and very economonical for cleaning the toilets.

Vinegar is the perfect cleaner- for carpets, hard floors, counters, windows, just about everything.

I plan out all meals in advance, but I am willing to change if a better choice shows up! Everyone in our family is asked for input in planning out the meals.

I do aim to make everything from scratch, but if packaged is cheaper and the ingredients are acceptable, I will try it. (recent examples- nestle refridgerated dough, was cheaper after sale/coupon than buying the butter alone to make cookies... seapak shrimp scampi, when it is on sale w/ coupon- is cheaper than buying all the ingredients).

I wear an unusual size (I am tall and thin) that is never found in any thrift/goodwill store, so I have frugal ways of buying perfect fit clothing cheaply. Landsend.com has an excellent overstock section- I once got dress pants hemmed to my specs for $11/ea, a button down dress stretch shirt for $3, bathing suit for $11, and many more. The key is finding websites that sell your size, and checking them a few times a month for rock bottom deals. Heck- I once found a pair of jeans at walmart for $3- and they fit and flatter perfectly. My kids get clothes from everywhere- goodwill sometimes, clearance racks sometimes, rockbottom deals found online sometimes.

I dye my own hair- after 2 salons failed miserably and gave he horrid highlights, I decided to try bc there was no way I could do worse. Amazingly, I did an excellent job, and it is something I am proud of. I also began cutting my own hair...3 times now, the stylist gave me a cut she chose, instead of the cut I asked for. And on top of that- there were stray long hairs missed that I had to trim myself. Again, I decided there was no way I could do worse! I have been cutting my dh's and my kids hair for 14 yrs.

I have also found that general politeness and common courtesy goes a long way, being friendly w/ cashiers and managers, makes them want to help you. Cashiers and managers know us everywhere we shop.

I give extras to neighbors and friends.

I spent an hour searching the internet, and saved hundreds of dollars on vet bills when we rescued two puppies that were 4 weeks old.

Buy all chew bones from the dollar store, all leashes/harnesses from walmart, petfood from kroger. I price compared and found where each item we buy regularly, is cheaper. The same dog harness was $19 at a petstore, and $7 at walmart!

I enacted a "no waste" policy on food in our house...Either you eat it, or put it in the fridge for tomorrow- anything to small to save, the puppies get. Every other day, I search the fridge to ensure leftovers aren't being forgotten.

I use pureed pumpkin in place of oil in chocolate cakes, brownies, and quick breads.

I keep a running inventory of the chest freezer.

I own 2 food scales, and everything is frozen in ziplocks bags w/ an exact weight and date written on the bag. No meat is stored for longer than 4 months.

I do online surveys.

While I do subscribe to a multitude of magazines, I never pay more than $10 for a yr subscription. Many magazines have coupons in them, as well as the value of the articles:) I put a high value on reading and information.

We use the libraries instead of buying books.

I have a broadband connection, what I save from the internet far surpasses the expense of the fast connection.

What I will NOT do to save a buck:

put up w/ a rude cashier or shop anywhere that doesn't appreciate my business- whether I pay with coupons or cash.

Steal or lie.

Drive more than 10 miles for a deal/freebie.

Put myself or my kids in an unsafe environment.

Behave rudely to a cashier or another customer.

Bring anything unsafe or low quality into my home, whether free or cheap.

Hurt anyone.

An interesting equation....if I spend $70/week on supplies for my family, that ends up being $2/day for the 5 people in our family to eat. If I add in our 3 big dogs, and our birds- it ends up being $1/day for each of our family members to eat (yes, our pets are part of our family!).

My oldest has food intolerances to dyes and preservatives- they cause intense, explosive anger outbursts. Solving this problem, is what initially led me to cook from scratch. I have only been cooking/baking from scratch for 5 yrs, I add a few more dishes each year. 6 yrs ago, the only things I could make from scratch were marinara, and fried potatoes. I married a Chef, fully intending to never, ever prepare a single meal.

I ended up spending $98 last week, quite a bit over budget. I am however pleased because our biannual home owner association dues were paid out of our bank account- first time ever it wasn't charged. We have been doing a tremendous job of not charging on the credit cards, bc we have been living w/in our means/income. Automobile gas coming down in price is also helping!

I haven't completed the meal plan for the coming week- here is what I have so far-

Sat-pierogies and field greens salad. salad $1, pierogies- potatoes $1, cheese $2, onion $.20, flour $.30, eggs $.30= $3.80. $4.80 for the meal. (I overestimated the cost of the pierogies- I make a massive batch that covers 2 family meals and many snacks).

Sun- blackbean chili fries- potatoes- $1, cheese $1, blackbean chili, $1 (from the freezer).

Mon-?!

Tuesday- spaghetti and meatballs (pasta $.50, meatballs $2, canned tomaotes $1) $3.50 to feed 5.

wesnesday- sesame chicken, rice, and california rolls. (sesame chix- chix $2, breading/sherry/cornstarch/spices $1, rice $.50. suishi- $1 seaweed rolls, $.50 rice, $.79 cucumber, $1 avacado, carrot $.10, rice vinegar $.20).$3.50+$4.60= $8.10.

thursday- beef ravioli w/ marinara (tomatoes $.44, scratch beef ravioli from freezer.) Clean out the freezer meal (lol). $1 to feed 5 of us.

Tomorrow is my big shopping day...walgreens, cvs, and publix (all in the same block!). Publix has a stock up deal on olive oil, and free betty crocker frosting (I will only get this if the ingredients are ok tho!). cvs, glade glass scents are free w/ coupons/sale/ecbs, and duracell batteries are almost free.

meal plan for 11/7-11/14

Friday- loaded baked potatoes (potatoes, $1, bacon $.60, cheese $1, butter $.30) $2.90, to feed 5 people one meal

Saturday- Bouritos (home smoked beef, $2, old el paso bouritto kit, $1, cheese $1.50, tomato $.20) $4.70 to feed 5 people

Sunday- Pizza, 2 16 inch (cheese $2, homemade dough, $.40, sauce $.10) $2.59 to feed 5 people dinner

Monday- smoked Pork BBQ sandwhiches (home smoked pork, $2, bbq sauce free, buns $.50) $2.50 to feed 5 people.

Tuesday- zattarains jymbalya (box mix, $.65, celery $.10, onion $.20, smoked sausage $.50, chix brst $.50, homemade stock free) $1.95 to feed 5 people

Wednesday- Chicken Fried Rice (chicken brst $1, rice $.50, peas $.10, carrots $.10, onion $.20, eggs $.50) $2.40 to feed 5 people

Thursday- Pierogies (potatoes, $1, cheese $.50, flour/eggs $.50) $2 to feed 5 people

friday- beef stew(1lb beef $2.28, carrots $.20, celery $.10, onion $.10, chix stock free, potatoes $2) $4.68 to feed 5 people.


I found a good deal on choice beef, london broil for $2.28/lb. I bought 4 roasts, and I smoked two in our wood smoker, and froze two raw. The two I smoked, are diced/portioned/frozen. I also smoked 2 pork roasts, it was $1.49/lb. Potatoes were $3.99 for 10lbs, so I bought 2 bags. Bacon was $1.88/12 oz, so I grabbed it for meals planned this week. All of the above sales were Ingles.

I was also able to make a stock from the smoked pork bones, that was ideal for homemade bean soup. The bean soup will be lunch/snacks for the boys. The soup costs very little, $.80 for the dried white beans, $.60 for the bacon, and $.20 for carrot/onion. $1.60, and it will feed my 3 boys 2 lunches and a snack!

I did away w/ my strict $50/week budget for this month, in honor of all the baking items on sale. I believe in buying them now, and stocking up, instead of paying 4 times as much as I need them.

Kroger this week- I did aquire 16 cans of carnation evaporated milk free, and 20 scotchbrite sponges free. The carnation milk is perfect for scratch mac n cheese, scratch cornbread, scratch biscuits, and sponges are a neat novelty bc we usually use dish cloths. 3 liters bottles of deer park water were also free after coupon and promotion, so I got 16 bottles. 16 oz of cheese was $2.99, so I bought quite a few. We have pizza every sunday, and go thru lots of cheese! There was also a good deal on land o lakes butter, I bought 8lbs for $1.40/each. Dominos sugar was $1.40 for the 5lb bag, and I bought 5 of those. These items are all part of the "buy 10, save $5" promotion Kroger is having. I am hoping for flour to go on sale next week, bc I am on my last bags of bread flour and all purpose flour!

I used my walgreens giftcard to cover my sunday doubles, $0 oop. I have $6.56 left on my walgreens giftcard from sept rebates, so that will cover my sunday doubles this sunday. Total for 3 doubles comes to $6.36. Hopefully my new walgreens gifts card, from my oct rebates arrives in the mail this week!

I did give rite aid a try, and it was the worst shopping experience ever. A manager came running out the door as I was going in, and bounced off of me w/o saying anything (much less sorry/excuse me), nothing that was free after rebate was sold in the store (no empty shelf space for the products), the manager avoided my request for assistance finding the items, and ran into me full blast as I exited the store. Apparently the management at that store threw away something very important, as they were running back and forth from the outside garbage can and then inside again. When I complained to corporate rite aid, their customer service gave my complaint and contact information to the exact same manager who kept running in to me! Needless to say, I am glad the call went to my voice mail, and I will never deal w/ rite aid again! Now I understand WHY their parking lot is always empty! Lol!

CVS this week, we got 10 free packs of gum, and since the gum deal cost $5 after coupons (get $5 back), and all I had was a $10 ecb, I got some dish soap that we needed. $0 oop.

I also bought 12 bags of green giant steam fresh corn, for not only free but had a $.10 overage applied to my order for each bag. We went trick or treating at publix, and each one of my kids got a free banana, orange, and apple. I made banana bread w/ the bananas, and the last of my free frozen pumpkin in the freezer.

tues shopping trip

I managed to make it to publix while the smartstart cereal was still bogo, and remembered 4 of my $1/1 kelloggs cereal. I got an assortment of items along w/ the 4 smartstart cereals, my goal was a total of $10 since the rebate I was sending away for was $10. My total was $10.54.

There is a special display in publix stores w/ a Kelloggs magazine, and inside this magazine is a rebate form. The rebate states that when you buy 4 kelloggs cereals in one transaction, kelloggs will send you a $10 check to spend at the store (where you purchased cereals) on health and beauty items. There is a list of eligible cereals. SInce I got the last $10 rebate kelloggs offered, I have confidence in kelloggs rebates!

My total spending for the week is at $52, including the $24 my dh and I spent on our outing, is brings the total to $76. Since I have to pay yearly home owner association dues to the tune of $400, due nov 1, I am pleased I have lowered my recent spending!

cvs trip, 10/27/08

I got-
12 pkg double roll cottonelle, $.649
2 rolls viva paper towels, $2.29
2 palmolive dish soap, bogo, $.79/ea
3 sudafed sinus PE, $5
1 sudafed night cold PE $5

coupons used-
3 $1.50/w sudafed pe
1 $1/1 sudafed
$.75/2 viva paper towels (found inside a publix flyer handed out a few months ago)
$1/2 viva single paper towels crt
$1.50/1 cottonelle (found inside a coupon booklet kroger mailed me)
2 $.25/1 palmolive coupons
$5/$30 crt
I paid w/ a $16 ecb, a $1.98 ecb, and $.74 oop. I got back $10ecb (for the sudafed) My cvs cashier thought my low total was cool, lol!:)

I came up with the above scenario when I realized I hadn't bought toilet paper or paper towels for a few weeks (something I like to have a few weeks worth at all times), and my dh and I both take sudafed sinus in the winter. The palmolive was to get my total up for the ecb, bc we can always use more dishsoap!

My husband drove me- so I did another transaction to show my appreciation...
single pkg oreos (my dh's fave cookie)
mayfield choco milk (dh's fave choc milk)
2 gatorade (for two of my sons w/ me)
bag of pretzels (son's treat choice)
choco chip cookies (son's treat)
a gallon of milk
real vanilla

I paid w/ a $10ecb, a $1.98 ecb, and $2.49oop.

I have around $20 in ecbs left.

Then we bopped over to kroger, and got 3 more boxes of free tea ($1, and there is a $1/1 man coupon). We also discussed and mutually decided to go over the $50 budget, bc we want to roast marshmellows over a fire tonight. We splurged and got firewood:) We also determined that $50/week is a tad to tight w/ rising prices, to keep under every week continuously...I am feeding 2 teenage boys afterall, not the same as feeding toddlers, plus a picky 8 yr old. Male teenagers eat an incredible amount of food,lol. Add in 2 puppies, and a90lb dog...haaa, my strict budget was stressing me out. So, our new plan is a goal of $50/week, but a budget of under $75/week.

I did my sunday shopping today, spent a tad more than expected, bc I was unable to find the greenwise booklet at publix, for the muir glenn coupon- and bc we needed granulated sugar. I was hoping to spend $15.

Chicken leg quarters, $2.95 ($.59/lb)
2 boxes dominoes confectioners sugar, $.50/ea ($.99, minus $.25/1)
dominoes 5lb bag sugar, $2.24 ($2.99, minus $.35/1 coup)
publix ceasar salad, $1.50
2 cloves of fresh garlic $.62
dole baby bella sliced mushrooms, $1.99
publix chicago italian bread, $2.59
3 small cans muir glenn tomato sauce, $.10/ea ($.85, w/ $.75/1 man coupon)
muir glenn tomato sauce,14oz can, $.25 ($1.25, minues $1/1 man coupon)
friendship sour cream, $.70 ($1.39, $.35/1 man coup)
2 cans old orchard juice cocentrate, $1.50/ea ($2/ea, man coup $1/2)
5 qts publix vanilla ice cream, $5.29 ($6.29, $1/1 publix coupon)
total= $23.10, saved $14.43
not a good savings week, but that is everything I need for meals thru friday evening!

cvs-
4 bic razors, $4.89/ea ($4 ecbs each, limit of 4/card)
used 4 coupons for $2/1
paid w/ ecbs, and $2.oop. got back $16 ecbs

walgreens-
3 double papers, $2/ea
paid w/ $2RR, and $4.36 from my walgreens giftcard.

My dh was kind enough to stop at kroger sat night, and get 5 bags of tortilla chips ($1/ea), an avocado, and a tomato, he spent $8.
I am left w/ $9 in my $50 budget, until this friday. There is nothing we need that I know of, but I have $30 in cvs ecbs, and $11 on a walgreens giftcard, for milk/eggs.

Room for improvement- I need to figure out a decent recipe, so I no longer need to buy publix italian bread for hot roast beef sandwhiches. I also shouldn't have bought dominoes sugar from publix, that would have been better paid for w/ my walgreens giftcard.

I did find a kelloggs booklet at publix- buy 4 keloggs cereals (smartstart, special k) and get back a $10 check to spend on health and beauty items. smartstart is bogo, w/ a $1/ man coup, so I will prob spend the last of my $8 to buy those.

Dinner meal plan

This is a list of the meals I planned and our family consumed over the past week, and a few planned for the coming week. My goal for a meal is to feed 5 of us for under $5, but a splurge now and then is acceptable:) Veggies are generally snacks in our family, so not included in every meal.

Saturday- bratwurst (kroger bratwurst, $1.99/5, $.99/6 hoagies rolls, $.10/onion) $3.08 to feed 5 of us.

Sunday lunch/ dinner- Pizza (homemade dough) cost $5 to feed 5 of us. Chicken wings, cost $5

Monday- Pepperoni roll (homemade dough) cost $2, hoagie sandwhich, cost $7

tuesday- Jymbayla (zattarains box,$.75, 2 links smoked beef chili sausage, $.50, jalepeno $.10, onion $.20, celery $.20, 2 chix brsts $1.50) $3.05 to feed 5 of us

wednesday- beef stew (chuck roast $2.99, celery $.20, onion $.20, homemade chix stock free, carrots $.20, scallion $.10, potatoes $1) $4.69 to feed 5 of us.

thursday- chili dogs (natural deli dogs $1/pkg of 6, hormel chili $1/can, hotdogbuns $.49/8) $2.49 to feed 5 of us.

friday- Manwhich (2lbs ground beef $3, jalepneo $.10, onion $.20, manwhich bold $1.59, buns $.99/8,$.49/8) $6.37 to feed 5 (my boys were especially hungry and each ate 3 sandwhiches!!)

Saturday- Blackbean chili nachos, (homemade blackbean chili from freezer $1, tortilla chips $1, cilantro $.77,onion $.20, jalepeno $.10, lime $.20, cheese $1.67)$4.91 to feed 5 of us

Sunday lunch/dinner- chix ceasar salad (bagged salad mix $1.50,popcorn chix $.50) $2 to feed 5 of us lunch. hot roastbeef sandwhiches (sirloin rst $6, mashed potatoes $2, gravy $.50, bread $1) $9.50, to feed 5 of us dinner and 5 of us lunch the next day.

Monday- chicken co quo vin (chix quarters $1.29, potatoes $2, mushrooms $1.50, chix stock free, carrots $.20) $4.99 to feed 5 of us.

Tuesday- Chicken fried rice (2 chix brsts, $1.50, rice $.50, 4 eggs $.40, frozen peas $.25, carrots $.10, chix marinade free w/ sale/coupon) $2.75 to feed 5 of us.

Wednesday- cinncinatti chili (homemade cincinnatti chili from freezer, $2, pasta $.73, cheddar cheese $1) $3.73 to feed 5 of us.

Thursday- bolognese spaghetti ( homemade bolognese sauce from freezer, $2, pasta $.74/box, parm cheese $.25) $3.99 to feed 5 of us.

needed from the store to complete all meals-
chicken quarters, $1.20 (co quo vin)
publix italian bread, $2.60 (roast beef sandwhiches)

Mr grocery spending week is from friday to thursday. I spent $49.70 the week ending 10/23. The week beginning 10/24, I have spent $10.74, leaving me $39.24 until 10/30.

first post

I have decided to begin a blog, to help me be more accountable for my spending, and to have a venue to share the multitude of deals I find:)

I am a homeschooling mom of 3 boys, married to an Executive Chef, and our household is also home to 3 dogs and 2 cockatiels. I enjoy teaching my boys all the "book" learning things... And consider life skills to be just as important. It is my goal to teach my boys how to live life to the fullest, for the least amount of money possible. What an amazing gift my boys will be to their wives someday:)

Previously, my weekly food budget has been $125, with an additional $40 set aside to misc expenses. The first week in Oct, I dropped it to $100 total for everything, w/ a goal of $50 being spent total...2 out of the 3 past weeks, I have managed to spend a total of $50 (yes, this includes pet food, cleaning supplies). My goal, is to keep my weekly spending to a consistent $50 week. I need to do this so I can pay down cc debt, cc debt feels like a hammer about to drop! I spend $50, and save around $200+ every week. I shop at publix, kroger, ingles, cvs, target and walgreens. I go where the deals are:)