2 cases of cherry coca cola (3/$12)
1 case of apple fanta (had a coup for $2/3 cases)
2 boxes of ritz crackers (free w/ 3 coca cola cases, and I used a $2/2 coup)
2 peter pan peanut butter ($2,used $1/2 coup)
kroger hotdog buns (manager sticker fell off, I paid reg price at the check out! GASP!)
bratwurst rolls, $.79/pkg of 6
onion hamburger buns, $1.19/8
2 loaves of white bread, $.69/ea
organic flaxseed bread, $1.79
18 eggs, $1.98
doz eggs, $1.19
broccoli,$2.76
2 bottles of kroger lemon juice,$1.99/ea
48oz veg oil, $1.98
donuts $.79
2 bags of onions, $1.99/3lbs
4 bags tortilla chips, $1/ea
5 bags of kraft mozz cheese, $1.67/8oz
6 bars of kraft colby montery jack cheese, $1.67/8oz (one coup for $1/2)
8oz baby bella mushrooms, $.79
5lbs ground chuck,$9.95
green grapes, $2.15
bleach cleaner $.99
16oz sour cream,$.99 ($.35/1 store coup)
16oz tyson bacon,$2.64
total spent, $74.56, saved $41.39
I was saddened by the lack of manager specials, only a few varieties of bread were marked down, no meat, no bagged salads. I planned to spend $65, so I did go over a tad. I had the dual shopping goal again, to both save $ and not need to go to the store for a week!
I am so looking forward to when my garden begins to produce fruit and veggies!!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Gardening
I tried a vegetable garden last year, and it did not go well. Our puppies were young, and 100% troublemakers- and ate-yes, ate- all my tomato plants, and had a game of fetch and chase w/ the rest. Our pumpkin, became a wonderful chew toy. The cantelope/watermelon vines- became ropes for them to play tug of war w/ each other. It was upsetting, until I realized 1- the puppies were having an awful lot of fun, and 2- they will be adult dogs and calm and all boring before I know it... So I let go of my anger, life is to short to be angry!
Keeping the above in mind- I decided to try again this yr, but on a much smaller scale. We planted 6 tomato plants, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and strawberry plants. Rosemary,Oregano, Parlsey, and Thyme survived last yrs havoc and are flourishing. Our strawberry plant from last yr, is alive, and is trying to flourish! I bought long wooden stakes and plastic ties, to make tomato cages. My 12 yr old son came up with the brilliant idea of surrounding the strawberry plants w/ a fence made from the stakes and plastic ties (it will slow down the puppies while we train them to NOT eat out veg plants!).
Our 2 plum trees are flowering like mad, a beautiful sight bc man are those plums good. The kids run out and pick a few plums every am while the tree is producing plums, no need to buy fruit from the store! I also planted an apple tree, but it is sad and unhappy, in need of transplantation to a "happier" spot. Our next door neighbors have a peach tree they have given us free rein over (hard to believe, but they would rather buy peaches from the store- than GASP eat ones grown in their yard). Yuuum, peach cobbler:) Now, if I could just figure out how to prune it w/o offending them, to increase the diamater of the peaches.
Now, for an unfrugal moment. I paid $1.99, for gasoline conditioner, so I can use the gal left over from last yr. Unfrugal, bc a gal of gas is currently $1.79. However, I do prefer to waste not, and recycle papers/popcans/magazines, and I was unable to think of an environmentally friendly way to dispose of the old gasoline, even if I could stomach the waste.
I hurt my hip and knee a month ago, and my sweetie of a husband has been going grocery shopping with me each Monday. He has also been buying me 3 double sunday papers every Sunday. FINALLY- I was able to drive myself this past sunday. I had been going stir-crazy, being dependent and confined doesn't bring out my best attributes! Lol!
Sunday shopping,3/22/09
cvs- I spent $.50, and I got a 22 oz bottle of dawn, Crest Prohealth toothpaste, and 3 johnson and johnson first aid kits. I used a man blinkie (from publix) for $3/2 J&J products, and bought 3 kits at $.97 each. I also used a $.75 man coup for the toothpaste, and a $.50 coupon for the Dawn. I spent $5 ecbs, and got back $4.49. I am totally out of the cvs game, bc I have been doing minimal 3 minute cvs shopping for the past 4 weeks (patience is not my dh's strong point!).
publix- I spent $41. I got- broccoli, 2 62 oz tropicana oj, 2 one lb bags of rice (free after $.50/1 coupons), fast fixin's popcorn chicken (bogo, and 2 $.75/1 coupons), fresh express bagged salad ($1/1 publix coupon), green leaf lettuce, 12 double roll angelsoft toilet paper (sale, plus $.50/1 coup), a whole chicken ($.79/lb), seltzer (penny item), 3 double papers, 2 48oz bottles of crisco canola oil, 20ct advil pm (publix $3/1 coup), dishwasher detergent, and a 5lb bag of publix flour. I saved $30, but I was doing a combo trip of saving $, and ensuring I bought everything we needed for the week.
I am not doing any more grocery shopping until friday, when I go to Kroger. It feels really, really, really good to be "back" to my economical grocery shopping.
My 12 yr old finished his geometry and algebra mathbook, after some research, I found this-
http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearchresults.asp?store=3&querytype=book&qu=Mastering+Essential+Math+Skills&loc=106&display=col
I got the one for middle grades, 2 yrs ago I had my older boys complete the elementary school version. It has an excellent format- each page is divided into 3 portions: drills, review, and a new concept. It is easy, a nice break from a challenging book, but still extremely beneficial. The link above, is an amazing deal. Google makes frugal homeschooling possible!!
A few more random links that are very useful when you squeeze each penny out of each dollar...
totalpetsupply.com (best prices on pet supplies)
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ (buying power for educational resources)
http://www.fiddledeedeemom.com/ (ahh, a "publix" shopper's dream blog
http://www.thriftyfloridamama.net/ all emcompassing frugality/debt payoff
Meal plan for the week-
monday- chick pea curry
tues- cincinnatti chili
wed- cincinatti chili
thurs- roast beef w/ gravy, served on bread, with mashed potatoes.
friday- Meatballs and spaghetti
saturday- loaded baked potatoes
sun- pizza
mon- pizza
Keeping the above in mind- I decided to try again this yr, but on a much smaller scale. We planted 6 tomato plants, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and strawberry plants. Rosemary,Oregano, Parlsey, and Thyme survived last yrs havoc and are flourishing. Our strawberry plant from last yr, is alive, and is trying to flourish! I bought long wooden stakes and plastic ties, to make tomato cages. My 12 yr old son came up with the brilliant idea of surrounding the strawberry plants w/ a fence made from the stakes and plastic ties (it will slow down the puppies while we train them to NOT eat out veg plants!).
Our 2 plum trees are flowering like mad, a beautiful sight bc man are those plums good. The kids run out and pick a few plums every am while the tree is producing plums, no need to buy fruit from the store! I also planted an apple tree, but it is sad and unhappy, in need of transplantation to a "happier" spot. Our next door neighbors have a peach tree they have given us free rein over (hard to believe, but they would rather buy peaches from the store- than GASP eat ones grown in their yard). Yuuum, peach cobbler:) Now, if I could just figure out how to prune it w/o offending them, to increase the diamater of the peaches.
Now, for an unfrugal moment. I paid $1.99, for gasoline conditioner, so I can use the gal left over from last yr. Unfrugal, bc a gal of gas is currently $1.79. However, I do prefer to waste not, and recycle papers/popcans/magazines, and I was unable to think of an environmentally friendly way to dispose of the old gasoline, even if I could stomach the waste.
I hurt my hip and knee a month ago, and my sweetie of a husband has been going grocery shopping with me each Monday. He has also been buying me 3 double sunday papers every Sunday. FINALLY- I was able to drive myself this past sunday. I had been going stir-crazy, being dependent and confined doesn't bring out my best attributes! Lol!
Sunday shopping,3/22/09
cvs- I spent $.50, and I got a 22 oz bottle of dawn, Crest Prohealth toothpaste, and 3 johnson and johnson first aid kits. I used a man blinkie (from publix) for $3/2 J&J products, and bought 3 kits at $.97 each. I also used a $.75 man coup for the toothpaste, and a $.50 coupon for the Dawn. I spent $5 ecbs, and got back $4.49. I am totally out of the cvs game, bc I have been doing minimal 3 minute cvs shopping for the past 4 weeks (patience is not my dh's strong point!).
publix- I spent $41. I got- broccoli, 2 62 oz tropicana oj, 2 one lb bags of rice (free after $.50/1 coupons), fast fixin's popcorn chicken (bogo, and 2 $.75/1 coupons), fresh express bagged salad ($1/1 publix coupon), green leaf lettuce, 12 double roll angelsoft toilet paper (sale, plus $.50/1 coup), a whole chicken ($.79/lb), seltzer (penny item), 3 double papers, 2 48oz bottles of crisco canola oil, 20ct advil pm (publix $3/1 coup), dishwasher detergent, and a 5lb bag of publix flour. I saved $30, but I was doing a combo trip of saving $, and ensuring I bought everything we needed for the week.
I am not doing any more grocery shopping until friday, when I go to Kroger. It feels really, really, really good to be "back" to my economical grocery shopping.
My 12 yr old finished his geometry and algebra mathbook, after some research, I found this-
http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearchresults.asp?store=3&querytype=book&qu=Mastering+Essential+Math+Skills&loc=106&display=col
I got the one for middle grades, 2 yrs ago I had my older boys complete the elementary school version. It has an excellent format- each page is divided into 3 portions: drills, review, and a new concept. It is easy, a nice break from a challenging book, but still extremely beneficial. The link above, is an amazing deal. Google makes frugal homeschooling possible!!
A few more random links that are very useful when you squeeze each penny out of each dollar...
totalpetsupply.com (best prices on pet supplies)
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ (buying power for educational resources)
http://www.fiddledeedeemom.com/ (ahh, a "publix" shopper's dream blog
http://www.thriftyfloridamama.net/ all emcompassing frugality/debt payoff
Meal plan for the week-
monday- chick pea curry
tues- cincinnatti chili
wed- cincinatti chili
thurs- roast beef w/ gravy, served on bread, with mashed potatoes.
friday- Meatballs and spaghetti
saturday- loaded baked potatoes
sun- pizza
mon- pizza
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Meal Plan for the current week, every meal feeds 5.
sunday-lunch, taco salad. 2 dole southwestern salad bags $3.50, 1/4lb ground chuck $.50, half can pinto beans $.30= $4.30
dinner- tacos. fresh fried corn shells $.20, .5lb ground chuck $1, cheese $.25, avacado $.75= $2.20
Monday- lunch, steak salad. romaine $1, steak $1, cheese $.50, cucumber $.50, french fries $.50= $3.50 dinner- fried fish, shrimp= $4 (2 boxes of gortons on sale w/coup).
Tuesday-Fried rice w/ tuna suishi. rice $2, cucmber $.50, avacado $.99, carrots $.10, onion $.40, chix thighs $.50, peas $free tuna $3= $7.50
Wednesday- Beef stew. beef roast-$4, carrots $.50, potatoes $.70, celery $.20,onion $.10
thursday- cheese ravioli w/ italian sausage in marinara. ravioli homemade from the freezer $1, sausage $1.75, tomatoes $1= $3.75
Friday- manwhich. 1 lb ground chuck $1.99, manwhich can $.25, buns $.40- $2.65
Sat- wanchai ferry. 2 wanchai ferry chinese kits- $7, bnls snls chix brst $1, carrots $.20, celery $.20, onion $.20. $8.60
sun/mon- pizza. dough ball- $1, cheese $1.25, tomato sauce-free =$2.25/pizza.
sunday-lunch, taco salad. 2 dole southwestern salad bags $3.50, 1/4lb ground chuck $.50, half can pinto beans $.30= $4.30
dinner- tacos. fresh fried corn shells $.20, .5lb ground chuck $1, cheese $.25, avacado $.75= $2.20
Monday- lunch, steak salad. romaine $1, steak $1, cheese $.50, cucumber $.50, french fries $.50= $3.50 dinner- fried fish, shrimp= $4 (2 boxes of gortons on sale w/coup).
Tuesday-Fried rice w/ tuna suishi. rice $2, cucmber $.50, avacado $.99, carrots $.10, onion $.40, chix thighs $.50, peas $free tuna $3= $7.50
Wednesday- Beef stew. beef roast-$4, carrots $.50, potatoes $.70, celery $.20,onion $.10
thursday- cheese ravioli w/ italian sausage in marinara. ravioli homemade from the freezer $1, sausage $1.75, tomatoes $1= $3.75
Friday- manwhich. 1 lb ground chuck $1.99, manwhich can $.25, buns $.40- $2.65
Sat- wanchai ferry. 2 wanchai ferry chinese kits- $7, bnls snls chix brst $1, carrots $.20, celery $.20, onion $.20. $8.60
sun/mon- pizza. dough ball- $1, cheese $1.25, tomato sauce-free =$2.25/pizza.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
march 10, 2009
The past few months have been busy, and not exactly frugal in every way. My car, a 1991 "bubble wagon", is having intermittent fuel issues that are difficult to diagnose. Car issues, kept me from going out and getting lots of freebies, and then, after months of having car issues, I reinjured and inflamed an old nerve issue in my leg, and am unable to drive.
Frugal things I have managed to accomplish-
I dyed, highlighted, streaked, and cut my own hair twice this yr so far. savings- over $200, plus it is cut the exact way I want. I also cut my dh's hair twice and the hair of my 3 boys- saving around $80 there.
I found digital converter boxes for $39.99, so I only had to pay tax w/ my $40 coupons.
I have been cvs'ing as usual, getting all those freebies and good deals. I do however, only go to cvs once/week now. I have cut out walgreens altogether since they have canceled the esr program (effective April/09).
I did buy a new pc, but I waited until a sale met my price- I had hefty requirements and wanted to spend under $600. My old pc was handed down to one teen, and I found another refurbished pc online for the 2nd teen. Now all 3 kids have their own pcs for their schoolwork.
My dh's car needed new tires- and I set a goal of $500 for all 4 tires. We had to drive from place to place to place, but finally found high quality tires under $500 installed. Phew, the first time he drove to work in the new tires- he realized how bad his other tires were- the road wasn't slippery, he was sliding bc of bad tires. I am really glad we didn't let cost stop us from preventing a disaster.
I have been planning out all meals, every 7 days, I plan and post the following days' meals on our dining room chalkboard. My family knows they have to request a meal in advance, but once they are posted- they can chose which day to have what. Meals are planned based on what we have.
Inventoried the freezer- lost treasure in there, wowzers. Reassuring to know how well stocked in meat we are.
My plans for the follwing month is as follows:
stay under my budget of $75/week for groceries, in spite of our many current challenges.
Frugal things I have managed to accomplish-
I dyed, highlighted, streaked, and cut my own hair twice this yr so far. savings- over $200, plus it is cut the exact way I want. I also cut my dh's hair twice and the hair of my 3 boys- saving around $80 there.
I found digital converter boxes for $39.99, so I only had to pay tax w/ my $40 coupons.
I have been cvs'ing as usual, getting all those freebies and good deals. I do however, only go to cvs once/week now. I have cut out walgreens altogether since they have canceled the esr program (effective April/09).
I did buy a new pc, but I waited until a sale met my price- I had hefty requirements and wanted to spend under $600. My old pc was handed down to one teen, and I found another refurbished pc online for the 2nd teen. Now all 3 kids have their own pcs for their schoolwork.
My dh's car needed new tires- and I set a goal of $500 for all 4 tires. We had to drive from place to place to place, but finally found high quality tires under $500 installed. Phew, the first time he drove to work in the new tires- he realized how bad his other tires were- the road wasn't slippery, he was sliding bc of bad tires. I am really glad we didn't let cost stop us from preventing a disaster.
I have been planning out all meals, every 7 days, I plan and post the following days' meals on our dining room chalkboard. My family knows they have to request a meal in advance, but once they are posted- they can chose which day to have what. Meals are planned based on what we have.
Inventoried the freezer- lost treasure in there, wowzers. Reassuring to know how well stocked in meat we are.
My plans for the follwing month is as follows:
stay under my budget of $75/week for groceries, in spite of our many current challenges.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
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:)
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:)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
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!
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!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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.
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.
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