Fall and Weekly Menu Planning

The weather is beginning to get chilly and it's my favorite season of the year. I love the fall and winter (most of the time). I love taking the kids to the pumpkin patch, warming up with a nice bowl of chili and cable knit sweaters - cable knit anything for that matter.

Today there was a crisp breeze in the air that signaled a large pot of chili was in order. I figured while I wait for my crock-pot to do all the work for me, I'd also update with what I plan on doing for the rest of the week.

Day 1: Tacos

When we have tacos I always cook a little extra meat to throw into the chili. 

Meat (we use ground turkey) : $2.29 lb x 2

Cheese:                                    $2

Lettuce:                                    $0.99/1 head

Soft Taco Shells:                      $1

Hard Taco Shells:                     $1

Sour Cream:                             $1.50

Seasoning:                               $.69

I didn't include tomatoes in the price because we get these from the garden. Apparently they did very well this year because several people gave us tomatoes since they had so many.

Total Cost: $11.76

Day 2: Chili

My favorite! I always make tacos a day or 2 before I make chili since I use my leftover taco meat in the chili to spice it up a little bit. You can't really screw up chili unless you set-out to do just that, it's very forgiving. 

Meat (in addition to the leftover taco meat: $2.29 lb

Beans:                                                           $0.79 x 3

Tomato Sauce:                                              $1.10 x 2

I have chili powder on hand and since I'm not a huge fan of onions, I always use dried minced onions. My chili is super simple and goes a long way.

Total Cost: $6.86

Day 3: Chili Baked Potatoes

The great thing about making chili is that I can use it for days and one of my families favorite meals is chili baked potatoes. I "bake" my potatoes in the microwave because it's so less time consuming than putting them in the oven.

Potatoes (8 lb bag):                   $3.50

Cheese:                                      free (on hand)

Sour Cream:                               free (on hand)

Total Cost: $3.50

Day 4: Taco Salad

This is a free day (as in, you should have just about everything on hand). I make this by placing tortilla shells on a plate and then layering cheese,chili,sour cream,tomatoes,etc.

Tortilla Chips:    $1

Total Cost: $1

Day 5: Rotisserie Chicken

I love rotisserie chicken (or anything chicken, pretty much). I  have a rotisserie but before we got that, I would just roast it in the oven. Super simple!

Whole Chicken (on average, $0.99/lb)   $6

Vegetable:                                               $1 x2

Potatoes:                                                  Free (on hand from the chili topped baked potatoes)

Total Cost: $8

Day 6: Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is super simple and so good and hearty! I use cream of chicken soup mixed with a can of mixed vegetables and shredded chicken. I mix them together and place it on a pie crust with another crust on top and bake it @ 350 for about 40 minutes or until the crust is brown and flaky. I also add in a little bit of milk since the soup is a little thicker than I'd like.

Cream of Chicken Soup:                                      $1

Vegetables:                                                           $0.60 + leftovers from day before

Chicken:                                                               Free, leftover from day before

Pie Crust (I use the ready made rolled up crust): $2

Total Cost: $3.60

Day 7: Leftovers,Takeout or a Meat and 2

I always allow one day for anything goes. I use this day to either get takeout if our schedules are busy, we eat leftovers or I make fish or something and use up what ingredients I may have on hand. If there are any potatoes left you could do a meat, potatoes and a vegetable. My husband and I both take our lunch to work so we don't have leftovers very often as we usually take them for lunch the next day if we do.

Total Weekly Cost: $34.72 (+ whatever your cost is on Day 7 - if any)

I could go on for days about how I use 1 meal and carry it over to make several others but I'll save my other "recipes" for another day. I coupon and used my non-coupon pricing on the ingredients but you could get all these ingredients even less. I go to the grocery store and get my meat when it's marked down in the morning and I stock-up on the essentials that I know we'll use. My Kroger had canned vegetables for $0.33/can a couple of weeks ago. They had a very strict 6 can limit so I went everyday and I sent the hubs in several times as well to stock up on 6 cans every trip. I buy what is on sale and plan my menu around it. Last week I was able to score rotisserie chickens for buy 1 get 1 free so that made them $0.50 lb. I also was able to get tortilla shells for about $0.75 box and cheese was $1.50/pkg so I stocked up on that so our costs this week weren't quite as high as my figure. We did however make up for it by ordering pizza one day so it all equals out in the end. I normally buy what is on sale and plan my menu around what I have but sometimes the sales aren't that great or I know I'll be too busy to go to the store so I just plan the meals a week in advance and I just buy whatever ingredients I don't already have. I've tried to do the whole freezer meal thing and I think it's great but it just doesn't fit with our lifestyle. My deep freezer is filled with meat and vegetables and I don't have room to store a months worth of meals in it so this is what works for us. I love, quick and easy and by making most everything beforehand, it doesn't get much quicker or easier!

More dinner deals!

I'm loving my new found creativity in the kitchen. Remember my meatloaf from the other day...well, we had a lot leftover & the boy asked me to make sloppy joes. I had no meat thawed out and surely didn't want to pay full price for some. Then a lightbulb went off...we have leftover meatloaf! I figured I'd give it a go and let me tell you...awesome!

I scraped as much sauce off the top as I could, threw it in a skillet, ground it up and topped it with sloppy Joe sauce. The kids actually finished up all of their food for once!

I set our monthly food budget at $250 & with my couponing and newfound creativeness, we're rockin it! The great thing is that we're actually eating better. I go to the store in the mornings whenever I'm in town and that's when the fresh veggies are marked down so I'm able to get so much more for my money. I'm grinding up my own meat so I know it's not filled with "pink slime" or who knows what else. We're cooking in the rotisserie more which cuts down on fat and we've limited going out to eat ALL the time like we used to. I'm loving it!

Ok, cost breakdown:
Chicken for sloppy joes (free, leftover meatloaf)
Sloppy Joe sauce: $0.99
Onion Rings:$2
Buns: $1

Grand total: $3.99 & the kids loved it! That makes it worth so much more

It's so awesome to be able to challenge myself and be doing so great with it. I hate wastefulness in anything but especially food and money. There are people out there going hungry so food should never go to waste. You work for your money so why not save as much of it as you can. Saving in some areas allows me to splurge in others (you should see the kids closets; whoa!) All it takes is a very minimal amount of planning and some creativity.

Dinner on a dime

Not quite literally a dime but pretty stinkin cheap! I got what I consider to be the best kitchen appliance ever. I'm about 10 years behind but I finally got a Kitchenaid stand mixer! I love it! I knew that to really put it to good use I would also need the meat grinder attachment and my super husband came through.

I love going to the grocery store in the morning and checking out the markdown meat. My meat grinder attachment has proven invaluable in the few short Weeks that we've had it.

A good quality, low fat, ground beef tends to run over $3.29/lb in my area. Ground chicken and turkey can be found for around $2.79/lb. However, boneless chicken breasts are regularly $1.99/lb and I never pay over $2/lb for beef of any kind. I scope out the markdown meat and get whatever I can that falls within those pricing parameters.

I sort through my meat. All of the cheap cuts of beef are ground up, put into ziplock bags, labeled and put in the deep freeze. If the chicken is boneless,I usually grind up about half of it and save the other half (especially if it's chicken breast). If I buy bone in chicken I cook all that I can fit into my roasting pan in one go. I fill my roasting pan with just enough water to cover most of the chicken, pop it into the oven on 375° for about an hour, let it cool, shred it up and into the freezer it goes. Shredded chicken is so versatil & we use it quite a bit. Don't throw out the liquid on the roasting pan because it can be boiled down and placed in the freezer as well so you should never have to buy chicken stock. I thought it was funny around the holidays to see people with 5 cartons of chicken broth in their carts and I've got a couple gallons at home that's fresher and virtually free!

I also like to check out the fresh produce section because I always find amazing deals. I was able to score 2 packages of romaine hearts for $0.25 each today. I plan my meals in advance but allow leeway for deals like this that come along.

For instance; I pulled 2#of frozen ground chicken out of the freezer last night planning to make spaghetti. I found the lettuce deal so I'm making meatloaf and salad instead. Total cost breakdown:
Chicken, $1.99/ lb x 2#
2pkgs lettuce, $0.50
2  cans vegs @ $0.50@, $1
Mac n Cheese, free (leftovers from last night)
Meatloaf filler, roughly $1

Total cost: $6.50 & we'll definitely have leftovers

Another example, I got a turkey after Christmas for $7 & it was an almost 22# turkey. I made it and we had that for dinner one night, turkey tetrazene the next night, turkey casserole the next night and with the turkey we have left in the freezer i'm going to make turkey pot pie. That one turkey was able to serve as the main course in 4 meals plus we made turkey sandwiches for lunch! I've found when you mix it up and use the same meat in different ways, you don't get tired of it. I don't eat beef or pork but I still buy and make it for the kids and my husband so they don't feel like their missing out.

I made a list of every dish containing meat that I can make and I store or in my coupon notebook. If I find a piece of markdown meat@the store I scan through my list and find something we haven't had in a while and I then gather the ingredients while I'm at the store. It's a win for the budget and a win for the family who likes different things. I personally could live off of chicken Caesar salads but majority rules so I'm forced to mix it up a little more than

Fall Fun and Fashion

I've decided this blog won't be strictly couponing. I swear I have ADD and I somewhat lack the ability to focus on one particular subject without quickly becoming bored. I'm pretty much all over the place.

Lately, I've been super excited about the upcoming cooler weather. I love organizing the kids closets (that's about the only thing that stays organized in our house). I go through the closet and match up outfits and enjoy layering the boys button fronts with sweaters and the girls tunics and leggings. I have a system that I started for the boy 5 years ago that I've stayed with and it's proven so invaluable. Here's where I come clean and confess what those close to me already know: I'm a kid's clothes hoarder.I have a problem leaving a unique and cute children's clothing item on the rack, especially if it's the last one and marked down like 90% off, I just can't leave without it. I feel like someone won't appreciate it and it will end up in a dump or shipped back to China where they will use it for scraps...it's a weird hangup I have, I know.

Right after my 18 week ultrasound with the boy over 5 years ago, where I found out his sex, I started shopping. I often found that what I wanted wasn't available in his size but it was in a larger size so I just bought it. I buy ahead. I have huge rubbermaid tubs in the bottom of both kids closets packed full of clothes in too big sizes. When they were infants I planned on them wearing a bigger than normal size since everyone in our family is tall and my planning worked out perfectly. I go through their tubs and pull out the size they're in and if I'm missing something, I wait for it to go on sale and buy it. The good thing about living in the south is by the time it gets cold enough to need a winter coat, if I don't already have one stored away, I can get one on sale because the stores are planning for the next season.

When the boy was a baby and outgrew things seemingly overnight, I didn't get rid of anything. We knew we wanted more children and as frugal as I am, I sure didn't want to replace everything. I also knew if we had another boy later that I wanted to use the same monogram so I was able to save those things as well. When I found out our second was a girl, I put most of the boys stuff on Ebay and was able to unload a large amount in a short period of time. I really consider my shopping habits as clothes recycling. I sell the small stuff and use that $ to rebuy bigger.

Dressing a girl isn't near as easy as dressing a boy. I'm very picky about what the girl wears so I'm not quick to shop off the rack in chain retail stores for her as I prefer something more one of a kind and boutique. I broke down and went to Carter's a couple of Weeks ago and found their clearance racks had items for $2.99 with an additional 40% off. Yes, please! I stocked up on solid knit t-shirts, leggings, pajamas, etc. I then decided to check out Oshkosh and they had the same sale there. I found several really cute tops and some basic white capris (that I can't wait to pair with a chambray top) in a too big size that I ended up getting for a total of less than $10. The girl loves to play dress up and put on one of the shirts and I realized due to the way it's made, she can wear it as a dress. I paired that with a pair of boots and instant cuteness for crazy cheap. We got so many compliments and several people asked me if I had it made but, the secret was that boutique looking dress was actually a $2 top! I also frequent Facebook boutique websites looking for them to unload their seasonal stuff crazy cheap and get most of her ruffle pants there and have never paid more than $10 a pair.

Since my love of boutique clothing can tend to get expensive I've recently started going to consignment sales and am amazed not only by how inexpensive the prices are but how often people overlook a quality, well-made piece. I buy most of her smocked dresses either at consignment sales or on Ebay and the most I've spent on one was $15 and only because it was for her birthday party and I HAD to have it. I buy her Christmas dresses in June and her Easter dresses in October. Nobody wants to hold on to a dress for a year just to sell it for more in season.

My most favorite thing to shop for are shoes! I love shoes and especially love shoes for the kids. After "DaDa" the very next word the girl said was,"shoes" & I wish I was kidding. She has to wear shoes to bed and learned her colors from looking at shoes. I hit up the markdown section at the shoe store and buy a couple sizes too big and those go on the shelves in their closets waiting on a little foot to grow into it. I scored a pair of Sperry boots for the boy for only $11 the beginning of summer last year that he grew into this year and he LOVES them! The girl wears an 8 in toddlers and I'e got shoes put back for her up to a size 1.5.

Variety is the spice of life and your kids only allow you to dress them for so long. I'm going to relish in the moments my kids are small enough to look to me for wardrobe advice and the rare occasions the boy thanks me for, "making him look nice". His teachers told him all last year that he was always so well put together and he dressed like a preppy politician. I'll take that as a compliment. I believe the way your children are dressed is a direct reflection of the parent and it bothers me to see parents dressed to the nines and their kids in $1 Walmart flip-flops and a stained t-shirt.

You can dress your kids in quality and quite well, on a budget with some planning. I was able to get the girl a few things she was missing to complete her fall wardrobe for about $30 & now she's set because I planned ahead. Anyone can do it and what's more fun than wearing your yoga pants and a t-shirt to go shopping in your kids closet and not having to spend a dime?

Beginners Guide to Couponing

I've been asked time and time again how I save so much money when I go grocery shopping so I decided to write a blog. 

When I decided to really put forth the effort to save our family as much money as possible it became a lifestyle change. There would be no more running to the store to pick up a few things for dinner 3x a week. This was going to take a plan that I was going to have to be religious about sticking with.  

I am cheap in every sense of the word. If there is a deal to be had, I'll find it. I spend about an hour every week researching prices and deals. I spend about 3 hours every week clipping coupons, organizing my coupon notebook and planning my shopping trips. I hate to hear people complain about not having time to do this. I work full-time, I have 2 young children and we are constantly on the go. You have to decide that you want to put forth the effort and time to quit throwing your money away. I'll try to explain my methods the best way that I can.

I have this notebook in pink:  http://www.amazon.com/Mead-Platinum-1-5-Inch-Zipper-Binder/dp/B007CGUILG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1373004644&sr=8-6&keywords=mead+zippered+binder

I put my coupons in these: http://www.amazon.com/Avery-Trading-Card-Pages-76016/dp/B0026S8646/ref=sr_1_2?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1373004744&sr=1-2&keywords=baseball+card+sleeves

I can't stress the importance of being organized, enough. You have to find  a system that works for you. I have a friend that has her coupons organized by aisle in the store. I prefer to have mine alphabetized. I have all my a's, b's, etc in order. It makes it so much easier to look through your coupons when you have them in order to see if you have a particular coupon. 

Ok, now that you have your notebook figured out, now to begin your coupon clipping. I buy at least 2 Sunday papers every week; sometimes I buy 3 if there are several inserts. Here's what I do, I clip EVERY food coupon and most toiletry coupons. Hear me out....You know what your family likes so you won't buy things they won't eat BUT if you have a coupon for say, Progresso soup and your family only eats Campbell's, if you can get the Progresso free or close to it, why not go ahead and get it and donate it. I've gotten so many items for free that we were able to donate 2 boxes of food during my son's food drive at school last year that cost me less than $10. It was a win for my pocketbook, a win for the needy and his class won a pizza party because they collected the most food items.  

When you begin to clip your coupons you'll realize that you have a Kraft cheese coupon, a Kraft Dressing coupon and a Kraft BBQ sauce coupon. I put all of my coupons for the same brand in a single insert on the page. Also with cereal if you do this it will cut your shopping times way down. All of my Kellogg's coupons are in a pocket, all of my General Mills in a pocket, all of my Post in a pocket, etc. You don't want to get to the cereal aisle and flip through 20 pages to see if you have a Crispix coupon or a Cheerios coupon when the cereals at the store are on the shelf with their own brands. Next time you go to the store notice how aisles are set-up like a grid; all of the same brands are together. You will see Ken's dressing all grouped together, Kraft dressing all grouped together, Kroger, etc. If you have all of the like brands grouped together in your notebook, you will know exactly where to flip in your notebook to find that particular coupon.

Ok, your notebook is set-up with coupons in it so let's go shopping! In my Sunday papers we get a Kroger ad, a Walgreen's ad and a CVS ad. I buy 95% of everything at Kroger. I will break down how to shop at each one individually  because they are all very different! I have a spreadsheet that I use for each store I plan on shopping with that week. (I'll add a download at some point so you can print it off and use it). On my spreadsheet I write the store name across the top and I have these columns: PRODUCT, PRICE, COUPON AMOUNT, COUPON AMOUNT, COUPON AMOUNT & my last column is QTY TO BUY. I realize coupon amount is on there 3x and that is in case the store allows you to "stack" coupons (that will be explained). I go through my ads and match up whatever is on sale with what I have coupon for. I then gather all of my coupons for that store, place them in an envelope and paper clip it to the spreadsheet of the store I'll be using them at. I'll break down some different scenarios to help you better understand how this works.

Stacking - Stacking is when you combine a manufacturer's coupon with a store coupon. If you look on coupons sometimes you'll see a Kroger logo or a Dollar General logo on the coupon but across the top it will say "manufacturer coupon"' that means you can use that coupon ANYWHERE that takes coupons. You don't have to use a coupon at the place that put their logo on it as long as it says "manufacturers coupon". Now, places like Publix or Walgreen's sometimes have their own coupons that are not manufacturer coupons that you can "stack" with a mfg coupon. Ie: Trident gum is $1 @ Publix. You have a mfg coupon for $0.25 off and a Publix coupon for $0.50. You can use both coupons and pay $0.25 for the gum. 

Kroger - Kroger doubles coupons up to $0.50. Whatever you do, do NOT download coupons to your card!!!! The coupons that you download do NOT double and they will throw off the system if you're using paper coupons that are the same as the digital. I hate the download coupons and the couple of times in the past that I've used them, my whole shopping trip came out screwy. 

Walgreen's - Walgreen's uses a thing they call "Register Rewards". If the item has register rewards you will have to buy the item and after you have paid for it, the register will print off a coupon for the amount of the register reward. The register reward will have to be used on your next transaction. I don't frequent Walgreen's that much because if you have 5 items, you can only use 5 coupons. Walgreen's doesn't allow you to stack a mfg coupon with a Walgreen's coupon if the total # of coupons exceeds the # of items in the transaction. Ie: Secret deoderant is $1. You have a mfg coupon for $0.25 & a Walgreen's coupon for $0.25. Since you have 2 coupons and only 1 item, you will need to add another item to the transaction that you aren't using a coupon on for it to work. Another example: Secret deoderant is $1. You have a mfg coupon for $1 off 2  and $0.25 Walgreen's coupon. You will have to buy 2 and since you only have 2 coupons, it will take it. Walgreen's is sometimes so close to the price of CVS that I'd rather have to spend the extra dime @ CVS than to have to deal with their weird coupon set-up.

CVS - Like Walgreen's, CVS has a thing called "Extracare Bucks" that work exactly like the Register Rewards. In order to use the Extracare Bucks you will have to purchase the item and then use the extracare bucks in a seperate transaction. CVS will allow you to stack your coupons here and they are very coupon friendly.

With it being so late I'll save my shopping scenarios and tips/tricks for next time. I hope this helps and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.