Menu Plan Monday

I've been really lax about menu planning mostly due to pregnancy! I may have planned something for dinner but when I get home, I'm just not hungry for whatever was planned or sometimes I'm just too darn tired to do what was planned. I've been crockpotting as much as possible to eliminate the latter possibility but it has been hard.

So this week, I vowed to get back on track and decided to keep it more general and flexible, which I'm hoping will increase the possibility of sticking to it. I have a work conference next week so I am not shopping for anything other than basics if we run out and doing my best to cook from the freezer/pantry for the next week so that I don't have a fridge full of science experiments when we return!

Here's the plan:

Tacos
Taco bean soup (using taco leftovers)
Roasted chicken
Chicken Zucchini pasta (using leftover roasted chicken)
Breakfast for dinner (pancakes, sausage, eggs)

Find lots of other great menu plans HERE. Have a great week!

Awesome Albertson's

If you haven't heard, Albertson's is running an awesome General Mills promotion right now: buy $25 worth of selected products, get a $10 ONYO Catalina. Even better, certain products have their own Catalina promotion so you can double dip the Catalinas. So I based my transactions to maximize the Cats. Here are the transactions:



Transaction #1:

5 Simply Cookie Dough $12.50
5 Betty Crocker Fruit Gushers $12.50

Coupons used:

4 $1.25/1 Simply Cookie dough
1 $1/1 Simply Cookie dough
1 $.50/2 Fruit Gushers
3 $.40/1 Fruit Gushers

plus I had a $3 Cat & $2 Cat from a purchase last week (unclear how I got the $3, $2 was from Aunt Jemima syrup). I just noticed in reviewing my receipt that the cashier doubled 2 for $1 each, not sure how that happened? Anyway, OOP was $10.30 and I got $10, $3 and $3.50 in Cats that I rolled into the next transaction.

Here:




5 Simply Cookie Dough $12.50
6 Fruit snacks $12.50

Coupons Used:

5 $1/1 Simply Cookie Dough
2 $.40/1 Fruit Snacks
2 $.50/2 Fruit Snacks

1 doubled for -$1
minus $16.50 in Cats from previous order, left me with OOP $3.20 and I got another $16.50 in Cats that I used for this:



5 Cinnamon Rolls $8.35
4 Fruit Snacks $10.00
5 Warm Delights Minis $8.35
3 betty Crocker Potatoes $5

Coupons Used:

5 $1/1 Cinnamon Rolls
2 $.50/2 Fruit Snacks
5 $.50/1 Warm Delights
3 $.40/1 Potatoes

2 doubled for -$.50 each, minus $16.50 in Cats from previous order, left me with $5.50 OOP and ANOTHER $16.50 in Cats.

My family couldn't possibly take any more sugary snacks so my final transaction I bought basics like eggs, bananas, milk, cheese, apples, carrots and a rotisserie chicken (my husband makes an awesome chicken soup). I did use 2 BOGO coupons for eggs and got free Darigold Singles Chocolate milk with one last doubler! I used the $16.50 in Cats to bring my OOP down to $17.54. Plus, I got a survey at the bottom of the receipt for $2 off my next purchase!

I think it was a great trip and really demonstrates how you can work the deals to help lower your costs overall on the staple items - that's really what it's all about for me.

How was your shopping this week?

Grocery Budget Update

It's been awhile so I thought I'd better take a look at how we are doing on our budget goal for the year. Looking through all my receipts and credit card bills, I just realized what a weird month August is for us, grocery-budget-wise.

Why? Well, for the past 2 years we've gone on a 2-week boating vacation to Canada (last year's actually turned out to be 3 weeks due to weather). Two weeks on a boat to remote areas of Canada. Limited facilities and very limited provisions. For example, this year, toward the end of our stay I could not find a loaf of bread. The two stores on the island that were within walking distance of the marina: both sold out!

As a result, we definitely don't do my "normal" stock up, deal-finding shopping during that vacation because it's just not possible - there are none of the traditional large supermarkets where we are and I just don't have the space on the boat to lug around my coupons, if these mom-and-pop stores would even take them. Even leading up to the trip, we typically go to Costco for the stock up because it all comes in bulk and then I separate into individual portions to pack into coolers, coolers and more coolers (we have a small fridge and an even smaller freezer on the boat).

We spend a lot more than usual in advance of the trip because we are without the ability to just run to the store for little things or take advantage of the deals that may be running during those weeks. Plus, we go with friends and often share dinner responsibilities so I'm not just feeding my family most nights, but this year up to 9 adults as well.

So I decided not to count those unusual circumstances, like the big Costco trip, and just tally what I spent at my normal grocery stores. Even then, I spent quite a bit more than usual in August, it appears.

My monthly budget for this year is $83.62 per month:

July $83.62 + $76.89 (June carryover) = $160.51 - $57 = $103.51
August $83.62 + $103.51 (July carryover) = $187.13 - $105.46 = $81.67
September $83.62 + $81.67 (August carryover) = $165.29 - $93.00 = $72.29.

I'm really hoping that the coming months will have better stock up deals for the holidays! I want to stay on this budget but the holidays could bust it. I also have saved all my grocery receipts separately and am hoping to post some cool final totals at the end of the year, like "amount spent" and the one I'm super curious about "amount saved" from coupons and sales! Should be SO interesting.

How are you doing so far this year??

Free Crochet Ideas E-book

Click Here to download a free e-book full of cool crochet craft ideas that you can do using a minimal amount of yarn. I'm thinking about all the yarn I have leftover from other crafts and projects so this should be fun and since it's free, why not go check it out?!

HOT $10 Mall Gift Card

Here is a great deal that ShopSmartLookFab is running right now. Enter your information for a free $10 gift card to a local mall - simply enter your zip code to find the nearest participating mall.

Be sure to sign up under the "Gift Card Voucher" Tab for the completely free $10 gift card! Sign up fast - they'll even tell you how many cards are still available for the mall you've chosen.

There is a different promo also running where you bring $75 in receipts from the mall and receive a $10 gift card, which would be great if you still need to do some school shopping.

*To my Washington readers: Alderwood Mall was the closest mall to my Woodinville zip code that is participating in this promotion. So if you shop there, or even if you don't, a free $10 gift card might be worth the trip.

Awesome Albertson's: The $1.26 trip

We got back last Saturday from a fabulous 2 week family vacation. No bargain shopping in Desolation Sound, Canada so I was having some serious shopping withdrawals. Luckily, Albertson's was having a fantastic promo that I was able to take advantage of on the last day (Tuesday). Buy $25 worth of select Kraft products and get a $5 ONYO plus a $20 mail-in rebate.

I got:

5 Easy Mac cups ($5)
4 Velveeta cups ($4)
6 Kraft Italian shredded cheese ($10)
1 Ritz Crackerfuls ($2.50)
1 A1 Steak sauce ($3)
2 Philly Cream Cheese ($3)
That was the Kraft purchase to qualify for the rebate and Catalina.

I also got:
1 Albertson's yogurt ($2.29)
1 Starbucks ice cream ($3.79)
1 Rice Krispies ($4.69)
Albertson's brand Quick Oats (it's fruit crumble season! $2.99)
Strawberries ($2.99)
Bananas ($1.46)


Coupons used:
2 BOGO Velveeta cups (-$2)
1 A1 (-$1)
6 Kraft cheese (tearpad) (-$3)
1 Ritz crackerfuls (-$1)
1 $1/2 Philly Cream cheese (-$1)
2 $.55/2 Easy mac cups (-$1.10)
Free Starbucks ice cream (Facebook)(-$3)
Free Rice Krispies (Vocalpoint) (-$4.69)
3 doublers (-$3)

Paid $27.26. I got the $5 ONYO plus another for $1 for buying the Velveeta cups and will send in the for $20 rebate. Total OOP: $1.26!!

How was your shopping this week?

**Winner: SpongeBob Party Pack

The lucky winner of the SpongeBob Party Pack Giveaway is Uncles!

Congratulations - please email me your contact information by Saturday July 25 and I will get the party pack sent out to you!

UPDATE**Giveaway: SpongeBob Party Pack

Have you entered my giveaway for the cool SpongeBob Party Pack? Go HERE now to enter, it's so easy.

Not only could you win the SpongeBob plates, cups and napkins, but if you go HERE to PartyCity.com, you can also enter to win a visit from SpongeBob at your next party! How cool would that be??!!

Awesome Albertson's

I needed to get a few basics like milk and bananas so I decided to hit my Albertson's on my way home from work yesterday. I usually like to shop without my kids because I can't seem to keep them happy and keep all my coupons and scenarios organized at the same time. But since I was on my way home I worked it so I'd pick up 1 y.o. Emily, shop and then pick up 5 y.o. Michael. Something is up with Emily though, and she was cranky the whole trip. When we got out to the car, I figured it out - diaper blowout! It was a mess.

Needless to say, the trip was ok. The catalina machine was broken at the register and I didn't notice until the end when nothing had printed. In my baby-crying-induced-daze at the end, I realized the cashier only gave me $3 back for the catalinas, when it should have been $7. Because of the diaper situation, I just couldn't go back in.

So here's what I got:

2 boxes Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats $2.88 each
2 Dole Mandarin Oranges $1.25 each
12 Kraft BBQ Sauce $.50 each (M&M)
8 Mac N Cheese $.50 each (M&M)
1 box Ronzoni Penne $1.79
1/2 gal. organic skim milk $3.79
Bananas $2.02
Real Simple Magazine $4.99 (Going away next weekend so needed reading material but yikes - I didn't realize this was so pricey!)

Coupons used:
B1G1 Mini Wheats
2 B3G1 Mac N Cheese coupons
$.55 2 Dole Mandarin Oranges
$1/1 Ronzoni Smart Taste
$1 off Real Simple Magazine
$9 Catalinas ($6 tuna deal, $1 V8, $2 Mac N Cheese from last transaction, see earlier post)

-$3 Doubles

Total OOP: $11.49. As stated above, I should have received $5 in Catalinas for the BBQ sauce and $2 for the Mac N Cheese, which would have made my OOP $4.49. I probably should go back but sometimes it just seems like more of a hassle for $4. Plus, the store is on my way home from work but not close to get to from my house.

What do you think? Do you go back in a situation like this?

Giveaway: SpongeBob Party Pack

Last month Nick Jr. sent me two fabulous party packs - one Dora the Explorer and one SpongeBob. We used the Dora pack for my daughter's 1st birthday party late last month. Dora Cups, small Dora plates and a box of Kellogg's fruit snacks in Dora shapes ("Mommy, look at all the 'Backpacks' that were in this one!!") were all a big hit! The packs also came with great recipe ideas and games that you can play at your celebration.

For you, my fabulous readers, I have the SpongeBob pack to give away to one lucky reader. In it you will find: 1 8-pack of large plates, 1 16-pack of napkins, 1 8-pack of cups and the SpongeBob recipe and game ideas!

Wanna Win??All you have to do is leave me a comment about how cool it would be to have this for your next party (and who said it had to be for a kid's party??!!). Get extra entries if you subscribe or blog about the giveaway and link to this post - make sure you leave another comment that you did. Winner will be selected on Tuesday - good luck!

Free 2009 Entertainment Book

I know that we're more than half through 2009 but right now you can get the 2009 Entertainment Book for free when you sign up for your 2010 Entertainment Book. I have always been a big fan of the Entertainment Book because it has so many great discounts for just about everything that people do: dining out, travel, shopping, and entertainment (of course!). My local one only costs $25 and with this deal, it's like getting 2 for the price of 1. Check it out!

Awesome Albertson's

I been shopping a lot at Albertson's lately because there have been such screamin' deals, especially the Mix & Match Promo. Buy 10 participating items and get $5 off instantly. The best deal so far has been Starkist Tuna, which was on sale 2 weeks ago. Combining the Mix & Match, coupons, and Catalina for $1 on your next order for every 5 that you buy (until July 17 reportedly) I was getting tuna pouches for $.05 per pouch! Lots of good stuff to donate to my local food bank.

Needless to say, I was able to get a lot of super cheap groceries while this was going on. But the store ran out of tuna before I ran out of coupons so I got a raincheck. Yesterday, the store had some more of the tuna in stock so I was able to work the deal and use the Catalinas to bring my total down on the other items I needed. There was also a new promo on the tuna, get a free snack pack of chips for every 3 puches that you buy - so free chips!

Here's how it worked:

30 Tuna pouches $37.50
10 Snack Pack Chips $20

- $15 M&M promo
- $18 Chips promo (this is wrong, should have been $20 off)
- $15 Tuna coupons

Paid $9.50 and got $6 in Catalinas to use on my next order!



My next order was a few things that were on sale and some basics that I needed. With double coupons it turned out great! Kraft Mac n Cheese was on Mix & Match for $.50 and I had Buy 3 Get 1 Free coupons. V8 Fusion drinks are 2/$5, use 2 $1 coupons, doubled plus a $1 Catalina when you buy 2, makes these Free! I had coupons for the chilis, Cheerios (M&M), Grill Mates and Rubbermaid containers (not shown). Found coupons on the syrup for $.55 off. No coupons for the coffee (M&M), cheese, dill or bananas. Total was only $17.05 after all coupons (total savings of $40.54)!



The store found more tuna after I was done, so I did one more transaction and still have the $6 in Catalinas to use for the next trip! How did your shopping go this week?

Cool Contest - Year's Worth of Diapers

I always enter free contests because I figure, someone's got to win. Remember when I won a local mall's online contest for a $250 gift card? It doesn't happen a lot but it does happen! Here's a great contest for a year's worth of free diapers from Costco. You don't have to be a Costco member to enter. Anyone who has a baby still in diapers will appreciate this!

Simply Summer Salad

I will admit that with my job as crazy as it is right now, menu planning and cooking have fallen seriously on the wayside. I have had and still have enough of a stockpile, from careful shopping and taking advantage of great deals, that I'm not shopping meal by meal and we haven't been eating take out (not regularly anyway!). Plus, this summer has been unusually warm for Seattle, so heating up an already hot kitchen is not very appealing. I've just been cooking very simply and it's been nice, actually. Here is a simple salad that makes a healthy, fabulous and quick summer night meal. I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand so it's also my "take along" salad if we get invited to a last minute BBQ at a neighbor's house.

Dressing

1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste

I use a small lidded container so that I can put all ingredients together, shake and dress the salad right before serving.

Salad

1 bag mix greens or whatever lettuce you like
1 medium apple, cored and chopped into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup walnuts/pecans *can also be toasted
1/2 cup feta or goat cheese

Make it a main dish: Add one can of chicken or tuna.

Gayle's Grocery Cart Challenge is THE place to get all of your recipe inspiration. She hosts the Friday recipe swap and I always seem to find something new over there. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

Free Kotex Overnight Sample

It seems that I get a free sample everyday in my mailbox. It's just so simple to fill out a quick form and get a new product to try or a product that you already like for free. Here is a great sample of Kotex Overnight with Wings. I have used these before and they really do provide great overnight protection. And really, how can you go wrong with free?!

Free Formula Offer

Do you know someone who is expecting a baby or just gave birth? I consider myself a big fan of breastfeeding, but I recognize that it's not possible for everyone and I found that after I went back to work, I just wasn't able to pump enough to satisfy my little one. This is a great offer that I took advantage of when I was expecting and after I had my daughter last year. Sign up for a great free gift and money-saving coupons from Enfamil formula. I don't think I paid full price once for formula with all of the great coupons that they sent to me.

Free Starbucks Ice Cream

I haven't had Starbucks new ice cream flavors yet but they look absolutely delicious. It's easy to get a free coupon for a free pint of ice cream. Log in to your Facebook account and go here. It says that you can share it with a friend, but also says that no one will judge you if you want to send it to yourself - hee hee! The coupons are given out every hour and I found that the best way to catch one is to click the "Share Now" button as close to the top of the hour as possible. This will be such a cool summer treat - enjoy!

Grocery Budget Update

Things have not eased up one bit at work. I am busier than ever. Which is a good thing in a tough economy where not many people feel like their jobs are secure. I am not complaining. But I haven't been writing, let alone blogging at all and I really want to! I do! So I am reorganizing and reprioritizing some things to make that possible...starting NOW!

My budget update is actually pretty good. I have a monthly budget of $83.62. April was a great month where I came in with $32.08 to spare. In May, I spent $71.86 (wow - that seems like a lot but I wasn't couponing hardly at all that month so I guess that really demonstrates the power of the coupon, doesn't it?). In June, I did better, spending only $50.57. So the grand totals are as follows:

May: $83.62 + $32.08 (April leftover) = $115.70 - $71.86 = $43.84
June: $83.62 + $43.84(May leftover) = $127.46 - $50.57 = $76.89

I am debating about whether I should even carry the leftovers into the next month since I seems like I really don't need to. Although the minute I don't, I'll have a non-coupon or something else come up month and need it, so I'll keep it for now. I am taking a serious look though for next year's budget and wondering, will I even need that much?

Now that we've gone 6 months into this year, how are you doing?

Grocery Budget Update

I thought I would ease my way back into the blogosphere with a Grocery Budget Update!

If you recall, my monthly grocery budget is $83.62 per month ($1,003.44 for the year). I was already ahead in February thanks to the Albertson's Grands Biscuit extravaganza - I came in $14.90 under budget.

In March, I spent only $70.47 total, not even needing the $14.90 cushion and having another $13.15 to spare!

I just added up this month's receipts and because of the Safeway Living Well promotion (that you can read about here on HCW) I'm at $79.59 for April. Now, this total actually includes the diapers that I bought at Safeway as part of that promotion. I usually don't include diapers in my budget totals because I don't usually buy diapers at the grocery store unless they are a part of some great deal, which this is! I spent $62.82 at Safeway and got a $20 gift card to spend on my next purchase (it was supposed to be a OYNO Catalina but they did not print for some reason).

According to my calculations, $83.62 + $14.90 + $13.15 = $111.67 - $79.59 = $32.08 - I have the $20 gift card and plenty of budget room to do another round at Safeway and get another $10 OYNO Catalina!

How are you doing on your budget so far this year?

Blog Update

I know it's been a month since I posted and thanks to everyone who has emailed or called me about my absence! It's nice to know that I actually have been missed.

The dire economic situation has made my work very, very busy. I just simply have not had the time to even shop, let alone clip coupons and be on top of all of the great deals that are out there. I've not even had time to read some of my favorite blogs. I work, spend time with my babies and that has been about it for the last month.

I don't know when or if it will slow down and as much as I love shopping and writing about and sharing my great deals, my paycheck does have to take priority! I hope that I will at least be able to get back to menu planning and recipe sharing next week.

Thank you again for your loyalty and support!