Giveaway

Giveaway


This month's giveaway is a hard cover book recently written by Lovina Eicher, The Amish Cook's Anniversary Book. Lovina comes from a strong Amish background and offers wisdom and stories of her upbringing and way of life. Many of her mom's articles are included in the book, too.

To enter, sign up to 'follow' Angie's Frugal House and write a comment in the comment section of this post. The drawing will be held next Friday, 11/12.

Garnet Hill Wash Cloths

Garnet Hill. com  has wash cloths for 2.00 in their 'Under 50.00" section.  I buy lots of items from this site and so far I have been extremely happy with the quality.  The customer review on this item is 4.8 out of 5.

http://www.garnethill.com/everyday-towels/sale-clearance/-50-under/117840

Great Depression Cooking - Dandelion Salad

Frugal Hint

If you are looking for a bed skirt, look in your linen closet before you head to the store or online.  There may be a flat sheet in there that can be draped over the box springs as a bed skirt.  Looking for a twin size, but only see a queen sheet?  Pleat the sheet over the box spring to add detail to the bed.  Frugal and pretty!

Price Chopper 11/7-11/13

Apple Cider Donuts BOGO
Osteo, Biflex, Nature's Bounty, Sundown vitamins BOGO
Made in store pizza dough BOGO
Variety of pre packaged seafoods BOGO or BOGO 1 get 2
Chex cereals 3/6.00 with coupon in flyer

Womans Day Magazine

A 2 year subscription to WOMAN'S DAY magazine is being offered At Tanga today for 4.99.

Head over to:http://www.tanga.com/products/2-years-woman-s-day-magazine-subscription

Cookbooks For $5.00

Taste of Home is having a sale on cookbooks today.

They are offering free shipping and 20% off with a $20 purchase. The code LST26 is for 20% off and for free shipping use code LST02.

It looks like the order has to be $20,00 after the 20% off code is used to get the free shipping

So 5 books are 25.00 plus shipping
Use 20% code = 20.00
Use shipping code = no shipping
Total for 5 books is 20.00

These would be great teacher gifts or grab bag gifts.

http://www.shoptasteofhome.com/$5-Cookbooks/$5%20Cookbook%20Email,default,sc.html%20?refurl=LST01

MATTEL 60% off with Free Shipping

MATTEL is having a sale on Hot Wheels today with free shipping. A 2 car pack comes out to be 2.40. Batman items are on sale also. Most items are 60% off.

http://shop.mattel.com/home/index.jsp

What a deal for all the young Andreti fans in your life.

Life is a Balancing Act

It's good to be frugal. It's almost required if we are concerned about the environment. Recycling and conserving resources are two ways that we can be frugal and protect the environment at the same time.

Another benefit from the frugal lifestyle is we have more control over where our money is being spent. If the lifestyle is embraced to meet a goal, such as paying down debt, then there is more focus needed to meet this goal. When debt is paid off, what remains is your money and the choice of how to use it. The goals change. Perhaps more is put into an emergency fund or saved for a vacation. The freedom to do what you want with the money is priceless.

Some frugalistas become so entrenched in saving money, they forget about the comfort of family members. Unless the family lets a frugalista know she is going over the line, she never knows where the line is.

There was a point that I got so excited about a lowered grocery bill that I forgot about the people I was buying the groceries for. The solution was DH told me about it and I came up with a solution that worked for both of us. It was simple enough to offer him a snack a week of his choice without a coupon or sale when he said he was unhappy. This brought balance into my efforts.

People are always more important than the money, but balance has to be found at that end too. Endless chips and cookies each week are budget busters. But one choice added to the bill can't hurt and makes for contented family members. Life has to be balanced with living.

What really helped my situation was the first time DH saw the savings from the grocery budget that paid cash for Christmas. He was hooked and a great supporter from then on.

So indeed move forward to pay off debt. Stay on a close budget and deny yourself any extras while paying off debt. When the debt is paid off, reevaluate your goals and strategy. Enjoy the results of your hard work and use your money to enjoy life and each other. Make it work for you.

ToysRUs Super Deal

ToysRUs ( www.toysrus.com ) is having the game sale again this year. Buy 35.00 of Hasbro games receive a 10.00 gift card. There are also rebates on many of the games here http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/media/trus/HasbroGameNightRebateForm.pdf

A possible deal is:

1 Candyland 3.00-2.00 rebate /1.00
1 Chutes and Ladders 3.00-2.00 rebate / 1.00
1 Memory Game 5.00-2.00 rebate / 3.00
1 Don't Spill The Beans 5.00-2.00 rebate / 3.00
1 Hi Ho Cherrio 5.00-2.00 rebate / 3.00
1 Don't Break the Ice 5.00-2.00 rebate / 3.00
1 Ants in the Pants 5.00-2.00 rebate / 3.00
1 of any other 5.00 game - 2.00 rebate / 3.00

Total: 36.00
Minus 10.00 Gift card (GC)
Minus 16.00 rebates

Grand total: 10.00 or 1.25 apiece

What a deal. What I don't give as gifts I will donate to a local charity for Christmas.

Staples

If you need computer paper this week, Staples has a 4.99 rebate on paper reams.

Buy 2 reams at 5.99 each and get a rebate (check in the mail) for 4.99 each. That's just 2.00 for 2 reams of paper. Limit of 2 rebates.

Also HP photo paper is 9.99 with a rebate of 8.99. Limit of 2.

Price Chopper Deal

I told you in an earlier post Price Chopper has Pillsbury quick breads 3/5.00. This Sunday's (11/7) RED PLUM insert (RP) has a 1.00/2 Q. Also there are coupons for Smuckers, 1.00/2, Folger's, 1.00/1, Jif,1.00/2 items, Crisco 1.00/2, Eagle canned milk, 1.00/2.

All of these items are in the special deal - spend 20.00 get 5.00 coupon at the register.

Possible deals are endless. Here's an example:

2 Quick bread 3/5.00 (2 1.00 Q)
2 Smucker preserves 2/4.00 (2 1.00Q)
Pillsbury flour 2.00

Total 21.00
Minus Qs 6.00
Equals 15.00
Minus Register coupon 5.00

Grand Total 10.00 (off sale prices)

Struppler's Market

If you live near a SUREFINE market in CNY (mine is Struppler's) there are a few good deals this week 11/7-11/13. They also double (2x) coupons (Q) up to 99 cents in my area. PLEASE NOTE: Not all markets have the same sales.
20 lb turkey free with 100.00 purchase or .48 lb with 25.00 purchase
Bumble Bee tuna .79
Duncan Hines cake mix 5/5.00 (1/1.00)
Healthy Choice soup 5/5.00 (1/1.00)
Freihofer split top bread BOGO
Thomas english muffins BOGO
Stroehmann sliced Italian bread BOGO
80% ground beef 1.98 (large package)
Suave lotion 2/3.00

These are the items I would consider buying using coupons as much as possible. There are additional savings to be had this week.

Don't Forget About the Gvieaway

This month's giveaway is a hard cover book recently written by Lovina Eicher, The Amish Cook's Anniversary Book.

Scroll down to the original post (11/6) to enter the drawing.

Winter Fruits and Veggies

Lots of moms choose to feed their families only fresh fruits and veggies. It's a good thing, but in recent years this thinking has gone to the extreme. By this I mean moms go to the store and purchase out of season produce, handing over some big bucks for it. Fresh produce can take a big bite out of a grocery budget in the winter months. Besides the taste of out of season produce is less than desirable and has a diminished vitamin content.

Winter has it's own, however limited, produce and is often on sale as a loss leader item. (low priced items to get shoppers in the store)

These fruits and veggies are reasonably priced during winter AND provide essential nutrients and vitamins:

celery
onions
potatoes
carrots
cranberries (November)
bananas
oranges
grapefruit
kiwis
raisins, prunes
apples

Frozen berries are affordable as well. You can also consider getting a serving of fruit or veggies by drinking juice (real, no sugar added) as well.

Mother nature takes care of us all year long. The choices may be more limited than in the height of the growing season, but vitamins are bountiful.

What to Stockpile (Food Emergency Fund)

I like to think of stocking food as a type of emergency fund. After all if your family is facing an unforseen emergency, having the stock at home means you don't have to spend money on food for a while.

Stocked food should provide the body with vitamins and minerals that keep a body healthy. Forty boxes of cereal will provide hunger relief for a short time, but not many vitamins to keep you going in the long term.

The basic vitamins and minerals can be found in:
Canned tuna, chicken, and other meats
Fruits and vegetables
Cereals and other grain products such as breads and granola bars
Salt, which is essential to keep the body healthy
Dry milk
Herbs
Flour, baking items, (baking soda and powder) sugar
water
dried beans
rice and potatoes
onions and garlic

Basic health and beauty items include:
toothpaste or baking soda
shampoo
soap (body, dish, laundry)
antibacterial ointment
bandages
alcohol
peroxide
t paper

Every family can add to this list to meet individual needs. This list is a basic one meant to get you started on your project. Remember this list is in case of an emergency. If you don't eat canned meats on a regular basis, it's OK to eat them for a short period of time to get you and your family through an emergency situation.

How to Start a Stockpile

The buzz word this year in the frugal community is 'stockpile'. Stockpile can be defined as a surplus of items within easy reach. Perhaps you know someone who has an area, or areas, in their home dedicated to storing items for future use. When you look at the items the first thing that can hit you is confusion. So many items and how did they get there is the first thing that pops into your mind. I researched this before we began the food 'emergency fund', and found nothing. So I asked questions of anyone I thought would have an answer. I found out it was painless to begin. Here's what I came away with and it's worked well for us.

Begin small. If there is a sale and coupons on an item and you can get an item cheap or free, go for it. It doesn't matter what the item is as long as it has a long shelf life. I started with canned tuna.

Each week set aside an amount you can spend on stock items from your grocery budget. Again, start small. Some weeks there will be more than others and some weeks there will be less. The important thing is to add to the stock often. Before you know it shelves will be full.

When you get the items home write the expiration date on the front of the item. This saves time and energy looking for the small printed date on the top or bottom of the can later on.

Think about the four food groups that are important to a healthy diet then store them together. All items that provide protein should be stored together for quick viewing so you can see where and when you need to buy more. Or all veggies and fruits. All grains such as cereal and power bars can be stored together.

Add some comfort foods to the stock. Normally when a stock is used as an emergency fund there is a stressful situation a family is facing. Comfort foods added to the stock lessens the stress. I used our stock for well over a month after my husband passed on because it was difficult to think of going out.

Rotate items and use them in everyday cooking to prevent waste. Saving money on sale items won't be very frugal if at some point items have to go in the trash. Once in a while we have a week or two that all we eat is what is in the freezer or cupboards. This is one way to use up food before it goes bad.

Stocking sale items is rewarding and a comfort. Saving hundreds of dollars at the register is priceless.

Giveaway

This month's giveaway is a hard cover book recently written by Lovina Eicher, The Amish Cook's Anniversary Book. Lovina comes from a strong Amish background and offers wisdom and stories of her upbringing and way of life. Many of her mom's articles are included in the book, too.



To enter, sign up to 'follow' Angie's Frugal House and write a comment in the comment section of this post. The drawing will be held next Friday, 11/12.

Price Chopper Deal

Price Chopper has a special offer for the week of 11/7-11/13. Five dollars OFF the next shopping trip when you buy 20.00 worth of Smucker, Folgers, Pillsbury, Jif, or Crisco products. Pillsbury frozen or refrigerated items are not included in this deal. If you have coupons on any of these items, the cost lowers. Also the Pillsbury quick breads are on sale 3/5.00.

When these specials are offered I buy the special items and receive the coupon (it's processed when you check out)then buy the rest of my items in a second transaction. )

Price Chopper BOGO Sale 11/7-11/13

BOGO at Price Chopper 11/7 - 11/13

Ragu sauce
Apple Jacks
Fruit Loops
Corn Pops
Cocoa Krispies
Plumrose bacon
Fresh Dole Premium Classic Romain or Greener Select Salads
Berry Yogurt Crunch

I Tune Cards and More

Walmart is having an electronics sale beginning at 8 AM tomorrow. www.walmart.com has more information. I do know that I Tune cards will be 35.00 for a 50.00 card. There's a limit of 2 cards.

Frugal Lifestyle, It's a Choice

I am often asked what frugal means. My reply is longer than some people are looking for. To me being frugal has lots of benefits. Originally it may be used to get out of debt. Once out of debt you may not feel it is the lifestyle you want to live. It's a choice.

True frugalistas live frugally as a lifestyle. They know that if they watch the pennies, the dollars add up. It's a slow process, but once it reaches it's peak, you wonder where all the money you have comes from. It's a choice.

Being frugal is good for the environment. Our grandparents knew this at a time that there was no such word as recycle. It's a choice.

Being frugal is also considered being a good steward of your resources. Doing the most with what you have. Not looking at what you don't have, but being creative with what is yours. It's a choice.

All of the small ways resources can be save add up to form a good way of life. Then you have cash to spend on what is important to you.

Most everyone has heard of the Latte Factor by now. It's the simplest way to describe how to make your money work for you. It works like this:

You have 100.00 for the month to spend anyway you want. (discretionary cash) You can buy 20 lattes or save the 100.00 for 2 months and buy the wii you've been wanting, but didn't think you could afford.

When this principle is used for everything you spend, the outcome is a good life with no debt and a good night's rest every night.

One small thing I do is I buy only 2 rolls of foil a year. I use an old cookie sheet to cover things while cooking in the oven. A roll of foil is now at 7.00 a roll. If I used it for everything I did in the oven, my expense would be at least doubled, most like quadrupled. So with just one saving tactic I save 14.00 to 28.00 a year. This is my money I can use to enhance my life.

Some other things I do:
1. Cut dryer sheets in half and only buy them on sale and with a coupon
2. Use sales and coupons together to buy t paper and tissues
3. Do not use paper towel. I bought cheap wash cloths and divided them so some are used only on dishes and the others are for cleaning I do have a roll of paper towels on hand in case the power goes out. It's more sanitary to use them than have dirty cloths
4. Use vinegar, baking soda and bleach to clean the house
5. Make my own room sprays with herbs grown in my garden
6. Use organic matter from the kitchen to amend my garden soil
7. Reuse envelopes that mail comes in to make my shopping list and hold coupons.
8. Use coupons and rewards programs at chosen stores
9. Use glass or plastic containers with lids to store food in the refrigerator or cupboard to save on plastic wrap.

At this point in my frugal journey the list is endless. (I've been doing this for years) I didn't practice every saving at once. I got used to one or two things at a time, then moved on to the next one that sounded as if it may work for me. Some things didn't. Like hanging clothes. I don't like doing this with the exception of sheets and blankets. So it was my choice not to hang clothes. I do dry shirts for a short time in the dryer then put them on hangers.

Frugal is about choices. It's about what works for you and your family. It's also about a good and simple lifestyle.

Sites To Use That Save Cash

There are 2 sites I use to save cash or rack up points when I shop online.
I signed up with Swagbucks (http://www.swagbucks.com/) browser to earn points that I cash in for gift cards. So far this year I have earned enough points to earn 30.00 in Amazon cash. Not an overwhelming amount, but free money.

When I shop I use Ebates (http://www.ebates.com/). There is a 5.00 credit for new customers and a percentage off of any purchase at hundreds of retailers. The discount is different for each retailer.

Here's how it works:

Go to swagbucks. Type in ebates in the bar and click. Go to ebates and shop.

Ebates sends a rebate check every quarter. The schedule is posted on the site.

Both of these sites are respected and I have never had a reason to question them. I do not get spam from them.

Coupons

For a preview of this Sunday's coupons check out www.forthemommas.com/coupons/coupon-preview-2

Thank you Momma's.

Rite Aid, Video Values

The video program at RA gives you a chance to get additional coupons for your RA trip. The program can be accessed by going to the RA site and clicking on the AdPerk tab. The new site sometimes has revolving ads in the upper right hand block. The program is sometimes in this block. So you can wait until it shows and click on it.

Once you are signed up, you can watch short videos. Most of them are 30 seconds or less. Once the video is done there is a code you jot in and a point is given to you. The rewards are good for the time invested. Fifteen minutes at 6.00 is 24.00 an hour.

Watching 20 points worth of videos provides you with a 4.00 off 20.00 purchase. You also get a coupon for the product that is in a video. For the past couple of months there have been RA videos than earn you a 1.00 off any non prescription item. So you go into the store with 6.00 off a 20.00 order, right up front.

Any of these coupons can be stacked with a manufacturer's coupon. Also Up rewards are given off a future order with an advertised item.

It looks something like this:

20.00 order
-6.00 in RA video coupons
- any manufacturer's coupons
+ Up rewards

You can watch 20 videos more than once to earn the 4.00 coupon..

$10.00 off 10.00 With Code

Kidssocks.com is having a special today. The code to get 10.00 off a 10.00 order is FREE10DEAL. Most of these deals work if you have 10.00 or more. So you may have to order a bit over 10.00 to get the deal. Shipping is 5.00 or free with a 30.00 order.

Putting the Garden to Bed

If you think you are interested at trying your hand at a small (or large) vegetable garden in the spring, it's not too early to think about preparing the soil. Grab some of those leaves that are laying all over your lawn and pile them high on the area you want your garden. It doesn't matter if the soil is tilled or not. The leaves provide lots of nutrients as they decompose during the winter months. If you decide not to have a garden in the spring, no harm done. You'll have really green grass in that area in the spring.

Price Chopper Thursday Coupons

If you head over to www.pricechopper.com there are 4 coupons good until Sunday. (11/7)

1. One free Redbox rental
2. PC 2 liter soda 2/1.00
3. 3 pack Pop Secret popcorn .99
4. Box of Reese's pieces .75

There is an additional section of store coupons. They can't be doubled, but they can be used with a manufacturer's coupon that can be doubled.

A Frugal Meal

I picked up a chicken from Price Chopper this week that cost .79 cents a pound. I am planning on stuffing it with bread ends I have saved in the freezer and local onions bought at the farmer's market for 1.00 for 10. I'm going to 'bake' it in the crock pot. This is the first time I've done this. I'll let you know how it turns out.

The chicken will provide 4 meals for us (2 people). For a family of 4 you may get leftovers for sandwiches.

Dinner Menu (2 people)

Roasted chicken with stuffing and gravy 1.92 + .12
Green beans (frozen, from the farmer's market) .17
Mashed potatoes (from the farmer's market) .22
Pickles ( canned from the garden) close to zero in cost
Milk (varies) .50

Total cost for 2 people 2.98

The cost is this low because of preplanning and having a garden.

A Thanksgiving Meal

Every family has favorite dishes they prepare for Thanksgiving. Most of us enjoy a yummy turkey, prepared with a family 'secret'.

Our family is no different. There are staples, such as a green bean casserole, that just have to be served. Our grown children have taken the favorites into their own homes and have added some more from their spouse's favorites list.

This is our menu. Many memories are attached to these dishes.

Turkey
Sweet potato casserole
Green bean casserole
Watergate salad (I found out I am the only one who likes this)
Pickled eggs
Cheese and crackers
Pepperoni ( I don't know why)
Black bread and dip
Apple pie
Pumpkin pie

What are your favorite dishes? Ones that bring back fond childhood memories. I know my new SIL to be will be making macaroni and cheese this year and my daughter has discovered bread pudding as a new favorite.

Yum. I can't wait.

Christmas is Love in a Stocking

Christmas is my favorite holiday. It's a time when even the most hardened of hearts swells with good will. I love, love, love Christmas!

When we started our family we decided it was important that the children understood what Christmas stood for. It is, after all, a celebration of a birth. The birth of Jesus. It may not have always been known by our kids that Daddy had anything to do with this, but both of us felt it was important to let the kids know that Jesus was an important part of our family life.

Having four children, one who was sick for quite a few years, money was tight. But the rest of what family offers wasn't. I remember the year our youngest daughter was born (in December) my husband handed me $40.00 for gifts for the other three kids, 2 days before Christmas.

Money in hand, and a prayer in my heart, I went to a local discount store. I had so much fun. When I went into the store the toys on my list popped out at me. They were all on sale at a deep discount. I left the store with bags of gifts and 2.00 in my pocket.

I spent that 2.00 on candy and oranges for the Christmas stockings.

Back then we had coupons and rebates, but nothing like what is available to us today. I probably could do better with some time to plan and watching the ads, if my shopping trip were today.

Each year I learn a little bit more about the true meaning of Christmas. Today I see it is more about the family being together concept than the gifts. Back then the gifts made it fun because everyone was young. Today the gifts have become a small part of our celebration, even though there are grandchildren. The gift I am thankful for is our family, with Jesus as our leader. And the food has taken second place in the fun.

I'm thankful for the family that is our legacy. I'm thankful for the food on our table, but I will miss my husband's presence - although I know he will be here in spirit. I am also thankful for that.

Price Chopper, CNY and Northern Pennsylvania

In our area (CNY) Price Chopper has a few good deals. The best deal is there are 3 triple store coupons, up to and including 1.00, in Sunday's flyer. (10/31)

Progresso soups are 4/5.00 (sale)
Triple coupon - 3.00
Final cost = 4/2.00 or .50 each.

As far as I could tell all of the regular soups were in this deal, including wedding soup.

I used the other 2 1.00 coupons I had on Celestal teas.

2 1.00 coupons (6.00 tripled)
2 teas 6.58
Final cost = .58

Total: 2.58

Pork chops are 1.00/lb
and whole chickens are .79/lb

There is also a coupon for cereal 4/8.00. Adding a 1.00 triple coupon to this would lower the cost to 4/5.00 or 1.25 each

Also PC has special online coupons every Thursday at www.pricechopper.com for additional savings

Rite Aid (RA) 10/31-11/6

I have 2.00 in up rewards that expire on the 6th. I'm using these today to purchase:

Chex mix - 2/3.00 with 1.00 up reward
final cost: 1.00 for both or .50 each

If the reward were counted these items would be considered free. I will count them on the next purchase.

If I had a coupon for Chex, they would be free as most manufacturer's coupons are 1.00 off 2.

Buying the Chex Mix is the beginning of my Christmas entertaining stockpile.

Rite Aid (RA)

Rite Aid has recently added the Wellness program for shoppers. With a Wellness card, which only takes seconds to sign up for at any register, you can receive up rewards when purchasing advertised items.

The reward is printed out on the receipt and can be used for your next purchase. The rewards can be used with a manufacturer's coupon and a RA coupon. This is referred to as 'stacking' coupons. All of the above can be used on one item. It goes something like this:

Purchase an item for 5.00.
Use a 1.00 manufacturer's coupon, 3.00 in Up rewards (from a previous purchase(s), and 1.00 RA coupon. The item is free. If you use this system on an item that also gives Up rewards, the ball keeps rolling on to your next purchase. The RA site has a pdf file that explains the corporate rules. If you have a BOGO (buy one get one free) coupon and RA has a BOGO sale, you can use the coupon and both items will end up being free. However an item appears to be taxed at the original price.

Your first transaction will cost what is advertised, minus any coupons. After that you can use the Up rewards.

You can't do better than that for lowering your budget.

An example of a transaction I did last week is:

I bought 3 Huggies diapers on sale for 8.99. (original 12.49)
I received 3 2.00 Up rewards for future purchases
I used:
11.00 in RA coupons
5.00 in Up rewards
6.00 manufacturer's coupons

I paid 5.00 out of pocket (OOP) and received the 6.00 in rewards. The 5.00 came from rebates I received from the RA rebate program.

Final cost was a money maker of 1.00

I took the 6.00 in rewards and, in 2 transactions, purchased 6 99 cent greeting cards which came with 2 free bags of candy and 2.00 of rewards.

I paid nothing for 3 diapers, six cards, 2 bags of candy. I saved 38.00. Not to mention the sale price was 3.50 less for each pack of diapers. (9.50 total)

You can sign up for the rebate program at the Rite Aid site, www.riteaid.com.

Sadness In Our Home

This is a difficult post, but I feel I should explain my absence. My dear husband of 40 years has recently passed. I have been in mourning for a few months.

I feel a pull to continue on with the blog as I have added new ideas coming your way. I'd like to expand the posts to include deals at drug stores and CNY food chains. I'll also be offering advice for young families that will include bringing in your budget.

I am going to log all items I 'purchase' that will end up at a cost of 1.00 or less - often free. By showing you how this is done, your creative juices will begin to flow and you will find your own way to pile up low cost items for your family.

So let's get started, moving forward, and saving money.

After researching the swagbucks site and asking a lot of questions, I have signed up at swagbucks. com. This is an amazing opportunity to rack up swags (e-dollars) to buy items online. There is a section in the store to purchase amazon gift cards as well as other well known retailers.

I have started my holiday shopping. In less than a month I have 84 swagbucks. When I hit 90 I can 'buy' 2 5.00 Amazon gift cards. I'm paying for our garden seeds with these cards.

75 Cents off One Nestle Chips

Copy and paste this address to get a coupon for Nestles chocolate chips. http://www.verybestbaking.com/products/toll-house/special-offers.aspx

Chocolate chip cookies are a great Valentine treat.

VALENTINE"S DAY

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite celebrations. Even though we show our loved ones our feelings all year long, this day is an opportunity to create comforting memories. Some frugal people pooh pooh Valentine, but I see it as an opportunity to enhance a relationship.

Here's some ideas to celebrate without breaking your budget.

One flower tied in a bow and placed at the recipient's place at the dinner table is a surprise that can bring a warm smile. The smile warms the heart of the giver. Both of these are a gift.

Cut a piece of paper in the form of a heart and write a note describing how much you love your spouse / boyfriend, etc.

Make brownies and layer with a favorite frosting. Draw hearts in the frosting with a toothpick.

Create a coupon for a free night of man movies without pouting. If you are male, make a coupon that says you will watch a chick flick with your partner without being 'distracted'.

This list should get your creative juices flowing. The list could be endless and the effort appreciated by everyone.

BJ's Coupons

Copy and paste this address for a number of coupons BJ's is offering. BJ coupons can be used with manufacturer's coupons, which is referred to as stacking. All of the coupons are food items.

https://www.bjs.com/member/coupons/display

Free Book From Pampers

Fill out a short survey to get a free Scholastic book from Pampers.

http://www.pampers.com/en_US/potty-kit-request (copy and paste to browser)

Home Made Rice Mix (Think Roni)

RICE MIX
2 C uncooked rice
1 C broken spaghetti
1/4 C dried parsley
6 T bouillon (cook's choice)
2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder

Mix and store in an air tight container

To Cook: Mix 1 C of mix with 2 C water. Bring to a boil on high, reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until water is gone.

If you like the rice softer, add a bit more water 1/4 C at a time toward the end of cooking.

Serves 4. Makes 3 C of rice. Cut ingredients in half to serve 2.

This recipe makes 3 four person servings or 6 two person servings.

It tastes great.

A Helpful Woman

Years ago I came across a blog on www.msn.com's money and finance page. The blog is called SMART SPENDING. Donna Freedman writes the articles.

Donna had a difficult life raising a daughter on her own with little education. Donna supported her daughter by thinking out side of the box. The end result was she landed a gig with MSN online sharing her tactics with readers.

Through the years Donna has documented a plethora of helpful information on her blog. I would suggest to anyone who is serious about reining in their budget read through Donna's articles and choose what would work in your situation.

Congratulations are in order for Donna because she just earned her 4 year degree.

Great job, Donna!

Clucking Suggestions

A friend, Teresa, called me after reading yesterday's post. She has 4 children, three of them teenage sons. Teenage sons can eat all day, every day. There seems to be no end to their hunger.

Teresa became creative while solving the problem of feeding her family and staying within budget.

The problem was each of her sons would eat 2 -3 chicken breasts at a time. That's 6 - 9 breasts per meal. There are three other members in her family, so the cost was becoming prohibitive. Teresa wanted to serve healthy food so she came up with this idea.

She now serves one chicken breast per person. Teresa simply pounds the meat with a meat tenderizer hammer which makes it slender, but stretches it out. The appearance is large on the plate. This satisfies her growing men. The chicken appears to be large and their tummys are fooled - and satisfied. Hammering the meat also makes it more tender. ( I use a can of veggies to do this)

Teresa also stretches chicken by cutting it in small pieces and adding it to a favorite recipe such as Mexican dishes.

Thank you Teresa for the suggestion. It's one I haven't thought of.

Do you have a trick you use when cooking to make food go further? Please share it with us.

Menus Equal Vacations?

Menus are an important part of the frugal lifestyle. After a while you'll know what your family will eat and the written menus tend to go to the wayside. But until this time, I suggest you rely on writing out weekly menus.

To plan a menu with the sales in your area simply check out the sales and the coupons and rebates you have for the sale items and jot down dinner meals for the week. The time it takes depends on your schedule. I take a bit longer because I am retired and can go through the task in a leisurely manner. A young mother who is at the mercy of a baby's schedule most likely won't have as much time. You'll come up with a routine that works for you.

A typical meal would contain the 4 food groups and look something like this:

Monday (dinner)

Roasted chicken
Roasted potatoes
Green beans
Plums
Milk
Chocolate pudding

Tuesday's lunches would contain chicken salad sandwiches.

The chicken can be used later in the week as a soup or hot sandwiches and gravy.

Or it can be frozen for additional meals later on. The chicken is used because it is on sale as are the potatoes. Chicken on sale for 49 cents a pound as opposed to 1.19 a pound will save 3.50 on a five pound bird. If the potatoes are BOGO at 4.00 for a 5 pound bag, (this is a common lost leader item) the savings is an additional 4.00 for 5 meals. A savings of 7.50 is rather significant. Add these savings up over a month and your grocery bill has noticeably been reduced.

So give it a try. If you work outside of the home, take a few minutes at lunch to plan your meals. If you put the savings in a jar or an account, there will be a visual resource that will empower you to continue saving. At the end of the year, I see a nice little vacation for the whole family.

RITE AID 1/31-2/6 Rebate

The only full rebate offered by RA this week is:

Blink Tears Gel, 10ML size. It is on sale for 7.99 with a rebate for the same amount. There was also a $2.00 coupon in Sunday's paper. This deal will make $2.00.

Interview With God

Inspirational Quotes

Build Your House On A Strong Foundation

Any project's goals need to be defined. This is one of the building blocks that provide a strong foundation. I'm a big one for strong foundations. I discovered the importance of strong foundations when I read about them in the bible, when I was a young mother. I'm not one to remember all of the logistics. I couldn't say where to find the information other than to say it is in the New Testament.

The verse talks about building houses on sand. Something that is not advised. It continues to say a strong house is built on rock. This is what the basement and concrete slab represent in modern home building.

The verse went on to say that in all things we do need to have a strong foundation. It takes time to develop the strength of a foundation, but once the development is complete it is there forever.

As stated in the verse, we can translate this principle to all things. For instance, If I had 10.00 and need milk, eggs, flour - but want cookies and ice cream, the choice I make on how I spend the money will create a foundation for healthy eating or not. The previous items will provide the basis for healthy meals, while the former items will make me sick if it is all I purchase.

The same principles are applied with the income we have. It doesn't matter if the income is from working a job or two, social security, a trust fund or welfare. It doesn't even matter if it's a small income or large. There are plenty of people making lots of money, but have nothing because they spend more than they bring in. It only matters how we use it.

Use of income first on necessities rather than wants creates a strong foundation. It provides shelter and human comfort. Wants only provide temporary satisfaction.

Somehow the current generation has been led to believe that things are exciting. Things are what bring you success in your circle of friends and family. Not many people can afford to purchase all of the things available without using credit cards. Cards, I might add, that carry hefty interest rates and penalties.

This behavior provides an economic foundation built on sand. No one can save on these habits. If you think of credit as a type of slavery, perhaps you can change the foundation of your thought process.

Changing habits is difficult. Humans have a difficult time with change, especially if we have to work at it. It's just our nature. But it can be done. With perseverance, anything can be done.

1) The first thing to do is realize money is nothing more than a tool. There is no worth to it other than that. It doesn't make you better or worse, there should be no emotional tie to money. This is the most difficult hurdle to jump. Once you get this(it will take a while), the rest becomes easier.

2) Next is to create a plan. The most difficult thing about this is not creating the plan, but chastising yourself when you don't follow it. If you find you deviate from the plan, pick yourself up and move on. Keep in mind whatever goal is set, will be met at some time in the future. It doesn't matter if the goal is positive or negative, it will always come to fruition. Remember if you stay on track 3 months and fall off track the next, you are 3 months ahead. If you did nothing to conquer debt, those 3 months would not have happened.

3) Re evaluate your spending habits. There are things we buy because of an emotional trigger. Even though I am a grandmother, I realized just yesterday that I had a difficult time dressing nicely until the past few years because an old woman said something mean to me when I was 6. That is an emotional trigger. Think about things and one by one alter your buying impulses. Most pain in this area finds it's roots in the high school environment. Keep in mind, you are no longer there. There's no popular girl to impress. (Not that they were ever impressed. They were too busy thinking about themselves.)

4) Re evaluate what you use for entertainment. Changes here are easiest to make and can provide more cash for debt payment. Use free activities in your area. Concerts in the park, the library, things like this.

5) Re evaluate your grocery and health and beauty budget. Can you find ways of feeding your family in a healthier manner? Perhaps using popcorn from a bag that cooks on the stove rather than the microwave kind. Taking a few minutes to plan a list to take advantage of sales. Using coupons and checking out RA rebate offers. Stocking up on items you use frequently when they are on sale. Every store has a cycle for putting items on sale. Learn your store's and save cash.

6) Concentrate on the highest interest debt first. Pay minimum on the other cards (most people have many) and keep moving forward. Use every available cent to pay off the debt. Fifty cents may not seem to matter, but that's less interest paid on a balance.

The credit card companies know how important that fifty cents is because they make money on it in interest rates charged.

This information is not meant to be the end all. It is intended to be the foundation of a strong debt reduction plan. If you are serious about leaving the enslaved masses, there is a ton of information on the Internet.

Read the Grocery Challenge thread on msn money. These ladies are willing to take newbies under their wing and teach anyone who is interested.

I hope you will consider this information for your future. Remember it takes years to get in debt, it may take just as long getting out of it. The reward is well worth it. Good luck.

The Basic Kitchen

I've been married for forty years. My kitchen has numerous appliances and gadgets in it. Some are gifts, some I just had to have when I was a young mom. During this time I've gone through 3 sets of pots and pans, 2 blenders and 2 food processors. I refuse to buy another processor until the one I have is totally unusable.

Forty years is a long time and things accumulate over a long period of time. But, if you are just starting out it is not necessary to have every gadget or electric item available.

The following is a list of the very basic items needed to create meals in your kitchen. As time moves on, other items will be added.


THE BASIC KITCHEN LIST includes.

1. pot to boil food
2. pan to fry food
3. oven proof dish to bake food
4. hand operated can opener
5. container to make coffee and tea and other warm beverages / if you don't drink coffee, the boiling pot works here
6. measuring spoons
7. wet measuring cup
8. dry measuring cup set
9. sealed containers to store dry goods in (flour, sugar, etc)
10.set of mixing bowls one can be used to mix in and another can be used to store left overs
11. one sharp knife, others can be added as time goes on
12. salt and pepper shakers
13. wire whisk
14. hand mixer
15. toaster
16. wooden spoon
17. rubber spatula
18. turning spatula
19. paring knife
20. hand grater
21. strainer
22. cookie sheet

With these items any dish can be put together. As time goes on you will discover what you like to cook and add accordingly. I like to bake and can foods. I have 3 cookie sheets now so I save on fuel energy and time costs.

My most prized item in my kitchen is a stand mixer. I bought one about 10 years ago. Owning this item enhances my experience in the kitchen. I can make bread and rolls and concoct cookies, frosting, and cakes. I guess this is my creative outlet.


Take your time accumulating what is in your kitchen. Explore what you find comfort in making. Then you can add the items that will make the endeavor more enjoyable.

Remember it is a good idea to pay cash for any additional purchases. Staying on buget is what it's all about if you are looking for economic freedom.

The Basic Kitchen and A Healthy Budget and Body

There's a lot of products out there and as many 'hackers' who spout for 30 minutes at a time about the benefits of buying their product. These TV commercials have multiple testimonies from 'legitimate' consumers singing the praises of the product.

There's one in particular that is guaranteed to make life easier and quicker. Your food will look like a pro.

I ask myself, "What is it they aren't saying?" They aren't saying that the entire set is planned and put together by a staff. The cukes are cleaned and dried and the flour is measured in a clear glass bowl before the show begins. And, the most important thing to note is, there are MULTIPLE 'magic' machines set up. Meaning no one is cleaning them until they leave your living room.

Most food prep consists of retrieving and cleaning and measuring. The measuring cup and glass bowl is retrieved, the recipe is read and followed. Milk and eggs come from the refrigerator. The set up of ingredients takes most of the time in a recipe. The pie crust for the quiche' is made before it's placed under the 'magic' chute.

The best way to stay healthy is to use your body. Cutting and slicing and opening cans by hand is not only economical, it is healthy. Every use of your muscles helps to keep you fit and trim.

Cleaning the item takes so much more time than cleaning a cutting board and knife.

Ah, you say, "What about the uniform slices or cuts?" Most of us aren't kings and queens. We're not even wealthy. (Less than 1% of the people in this country hold 99$ of the wealth) Who are we suppose to impress with uniform slices? There is no one.

The MAGIC in a good meal is the effort and love put in the preparation. It can't be measured or studied. It just is one of those intangible things that IS.

So if you have a magic machine, God bless you, if not - don't waste away, use your muscles and buff up!

RITE AID 1/10-/1/16/10

There are two free items, with one check rebate, on the back cover of this week's Rite Aid circular.

1. GE light bulbs, 2 pack are 2.00 with a 2.00 rebate. If you have a coupon, you can make money on this item.

2. Con Tac cold and flu is 4.99 with a rebate of the same amount.

3. Alpo canned dog food is 79 cents a can. Even though this price is 16 cents lower than my local grocery store's, I get it at Wally World for 71.5 cents a can. So a no go for me.

4. The circular also has coupons for a few products from Johnson and Johnson- Aveeno, Roc, Purpose, Clean and Clear, and Lubriderm. The same products have coupons in the Smart Source flyer in Sunday's paper. (1/10/10) There is also a rebate form in the SS flyer that is for 10.00 off of 30.00 in products. A RA receipt will list the original price first, then take off the coupons at the bottom. You can also stack the coupons and use the RA one with the manufacturer's coupon. EX: The receipt price is 4.00. Coupons total 3.50. The 4.00 price is what is used to meet the rebate money spent. (26.00 left) The product, at the register cost 50 cents. If these are items you use, there's big savings here.

Great Site For Organized Shopping

At www.houndingwithfrugalsuz.blogspot.com SUZ has done most of the work for the busy shopper. SUZ organizes all of the rebates and sales at the three major drug stores, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS, that have rewards programs. You can also find a list of manufacturer's rebates here. A quick glean of the information and you're on your way to saving and making money. How do you make money? With the use of combining coupons with rewards and sale prices many times items generate an income.

Poll

As this blog is only a few months old, I was surprised to see 13 people answered the poll about coupon use. Everyone thought coupons should be used at least some of the time.

Thank you to everyone who reads this blog. Please don't be shy, join the blog. This would be a great support to the site.

Dehydrating Food

I was on a message board this morning where the topic was dehydrating food. The thread prompted my memory. I have a dehydrator. I forgot about using it this summer. Next summer I will be using it!

Dehydration is a food storage process where moisture is removed from food by the use of low heat. The source can be the sun, an oven, dehydrator, or any long and low heat processing source. Foods with a low moisture content, such as herbs, can be hung to air dry.

Moisture is the enemy of long term food storage. Even foods that are frozen eventually succumb to moisture which is what freezer burn is.

By dehydrating fresh foods - removing the moisture- the food can last for years in a tightly sealed container. If mold is seen on the finished product, it has been compromised and is no longer a viable food source.

Foods that respond well to dehydration are veggies, fruit (apples, bananas are the best because they do not need the addition of a color preserver)and meats. For fruits and veggies to dehydrate they must be clean and any exterior moisture needs to be patted dry. The pieces should be cut into thin slices so the drying process can be complete. The addition of a product such as FRUIT FRESH will inhibit discoloration. Then into the heat source for an appointed time. Every source has an individual time span so research the food item to find out the appropriate time. Dehydrators come with instructions, but the sun or oven doesn't.

Storage containers can be new or cleaned out glass jars or plastic baggies. This is an area you can get creative. If it seals tight, the container can be used to store dried foods. Make sure it is a material that is safe for storing food. A rule of thumb is if food came in the container, it is safe for reuse.

Drying meat is slightly more of a challenge. It is easier to create slim slices if the meat is partially frozen or very cold. Slices should be as slim as you can get them. The sliced meat should be marinated (personal choice) for 24 hours or more, then dehydrated. My dehydrator takes 48 hours to dry meat. The newer ones have timers and thermometers attached so can be more accurate.

I am going to look for a sale on beef and dry some as soon as possible. The rest will have to wait until this summer's harvest. Snow begone! I want to get started.

Meal Planning

I correspond with a young woman who is determined to lighten her budget. We often talk about groceries, coupons and prices. I thought if she has many questions about this subject, other young women do too. Following is the meal plan for today in our home. We feed three adults on this plan. We only eat two meals a day and 2 snacks. All of the costs are rounded up.

Breakfast:FRENCH TOAST (milk, 2 eggs, cinnamon, syrup, butter) cost $2.80 COFFEE, 6 cups $1.50 per lb. / on sale and coupon Let's say 30 cents for the pot, I'm not certain what the yield is per lb. Approximate cost: $3.10

Lunch/Dinner: ITALIAN SAUSAGE cost 1.69 on sale, 3 POTATOES cost 5.00/20 lbs, (approximately 15 cents)BROCCOLI free Approximate cost: 1.89

CAKE with frosting $1.50, 3 6 oz glasses of MILK, 3 3 oz glasses of CRANBERRY JUICE, CRACKERS, 2 1/2 oz of CHEESE, 2 stalks of CELERY for snacks. The milk cost 1.68 for a gallon. The cranberry juice was 99 cents for the bottle and the cheese was 3.00 for 2 8 oz blocks. The crackers were 1.18 for a pound box and the celery was BOGO @ 1.49. (75 cents each)

Total cost of 2 full meals and cake is 9.54. A liberal estimated cost of the snacks for today is 2.00.

Total estimated cost is 11.54. That's 3.85 per person. This adds up to 80.78 per week. I spend 60.00 per week on food for three weeks and buy only milk, bread and eggs the fourth week. This includes items we stock up on such as canned veggies.

If I don't spend 60.00 I save the extra for the future. This way I have the money to stock up on items I use often.

The costs for food were severely reduced with the combined use of planning, coupons, and sales.

I have no negative feelings or thoughts about our grocery budget. It's a fun challenge to excel in an area that's important to me.

Perhaps this is a challenge that you would want to accept for the new year. Some people keep records on excel or a similar program. I have decided to bring this one step further and record the savings to have concrete evidence of my efforts.

Happy budgeting.

STOCKING THE PANTRY

One of the advantages of a new year is we can start 'fresh' in any area we choose. I'd like to talk about the pantry.

The word pantry means a stock of food and essentials. The stock can be stored any place there is room. I've known people who put some of their stock under a bed in plastic containers. It doesn't matter where the items are stored. It does matter if everything is organized. An organized pantry saves cash. If your par level is 10 cans of soup, an organized area means you can take a quick stock of the number of soup cans you have before you go to the store.

Basic organization means to have like items stored together and labels turned forward. Beyond this your pantry can be personalized. If you use containers to store food, I would suggest plastic ones with lids. Insects can't find what they don't smell. The plastic containers will prevent infestation.

Time is money as well. A quick look is less frustrating and less time consuming than searching in every cupboard or area. The result of frustration can be anger. The next person to cross your path could receive the anger. I guess you could say being organized helps to have a healthy relationship with others.

Basic items in the pantry are a must have. If it comes down to it a meal could be made with just the basics. Try to stock the basics, as everything else, with the lowest prices you can get.

Basic items include:
flour
sugar
oil
butter (we are made to digest and process real fats from nature)
milk
eggs
baking powder
baking soda
salt
pepper

Pancakes, breads, and rues can be made with these few items Even if you ate pancakes 3 three times a day, you will never starve when you have these items.

Basic spices include:
salt (replaces electrolytes)
pepper (starves off bacteria)
parsley (good for blood sugar)
garlic powder ( good for blood pressure and starves off bacteria)
onion powder ( tastes good)
cinnamon (lowers blood sugar)
vanilla in any form (smells good and tastes good)

Any additional spices are welcomed. The easiest and cheapest way to flavor food is with the use of a variety of spices.

Out of season fresh veggies don't need to be bought. They don't have much of a taste to them anyway. In the winter you can get the benefits of veggies by stocking:
onions
celery
garlic (fresh)
carrots
potatoes
During the growing season eat as many as you can. These items can be supplemented with canned and frozen veggies. Hopefully purchased on sale.

Winter fruits are:
apples
oranges and all citrus fruits
bananas
These can be supplemented with frozen, canned or dried fruits. We eat dried apricots, cranberries, raisins, and prunes in the winter. Prunes look funny, but the fact of the matter is prunes are dried plums.

Other items to finish out your stock include:

cereal
oatmeal
canned meat and tuna
condiments in individual packets or small sealed containers and regular size containers for every day use
dry milk (cooking or drinking)
candy or goodies
crackers
breads
meats of your choice (on sale)
dried beans
rice
peanut butter
jam or jelly
confectioner's sugar
brown sugar
cake mixes
other spices you use
anything else your family eats

The pantry contains not only food, but items needed if the power goes out. A hand can opener, candles, flashlight and batteries, matches, a charcoal (and charcoal) or gas grill, and paper plates, cups, and plastic ware. We have water too. Don't forget the pets. They need their nourishment as well.

NEW YEAR CHALLENGE

Happy New Year to all. I've been thinking about a challenge(s) for the new year. Asking myself what do I want to do and how do I want to document the results. The first thing I decided to do was tear apart the budget. Look at each entry and see if I can save. I do this because it is a challenge and I like to do it. Right now I am looking at the grocery budget. We're pretty close to saving all we can because I use coupons, buy only what is on sale, and use rebates. The pantry is almost fully stocked to keep us going for 3 months in the event of an unforeseen catastrophe.

The one area I did look at is dog food. The dog always ate Kibbles and Bits and Alpo canned food. Her treats came from Wallyworld. She is a large breed so she eats quite a bit at a feeding. The cost is approximately 50.00 a month to feed her. I didn't want to make drastic changes all at once because it is not healthy for the dog.

I searched for treats that could save us a dollar a bag or more. I changed to an off brand at a savings of 2.00 a month. This doesn't sound like much, but over a year's time it's 24,00 that can go in the Christmas gift fund and equates to one or more gifts.

The next step was changing the dry food. It's important here to get good nutrition for a lower cost. I purchased a large bag of Dad's food and mixed it with the Kibbles. Then went to Dad's without the Kibbles. The dog was happy with the change. This bag I got for 1/2 price so I only paid 5.00 for it. But again a 2.00 savings each month (at regular price) to put in the Christmas fund. The fund, so far, has increased 48.00 for this year. That's an increase of two or more gifts.

Canned food was the last frontier. Alpo has consistently raised prices over the past 3 years. Kibbles and Bits was 1.50 less for a 12 can pack for a savings of 3.75 a month. If my calculations are correct, that's another 45.00 saved over the year, for a total of 93.00. That equates to lots of extra gifts.

I'll use the cash for the 2 new babies' gifts and for an extra angel tree gift.

I'm not done going through the budget. This is just the beginning.

Is there just one area you can look into in your budget? Or maybe two? It can be so much fun to challege yourself. It certainly keeps boredom away!

SPECIAL K Offer

Special K has a printable coupon at www.specialk.com. The coupon is good for a free box with the purchase of one. (BOGO) There are limits to the variety that the coupon covers. Make sure you read the fine print.

OLAY OFFERS

For rebates and coupon information on OLAY products you can search www.olay.com. There is a full rebate for Quench body lotion and a 15.00 rebate on the purchase of 2 Regenerist products. A 1.00 coupon is in this past Sunday's P and G insert for the Regenerist products. Rite Aid has the items BOGO 1/2.
The savings before the Rite Aid sale is 16.00. I tried to find the price of Regenerist at Rite Aid, but was unsuccessful.

RITE AID 12/27 - 1/02

The only free, with rebate and Sunday's P and G coupon, is a battery operated toothbrush.

NyQuil has a rebate that brings the cost down to 1.49.

PAMPERS are 8.99 for a large box and the paper had a 1.00 coupon this week.

After Christmas Bargains

Not many ladies I know had a desire to go shopping the day after Christmas. I was no different this year. DH wanted to grab some jeans at JCP. Begrudgingly I went with him. I could smell the sales when I walked in the front door. The flyer had 2 coupons in it. One was 10.00 off of a 50.00 purchase. The other was 15.00 off of a 75.00 purchase/ In addition to the coupons multiple items were priced ridiculously low until 1 PM.

This is what I did to maximize my savings. I added up the sale cost of the items. Since the total was over 200.00, I broke the items up into 4 transactions of about 50.00 each. By doing this I earned 40.00 off of my purchases. Ten dollars off of each 50.00 total. The 75.00/15.00 coupon could have been used as well for a savings of 30.00 and the 10.00/50.00 used once. The savings would have been the same.

The items, if purchased at regular price, came to 463.00. I saved 250.00 and spent 213.00.

The order included 2 pair Lee jeans, 18.00/31.00 (13.00 saved / pair), 2 scoop neck tees, 5.99 (10.00 saved/ tee) undies for the year, Carter baby clothes (lots) and so much more.

I went home a happy girl. These items finished off our winter wardrobes. The tees I will have for next year, as well as the undies.

COUPON FLASH

There is a coupon (Q) for a free box of Special K cereal at www.specialk.com Buy one get one free.

CHRISTMAS Shopping Scores

I was talking to DD #1 last night and she was telling me about her shopping trip. She kept costs at bay using a number of tactics. One of the most lucrative was she had 150$ in gift cards she got from the points earned on a credit card account.



What deals did you find this year? Do you shop online? Maybe look for codes for zero SH? (google coupon codes) Do you use points gathered from doing surveys or CCs? How about MY REWARDS program from Coke?



One of my biggest earners was a Q for 20$ off a 20$ purchase. I also found a great website, http://www.sportsmansguide.com/. I never paid attention to this one before, I'm no sportsman. Wow. Lots of stuff for everyone and every reason. It's worth a try. The prices are fair. And they have terrific sales.



Share, share, share. Info passed along to others truly helps us to reach our goals.

FREE Batteries at STAPLES

Grab yourself a customer card from Staples. (available at the store) Buy a 20 pack of AA batteries for 12.99 and receive money back for 12.99. I haven't done this yet, but I'm on my way today to buy batteries. The cash comes in the mail and is tied to the customer card. This offer ends 12/21/09. I have a 1.00 coupon that I'll use. This coupon will not only get me free batteries, but I'll make 1.00 in cash.

Remember to ask before you buy, just to make certain the offer is available at your local store.

Christmas is so close. The closer it gets, the more excited I get. The meal is planned and the baking has begun. This is my favorite part of the holiday. This is where our heritages come into play. DH's background is the United Nations. He is 1/2 Polish and the other half includes Welsh, German and many more. Mine is Italian and English. The English part has never come into play when it comes to food.

The Polish contribution is homemade pirogi, homemade applesauce, and Polish sausage. (Boil the sausage to remove most of the fat.) The pirogi recipe was handed down to me from DH's grandmother.



For the Italian contribution I will make my grandmother's cookies. The lemon an anise Italian cookies that sell for $9.00 a pound. I promise they do not cost that much to make. They can be labor intensive, but will be made with love, so to me the cost is low.



I have already made chocolate orange creams and chocolate covered pretzels. Again DH's grandmother taught me how to make the orange creams. I bought the chocolate discs and added chocolate chips before I melted the candy in the microwave. If you want to make the pretzels it is best to buy a national brand as they are a bit softer and add a nice balance to the chocolate.



What are you making for Christmas dinner? Have you thought about adding a heritage food to your menu? It is a comfort to eat heritage food and in most cases brings back some good memories.

I consider making these heritage dishes as an invitation to our grandmothers to join us in the celebration - in spirit.



Merry Christmas to you. I hope your day is blessed with all that is good.

Rite Aid This week

Rite Aid has a number of rebates this month. None of them, as I said in an earlier post, rebates an entire purchase price. If you need back up disks for a computer there are a number of rebates on Maxell products. The highest rebate is $10.00 for a 50 count pack. The 25 count has a rebate for $5.00 and sells for $9.99.

Another item that may be of interest is the Arm and Hammer Spin brush. There's a $2.00 rebate and a coupon that was in the Sunday newspaper a couple of weeks ago. The regular price is $5.99.

A Christmas Story - Paraphrased

Over 2000 years ago a baby was born to humble parents. Joseph, the new daddy, loved his young wife with all of his heart. He was so excited about the new baby. Joseph was a carpenter. He made a cradle for the baby to lie his head in comfort and security. Mary, the mommy to be, was 14 years old, yet filled with a wisdom that could not be ignored.



Even though Mary was growing rather uncomfortable with the weight of the baby, she took a trip to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was pregnant, also, and close to her due date. Mary stayed with her for a couple of months after the baby was born. She was, after all, family. When Elizabeth was on her feet and able to care for John ( Later John was known as the Baptizer.) Mary began the journey home.



Wouldn't you know, when Mary arrived home there was a government decree to travel to the capitol city and register. All Jews had to register so Rome could tax them. Mary was pretty tired and 3 weeks from her due date, but rested a couple days and began, with Joseph, to travel to Jerusalem to obey the new law.



Joseph had a donkey he used around the homestead. He tied blankets to the animal's back so his wife could sit on him, experiencing a bit of comfort. Mary packed some blankets, dried fruit and bread with some water for the long trip. The journey was the beginning of a new life for all who asks for it.



Two weeks later Mary informed Joseph that she was in labor. I'm sure Joseph was a bit anxious when he couldn't find a room for them. He wanted to provide the comfort Mary needed while she was giving birth. Because everyone was traveling to Jerusalem, all of the rooms were booked. A kind tavern (hotel) owner offered his barn for shelter, at no cost.



It was there that Mary gave birth to her Son, Jesus the Christ.



All of heaven was singing and dancing. Mary was glad labor was over and falling in love with her new baby boy. Joseph was in awe of the miracle of birth and fell deeper in love with his wife. His face shone with pride as he looked at the new addition to his family. Life was good.



In the sky the Northern star shone bright. Three kings noticed it and felt led to follow it. The star was directly over the stable where Jesus was born. The kings felt love for the baby and gave Him gifts. Each king gave one gift. Because they recognized the baby was a king, the gifts were befitting royalty.



As we celebrate the most well know birthday in the universe, we give gifts to those we love. Hopefully we give to those in need, as well. There doesn't have to be a pile of gifts. Only one. That one gift can be given with all of the love we have for someone.



While we celebrate this Christmas remember the baby. Remember those in need of prayer and love. Keep close to your family and friends. Tell someone how important they are to you. And most of all, thank God for the Baby born all of those years ago. He knows your name, He'll be happy that you remembered Him.



Merry Christ - mas! God's peace to the earth, good will towards men.

Rite Aid Rebates

There are three items that are in full rebate this week at Rite Aid. They are:





1)Crest toothpaste / varied types Read the fine print in the ad. cost 2.49 / 1.50 rebate and 1.00 coupon in a recent Sunday flyer





2)Gillette Fusion razors cost 9.00 /with 5.00 rebate and 4.00 coupon in Sundays flyer





3)AMO Multi Purpose Solution full rebate (7.99)








To sign up for rebate program from RA you can go to the Rite Aid online site www.riteaid.com . This home page will direct you to the sign up process. You can also sign up to watch videos on this site. Watching 20 videos earns you a $5.00 off $20.00 coupon. It takes approximately 10 minutes to watch the videos. An added bonus is each video gives you a coupon for that product. You can do the videos as many times as you like.

If you have to buy items that would total 20.00, this coupon is helpful. The above items end up being free, but should count in the 20.00 amount. The above items total 15.48. Add a filler or two and you will pay -.49 for your trip.


Above items: 15.49 end up being free

Fillers (add ons): 4.51

Video coupon: -5.00

You make: .49

Now that's a good deal. RA pays you to shop there.

Thanksgiving

I hope your Thanksgiving was blessed. It's such a good time to eat and relax with friends and family. We invited a friend to spend the day with our family. It was a good time. We played cards after dinner, making up our own rules. Lots of laughs with that one.



My mom has been ill and in the hospital. I have been traveling 120 miles (both ways) often. When things in this area calm down, I will continue to be prompt in my posts.



God bless you all.

May Your Thanksgiving Day Be Blessed

I went grocery shopping yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner. The night before my family (DH and DS) sat down together to decide what we wanted for the meal. I was surprised by their choices and the traditional dishes they did not choose. Every year I made Watergate salad for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. I also made certain yams slathered with marshmallows were on the table. And the classic green bean casserole. No one, besides myself, opted for these dishes to be on the table. No one wanted the traditional veggie platter or snacks of chips and dip. So I altered tradition with little fuss. Thanksgiving is about family, after all.





I was surprised by their choices and went off to forage for food at the local grocery store the next morning. DS will pick up asparagus and walnuts at another store.





Turkey was on sale for 39 cents a pound yesterday. I bought one 2 weeks ago for the same price so I didn't need to cart this home. Cranberry sauce in the can, uncooked shrimp, horseradish, and canned shrimp were all on sale. I make a cheese ball with the canned shrimp and I make cocktail sauce with the horseradish. The menu will include:








DINNER


Turkey and stuffing (I've been saving bread in the freezer)


Mashed potatoes (bought at a farm) with gravy


Asparagus


Corn ( frozen during summer)


Cranberry Sauce


SNACKS





Cold shrimp with cocktail sauce


2 kinds of cheese balls with crackers


Carrot and celery sticks ( I have to have something I like)

Walnuts in the shell (taste so much better than the shelled ones)







DESSERTS





Apple pie


Pumpkin pie


Chocolates





Then, of course, in the evening we have cold turkey sandwiches.


Left over turkey will be used for soup (really delicious), sandwiches and croquettes and hot sandwiches.





Even though we have pared down this year, I feel so blessed. For a number of reasons. Our family is healthy. Everyone has a job. The grandchildren are so dang cute. And our daughters, who live in the south, are carrying out the traditional dishes my DH and DS have decided they have no interest in. Did I mention healthy? What more could a mother ask for?





A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to all.

RITE AID FREEBIE THIS WEEK

This week the only item I saw in the Rite Aid circular that was a full rebate was the 4 oz Crest toothpaste with Scope.





To sign up for the rebate program go to the http://www.riteaid.com/ site, sign up and click on Rebate Program. At the end of the month click to send off the form and a check is mailed to your address within 4-6 weeks.





This month, so far, I have $17.00 on my check. Last month I received $30.45 in rebates. All of the products I purchased ended up with a cost of $0.00.



I roll this money over so my purchases at Rite Aid never cost me any out of pocket money (OOP). I don't spend more than I get in return to make this happen.

Let me say since we are retired we don't need as many items from a drug store that families with growing children do. Rite Aid has many items on the rebate form ($777 in rebates this month), including diapers. Even if all of your purchases aren't fully covered, there's money to be saved on your drug store needs.

Christmas Decorations

I've been spending some time thinking of frugal decorations for Christmas I can share with you. A few come to mind. They are quick and easy and no special talent is needed to pull them together. I have to say, upon reflection, that the decorations we made as a family are my favorites. What has survived the years will be disburse to our children this year. Their children can see what mommy or daddy did when they were small.



Hopefully there is at least one container lying around the house that has your Christmas color of choice on it. Look for something red or green or mauve or whatever color you like to represent the holiday. Fill it half way with water and place some pine boughs in it. The kids can create a few ornaments to place in the arrangement. Instant red and green decoration.



A clear glass container with candy canes or cinnamon dots (in the cake decorating isle) in it is also an instant success. Don't be hesitant to place covered containers in the bathroom for a little surprise.



A collection of pine boughs tied at one end with rubber bands makes an instant swag for an entrance door. A big bow with streaming ends tied around the top hides the rubber bands the boughs are tied with. Rubber bands are suggested because the boughs will shrink as moisture evaporates from them.



A string of colored lights around the front windows (inside) is instant enticement for children. The show of excitement the colors bring to sweet little hearts will warm any adult heart.



Cut out pictures or scenes from cards and paste them on an ornament cut from construction paper. Punch a hole in the top of the 'ornament' and string small ribbon through the holes, tying a bow at the top. Something like this makes the tree feel like it belongs to everyone.



I'd like to hear ideas from you. A creative Christmas is a blessing to every one.

Advertizing Ploy

Have you ever watched a commercial that states '9 out of 10' (doctors, dentists) recommend our product?

Let me explain what this really means. A representative from a company visits a medical office. He/she brings lunch and provides information about the product. Then they ask how many samples the office thinks they would give to their patients. If they accept the samples and sign for them , the ad turns this information into '9 of of 10' recommend the product.

I expect the small print on the signature paper the medical provider signs explains this, in some way. I don't know if any providers have ever noticed. Well I suppose one out of 10 has noticed this.

Using this information to sell a product can prompt a decision by the consumer to purchase the product. After all , 'if a doctore uses it it must be good' - is the thought process. This is no accident.

Armed with this type information helps us to be more informed. I nformed consumers are smart consumers.

H1N1

For information on H1N1 go to www.flu.gov. The site has a bounty of helpful information.

Helpful Frugal Tips From GG

There's many types of education. There's the one we are most familiar with, the formal degree education. Then there's self help books and tapes. There's the older generation who has wisdom and knowledge. You can't pay for the education that you receive from them.



Our GG (great gramma) was born in 1898. She saw the great depression, man on the moon, airplanes, the telephone and many other things we take for granite. When my oldest child was born no one knew microwaves could be used in the kitchen and computers were non existent.



GG taught me many things. Some of them fun, some not so much fun. All of them were frugal.



I learned how to can foods and pick veggies from the farmer's field. She taught me that veggies and fruits indeed could be frozen at home and that vinegar was close to a cure all for ridding the home of germs.



If you think you may be interested in canning foods, I would suggest you research the appropriate way to do it. The kitchen must be spotless before you begin. The jars and lids have to be sterile and the food has to be processed according to directions. A good place to begin is the BALL canning jar site or your local cooperative extention. Canning is not difficult. It is, however time consuming. The food is delicious and to some well worth the effort. If local food is bought at a farm stand the price is lower than a store.



Making jam is also time consuming, but a simple process. All that is done is preparing the jars, cooking the prepared fruit (removing stems etc) and sealing the containers.



Freezing foods is a bit less time consuming. The food needs to be par boiled (short cooking time usually 2-3 minutes) then placed in a cold water bath. Moisture is patted off and the food goes in freezer containers of your choice.



Vinegar is used for washing windows, disinfecting hard surfaces, heartburn, fabric softener in the rinse cycle and a mouthwash. There is no residual smell on anything vinegar is used for. I use vinegar without diluting it. Any type of vinegar can be used, but the white vinegar is the least expensive.



I miss our GG. She knew what she was doing and loved us all. She never passed down crucial information to anyone she did not love.

Free at Rite Aid This Week

There was one item on the Rite Aid rebate list that comes out to be free. The cross action toothbrush is free after the rebate. I used a $1 on one coupon. This means I made $1.00. The Christmas cards are buy one get two free, but they were the same quality as the $ store ones. I passed on these. The Halloween candy is 75% off so I stocked up on Snickers and peanut butter cups. I'd like to say I don't need these items, but it's not true. I love my chocolate.

What is your favorite chocolate? I'm drooling already!

Being a Mom is Lovely

Today is a rest day for me. By that I mean the only things I have done are things at home. Things done at my pace.

Young mothers / women have so much on their plates these days. Kids, work, spouses, shopping, etc. There's time to sleep after midnight.

I remember those days and loved every minute of them. I can remember thinking at 10 years old that I wanted to be a mom. I decided then I would have 2 girls. I did indeed have 2 girls. Then I had a son and another girl. All four of them have brought DH and I so much happiness. Now some of them are having children. I can now spoil a child. No need for gram ma or Pop Pop to discipline. Just fun when we're with them.

My advice? Love your children. Do not shower them with gifts or material items. Give them your time and heart. Don't take it personal when they talk back but correct them when they do.

The most difficult thing? To discipline when they are sad. Moms hold tears back when they have to do this. But as my daughter says it's either 'they cry now or you cry later'.

Save Money / Dump the Foil and Plastic Wrap

I know it's Sunday so this will be a short entry. For a while I have been upset that I have been using foil and plastic wrap. By a while, I mean years. I've read over this time that each could have an adverse health effect. I am also uncomfortable using plastic storage containers. Even though the answers were in front of me, I felt my hands were tied. I thought there was no foil for my grandparents. What did they do? Glass was the answer. I had forgotten about glass because plastic is all around us.



I went to K Mart and purchased a set of glass storage bowls of varied sizes. (on sale) The lids are plastic, but they don't touch the food. I began to save glass containers that food came in. My barley is stored in an Arizona tea bottle. It looks rather nice.



I hunted down ceramic cooking containers at garage sales from the 60's that have ceramic covers. These can't be used in the microwave, but do a great job in the oven under 400 degrees. At times I'll cover a roast or other big meal with an old cookie sheet I no longer use for cookies. The only time I use foil for cooking is to tent a chicken or turkey. Perhaps one of you have an idea for solving this problem.



Also, I do use plastic wrap to store food in the freezer. It's a little bit better than plastic bags because very little air can penetrate a tight wrap.



I didn't make these changes to be frugal. I did it to take a proactive approach to keeping my family healthy. Being frugal is an afterthought. But, I'm glad frugal is a part of it.

I was reading a message board this morning about a woman whose dream is to be a stay at home mom. This brought my daydreaming to a show I watch about families needing 'Nanny' to help them discipline their children. Most of the moms are stay at home. From there I revisited the past, I worked weekends (7P-7A), but brought our children up as a stay at home mom the other five days. Dad was on weekend duty.



Our goals were simple. Children need stability and guidance. We wanted our children to be productive adults with a strong emotional foundation.



Back to the 'Nanny' show. This show makes me wonder what the concept of a SAHM is today. The moms don't appear to be stronger than the children. Discipline is unheard of because no one wants to be mean. True discipline is not mean. It is strength coupled with a strong love. In other words it is about the children, not the parent. Discipline takes time and focused energy. It takes fortitude. Standing up for what you want should take longer than it takes the child to act out on what he/ she wants. No emotion or anger should be in discipline. (Although this happens simply because we are human) Family codes and ethics are the strength behind the discipline.



SAHMs are also there in support of the economic provider. She needs be an economic provider by taking good care of the family's resources. (We're back to Proverbs 30) Talking on the phone or any other form of SAH entertainment should be done after the SAH tasks are done.



A SAHM needs an advisor. Someone who braved the field before her. When SAHM feels others don't value her she only needs to step back to look at her intangible assets. A clean home, which goes a long way in preventing colds and allergies. The meals prepared from fresh ingredients in lieu of packaged foods, for good health. The clean and repaired clothes her family has, the clothes that represent them to the community. And the most sought after goal? She has been instrumental in preparing her children for adulthood by giving them direction and strength.



She is the advisor to her children. It is she who is there to correct any negative concepts. Once in a while life goes smoothly for her, but for the most part life is putting out fires and teaching.



Bedtime is well after 10PM. By my calculations her job has a 17 hour work day.



SAHM is not meant to make mom's life easy. I think this is the concept today. Perhaps young people have an idea that it represents status. SAH is none of these things. It is loving your family so much that you want to be there to guide them in every aspect of their growth. It is cultivating a relationship with Christ so answers are found through His assistance when you don't have any. You can poo poo this if you like. I only know I did turn to Him for answers and was never turned away. I gained a wisdom that truly is not mine. It is putting others first. It is the best vocation I ever had!

Free this Week, But is it Worth It

Rite Aid has the Oral B Cross Action toothbrush on sale 11-1 to 11-7 for $5.00. Sunday's paper (11-1) has a $3.00 coupon. Rite Aid has a $2.00 refund. Final cost is FREE. The Rite Aid Single Check rebate booklet can be found at the entrance of the store, in the flyer rack. This month there are 777.00 in rebates.

I qualified for the Oral B rebate and another. AA Batteries were on sale 16/$9.99, as well as D batteries 8/ 9.99. A Rite Aid rebate for $5.00 off a $20.00 purchase means 3 packs have to be bought as 9.99 x 2 = 19.98. I went for this deal because we live in the country and need batteries during outages. If I didn't, I'm not sure how long it would take me to use 16 D's (2 packs of 8) and 16 AA's. It wouldn't be such a dilemma if there was no expiration date.

Since the Rite Aid rebates are new to me, I need to stand back and continue learning.. Saving money is not saving if I don't normally use a product. I have made a decision to go for anything that I can get free. I can always donate these items. Then use partial rebates/ coupons for items I always use.

The free items are well worth it. The products I use are worth it to me too.

I'll keep ya'll posted. Let me know what you think.

Another Great Blog

Check out www.northerncheapskate.com. A great blog and good coupons and contests. Currently a movie ticket contest.

I have posted this a number of times. It doesn't seem to be posting.

New Blog Site

A great blog is www.northerncheapsake.com. There's a contest to win 4 movie tickets and a box of GM cereal.

The Christmas Crunch and Christ

I have always believed that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus's birthday. As a tangible testament to this we always baked a birthday cookie for Him. The cookie was shared after we sang happy birthday.



There have been a number of articles written in the past years explaining how to remove stress from the Christmas season. I wrote one myself for a local newspaper I contributed to each week. But, even I, did not address the need to have a frugal budget. I had one, I just didn't think about the cost. Fast forward to 2009. I am very aware of the cost of Christmas.



I found a blogspot that had a terrific idea to decorate the front of the house for no cost. The blogger cut branches off of her pine trees and placed them in the empty urns that held summer blooms. A ribbon was attached and the results were elegant and free. This caught my attention. I continued on to read other submissions on Christmas. I was stunned to see her Christmas budget for the family and extended family was $1330. I was happy to see she saved cash to meet her goal. Since all things are relative and the blogger has reduced her budget and is paying cash, I say you go girl!



My budget is a bit less. I have designated $250 to spend on our four children, their spouses, three grandchildren, my husband, the mail lady, hair stylist, and newspaper man. I donate time to pack Christmas boxes and will donate any free items I have accumulated over the past few months.



The adult children will get one gift each and a basket of home made goodies (cookies, bread, body scrubs, room sprays, etc) per family. My husband is getting warm things to keep the chill out. The grandchildren each will get a book, a toy or two and an outfit. The others will get food from the kitchen. This may go over well because I own a small cookie company (uGly Cookies) and they, hopefully, will consider this gift a prize.



Dinner will be scrumptious. We typically have a turkey, yams, green bean casserole, etc. The normal fare. I will bake the desserts and we will enjoy each other's company over a game and a movie or two.



And Christ? He will be in everything I do - including the cookies!



What do you do for Christmas? What's your budget? Do you have any free or close to free decorating ideas? Please consider sharing them with us.

ALERT: www.northerncheapskate.com has a drawing for 4 movie tickets and a box of free GM cereal. This information was posted today. Also can find coupons for General Mills cereal on this blog.

I DON"T Buy ... So I Can Buy / Proverbs 30:13-28

I don't buy paper towel (3.49), paper napkins (2.69), designer room sprays and cleaning products. I do buy them when I can get them free or close to free.



PAPER TOWELS: I got a pack of 25 cheap washcloths at a discount store. I paid 1.99 for the pack. (the next week they were on clearance for 4.99) I put 6 aside to do 'dirty' jobs such as floors and the bathroom fixtures. The rest I use a clean one every day to wash dishes. To clean them I soak them in bleach and water then wash them with the other white clothes. This way they are bleached 2x. Savings: 4 rolls a month @3.39 each =13.56+1.08 tax (14.64/ month) Yearly savings is 175.68



PAPER NAPKINS: I've never been fond of these. It seemed the environment could do without the waste. I bought 12 cloth napkins recently at a garage sale for 10 cents apiece and my kids buy them for me (on sale) as gifts. Savings: 1 pack a month @ 2.69 + .22 tax = 2.91 total/ month. Yearly savings is 34.92. Even if I get these free I don't use them, I donate them.



ROOM SPRAYS: I make my own with a large jug of cheap cheap vodka and lavender grown in my garden. These range in price so I'll use an average of 3.69. Each bottle lasts about two weeks. The vodka I use costs 11.89 and a batch lasts two years. Savings: 7.38/month + .59 tax =7.97/ total/month. Yearly savings is 95.64-5.95 for the vodka = 89.69



CLEANING PRODUCTS: I use bleach, baking soda, olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar to clean and disinfect. I have these in the house for cooking so I don't feel I need to add these to the cost of cleaning. If you need an estimate I'd say 4.00 -5.00 a year. Keep in mind small amounts are used for each cleaning. Olive oil with a bit of essence added cleans and shines wood furniture. The one thing is the furniture needs to be buffed. Good exercise. I've never used anything else so I can't compare prices. But, you can do the math. Products (yearly) to clean the windows and mirrors / 2.29 x 3 = 6.89 + .55 = 7.44. Disinfectants for bathroom and kitchen / 4.69 a month is 56.28 + 4.50 tax = 60.78. Floor cleaners, swiffers are popular. 5.50 / box (and higher) x 12 per year = 66.00 + 5.28 = 71.28

Total savings for a year = (if I've done the math right) 439.79 +



Now to the point. I'm not telling anyone to do these things. A woman / man* can find what they can live without. Then the money saved can be used to enjoy something or save for a goal.



There you have it. It comes down to money is a tool. (see blog 11/2/09) We do have a choice of the things we have in life. Paper towels or saving for an IPOD? Paying down debt is a great choice. Choices are a good thing.



Read Proverbs 30: 13-28. You'll be glad you did. I bet you'll see a part of yourself and grow in confidence.


* I believe we are not generic. I don't use the term person because I think we should be proud of the distinctions of the sexes.

The Chicken Stretch

On the same day I bought the hamburg I bought 2 whole chickens for .79 a pound. We are roasting one today with stuffing. The other went into the freezer. I saved the ends of bread in the freezer for the stuffing. My son (he's a chef, gosh am I lucky) prepped the chicken and made the stuffing. The RECIPE is below. He soaked the chicken for about 10 minutes to remove any debris. He says 'you never know'. Prep time was 10 minutes or so. This included spices on the chicken and making the stuffing. Leftovers will be used to make chicken salad, chicken Ala king and then soup. The chicken cost $4.78. $1.19 per meal. I'll add a veggie to tonight's dinner and mashed potatoes. The veggies were . 33 a can and the potatoes were $8.00 for 20 pounds. A glass of milk ($1.99/ gallon) and the meal is nutritionally complete. Prepping can be done the night or morning before, but do not add spices to the stuffing until just before the chicken is stuffed.

RECIPE:
1 roasting chicken (5lbs)
1/4 celery
1/4 onions
1/2 loaf of bread, broken into large chunks
1 t parsley
1/2 t basil
1/2 t each of any other green herb (can be omitted)
salt and pepper to taste.
1/2 C butter, cut in small cubes




Soak a whole chicken (5lbs or so) for ten minutes. Remove from water and pat dry. Place it in a roasting pan. Gather approximately a half a loaf of bread and break into large chunks, in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup chopped celery and chopped onions. Add 1 t. dried parsley, 1/2 t basil and 1/2 t of any of your favorite green herb. Salt and pepper to taste. Add butter chunks and mix. Make a tent with foil to cover the chicken and bake in a 375 degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes / pound.

Enjoy.

FRUGALSUZ Blog

For all you newbies to the frugal lifestyle, I have a great blog you can go to to find coupons and sales (US only) www.frugalsuz.blogspot.com. Suz creates a list of deals at Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and online coupons. Using this blog saves time and money. Using the info on this site has saved me over $30.00 at Rite Aid last week. I spent $30 and am getting $30 in rebates back. I bought some things that we don't use, if they were free, to donate to a community cupboard.

I found a great site that gives recipes for homemade beauty supplies. Easy recipes for soaps and lip balms. Cleaning supplies too. This site will help those who want to decrease their carbon footprint on the environment. Go to www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com. Fabulous stuff!

Four Meals Out of 2 Pounds of Burger / For Three People

I bought 2 lbs of hamburg. It was not on sale, but my family was complaining there was no hamburg in the house. So to keep the piece I broke down and bought some. Here's what I did with it in just over 10 minutes. I put it all in a bowl and added 1 egg, salt, pepper, milk, oats (small amount) and bread crumbs. After mixing these ingredients I made 3 hamburg patties, wrapped them and put them in the freezer. To the remaining mixture I added spices (of your choosing) I divided this mixture into 2 sections and made 10 meatballs with half of it. I made tomato sauce for today's dinner. The remaining mixture I added ketchup and mustard and formed a meatloaf. As Paula Deen says, "A meatloaf is nothin' more than a large hamburg.". It made sense to me so I started doing as she suggested and putting mustard and ketchup into my meatloaf. The forth meal, for us, is meatball subs/sandwiches.

Now that's Fast Food!

Money is A Tool, Part 2

You wouldn't think that purchasing food could be described as discretionary spending. But if we look at what we purchase, we can usually find discretionary spending. An example of this could be purchasing 4 different fresh fruits during one shopping trip. One of the fruits goes bad because too large of a quantity was purchased. It has to be pitched down the disposal. Or the obvious is chocolate. I am guilty of buying chocolate in large quantities. Now I purchase less, on sale, but purchase enough to last to the next sale. (This also gives me time to collect coupons for a product.) All stores have sale cycles. This is the amount of time a store chooses between putting the same items on sale. Some stores have 8 week cycles, other go as far as 12 weeks. You'd have to follow the ads to find out what the precise cycle is for that store.

Money belongs to each of us. We work(ed) for it, in one way or another. By purchasing un-needed items, we are making a choice to give the money to someone else. I decided a while back that this was not the way I wanted to spend retirement.

This blog will provide ideas and ways to save money. And spend money. Any ideas or comments are welcome.