Chocolate attack

First, forgive me for not blogging about my grocery trip last Friday.  I will say I stayed within budget....Friday.  But I had to go to the bread store and that blew the budget.  Not that $17 dollars worth of bread at .69 to .99 is bad, but I did go over this week.   This is hard stuff!  Still trying to get coupons in a paper.  What happened Sunday?!

Today, however, I had a major chocolate craving.  Since I had these ingredients on hand, I made this gooey goodness up.  It won't last the night, but well worth every single calorie and gram of fat.

This is actually Pampered Chef Gooey Carmel Corn bars. Since I had to decipher the recipe, I've renamed it Chocolate Caramel bars.

Below is the ingredients list and directions so anyone, can make it whether you own the first Pampered Chef tools or not.

Chocolate Caramel Bars

1/4 cup butter
2 TBSP milk
1 bag caramel corn (1 bag will almost fill a 13x9 baking dish, 2 bags will definitely and give a thicker "crust")
1 cup marshmallows
1/4 cup peanuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1 bag of caramel candies
1/4 cup butter

First set aside 1 cup of caramel corn.
Crush the remaining caramal corn (I used a storage bag)  Place in large mixing bowl.
Second unwrap all your caramel candies and place in a microwavable bowl
Add 2 TBSP milk and 1/4 butter (the real stuff) to the caramel candies. Microwave 30 secs at a time till smooth melted.  Stir every 30 secs.
Add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the caramel mixture.  Stir till melted.
Set aside 1 cup of Chocolate/caramel mixture.
Add the chocolate/caramel mixture to your bowl of caramel corn.  Mix well and spread into the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish.  I spray my hands with cooking spray and use my hands to do this.
Pour part of your caramel/chocolate mixture over the "crust"
Put your marshmallows, peanuts and the caramel corn on top.
Use the remaining chocolate/caramel mixture to drizzle over the whole thing.
Freeze till set.
This is good frozen, but I believe in eating my chocolate at room temperature and believe me, this is good that way too if it lasts that long!

Calories: Are you kidding me?
Fat:  Does it matter if you are eating this?
Sugars:  Send the kids outside, they're going to have a sugar buzz.


***UPDATE...The original recipe says to put it in the freezer.  Please eat it at room temperature.  It's going to be gooey, but save your teeth.  It won't last long anyway.  By 9pm, the dish was empty without even a crumb.

Week 2

I finally had a chance to sit down tonight and get togethers tomorrows grocery list.  While we didn't starve this week, last weeks shopping was definately different.  I thought I had bread in the freezer, only to find out a few days later I didn't.  I forgot to pick up snack cakes and my youngest decided not to bake this week...and really, when did she have time!  We had a busy week.  So making sure I have a more inclusive grocery list this week.

It looks like for me the best deals are going to come from Meijer this week.  The deal of the week is Quaker Cereal at Krogers for $1.88 a box.  My daughters have said they will eat cereal for breakfast, just not Chocolate Cheerios (what's wrong with them!?)  So, cereal is one of my stock up items this week, the sweeter the better.  -sorry Michelle.

Meijer also has Campbell cream of soups at a special price with coupon from last week for .40 off any 3 cans, I am adding 6 cans to my stock up for .48 each. 

Mountain Dew 2 ltrs are buy 10 for $10.  If you remember Friday's post, this is a huge deal in my house.  My husband really wants me to buy 10 bottles of Mt. Dew....we'll see.

With race season about over, cans of pop aren't going to be as important, but still nice to have around, again Meijer has the best deal on Pepsi cases 2 for $12.  $6.98 is about the best I've been seeing on that lately.

On the healthy food side, Aldi has baby carrots for .59, onions for .69 (mine just didn't grow very well this year), and brocolli for .99.  All can be frozen!  Cabbage is .89, during the summer Aldi had slaw dressing for .99 I managed to snag 2 bottles, so looks like slaw this week and some in the freezer.  (I will share any recipes anyone is interested in, just ask!)

Looks like dinner this week is going to include chicken, deer burgers- still trying to use up the deer from last year.  Acutally, I'd be happy to highlight anyone good at weekly menus.  We have our faves, but I love trying new easy meals. 
I did forget to pick up a paper last Saturday, that means I was going to go another week without coupons.  Fortunatly, we got a freebie paper with the Smart Source (SS) coupons and several circulars including, Meijer, Kroger and Aldi...my stores! Note to self....subscribe to Saturday paper!

I also put off getting ink for my printer with the thought that I would purchase a cheap printer for the family pc instead.  The printer I wanted went on clearence at Walmart and I missed out...of course I did since I don't make special trips into town! However, with I have a nice stash of coupons started - all coupons for items we do use.

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Grocery Day

Today was my first day in the world of money saving couponista.  Glad I have Friday's off, I don't do mornings well and got a later start to my day than I wanted.  So, first, get an earlier start and second, use cash!

I had planned on taking pictures of my purchases, but had a little surprise come up...more on that later.

I started at Kroger with my list.  My list was split into three stores, Kroger, Meijer, and Aldi.  I had a list for each store and how much I planned on spending at each store.  This is  important.  I usually spend $150 on grocery day.  I decided I wanted to stay at $125.  I couldn't get my list below $140...so I went with it anyway.  

Today was about "stock piling" or as I prefer to call it, stocking up.  Getting all the things we use and shouldn't be running out of because you probably aren't going to get them on sale when you need them...

Bath tissue

Paper towels

Mayonaise

Ketchup

Mustard

etc...

That list got started today.  I spent $61 at Kroger with a $45 savings and $5 in Catalina coupons (good towards my next purchase) I had originally thought I would go back in and use them towards meat, decided I really needed to use the meat in my freezer which includes deer that has been in there a year now -  need room for this years meat.  Also have a lot of fish from fishing in the spring.  So I will use the Catalina coupon next week.

At Meijer (5 miles away) I spent $25, $18 less than I had planned.   Stocked up on shredded cheese, skipped the meat and have $10 in Catalina coupons for next week.  

Then to Aldi for mushrooms, peppers, and grapes all on sale.  Plus other items like milk (which would have been cheaper at Meijer, but I don't get a paper for the circulars yet).  

I spent $102.  There are things I didn't get like my husbands snack cakes for his lunch.  My youngest will just have to bake Sunday....how disappointing.  

I'm impressed with today.  Because I am shopping Kroger instead of Walmart, I had a little farther drive, but really only added 10-12 miles to my grocery day.  It took me maybe 30 minutes longer than usual, but I did go get Sax reeds for my daughter.

Why no pics and the surprise.

When the storm blew through here in June, our glass top table was destroyed....shattered the width of the yard pretty much.  The insurance covered it, but we decided a better roof was where the money should go (it got destroyed also)  There was a glass top table like our old one at the job my husband was working today.  The lady living there said my husband could have it if he would move a fridge for her....being Superman, I now have a replacement table, free.  That meant the groceries got taken home, shoved in the fridge so I could grab the truck and run back into town.  

Just thought I'd throw this out there.  My husband loves Mt Dew.  In order to save money, instead of dropping $1.25 every morning for a 20 oz (his attempt to cut back) he fills...ummm, I fill a 20 Mt Dew bottle with pop every morning.  Mellow Yellow is $1 for a 2 ltr and unless  you are a die hard or so totally brand loyal, it is a good substitute.  So for $3 a week, he gets his 20 oz bottle for the work day.  And those three 2 lts will fill more than 5 days.  Just one of the 100's of ways we are ultra frugal! 

Another quick bonus...when you shop at stores like Kroger and Meijer, you just feel classier.  I felt I needed to wear make up next week!  

Day 1 week 1

Day one of my journey into the world of couponista.  It's already 8:30 am which means I have wasted an hour and a half on a combination of Facebook and downloading freebies.  My first suggestion would be to stay off Facebook.  My second would be to not get locked into the world of freebie sign ups.  At one point I had over 7 windows open and signed up for maybe 4 free samples. 

As far as freebies.  These are going to be samples mostly.  Occasionally it will be a full size item, but mostly it's a sample.  Decide if you want a bunch of these taking up your space.  With 3 children still at home and all girls, the samples will get used, but I don't want drawer fulls. 

Ok.  First I'm following Happy Homemaker Cindy as I learn to become a couponista.  I have told my husband all about it...this can be either good or bad.  He's my a pessimint to my optimist.  Since I will need a good support group I am also following Happy Homemaker Cindy on Facebook.  (I say this becuase I'm good at thinking of doing something good and starting it, but follow through isn't always great).

I have also set a goal for myself.  I have seen my grocery bill double in the last 6 years, but there are only 5 of us living at home now.  It has gone up $25 just in the last 6 mos.  Currently I shop at Aldi and get what I can't get there at Walmart.  I don't actually grocery shop at Walmart, it's just across the street and easier than going farther into town to Krogers and paying more.  This is where my mind set has to change.  No more Walmart (totally ok with this) and Aldi primarily for produce and those items that may not go onsale somewhere else.  My financial goal is to cut my grocery bill in half, then another $15 a month.  This becomes a parttime job in money savings!

For day one of week one, I am making Thursday mornings my coupon, meal planning, grocery list prep day.  Day 1 is going to suck so I'm procrastinating.  I don't have flyers, don't get the paper for inserts and my pc doesn't have a printer.  Baby steps.

Today I am only making a list of the items we need, plan meals for the week and make a list of "stockpile" items I can start buying tomorrow, my actual grocery day.  $50 of my budget will go towards my stockpile items, the rest on items for the week.  At least this is my plan.

I will be going to Aldi's for grapes and mushrooms, both on sale, both can be frozen and mushrooms can be canned (it's the heighth of canning season anyway and my kitchen looks like a food processing plant).

Krogers has Kahn's hotdogs b1g1.  That makes them 1.83, unless I find that Walmart has them for 2 for 3.00.  Fall means bonfires, so I like to stay stocked up on one of the few processed things we eat.

Meijers is only 5 miles from Krogers so I will be stocking up on Kraft Cheese (we do a lot of that with 4 cheese-a-holics in the house) with that special of the week. 

So for today, check up Happy Homemaker Cindy and hope you will follow me with your own coupnista journey.

Here's to saving money (there are only 102 days till Christmas and I had to give up my Christmas Club account 2 years ago!) 

Kelly