Lima Ohio

Two blogs in one day!...wow!

We spent last Friday in Lima.  We found some great treasures there.  ArtSpace was wonderful and worth the visite to anyone.  Thank you to our guide for a personal tour of teh entire building my husband helped wire in the early 90's.  The Children's garden had so many inspirations and the girls enjoyed it.  Finally the Lima Historical Museum is so full, we didn't get through everthing so are planning a second visit. 

 Three Princess'...Three Princes?

 Magical dinosaurs

 A quick turtle ride

 Getting ready for winter

The Seven dwarfs

The Art of Patience

Ahhh, a new blog entry.  As I patiently wait for God to work in me, I am learning to be a more willing homemaker.  Patience being the key here....patience is not a virtue with me.  But, I am willing.  While I learn patience and that everything is in God's hands, I am filling in the gaps with things like my ghost below for Trunk or Treat at Lena Baptist Thursday night.  Now, since I'm in a little competition, I'm not giving too much away, this is only one part of my Suburban decoration.  My digital compact doesn't do well in low light and doens't want to use the flash, so I will put the finished decoration on Facebook Thursday.

Now a little couponing.  There are going to be bad weeks and last week was one.  We had a family day last Friday since the kids didn't have school.  It threw me bad....I'm not set in habits, but being so new to couponing, change in how I do this just throws me!  Then Tuesday, I realized I didn't get a Saturday paper that was on my list (another busy day).  Don't ask why I didn't remember on Monday, I seemed to have skipped Monday this week.  So, I will be back on the online flyers to make this weeks grocery list.  When you don't get the groceries you need, you do get more creative with dinner.  Last night we had stew that cooked all afternoon....oh yum.  Then on inspiration (and lack of bread) I baked two loaves of homemade bread.  I have the hardest time getting yeast doughs to rise correctly, I'm about every other batch, so I was thrilled to produce 2 soft, fluffy well risen loaves of bread. 

Today will be homemade noodles for Chicken noodle soup. 

$100 week

Ummm, yea, forgot about that homemade peanut butter blog.  Forgive me?  I will get it up!

I think I have graduated to my $100 grocery week.  This week's estimates comes in at $105, but I estimated high on a few things and with my coupons, it looks like I will come in under $100! 

I will definately let you know.

Best deal of the week looks like Kroger brand cheese at 1.79 for sliced, shredded and block. 

Halloween = CANDY. 
CVS has a good deal and you get CVS bucks (learn more about this from their website).  Plus, I have a coupon.  I plan on 5 large bags of mini candy bars to cost me $9.50.  That's less than $4 a bag....for chocolate!

Otherwise, I'm honestly doing most of my shopping at Aldi again, you just can't beat their prices and if you aren't brand loyal, it works great.  Now if you can't eat anything other than Lay's, you may have to give up chips till they go on sale at a big box store and have a coupon ready. 

Oh, and a Happy Dance!  I saved 46% of my grocery bill at Krogers last week.  My goal is 50%, so 46% after only doing this 3 weeks is pretty awesome!

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Week 3 {getting the hang of couponing}

I'm such a bad blogger, love to write, but feel like I"m jumping hoops to get here and signed on.  Open a doc and let me go.  But I'm thrilled to find out people are reading this blog!

Last Friday was week 3 of my new found Couponista journey.  It didn't go smoothly, yet was my best week.  Could it be I'm getting the hang of how this works?

I could not for the life of me find a newspaper with coupon (SmartSource, Red Plum, P&G) inserts.  Flyers yes, Krogers no.  I had Meijer, Aldi and CVS.  Those are what I went with. 

I did week 3 diferently.  I made my weekly menu and list of needed items first, just like I did before my Happy Homemaker Cindy class.  That seemed to make a difference.  Then I went through the circulars and adjusted menus based on meat deals and what I already had on hand.  Not much changed really.

So, I have my weekly menu and list of items we need.  I go through the flyers looking for meat deals first.  Meijer had ribs for $1.67/lb.  I did better than that and found a marked down package for even less - take it home cook it right and away and freeze it for a later meal.  Pork roast for 1.89/lb and ground chuck for 1.99/lb.  I buy enough for 2 or 3 meals, take it home repackage and freeze or cook and freeze.  (Freezer cooking is my next venture).

By this time I have a list going based on what I need for meal or need becuase we are out.  I dived my list by the stores I want to go to Aldi, CVS, Krogers, Meijer.  Pretty much in that order.  I put the price down next to each item and how many.  This way I kind of know what I am spending and if I'm staying within budget.  Then I work on stock up items, those items we use all the time.  It was great this week!  I was able to send my daughter down to the pantry to bring up ranch dressing because the bottle was emtpy, it's a stock up item, so I knew I had 3 in the pantry!  Cereal the same thing and I know as a fact, we have toilet paper and tissue, no last minute special trips into town. 

The bulk of my budget does go towards the things we need for the week, the rest goes towards stock up.  For my family, knowing what we eat, how we eat and how much, I am working on a $125 weekly grocery budget.  If you use cash, you are forced to stay in that budget.  Oh and do not forget your coupons...I did this week, this shows how organized I was with the flyer and list, I only spent $98 and I have pics sitting on a sd card wating to be taken to my office and added to this blog! I had 17 lbs of meat this week.  How much could I have saved with my coupons?

I also got milk free at Krogers.  If you shop at Krogers, you can also add e-coupons onto your Kroger card.  I forgot my cereal coupon, but had an the ecoupon on the card.  With the coupon the cereal would have been 1.75 a box.

BTW, if you're curious, this is this weeks menu...

Friday: Grilled Hamburgers with all the toppings, French fries, fresh fruit salad
Saturday:  Pizza buffet at our fave local small town restaraunt Fletcher Pizza (PLAN YOUR MEALS OUT IN ADVANCE OF YOUR GROCERY DAY)  Yes, I'm yelling this, eating out kills any budget if you are living frugal.  This was a planned event.
Sunday:  Chicken nuggets and french fries - Sunday night football dictates a more bar like mene and I just can't do hotwings every Sunday!
Monday:  Turkey and dumplings from a turkey I roasted last Thursday and a garden salad
Tuesday: Tacos from the roast I cooked Saturday. 
Wednesday:  Potato soup (homemade with cheese) and grilled cheese
Thursday: Leftovers from the week. 
While it doesn't look like much, I cook in quantities for 6 even though there are only 5 of us at home now.  My daughters don't eat a lot and this give me leftovers for my husbands lunch.  If there is nothing leftover by Thursday, it's pasta night. 

My husband and daughters do pack their lunch every day.  School lunches are over $2 and from what I hear, most of what the kids lunches get thrown away.  You can only take being "cool" so far. 

I have a super easy homemade peanut butter recipe to share tomorrow.   Today, I have a speakeasy Halloween costume to get make from all the material I keep in the studio.  Nice to have an outlet for the fabric I retire from backgrounds!

My kids are loving that they are eating name brand cereal!  

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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!