*UPDATED LINK* Deal For Tulsans

Reasor's, which I have mentioned oh so many times, is at it again. They have a 12 hour sale every so often which may or may not have things that I want. This time it most definitely has things I want!

First, the cheese. It's not organic, but it is decent cheese. And only $1 for an 8 ounce bag. That's a stock up price for sure!

Second, the Cape Cod Chips. YUM. If you 'Like' Cape Cod Chips on Facebook, you can print out a $1.00 off 2 bags coupon. By hitting the back button, you can print it twice. That would make them $2.50 for 2 bags.

And last, Towne House Crackers. If you log onto Kellogg's Snackpicks website I linked it to the promotions page. Sign up to be able to print out their coupons. The boxes of crackers are 2 for $3. With the printable coupon (print it twice, buy 4 boxes) it makes them $1 a piece (make sure you get the kind with the Cars 2 code on the front). THEN!!!! Sign up for this Kellogg's promotion and enter the 4 codes to receive a $5 gas card.

Happy Dealing!

Save Money Without Coupons

I have a lot of friends that don't use coupons. I myself don't use coupons a whole lot, but I do use them if I can to stretch my dollars. It is still possible to save money!

*First* Be aware of what you're paying. Sometimes Sam's can seem like a terrific bargain until you realize you're paying $.45 a roll for toilet paper when you could buy it on sale for $.25 a roll. Know what you like, and what you've paid for it.

Chicken breast is a great example. Most generally, it is around $1.98-2.29 per pound. Wal Mart's Good Value bags of 2.5 pounds are $6 (here) which equates to $2.40 per pound. Yikes! On sale, at Reasor's, it goes down to $1.58 per pound. When it goes on sale, I moved around my budget and meals so that I can afford about 10 pounds of chicken- which is a $4 savings minimum. Then I like to freeze each breast in it's own baggie, or foil. It's much easier to thaw, and I don't feel like I have to make chicken every night for a week because I have to thaw an entire 5 pound package.

*Second* Utilize the price matching. Wal Mart will price match right at the register (have the ad with you and ready as they scan the item) making it super easy. I've never had problems with it. Target's price matching is a bit less friendly. You have to pay, then take your receipt and ad to Customer Service where they refund the difference. A little more work and when you have kids in tow it's not appealing for saving a dollar. $2 on the other hand, well that's an Americano!

*Third* Shop around if you can. Walgreens, Wal Mart and Reasors are all on my way to and from dropping Isabella off at school so I'm not using gas by going somewhere I don't need to. Aldi is not on my way, but is right next to Super Target. If Aldi has great produce prices, I will make the 10 minute trip and stop by Target if they something I need. Especially because we eat A LOT of fruit and vegetables.

Groceries can get out of control. Especially with costs on the rise. But with a little planning and purposeful buying, you can work your money.

$30 at Aldi

I have seen normal, everyday people leave Aldi with an entire cart overflowing with groceries. One time, I did also. But my mom & dad paid, and it included a cart full of 'Nana & Papa' buys.* Read fruit snacks, pizza, ice cream, cookies, etc.* On a normal basis though, I spend around $20-40 dollars there per week. Today I spent $30.

Let me just say, I did not buy any meat. Because we bought a quarter cow, we don't buy beef. I do buy chicken when it's on sale, though. And fish when we decide to mix it up a bit.

Also, I bought a few things I never buy because of the upcoming Easter party at Isabella's school. I love making cupcakes to celebrate Jesus' resurrection! And I bought chips and LOTS of tortillas because we're having company. All of the extras that wouldn't have been in my cart added up to $8. Still not bad!



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Stretch That Meat!

My kids are growing every day. That is more evident in how much they are eating. I send Isabella a whole lot of lunch and she's starving when she climbs in the van at the end of the day. The other night I made tacos. Usually 1lb of ground beef is enough with plenty left over. Not so this week! We ate nearly all the meat in one meal.

Of course it was super delicious.

But still.

Thanks to Taco Bell, the term 'fillers' has gotten a bad reputation. I, however, still love it! I totally use fillers to make my meat last. When making tacos, I add half and onion or more chopped fine. I also have started to add green pepper, also finely chopped. Beans are another great addition to make taco meat last longer.

When I make spaghetti sauce, alot of times I'll add pureed carrots. You can't really taste the difference and it adds more vegetables to each serving. Also, I like to add a can of diced tomatoes if I'm using canned spaghetti sauce.

There's a whole world of possibilities when you start adding little things to your recipes! What are your filler secrets? Do share!

Dear Secret Millionaire,

I saw your segment last night on ABC, or CBS, or PBS...whichever station you're on, and I was deeply disturbed. $55 for 5 days for one person is more than enough to eat on. Let me show you how.

I am assuming that you won't be sale shopping, so I'll put the amounts for the items at the most I think they'd be. Do not buy name brand. May be scary for you, but welcome to the real world.

Gallon of milk $4
Box of cereal $3
Loaf of bread $1.50
Peanut Butter $2
Jelly $2
Box of Ramean Noodles $2
Apples $3
Oranges $3
Dozen eggs $2
Rice $1
Whole Chicken $5
Black Beans Canned $2
Spaghetti $1
Spaghetti Sauce $2

Total= $33.50 + tax

I'm sure you're used to people cooking for you, so here's a little help.

• To make rice, the ratio is 2 to 1. Boil 2 cups of water, add 1 cup of rice and bring it back to a boil. Turn the burner on low and cover. Check it in about 15 minutes. 
• To cook a chicken, thaw it and wash it. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Put your chicken into a pan and cook it for about an hour, until the juices run clear and the insides are not pink. You can eat this all week. Add it to your pasta, your black beans and eat it on bread.

I hope the next time you are given $55 for 5 days, you'll stop by my sight and look at the list I made for you. 

Sincerely,
Carmen Cavanaugh

Frozen Milk

Have you ever bought a lot of milk because it was on sale, only for it to go bad before you use it all? Me too. I hate wasting.

My mother in law told me that I can freeze milk.

I was very skeptical. How would it taste once it's thawed out? Wouldn't it be bad? Would it spoil while thawing? Nevertheless, I gave it a try.

It tastes the same! It wasn't bad and it didn't spoil! And another thing that I found...I loved to drink the milk when it was still a little frozen. Of course, I like to crunch ice too. But this seems so much better for my teeth!

A tip, though. If you're thawing out whole milk or 2%, make sure you shake it up every so often while it's defrosting. The thicker part thaws last and shaking it helps it to have an even consistency.

We don't use a whole lot of milk, so one gallon will go bad unless I'm making biscuits and gravy. I like to rinse out and use my most recent milk carton to freeze half of the gallon I buy.

What made me think of this? The crunchy milk in my cereal! There's really no rhyme or reason. Have a great Wednesday!

A Little Time For Me and Good Earth Tea

Dear Good Earth Tea,

I love you.

Love, Carmen

To make a short story long, in November Jon and I fasted coffee and sugar for a week. That was hard business! Over that week, though, we started drinking more tea. Celestial Seasoning's Sleepy Time at night and Stash Green Tea during the day. I wasn't a huge fan of the green tea.

Then a couple of weeks ago Jon came home with Good Earth Ginseng Green Tea in Citrus. That literally rocked my world! It's amazing! I didn't even ask how much he paid for it. I usually don't when he comes home with groceries. All I know is I now love it.

Well....we're down to 2 bags. That can present a problem. But God knows I love it, and provided me an awesome deal. I told you before about Reasor's clearance cart. It had a box of Good Earth Chai Tea in it for only $.75...for the box!

Sure it was dented on the side, and had a tear that they taped up, but it's still the maker of the tea I loved so I bought it right away!

Let me insert here that I am not a fan of chai tea. Today I made it and I loved it. How can that be? I don't want to ask too many questions, I'd rather just go with it.

So this afternoon, when the kids were down for quiet time and I was having time to myself to recoup my nerves (they get a bit frazzled some days), I enjoyed a $.04 cup of tea from a brand that is now my favorite.

Don't forget to check your store's clearance sections! You never know what great deals you will find.

(FYI, Good Earth Tea doesn't know me. They didn't sponsor this plug, it's just something I loved and a great deal I wanted to share. )

A Secret Stash

Every store has a clearance section. Some, like Target, have many. Target has one in the toy section, the grocery section, heck! Pretty much every section! The ends of many aisles at Target hold treasures and goodies that I love to look through. Sometimes you can find amazing deals.

My favorite grocery store (Reasor's) has a shopping cart that they put items in at random times that are marked down. Most of the cans are dented, but never expired. Well, I haven't seen expired items. I'm sure someone somewhere has.

It is not always a good deal though! One time they had a can of corn marked at $.45 which is not a bad price. Except for the fact that the regular cans were on sale for $.40 making them cheaper. That is when it's helpful to be conscientious of prices. If it's a good price and you have room in your budget then by all means stock up!

Tonight I made Tortilla Soup from my friend's blog Crumbs and Chaos (you'll love it, check it out) using some items I'd purchased over time from Reasor's shopping cart. One ingredient was enchilada sauce which I paid $.25 for. If I'd bought it regular price, I'd have spent over $1.

Take some extra time to explore the stores. Don't be afraid of asking sales clerks if they have a clearance section. Also, don't forget you can use coupons for these items as well!

$20 At Aldi

So I walked out of Aldi yesterday with my bank account $20 lighter. Earlier I posted about what my $20 bought at Reasor's, so I thought I would share what it bought at Aldi!

1 Fresh Pineapple
1- 3# Bag Gala Apples
2- 8oz Blocks of Cheese
1 dozen eggs
1 Box Graham Crackers
1 Box Saltine Crackers
1 Box Snack Crackers
1 Bunch Celery
1- 2# Bag of Carrots
1 Bag Corn Chips
8oz Ranch Veggie Dip
8oz Light Sour Cream
1 Can Chili Beans
1 Bag of Wavy Chips
1qt Half & Half

That is a lot of stuff! No, this is not a normal grocery haul for us. I was buying for a baby shower also.

Their produce prices are great. The bag of apples cost $1.29 which is $.43 a pound. Sometimes, as with all places, the produce can be iffy. But what I got yesterday was perfect. Their cans are reasonably priced as well. It beats Wal-Mart hands down. Their chip and cracker prices are comparable to Wal-Mart and so is the quality. But overall, worth the trip if it's near you!

16.4 Pounds of Oatmeal

Most containers of oatmeal that you buy from the store are about 2.6 pounds. I happen to have one mamajama of a bag. For your enjoyment:

My Grampsy bought this for me in Kalona, IA. Kalona is a cute city full of Amish stores, cheese factories, Amish bakeries, antiques and so much more. It's a great place to spend a day or two.

The little grocery store where Gramps bought me this is full great buys for the normal person. They do not take coupons, but you'll still walk out of there with a ton of groceries for a small amount of money. This massive bag of oatmeal cost a whopping $6.89. He also got me 5 pounds of natural peanut butter (peanuts only) for $12. Yep, that's amazing.

What am I going to do with 16 pounds of oatmeal? Well, over time it will get eaten. I've made about 4 loaves of Oatmeal Bread (a little deceiving since there's only 1 cup of oatmeal but still yummy), meatloaf, oatmeal for breakfast about 2 times a week (one day even for lunch) and...we're in a bit of a rut.

So if you have any recipes that call for oatmeal, send them my way!

I Love A Good Deal

My kids love Special K. I love Special K. I like to eat it when I have a sweet tooth but am trying to be good. Of course I think having 3 bowls might counteract any intention of saving on calories while satisfying a craving...


So this week at Walgreen's, Special K is on sale 2/$5. When you buy 2 boxes you get a $2 Register Reward (RR) to use on a future purchase. That means you can turn right around and do another transaction using it. So if you wanted to use it to buy more Special K, then you just take all 4 boxes to the cashier and tell them you have 2 transactions. To make it an even better deal, though, go here and sign up, then print out your buy 1 box get one free. You can print it twice by pushing the back button. So here's what the deal would look like:

Transaction 1
2 Boxes of Special K $5
- $2.50 free box coupon
= $2.50 + tax
Receive a $2 RR


Transaction 2
2 Boxes of Special K $5
- $2.50 free box coupon
- $2 RR
= $.50 + tax


You won't get a RR on the next transaction if you pay with the RR from the first. 4 boxes for $3 + tax is a great price. If you have a $2 RR from a previous transaction then use it to pay only $1 plus tax. Around here we eat cereal on the weekends only, so 4 boxes last us quite a while. Unless I get a sweet tooth.

Yellow Bananas

One day Liana was shrieking with excitement to Isabella that we had yellow bananas. It was one of the funniest things I've seen in quite a while, and I thought to myself 'Only my kids would get excited about yellow bananas'.

Let me explain. We have a local grocery store named Reasor's that I simply love, for so many reasons. The workers are friendly, helpful and have great attitudes. The produce is better quality than a lot of chain grocery stores. They play uplifting Christian music. They have a bargain basket full of dented cans that can be quite a great deal  (sometimes they aren't so it helps to know the prices). Finally, because they sell these babies:

This entire bag is less than a dollar! A penny less to be exact.
.

In my opinion, these are yellow. Sure, they may have a few brown marks on the outside, but most are perfectly fine on the inside.

This bag of bananas will last us for a full week. Lunches, snacks, dessert; this 'original fast food' (as stated on the bag) can fill each of these with ease. And if we have some left over at the end of the week (by then pretty brown on the outside) I make banana bread.

And just because it makes me smile every time I add a photo:

Jon and Liana on a date right before Christmas. Makes my heart happy.

The moral of the story...I will not cave to buying green bananas! Even though I nearly bought green bananas just because I felt a little bad. I stood firm, though. There are good deals to be found even in the produce section.

Happy Friday!!!

What a wonderful morning. Sometimes you just feel like you've accomplished everything, and it isn't even 9 am. That's how my morning's going. Plus I'm drinking coffee. Extra bonus!

To start 2011 off right, you have 30 days to try and win an Ipad, MacBook Air, Ipod Nano and other great prizes by clicking on this link:

NoMoreRack

Last time they did this promotion it required less referrals, but you also only had 2 days to do it. So good luck! I'm trying for it!

The main thing on my mind since my last post, has been eating on a budget. I was talking with one of my dear friends yesterday about when Jon, I and our oldest were eating on $50 a month.I mentioned how in 7 years the price of food has gone up quite a bit. Thinking about it made me think what a challenge that would be to try and figure out if it can still be done.

I love a good challenge.

But this one will take some research on my part, as I am out of practice. While I research, here are some tips to maximize your grocery buying.

1. Plan your menu! It's easier to stay on budget when you plan what you're going to have.

2. Plan meals with like ingredients for the week. For example, if I'm going to have tacos I'll buy the 20 pack of tortillas. They won't all get eaten in one dinner, possibly not even 2, but I'll plan to have quesadillas the same week. I will only have to buy tortillas once that week.

3. Utilize your fresh veggies!!! Don't let them go to waste. If you're going to make salad, then plan to also do something with lettuce that week. Or add it to your sandwiches. Not only are veggies great fillers, but they're healthy. And nothing burns me more than having to throw out food.

4. Plan a leftover day. Let the troops know ahead of time so that the complaining can finish before that night begins. I don't particularly enjoy leftovers, but I don't like to waste.

5. Mix up the menu with herbs. They're cheap and can totally change the flavor of whatever you're cooking.

What are some meals that you cook inexpensively?

Free Movie Tickets?!

I was at Wal-Mart last night and tried blogging from my mobile.

It didn't work.

So here I am bright and early to tell you about the great deal I saw. When you purchase 2 specially marked boxes of General Mills Cereals, you get a free movie ticket.  These boxes were $3.28 a piece, so buying 2 makes your ticket $6.56.

I don't know about your theaters, but around here that's a great bargain. Especially if you're going to be going out for a movie anyways. It's like getting the ticket for a discount, and getting 2 boxes of cereal on top of that! It's a win-win situation.

Unless you don't like their cereals.

$20

Let's play the 'How Many Meals Can We Get From $20' game. I went to the grocery store on Saturday afternoon to pick up a few staples after getting home from Iowa. I walked out with $20 less in my bank account. Because I have the intention of staying within my budget for groceries, I'm going to see how long we can eat off this.

Here's what my bags held:

18 Eggs
1/2 Gallon Almond Milk
Iceberg Lettuce
4 Roma Tomatoes
8# Bag of Potatoes
16 oz. Light Sour Cream
1 Ranch Seasoning Packet
1 Bag of Bananas (more to come on these in another post)
Croutons
Loaf of Double Fiber Bread
3 oz. Grilled Chicken (from the salad bar)

We bought a quarter cow this past year, so beef is not going to be on my grocery list. I realize that does make this not as replicable, but it gives you the general idea.

#1-Saturday night's dinner was 'Chicken Cobb Salad'. It was pretty fantastic. I used the lettuce, tomato, croutons, eggs & chicken from the store. I had cheese in my freezer that I pulled out, and used leftover bacon from breakfast cut into small pieces. For the dressing, I put the ranch seasoning into the sour cream.

My oldest won't eat any other ranch. Kind of strange.

#2-Sunday dinner was Roast! Yum. My whole house smelled like my grandma's, and that was fantastic.

I stuck it in the crockpot frozen at 9:30am. 7 hours later it was falling apart AH-MAZ-ING. I baked 4 potatoes, made gravy from the broth and pulled out the leftover salad. Night #2 in the books.

#3-Monday's dinner was Open Faced Roast Beef Sandwiches. Again, YUM! I shredded the leftover roast and warmed it and the gravy in my cast iron skillet. I boiled 3 potatoes cut into cubes, drained them and added the leftover baked potato creating 'smashed potatoes'.

I love adding rosemary and garlic to those babies.

Toasted 4 pieces of bread, topped it with the potatoes, then beef and gravy. Added broccoli from my freezer and night 3 is done.

I don't know how much longer I can stretch this, though. Iceberg lettuce only satisfies me so long.

Tonight I may make Upscale Scalloped Potatoes and Ham. My Grampsy cans ham and sends it to me in a care package. I add a secret ingredient to make the dish totally delish!

Or tacos. Or taco salad. I'm in the mood for Mexican.

If I can use my $20 for a family of 5 for 3 nights and counting, maybe you can too! Or maybe you can do even better!

What's your money saving grocery tricks? How do you stretch your groceries? Do tell, because I love to get new ideas!

A New Year

Something about coming home from a trip and unpacking gets me into cleaning mode. I had to wash the towels that I got for Christmas, and that was fabulous. Something about new towels just made my whole morning. Something about saying something about makes me feel whimsical and nostalgic. I'm strange, I know.

I began putting away decorations this morning. That was fabulous. I think it's the coming new year. New beginnings, newly cleaned house, new goals. I don't really do resolutions, because I never keep them. I do, however, have ideas of what I want to do, but don't say them too loudly just in case I don't follow through. Good intentions and all that. But this year feels different. I don't know why, it just does. This year I'm going to do what I intend to do.

My first good intention? Start tomato plants from seed. I have always wanted to. This year I will! That begins around Valentine's Day, so be looking for me to say I did begin that project.

Second good intention- dry at least 1 load a week. Not only does it save money, it saves clothes!

Third good intention- run a half marathon. I decided before Thanksgiving that I was going to do this before I turned 30. SO far, I have kept up my running schedule!!!

Fourth good intention- give away an IPAD!!! How cool would that be? Once I hit 200 followers, I will give one away!

Fifth good intention- NOT GO OVER BUDGET ON GROCERIES!!!!! Huge, epic, and my biggest challenge. Yes, even I go over budget. I hate doing it but I always seem to justify it. This year, I won't. I'm going to keep track of my spending too.

Do you have any good intentions for the new year?

Healthy Eating On A Budget

Normally, the two words 'healthy' and 'budget' to not mesh in a sentence. I am not normal, however. So in this post I will make them mesh!

So let's take a look at a 'normal' meal. That usually includes a meat, starch & vegetable (please tell me you include vegetables, I think they're becoming a mythical creature). Great! The cheapest meat is probably ground beef, so we'll make hamburgers with potato fries and green beans. Our ingredients are listed below:

Beef $1.29 for 1 pound
Buns $.49 (.99/2 because it's 2 meals worth in the package)
2 large baking potatoes $1.28
2 cans green beans $1.34

Meal total: $4.41

Not bad at all. Of course that's assuming you have all the condiments in your house. Ketchup, mustard, mayo, oil for the potato fries, butter for the green beans. If not, that can add up.

Let's take a look at the cost of a salad. Don't groan. I can hear your cells crying out for live nutrients from fresh vegetables. Even if those vegetables are covered in a smothering of dressing. Below are the ingredients that I buy for our family when we eat salad:

Lettuce $.90 (Artisan lettuce costs $2.69/3...it really makes 3 meals)
Carrots $.39 ($.79 for a pound we use half)
2 large roma tomatoes $.75
Eggs $.68 (2 eggs each)
Cheese $.50 (half ounce each is great)

Grand total $2.47

Again, if you have to buy dressing, that's another $1 for a cheap bottle on sale. I realize that you can't buy a third of a package of lettuce, a half bag of carrots and a quarter bag of cheese. But we're looking at actual cost here. Triple that and it's $7.50 for 3 meals. That is still a steal!!! And a healthy one at that.

Your intestines are thanking me already ;)

Be creative with your meals. Buy more fresh ingredients. It's not going to hurt the grocery budget as much as you think. Really.