Domestic Joy

I have been preoccupied this last week or so. Between my super nice friend that has a nectarine, peach, and pear tree, and my own produce, I have been canning and storing up food like crazy.

Not that you care, but because I can, I am going to tell you what I've done the last bit:

• a bunch of nectarine jam (more like syrup. I have the worst time with that...)
• a bunch of cinnamon peach jam
• 4 pints pear butter
• 4 quarts and 3 pints pears
• 12 quarts peaches
• 9 pints diced tomatoes
• 3 brown grocery bags of green tomatoes ready to ripen (the first frost is coming tomorrow here)
• huge freezer bag full of diced green and purple bell peppers
• a big bowl overflowing with ripe tomatoes, ready to be turned into spaghetti sauce

Plus I still have tons of carrots and onions in the garden, ready to be chopped/diced and frozen. Not that we planted them, but we won't be buying pumpkins again this year. Last count we have 8. Pumpkin seeds anyone?

Now the trick is finding a place for everything in my postage stamp sized house...

Hostess Outlet

I hit the Hostess Outlet that is like 2 minutes from my house for the first time on Saturday (nice on the delay. sorry.) It is sweet! They have twinkies and donuts and lots of other treats that I can't name because I've never heard of them before for 29 cents. Of course they were like a week from poll date, so you know they're like 29 years old, but who cares? I'm not so concerned about that sort of stuff when I'm eating a twinkie.

They also had bread for 99 cents and a 12 pack of english muffins for $1.89.

I am sold. Hostess, my unborn baby is calling your delicious name.

Retails: $13.00 (approximate)
Total Spent: $4.72
Percent Off: 64%

Money Left for the Month: -$6.80
budget? what budget?

rite aid

This was a fun shopping trip.

Retails: $61.56

Total Spent: $15.60

Total After Online Rebate: $5.60

Percent Off: 91%

How did I do it?

• compiled list from hip2save
• coupons: $24.00, including $5 off $20, 2 $3 pure & natural diaper coupons, free pack of diapers coupons from last rebate, and $2 off diaper product coupon (the cashier would only let me use this one- I had 2 so I could get another rebate from the wipes. oh well.)
• rebate: $10.00 for buying 3 packs of huggies
• summer stuff is on clearance right now and I got the ball, bubbles, and punch balloons on 90% off.

Money Left for the Month: -$2.08

boooo.

smiths

Retails: $55.87

Total Spent: $19.06

Percent Off: 66%

How did I do it?

• compiled my list from pinchingyourpennies
• sales/in store promotions: $28.06
• coupons: $6.10
• I got in on 2 different promotions. The first is buy 4 of those betty crocker fruit snacks, get $4 off, making them $1 each. With the coupons they were $.60-$.75 each. The second promotion is buy 10 items, get $5 off. The rest of the things I bought, minus the milk, were on that promotion.

Money Left for the Month: $13.52

Rebate!!

Whoo hoo! I got a rebate in the mail! I really needed it as my budget has been used up so quickly. Thank goodness for rebates.

Rebate in Mail: $2.00

Yes, $2.00. Was it even worth the postage?

As a side note, I have been so good about submitting rebates, up until last month. I am SO MAD about my Albertsons $20.00 rebate. I have no idea what happened to the receipt (since I never mailed it in) and have looked everywhere, but I guess it's worth $20 to have my paperwork finally organized again.

Money Left for the Month: $32.58

maceys

I am loving the case lot sales this year. There have been some good deals on basics and Maceys doesn't make you buy the case to get the good price.

I actually got one more can of tomato sauce, but we used it for dinner. I love that Mexican-ish meal. We call it mexican casserole, but I don't bake it. I just throw in my skillet whatever I have around: ground beef with onion and bell peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, (or enchilada sauce) beans, green chilies, corn, lots of chili powder, garlic, and cumin. I serve it over chips and lettuce with cheese and sour cream for the top. Super quick and easy. It reminds me of that SNL quote, "You know what happens when you eat a bowl full of chili, don't you?... It fills you up." Let's just say, this meal fills you up.

Back to the deals. Looky here! I cleared off my table so the food has returned there! Whoo hoo!

Retails: $39.17

Total Spent: $18.14

Percent Off: 54%

How did I do it:

• compiled list from pinchingyourpennies
• only bought what was on sale
• didn't use any coupons, which has been a theme lately. The cooking basics rarely have coupons and so I buy them at my price point, the price I'm willing to pay for them. This is the season in Utah for case lot sales, a great thing I hear they don't have in other places. It's a way for stores to get us to over-buy to build up food storage. Good job stores.

Money Left for the Month: $30.58

Maceys

I was running low on butter. Maceys just knew how to make this gal happy. ($1.58!) I also needed canning lids- Walmart only had the wide mouth left earlier today.

Oh, ignore the dirty appliance behind the food. Isn't it sad that I chose this spot to display my shopping deals? This was apparently the best option at this point. Yikes.

Retails: $28.74

Total Spent: $16.76

Percent Off: 42%

How did I do it?

• compiled my list from pinchingyourpennies.com
• bought multiples of things at my price points
• did no impulse shopping (did that earlier at Walmart- see corn dog and Dumdums. Mmmm.)

Money Left for the Month: $48.72

I am so good at spending money. This is not good. It's only the 14th...

Walmart. Hooray.

It is no secret that I'm not a fan of Walmart, but I cannot resist their low prices. When I'm running out of something and there is no sale coming soon I head there, darn it all. This was actually a decent trip. I did wander around looking for a few things but it wasn't too bad. This may have something to do with the fact that I bought an 80 pack of Dumdum suckers (full price, mind you) and Sam may or may not have had 3 in the store. A wonderful invention, Dumdums, and one that will accompany us on many a future shopping trip. Best $2 I ever spent.

Also, can I say how excited I am about owning quart sized canning jars, because I am. What a sad place I am in, to be excited about canning stuff. I need a hobby or something.

Retails: $40.81

Total Spent: $26.87

Percent Off: 33%

Oh, and I also bought a corn dog that's not pictured. Sorry. We were hungry!

How did I do it?

• Compiled my list from hip2save
• only bought what I had coupons for, except the wipes where the store brand was cheaper than the name brand with coupons. And the Dumdums and corn dog, of course. Those jars were the killer in my total. Everything else was free/real cheap. They ended up being $7 something each with coupon.
• used $13.35 in coupons.

Money Left for the Month: $65.48

Well, aren't I a slacker?

So yes, I have been shopping in the last week. I just haven't posted. I'm telling you, I am BEAT this pregnancy.

Also, these are not impressive in the "good deals" department. I needed things and had to pay full price/close to full price for some things. This is what I get for not shopping for a month. I am just not as stocked as I should be. But the good news is that I've got a lot of what I've needed. I do still need to get canning lids, yeast, some seasonings, cornstarch, and I think that's it.

I hit Albertsons because I forgot my lemon juice went in the garbage with the broken fridge and I was canning tomatoes from the garden. I got a big thing of that and a gallon of whole milk. (sorry, no picture!)

Total Spent: $5.03

Retails: $5.85

Percent Off: 14%

Maceys

Total Spent: $23.36

(I have no idea what this would have rung up full price. I probably only got about 30-40% off-ish between sales and coupons)

Buy Low

I got 3 packages of diapers, 3 pairs of Scotch scissors, 2 1/2 pounds of apples, over 2 lbs of grapes, 2 lbs of bananas, a head of lettuce, and 4 pounds of bacon from the meat counter.

Retails: $51.69

Total Spent: $26.89

Percent Off: 48%

I love that my total was less than the regular price on just the diapers! (darn those stinky things- they are so expensive, even on sale with coupons!)

Smiths

This picture is deceiving. I hit the wall, that bad, bad, light-headed, sick-to-my-stomach place in the check out line. I looked down to find Sam entertaining himself with the WAY overpriced fancy treats and had even gotten one open and was playing with the actual sucker. Super. I got us out into the car, Sam buckled in, the groceries put in the back and realized I forgot to 1. price out what the items would have been regularly priced and 2. buy water. I took some deep breaths, undid the sticky, sticky baby, threw him in the front of the cart and headed back in. So let's just say I am lucky I have a picture at all. The picture isn't accurate because I'm splitting some of this stuff with my sister and sister-in-law. (Do you love that you are privileged to so much useless information about my life? Who cares? But yet I keep sharing...)

I got 10 cans of chicken broth, 18 cans of mandarin oranges, 5 pounds of Tillamook cheese (it matters), a gallon of whole milk, a gallon of skim, 11 5 lb bags of flour, 12 cans of pinto beans, 2 free candy bars, and of course a sticky, overpriced sucker, and a 24 pack of bottled water. Oh yeah, and 6 rolls on clearance.

Retails: $79.18

Total Spent: $52.37

Percent Off: 34%

While the percentage off isn't fabulous, these items are basics that hardly ever go on sale and I'm almost out/completely out of.

I'm kicking myself because I didn't use a $5/$60 purchase I have in my Entertainment book. Darn it all. I wonder if they would give it to my if I went back in?

Is anyone still reading this?

Money Left for the Month: $92.35

August Budget Review

Can I tell you how happy I am to be typing this right now? It means that not only do I have the use of my arms back, but have a few minutes to myself. Sam has been SOOO sick this last week, since Saturday, and is FINALLY doing better. I remember a few weeks ago wishing that he would fall asleep on me every once in a while and boy did that get fulfilled, and then some. I actually got dressed today and the dishwasher was unloaded, get this, in the MORNING! Beautiful.

Anyway, so here's my budget review from August. I'll get the menu up soon.

Retails: $630.50

Total Spent: $217.59

Rebates Coming: $30.00

Adjusted Total Spent: $187.59

Percent Off: 70%