Joy's Dumb Deals

Seattle Resources

2011-02-07T14:24:00.001-08:00

In case you hadn't noticed, in the last 5 months or so I am now finding myself with very limited time for posting. I am still couponing of course. It just takes a really long time to search the blog world, compile lists, get my coupons printed and/or cut, sort them by store, pack up 2 monkeys, shop, come home, take pictures, and THEN post. Since I cannot possibly cut back on the shopping aspect (translation: I'm an addict) I have decided that blogging will have to wait a bit.

I have found a few resources for stores here in the Seattle area that I look up every week to help me decide which stores I'll hit and what I'll get there. Hope this helps!

Nationwide Stores

Rite Aid: hip2save (sales run Sun-Sat)

Walgreens: hip2save (Sun-Sat)

Target: hip2save (Sun-Sat)

Seattle Area Stores

Albertsons: couponconnectionsnw or pinchingyourpennies (Wed-Tues)

Safeway: couponconnectionsnw or pinchingyourpennies (Wed-Tues)

QFC: couponconnectionsnw (Wed-Tues)

Top Foods: couponconncetionsnw (Wed-Tues)

Fred Meyer: couponconncetionsnw or pinchingyourpennies (Sun-Sat)

Happy Shopping!

Thai Green Curry Deliciousness

2011-01-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

Oh man. We just had the best curry I've had in a while. This was super good and super easy. The prep is less than a 1/2 hour for some fly food. (Yes, I just said "fly.") You could easily leave out the crockpot step at the end and eat it after it simmered for 10 minutes or so. The original didn't call for the crockpot, but it really melded all of the flavors together.

Thai Green Curry Deliciousness

(thank you Chef Ashley)

Ingredients:

2-3 potatoes
2 cans coconut milk
about 2 T green curry paste (i'm not sure how much I put in. I started at a bit over 1 and just kept adding. I used Thai Kitchen's paste)
couple pounds raw chicken breast, sliced super thin
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c fish sauce
a shake or two of basil
a bay leaf or two
red pepper flakes to taste- however spicy you want it.
1 mini can of bamboo shoots, sliced the long way
1/4 c or so of cashew pieces

Directions:

Undercook the potatoes in the microwave. You don't want them so done that they're crumbly or they'll fall apart while you're cooking. Peel and cube them when they cool down a bit.
Scoop off some of the thick creamy part of the coconut milk, like 1/5 of each can, and combine it with the curry paste in a large skillet,
Add in the chicken breast and cook until cooked through.
Dump in the rest of the milk and simmer until it thickens up a bit. The one problem with mine was how runny it was. If I just boiled it longer here I'm sure that would have taken care of that.
Add in the rest of the ingredients
Put in a crockpot on low for a few hours. I put it in for about 4 hours and it turned out so flavorful. I love having meals to eat right when I get home from church!

Serve over Jasmine rice. 2 c uncooked rice was about the right ratio for the curry.

Ashley made this with red curry paste, omitted the cashews (you wouldn't have to) and added1 tsp or so of creamy peanut butter.

QFC Deals

2010-11-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

We're here in Washington. It is super. I've been having a WONDERFUL time learning the new stores around here.

After researching around a bit, I've discovered that QFC is a Kroger store. While they do have the same general promotions they tend to be a little more on some of the items than Smiths.

Retails: $88.05

Total Spent: $25.53

Percent Off: 71%

How did I do it?

QFC has a promotion: Buy 10 Mega Event items, get $5 off instantly, meaning $.50 per item. This is the 2nd week of the sale and darn it all, some of the items are a little more this week.

Here are a few of the printables. For more deals, check out the Coupon Project, although this is from last week, so some of the prices have risen.

Campbells Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup, reg. $1.29

- on sale for $1.25/$.75 when you buy 10

- use $1.50/3 printable coupon. Print twice.

- $.25!!!

Stovetop Stuffing, reg. $2.29

- on sale $1.50/$1 wyb 10

- use $.50/2 coupon

- $.75 each!!

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta, reg. $2.39

- on sale $1.49/$.99 wyb 10

- use $1/2 coupon. Print twice.

- $.49!!!

Also, this Saturday and Sunday only a 2 lb of Tillamook cheese is $2.99! Crazy low! There's a limit of 1 per person.

Guess What, I'm Moving!

2010-10-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

After over a decade, I am leaving Provo. It is a happy move- Matt got a job! Hooray! It's hard for me to think of life away from Utah but we're looking forward to this next stage in our lives.

I will still be blogging, although probably not so much in the next few weeks as he starts his job VERY soon and we aren't exactly "packed."

We are moving back home to Washington where I'm excited to find new resources for grocery shopping. Anyone from Western Washington have some great match-up sites? I've spent some time looking and haven't been too impressed with any sites for QFC, Fred Meyer, Safeway and others.

Anyways, thanks for being patient with me as my life gets completely out of balance for a while. Must be because I'm always so on top of things and am super prepared. Yikes.

Incidentally, how many bottles of hairspray am I allowed to pack before it becomes ridiculous? What about toothpaste? Shampoo? Soap? Just wondering.

Chicken Breast $1.29/lb, 5 cent/lb Pumpkins- Buy Low

2010-10-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

I looked through Buy Low's ad today and in addition to their great produce prices, I was impressed with a few things:

Pumpkins are 5 cents/pound yesterday and today only (Wed and Thurs). The cheapest price I've seen is 8 cents/pound at Winco.
Fresh Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast is $1.29/lb Friday and Saturday only. Their chicken breast are HUGE and do require some trimming of fat, but it's not bad. One breast is about a pound. Crazy big. We usually use 1 pound for a meal so I put each breast in a sandwich baggy and put them all in a gallon freezer baggy. It's the easiest way I've found of freezing chicken breast. This is a great price by the way. I haven't seen boneless chicken breast under $1.50 in a LONG time.
Chex Mix, Bugles, or Gardetto's are on sale for $.98. With these $.50 coupons below they are only $.48. These are always nice to have on hand for all the end of year parties coming up. Oh and FYI: Those chocolate covered Bugles are deadly- SO good. Coupons: Pillsbury, Coupons.com, and Smartsource.com
Campbells Chunky Soups are $.99. Campbell's website has a bunch of $.50 coupons, making them $.49 each.

check out here to see their ad.

Getting Rain Checks

2010-10-21T13:20:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Rite Aid had a killer price on diapers and my Rite Aid was out. Of course. Instead of calling all over the valley and driving to Timbuktu to get them I got a rain check.

My diapers finally came in yesterday and I picked them up this morning.

Why am I telling you this? Two reasons:

to brag about my great deal
to tell you to ask about rain checks whenever what you want isn't on the shelves. You can't always get one, depending on the way the sale's set up, but it is so much nicer if you can.

These 6 packs of diapers would have

retailed for about $75 and I spent about $18. That's about 75% off!

They couldn't have come in at a better time as I had like 5 diapers left.

Money Left for the Month: $133.30

What to do with Cream Cheese?

2010-10-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

So what am I going to do with all of that Cream Cheese I got for free at Smiths? Really good question. Here are some ideas:

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos- these are SO GOOD.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Stuffed French Toast
Beef Stroganoff
Crockpot Potato Soup
White Sauce
Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Bread
Scalloped Potatoes

Any other suggestions?

Some Produce

2010-10-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

I hit Buy Low this morning for some fresh produce. Isaac has decided that he LOVES to eat solids. He is deeply offended every time I eat anything that he can't have a taste of, poor little man. He can destroy 1/2 a banana in a matter of minutes.

Buy Low always have some great deals on produce. I am a fan.

Total Spent: $5.85

Money Left for the Month: $151.30

For a copy of their ad, go here.

This sale ends Tuesday night.

Smiths Freebies- Cream Cheese and Creamer

2010-10-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

We took a last minute 2 week trip and just got back this weekend. Sorry for the lack of posting, but I was having a great time not doing anything and hanging out with family.

This week at Smiths is AWESOME. If you haven't gone, I would definitely check it out tomorrow as the sale ends tomorrow night. I hit Provo Smiths around 4:30 today and was surprised to see them so well stocked.

UPDATE: While I was in Washington, I discovered that QFC is a Kroger store like Smiths and had a lot of the same prices they did. If you're in WA, go and get some free cream cheese!

Highlights:

Philadelphia Cream Cheese, reg. $2.18 each

I got these all for FREE!

10, you may ask? Yes. 10. I'll give a few bricks to my sister and have plenty to make all sorts of delicious treats and meals through the end of the year. These don't expire until the end of December. I stock up when the price is right so I don't have to pay full price later on when I need it.

CoffeeMate Creamer, reg. $2.49

I not only got these for FREE but made $.21 on each! No, I don't drink coffee, but my cocoa will never taste so delicious. Any other ideas for it?

Also, there was a Jell-o coupon in the SS insert of Sunday's paper, making each large package of pudding or gelatin only $.35. They're regularly $1.09.

Oh, and if you have that Nabisco BOGO coupon from facebook a few weeks back, this would be the time to use it on Oreos. Not counting the milk you had to buy to use the coupon ($1.89) each package ended up being $.35! Nice.

I am feeling fatter just talking about all of this food.

Before I typed in my Smiths number, my total was $98ish.

After promotions and coupons I spent $20.07,

78% Off!

Check out the PinchingYourPennies grocery list for details.

This sale ends *Tuesday* night!

Money Left for the Month: $157.15

What to do with Tomatoes?

2010-10-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or do you get overwhelmed with tomatoes too? It seems that they do VERY well in my weed-infested joke of a garden, so well that I have struggled with what to do with them all.

Things I've done that I have NOT liked:

This should read "Thing" not "ThingS." Matt does not like big chunks of canned tomatoes. He hates them in fact, something about being slimy. Therefore I have had to dice the tomatoes pretty small so that he'll eat them in whatever I cook with them. They were great to use and used up quite a few of the tomatoes, but it would take me like 20 minutes to fill a pint with all the seeding and dicing. I can buy a can of tomatoes for $.44 on sale, basically the same size as a pint. Forty four cents was not worth 20 minutes of my time.

Things I've done with Tomatoes that I have liked:

I have made mass quantities of pasta sauce and then frozen it flat and thin in gallon sized baggies, braking off a hunk and microwaving what I need.
I have made homemade salsa. Mmmm. I love fresh salsa. Mix diced and seeded tomatoes with diced onion, jalapeno, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper and it is Delicious.
I have frozen them whole, just washed them, thrown them in gallon freezer bags and put them in the deep freeze. Then when I need tomatoes in a recipe I can deal with them then. I pretty much do this when I have a bunch that I don't have time to do anything with. FYI: when you thaw tomatoes the skin just rubs right off of them so don't try to get the skin off first.
Right before the first frost of the fall I pick all of the tomatoes. The frost will ruin them, turning them into mush. I put the green ones in my basement in boxes or paper bags and put newspaper between each layer. They will slowly turn red, giving me more tomatoes for a few more weeks. Don't stack them too deeply because you'll need to be able to check their reddening. Also, as you're stacking them, put the super green ones on the bottom and the ones less green at the top. They need to be in a cool place, not a freezing place like a shed or they will just freeze.
This year I've tried something new: I've dehydrated tomatoes! These are also known as sun-dried tomatoes. Fancy me! This is my new very favorite thing. All you do is half them then use your thumb and middle finger to seed them really quickly. I then cut each half into thirds. Lay them on your dehydrator trays cut side up, leaving room for air to circulate, and sprinkle them with salt. Watch them and take them off when they are dry but flexible. You don't want them brittle. My dehydrator took FOREVER, like a day and a half but my mom's was done in 12 hours or so. Just like anything you dry, they will be done at different times so check on them periodically and pull out the dried ones. I just put them in a quart jar in the fridge. Even if you don't have a dehydrator, you can do this in the oven. These are yummy cut up in bite sized pieces in pasta and pizza or a salad.

I never have done Fried Green Tomatoes, but I think that my current love affair with fried foods will force me to make a batch this year.

Any other great ideas you've had to use your tomatoes?

Homemade Powdered and Brown Sugars

2010-10-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am super dense. I LOVE my new Vitamix and have made all sorts of fun things with it: ice cream, fruit and green smoothies, tortilla soup, broccoli potato soup.

It has made me realize however how truly dumb I am. Guess what Cream of Wheat is? Wheat, creamed or chopped up. Duh. (delicious, by the way)

In looking through the cookbooks that came with the mixer I found a highly complicated one for Powdered Sugar. Guess how you make this- you powder sugar, or blend it. Crazy! Just 30 seconds in the Vitamix and wow, powdered sugar. I Googled it and it looks like you could make it in a regular blender as well. Some people say to add a bit of cornstarch to keep it from clumping.

It got me wondering about cost. A pound of powdered sugar is 3 3/4 cups, and 2 1/4 cups of granulated sugar makes a pound of powdered.

You're doing pretty good to get 2 pounds of powdered sugar for $1.25, or $.63/lb. A 5 lb bag of granulated sugar runs about $2.50 on sale, or $.50/lb.

So 1 pound (2 1/4 cups) of granulated sugar makes 1 pound (3 3/4) of powdered sugar. Again, duh. 1 pound = 1 pound. I won't tell you how long it took me to arrive at that genius statement. Wow. Impressive math skills, eh?

This is all very good for me to realize. It is cheaper to make my own powdered sugar, especially if I can get sugar for cheaper than $.50/lb.

It also made me wonder if you could make brown sugar. Well, yes you can! Cool! Matt, the resourceful man he is, googled that and we discovered you use 1 cup granulated sugar and mix in by hand 1-2 Tbsp of molasses. That's it! Homemade brown sugar!

Have you ever made either of these? We did the powdered sugar today and it was super fun.

Rite Aid 99% Off- Humidifier, Diapers, & More for Pennies

2010-10-07T21:53:00.001-07:00

I had an awesome trip to Rite Aid today!

I got a pack of Huggies, a humidifier, 3 trial sized TRESemme, 2 ice packs, and some candy. Guess how much it cost?

Retails: about $35

Total Spent: $.64

Percent Off: 99%

64 cents. Crazy.

I did use a $4 gift card but I also got a $2 UpReward (like gift card).

Want details? Check out Hip2Save here and here. She also tells about how to get free Halloween candy from Rite Aid here. Would have been helpful to see before I went, but whatever.

When I shop at Rite Aid I make sure to buy in $25 increments so that I can use a $5/$25 purchase Rite Aid coupon. Then I use store and manufacturer coupons.

Money Left for the Month: $177.22

Grilled Artichokes
Chicken with Chipotle w/rice and Oven Roasted Broccoli (Buy Low has chicken legs for $.48/lb!)
Grilled Teriyaki Burgers w/ homemade buns
Chicken Tikka Marsala (Yet a 3rd recipe. I'm sure I'll find one I love...) w/grilled garlic naan
Tunisian Fried Peppers and Eggs with Breakfast Potatoes
Skillet Ground Beef Skillet w/homemade bread

We are loving our Vitamix and have been having Green Smoothies for breakfast. I feel so fancy and healthy.

When I make my menu I look at what I have stockpiled in the house or ready to use in my garden and then find recipes to use them. We're adventurous around here so it's no biggie for us to try a bunch of new recipes. By using what I've gotten really cheap in the past for our meals I'm able to free up money to stockpile what's on sale this week.

Cheap, Cheap Produce

2010-09-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

I know that the month hasn't started yet, but it was very important to start my budget over. Why? Because I was already over-budget and I wanted to spend more. Good reason.

Buy Low has some great prices this week. I had a great time today, tossing in fruits and veggies left and right. Produce is normally SO EXPENSIVE. What did I ever do before Buy Low?

With that new Vitamix holding down my cupboard, I've got to have some serious produce so I was very happy to see a really good week at Buy Low.

Here's the ad.

Highlights: bananas 4lb/$1 (Wed & Thurs only), spinach 2/$1, oranges and pears 3lb/$1, 18 count L eggs $.99, chicken legs $.48/lb

Don't forget Buy Low has extra produce deals on Wed and Thurs every week.

Total Spent: $22.14

Money Left for the Month: $177.86

Buy Low Review

2010-09-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Things about Buy Low:

Their address is 2250 N University Parkway in Provo. They are in between Shopko and Cafe Rio where Food4Less used to be
They have really good produce prices
They have extra produce prices Wednesday and Thursday
They have extra meat prices on Friday and Saturday
They have 10% off for students Monday and Tuesday
Their carts have 2 spots for little ones to sit in and they also have carts with the fun driving cars in the front
With the amazing prices they have there are items that aren't the highest quality. I've never had problems with their apples, bananas, berries, and many other items. However, the spinach is always covered in dirt (easy to wash off!) and after looking at some things I sometimes don't get everything I've planned. It is SO WORTH it for me to pass over things and every once in a long while, throw something away.
There is no PinchingYourPennies GrocerySmarts list for Buy Low
I like to make bigger trips here every other week or so, using canned/frozen produce until I get to the next trip.

Vitamix, You are AMAZING!

2010-09-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

Christmas came early this year. It came early and it came Awesome.

My mom and dad got us a Vitamix, the Arnold Schwarzenegger of blenders. It came 2 days ago and I love it.

We made ice cream tonight with it. Ice cream! Two nights ago we had soup that we poured steaming hot right from the blender.

We've made fruit smoothies that have had such great texture.

I did grind wheat with it and it worked fine. My wheat grinder is a better option for that though. (we got that from my parents for Christmas a few years back) I wasn't a huge fan of the bread you can mix in it but it was pretty cool to make bread in a blender.

I am really interested in the green smoothies. We'll give 'em a shot for breakfast.

Thanks Mom and Dad! I have dreamed about even knowing someone who owned one of these and look at me now! There's a shmancy blender on my counter as we speak! Hooray!

Weight gain, I mean loss, here I come!

September Budget Review

2010-09-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not a regular grocery shopper. I buy stuff before I even need it, matching manufacturer coupons with store sales. This way I'm able to "shop" from my own pantry and pay a fraction of retail with items I use. No, we will not use all that chicken breast this month, but we will use it this year. When I make meals for us, I menu plan around what we already have on our shelves and in the freezer. There are occasional items I have to pay full price for, but they are the exception as I build up my food storage with stuff we actually use, all for less then I used to spend just to get us by every month. Want to learn how I do it? Check this out.

Total Spent: $235.32

Besides perishables like eggs, milk, and produce, this month I was able to stock up on cheese, sour cream, frozen veggies, soda, pasta sauce, diapers, tooth care, hamburger, fruit snacks, vanilla, toilet paper, candy bars, chips, bone in chicken breast, boneless chicken breast, baby food, pepperoni, mandarin oranges, vegetable oil, vitamins, flour, salami

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit.

2010-09-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

We love our beans around here. We eat them for breakfast, lunch, snacktime, and dinner. Ok, we HAVE eaten them for all of those times but we don't do it regularly. We do have beans a few times a week. I love my black beans.

With so much bean-consumption going on, I have figured out what works really well for me. In fact, it works so well, it might be the reason we eat so many beans.

Occasionally I will buy canned beans to have as a back up, but we pretty much live off of dried beans. Why, you may ask? Basically 3 reasons:

They taste better. My accomplished sister in law Alicia passed on her secrets on the wonders of crockpot beans and eating canned beans now tastes similar to cardboard. By the way, crockpotting them is the way to go. I get so mad every time I try to do them on the stove top. They take WAY longer then the bag ever says and you have to keep an eye on them the whole time they're cooking.
They are so much cheaper. A 15 oz can of beans costs around a dollar. For that same price you can get a pound, or 16 oz, of dried beans. Isn't that the same? No sir-ee Bob. These are DRIED beans. They are beans minus the water. When they are done cooking 1 pound of beans is equivalent to 3 cans of beans. You're getting 66% more just by grabbing the bag instead of the can!
This reason should be a subset of #2: I don't waste anything. I cook a whole bunch at once and then freeze them flat in gallon sized baggies. When I want some beans I just break off a hunk and throw it in the microwave. I only cook what I'm going to use. Maybe it's just me but whenever I open a can of anything, I use what I need and then either A: leave it out on the counter still in the can for a day or so and then end up throwing the rest away or B: transfer it to a container for the fridge where it will rest indefinitely until the smell/lack of containers forces me to clean out the fridge. Either way the little cash register inside my head is telling me how much that cup of beans down the disposal just cost me and I am not happy.

As far as current prices go, Maceys does have WF canned beans on sale for $.48 as part of their caselot sale, the best price anywhere all year (unless some random crazy high value coupon comes out- unlikely) so if you're going to get canned beans, this would be a good time.

The last I checked Target was the cheapest price for a pound of black beans at $1.09 for a pound. As I look at the Caselot Price Comparison at PreparedLDSFamily, it looks like the LDS cannery has the best price on bulk beans at $14.50 for a 25 lb bag if you can get them. They don't sell them when there is a greater need somewhere else in the world. The next best price is at Maceys (Harmon's sale is over- they were better priced than Maceys) for $17.58 for a 20 lb bag.

If my math is right then it would still be a little better than 1/2 the price to get the Cannery beans verses the canned Macey beans.

Reuben: Best Thing Since Sliced Rye

2010-09-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

When Matt and I first got married I was appalled with his choice every time we would grab a sandwich somewhere. He would always order a Reuben. To be honest, I'm pretty sure I had no idea what this even was Before Matt, but even if I did, I am POSITIVE I would have never tried it. Ever. In a million years. Ever. It has weird dark bread and is filled with stuff I was pretty sure tasted as bad as they smelled.

Then one day after years of insistence, I tried a bite. I may or may not have had a "This is Going to Be Disgusting" look on my face while trying it, but I tried it. Lo and behold, I liked it. Darn it all, I loved it. I don't think Matt will ever recover from that triumph.

Apparently I also like artichokes and smoked oysters too. And Green Eggs and Ham. Shoot. That is all besides the point though, which is that Reubens are Delicious.

If you're looking for a good laugh, check out this beauty here of when I "made" rye bread. Next time I get domestic, this looks like a tasty recipe for it. FYI: You can get rye flour at Winco in the bulk section.

Traditionally Reubens are made with corned beef, but that stuff runs $6.98/lb at the deli at Walmart and $6.89 at Sam's. Yikes. I tend to use pastrami, but you could use any lunch meat your little heart desires.

This makes 9 sandwiches, based on the number of slices of bread in the bag I bought.

Ingredients:

1 loaf Rye Bread, homemade or store bought
1 lb shaved corned beef, or any other lunch meat
14 slices Swiss cheese, or any other cheese. I've used Colby, Cheddar, and Mozzarella
14 oz or so of Sauerkraut, drained
Russian or Thousand Island dressing
butter

Directions:

Preheat a skillet on medium-high and throw in the sauerkraut and corned beef until heated through
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Turn them over and put the cheese on half of them. My bread was big so I needed 1 1/2 slices. On top of the cheese, spread the Thousand Island. We recently discovered this order made the sandwich less soggy. Put the corned beef and sauerkraut on top and slap on the other Thousand Islanded slice, butter side out.
Put sandwich in the skillet and grill, flipping it over to brown both sides.
Eat warm. Thank your lucky stars that you're not Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods.

60% Off at Smiths!

2010-09-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Smiths has some great deals this week.

The final prices are $.44 for the 2 liters, $.99 for the Kraft cheese, $.88 for the sour cream, and $.55 for the Green Giant veggies (factoring in the $3 catalina when you buy 6).

For details on this and other sale items, see the GrocerySmarts list.

I'm not planning on eating those 3 sour creams, those 5 packs of cheese, or the 6 2 liters this week, but we will use them before they expire. When I find great prices I stock up. I also got a raincheck for cottage cheese.

This sale ends Tuesday night.

$.50 Ragu at Fresh Market!

2010-09-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

Fresh Market has their Ragu on sale for $.99, a good price. They retail for $1.89. I was planning on using my $.30/1 coupon from the 9/12 RP newspaper, making them $.69 each.

When I went to grab some at the Provo Center Street store, I noticed these $1/2 peelies on some of them on an endcap, making them $.50 each! Sweet! That's 74% Off!

The coupon expires on the 30th of September, FYI.

For a list of everything on sale at Fresh Market, check out the GrocerySmarts list.

This sale ends Tuesday night.

Super Shopping without Kids!

2010-09-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I love you Saturday! I love that you came and brought me a husband at home. Thank you for allowing me the joy of shopping WITHOUT children. It was a blissful day.

I hit Rite Aid for a few more packs of diapers and some toothpaste (came to $.78), Smiths for some random stuff ($17.43- post coming soon), and Fresh Market for their One Day Meat sale ($13.12).

Total Spent: $31.33

Money Left for the Month: -$7.19

oops. Oh well.

Paella

2010-09-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

We’ve used what we’ve had when we make this- canned diced tomatoes, chicken breast, etc. Our favorite is with artichoke hearts, olives, shrimp, chicken, and sausage. Also, the recipe doesn’t mention covering the pan while it cooks, but we’ve found we’ve had to do it for the rice to cook.

Paella

There are many, many “paella” recipes. Originally paella was a dish made in Valencia using chicken, rabbit, snails and three kinds of fresh beans. Now paella is almost always associated with seafood, chicken and vegetables. There is no right or wrong recipe, only the recipe that pleases you. Paella ingredients vary from place to place, and time to time, depending on local traditions and the ingredients available. Anything from fresh garden produce to holiday left-overs can inspire a cook to create an original version of this one-dish feast. The dish was named after the pan it is cooked in, a Paellera, which is also used for a variety of rice dishes, such asarroz negro, as well as the Spanish pasta dish fideua. This is only one recipe, use your imagination and the ingredients at hand, varying the ingredients can make Paella an everyday dish:

· ½ c uncooked Valencian Rice per person

· 1 c chicken stock per ½ c of rice, more if using Bomba

· 5 threads saffron per person, dissolved in ½ c white wine

· 4 Tbsp or more olive oil to cover bottom of pan

· 1 piece of chicken, such as a thigh, per person

· ½ to 1 soft chorizo, such as Bilbao or Palacios, per person

· ½ tsp Spanish sweet paprika per person

· 1 clove garlic per person, minced

· ¼ c chopped onion per person

· 1/8 c grated tomato (cut in half, grate and discard the skin) per person

· 2 shrimp or prawns per portion

· 2-4 small clams and/or mussels per portion

· Re piquillo peppers cut in strips

· Artichoke hearts, green beans or peas

· Cooked garrofon beans from Valencia

· Lemon wedges for garnish

Heat stock and keep warm. Toast saffron gently in a small pan. When aroma is released, add white wine. Allow to come to a boil then remove from heat. Heat pallera over medium heat, add olive oil and fry chicken. When chicken is golden and the juice runs clear, add garlic and onions and saute until translucent. Add chorizo and cook until heated. Add the rice, stirring until well coated with oil (about one minute). Add the paprika and grated tomato. Stir, add saffron flavored win e and hot stock. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of pan, then add piquillo pepper and artichoke hearts, green beans, cooked garrofon beans or peas. Adjust heat to maintain a slow boil. After about five minutes, add the seafood. Cook another 15 minutes, or until rice is done. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, garnish with lemon wedges and serve. To ensure proper cooking, clams may be steamed in a separate pan, then added to the paella with their nectar substituting for some the chicken stock.

Traditionally, Paella is not stirred during the second half of the cooking time. This produces a caramelized layer of rice on the bottom of the pan considered by many to be the best part. With a large pan, it is difficult to accomplish this on an American stove and you may prefer to stir the Paella occasionally or move the pan around on the burner. Another alternative is the finish the Paella by placing it in the oven for the 10-15 minutes of cooking. Paelleras can also be used on a barbeque, over any open fire (the most traditional heat source) or on a counter top grill.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

2010-09-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through the October Parent magazine, looking for the FREE Cache Valley Cheese coupon last week and stumbled on this darling idea: cupcakes in ice cream cones! How cute. It seems that everyone else in the world has seen this idea, but I never had. In an effort to save someone out there from feeling as foolish as I did, I thought I would post.

Oh, and I got these multicolored cones at Walmart. They were $1 something for 18.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cake mix with eggs, oil and water
30 ice cream cones
icing
sprinkles
30 red gum drops (optional, but how cute is that?)

Directions:

Mix up cake mix according to instructions on box
Pour batter into ice cream cones, leaving about an inch at the top. The cake will rise as it cooks and leaving that space will keep it from making a big mess.
Place them on a cookie sheet and bake as directed for cupcakes on the cake box. Be careful as you move the sheet around. The cones are kind of tippy. If your cones don't stand very well you could use a small crunched piece of foil at the base to stabilize them. I didn't have any problems.
Let them cool completely and then ice them. I iced then put the sprinkles on each one, one at a time so that the icing wouldn't set before I could get back to put the sprinkles on.
Enjoy your fancy work.

Chicken Fried Rice

2010-09-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

I made this Chicken Fried Rice for dinner tonight and it was pretty darn good. I used this recipe as a base and made some changes and additions. If you've got cooked chicken and leftover rice, this is a fast meal.

Couple things here:

You have to use cold rice here, not hot rice. It apparently DOES matter. Hot rice will turn this to goo. I just cooked mine an hour or so before, spread it across a big plate, and put it in the fridge to cool it down quickly.
Make sure the chicken is in pretty small chunks. Big ol' hunks of chicken would not be delicious.
Last time I made this I didn't even use chicken and used this as a side dish with Sweet and Sour Chicken. We had it as the main dish tonight.
The original doesn't call for fish sauce or Maggi sauce, but they are the reason that this tastes so good. My little sister told me to buy both of them and I am so glad. Thank you Ashley for forcing me to pay full price for a few things. Sorry I am a cheapskate. They are both just a few bucks at Walmart or Winco. I'm sure they sell them at just about any other grocery store too, but you know they'd be cheapest at Walmart or Winco. Ashley says she uses them in just about every Asian recipe she makes. Oh, beware of the smell of the fish sauce. Believe it or not, that stuff smells WORSE than you'd think. Urg.

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion (about 2 cups), chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
3 cups cooked white rice, cold
3/4 cup frozen peas
2 1/2- 3 Tbsp soy sauce (to taste)
2- 2 1/2 tsp fish sauce
2- 2 1/2 tsp Maggi sauce
3/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup cooked, chopped chicken. You could use chopped ham instead.

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat egg with water. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add egg and leave flat for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and cut into shreds.
Heat oil in same skillet; add onion and carrots and saute until soft. Then add rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, Maggi sauce, pepper, peas, and chicken. Stir fry together for about 5 minutes, then stir in egg.

Peanut Butter Bars

2010-09-20T21:46:00.001-07:00

I swear I have gained 5 pounds just thinking about these little beauties.

How can you loose with these? Peanut Butter + Chocolate = True Love.

These bars were a favorite with my class at church growing up and we named them "Sister Mooth Bars." Thank you Sister Mooth. Your legacy lives on. In my thighs, specifically.

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

1 package graham crackers (the plastic sleeve, not the box)
1 cube butter, melted
1 pound powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (I've used both smooth and chunky)
1 bag (12 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Crush the graham crackers. Demolish them, however you want to. I've put them in a gallon baggy and rolled them with a rolling pin. My new favorite is to just put them in the food processor. You just want them like dust.
In a large bowl, mix the graham crackers with the butter, powdered sugar, and peanut butter.
In one of those cookie sheets with the edge around it, sprinkle that mixture across the pan and press it down so that it is so smooshed. I use my fingers and get it good and squashed and then pull out the rolling pin and finish the job. You can dust it with a little more powdered sugar if it sticks. If this is crumbly, your cookies will be crumbly.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips pretty evenly across the top and put in the oven at 350 for a few minutes. Be careful here: you're not baking this, you're just melting the chips. THEY DO NOT CHANGE APPEARANCE so take the back of a spoon and try to spread them after a few minutes. When they smear easily, take it out and spread the chocolate over the peanut butter mixture.
Let it set. I have no willpower or patience so I usually throw this not in the fridge, but the freezer to set the chocolate quicker. Cut into bars.
Eat until you think you're going to throw up. Thank me and dear Sis. Mooth.

3 Packs of Huggies for FREE at Rite Aid

2010-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Free diapers? Yes. Well, sort of. Let me explain.

Huggies jumbo pack, reg. $12.49 each

- on sale $8.99

Buy 3 packs, totaling $26.97

- use $5/$25 Rite Aid purchase coupon here or here ($21.97)

- use $1 Video Values coupon you get from watching a Huggies commercial on Rite Aid's web site ($20.97) You can only get one of these.

- use 3 $2 or $3 coupons, depending on the type of diapers you are getting. (see coupon list below) I used the $2 coupons ($14.97)

- Pay $14.97 + tax = $16.45 in utah

- 3 $2 UpRewards print. These are like a gift card or catalina that you can use on just about any non prescription items in the store in the next two weeks. You can even use them immediately to pay for another diaper transaction. ($10.45)

- apply for $10 Rite Aid Rebate online ($.45) You can only do this one time.

Ok, so you do end up paying $.45. Sorry. I guess it's not quite free. Almost.

The Pure and Natural diapers are the ones that have a $3 coupon available and if you do these it ends up being an even better deal. They were all out of these when I went this morning but I got a raincheck which includes the $2 upreward and will be getting a few more packs when they get in. Even without the $10 rebate they end up being $2/pack when you buy 3 and use the $5/$25 coupon. That's 8.7 cents a diaper for a size 4! Costco is 20.8 for Huggies and 21.3 for Kirkland.

Printable Coupon List

(there are no current newspaper coupons)

$3/1 Huggies Pure and Natural any size
$3/1 Huggies any 60 ct. or larger
$3/1 Huggies Pure and Natural any size (second link)
$3/1 Huggies Pure and Natural
$3.50/2 Huggies Snug and Dry diapers
$3.50/2 Huggies Snug and Dry diapers
$2.50/3 Huggies Wipes 64 ct. or larger
$4.00/2 Huggies Little Movers or Little Snugglers
$4/2 Huggies Little Movers or Little Snugglers (second link)
$2/1 off Huggies Pull-ups
$2/1 Huggies (Register for coupon to arrive via snail mail.)

thanks SavvySisterShops for the coupon list!

Retails: $40

Total Spent: $16.45

Percent Off: 59%

plus I have $6 in UpRewards to use on anything at the store in the next 2 weeks and a $10 Rebate coming. Factoring that in,

Total Spent: $.45

Percent Off: 99%

Check out Hip2Save for other things on sale at Rite Aid this week.

This sale ends Saturday Night.

Money Left for the Month: $24.14

Indoor Smores

2010-09-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

Oh boy. I would recommend forgetting you ever saw this because it has a tendency to force you to eat the entire pan.

These are called Indoor S'mores and they are Good. Thank you (or not) to bro-in-law Morgan who proved his before-questionable baking skills with these beauties a few weeks ago. This recipe is found on the Betty Crocker website.

Indoor S'mores

Ingredients:

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal (1 small box)
5 cups mini marshmallows (1 bag, divided- last cup used below)
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips (most of a bag)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
5 Tbsps butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

In a large bowl, pour cereal. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. In a medium microwavable bowl add the first 5 items and microwave for a few minutes, stirring after every minute until melted and smooth when stirred.
Pour over cereal and mix until completely coated. Stir in 1 cup marshmallows. I had a 'situation' and wasn't able to do Step 2 right away. After I tried mixing it into the cereal I discovered the marshmallow/chocolate wonder wasn't quite soft enough so I popped it back into the microwave for another 30 seconds or so and it stirred much better.
Press mixture evenly in pan, using buttered back of spoon. Let stand uncovered for at least an hour to help set. You can throw it in the fridge to speed that up. Cut it into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Party and Walmart deals.

2010-09-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

So I threw Matt a surprise party yesterday and wasn't able to post anything because I didn't want to blow it, but I spent about $50 on food. Let's just say I over-bought a little bit. I ended up buying most of it at Walmart Thursday and had to literally sneak it in the house, past him talking to our sweet neighbor. Thanks Grandma Lola!

Because I can, I am taking this out of the "birthday budget" and not the monthly budget. I just wanted to tell you that for 3 reasons:

In case you saw me at Walmart filling my cart
In case you wonder how I got the ingredients to make the recipes I will be posting soon
In case you even care. Who reads this anyways?

I did get a few things from our grocery budget there.

I price matched the Betty Crocker deal from Smiths- I didn't have those coupons when I went there. See here for details. They end up being $.75/box.

I also found this huge guy of vanilla for $.98. It was twice the size for 1/2 the price of any other ones. I go through vanilla, I'll tell you what. For the last few Christmases we've been given vanilla from friends and I've recently hit the bottom of those, darn it all.

I spent about $10 so with that,

Money Left for the Month: $40.59

Free 5 lb Cache Valley Cheese!

2010-09-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, so if you get Parents magazine, check out p. 80-something of the OCTOBER issue (Sorry for leaving that month part out earlier. Details, details, details). Here in Utah there is a coupon for a FREE Cache Valley butter or cheese. The best part about it is there is no price or size limit! Sweet. So of course I greedily used it to get the biggest hunk of cheese possible. This is a 5 lb block I got from Smiths and retails for $16.99. How much did I pay for it? Nothing!

I've heard that Walmart carries it as well.

If you don't get Parent magazine, look for it. I didn't see it at Maceys or Smiths. Anyone know where they sell it? It is totally worth the $2 something to get this cheese for free. Someone said that they didn't get it in their magazine in Idaho, so check out the magazine before you buy it to make sure the coupon's in there.

I'm planning on leaving a couple pounds as a block and then shredding and freezing the rest.

The best part about this whole deal is that I didn't even pay for the Parent subscription- I got it for free last year from some online deal. Love it.

thanks PYP

Smiths: Charmin Double Rolls $.25/roll!

2010-09-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

There are a few great deals at Smiths this week. Here's my favs.

Charmin, 12 Double rolls, reg. $8.25

- on sale $5.99

- used $3 ecoupon (load to your card, automatically comes off at checkout)

- $2.99!

This ends up being $.25/double roll, a great deal.

Butterfingers, reg. $.79

- on sale $.50

- used $1/2 coupon I found again from a tearpad in the store.

- FREE!

The display was moved at Provo Smiths today. It was on an endcap on the end of the candy aisle.

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks

- on sale $1

- used $.50/2 coupon from GM 8/8 or 9/12 newspapers or Group A or here

- $.75!

There was also 75% off summer stuff in a couple places throughout the store, so keep your eyes out.

This sale ends Tuesday night.

For more info on this sale, check out the GrocerySmarts list. FYI: the GM cereals are like a dollar more than they are listed on this list here in Provo. I hate it when that happens. Provo was very well stocked with fruit snacks and cereal today if you're interested.

Retails: $41.32

Total Spent: $9.72

Percent Off: 78%

Money Left for the Month: $50.59

I may be in trouble.

Fresh Market: Chicken Breast $1/lb

2010-09-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of GREAT prices this week at Fresh Market's statewide grand opening. Seems weird to me that this is their grand opening since our local one had theirs forever ago.

Bone In Chicken Breast

- on sale $1.99/lb

- on sale Buy One package, Get One Free

- If you get 2 packages the same size, it ends up being $1/lb!

I love to BBQ bone-in. The bone really helps that chicken be so flavorful. It also is great to throw in the crockpot and shred.

Grandma Sycamore

- on sale 2/$3

- use in-ad coupon: buy 2, get 1 Hillshire Farms 5 oz lunch meat FREE (limit 1 coupon per customer)

- for $3 you get 2 loaves of bread and 1 lunch meat.

The bread freezes great if you don't think you'll get through 2 loaves.

Bananas

- on sale $.38/lb

Grapes

- on sale $.79/lb

Oh, and there was a cart filled with $.10 plates and napkins over by the ice cream at the Center Street Fresh Market today. They weren't the cutest things I've ever seen, but they were $.10.

See GrocerySmarts list for more prices.

This sale ends Tuesday night.

Total Spent: $15.04

Money Left for the Month: $60.31

$10 Prescription Glasses!

2010-09-13T19:58:00.001-07:00

We just got our order from Zenni Optical today. Matt is SUPER excited as his current glasses not only have masking tape across the middle, but a toothpick underneath to help stabilize them. I'm kind of sad he won't be wearing them anymore- they were always good for a laugh. (yes, that IS the kind of wife I am, poor man.)

I read about this site over a year ago on MoneySavingMom and there were tons of really positive reviews about it. I've heard some of these online glasses sites can be a bit shady, but with so many great experiences with this one, I figured it was worth a shot. I bookmarked the site and we finally ordered about 2 weeks ago.

They weren't the easiest site to navigate, but it is so worth it. A pair of glasses run at least a few hundred dollars. We paid $42, including shipping, for 4 pairs of glasses. $42! Crazy!

The glasses start at $8 and go up to around $30. There is the option of adding fancy extras, but we just did the no bells or whistles option and are just fine with them. Both of us have pretty bad eyesight but the lenses aren't too heavy or anything.

Couple of things:

You do need your prescription to order. We just had our eye doctor write it down for us (11 months ago...)
Shipping is a flat $5, no matter how many pairs you order.
We got Matt 3 pairs in case he didn't like how one of them looked. For $8, it's completely worth it, especially when shipping doesn't cost any extra.
If you currently own glasses you may want to use them to help decide on shape and size. We measured Matt's glasses to help choose his new ones.
They have Men's, Women's, and Kid's frames to choose from.

We are both totally happy with the quality of these glasses. I would be thrilled to pay $42 for one of these pairs. They seem very sturdy and durable. Oh, and they're cute. What more is there to say?

Rite Aid: Real Cheap Gerber

2010-09-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, now do I really NEED anything I bought tonight? No, with the exception of the animal crackers. There may have been 4 bags when I left the store. They are Good.

I don't need all this stuff now, but I bought them for the following reasons:

I need to attend Shoppers Anonymous meetings
I had $5 in UpRewards (rite aid dollars) that were going to expire
For the good of everyone involved, Mommy needed a trip out, and of course that means to the store
I like to buy ahead. The Gerber stuff is a bit beyond Isaac, but he'll get there soon enough, well before the expiration date. After coupons and sales, they end up being a pretty decent deal. I just wish they had more stuff on the shelves so I could have gotten more of what I wanted.

Rite Aid has a rebate of $5 when you buy $15 of Gerber food and drinks. They are also having a Buy One, Get 50% Off the 2nd sale. I had a Buy 2, Get 1 Free coupon from Rite Aid's Video Values from last month and a few cheapo Gerber coupons that came in the mail a few weeks ago.

I bought the rest of the stuff mostly to get my total up to $25 so I could use a $5/$25 purchase Rite Aid coupon. I also used $5 in UpRewards that printed a couple weeks ago.

By the way, don't those bowling pins look awesome? Oh Mom, if we had only had this set growing up! Think how many cups this would have saved you from washing. It's only $2.50 in the clearance Summer stuff.

Total Spent: $11.17

plus I have a $5 rebate coming, so factoring that in

Adjusted Total Spent: $6.17

Money Left for the Month: $75.35

Yikes. This is not looking good...

Maceys: $4.49 2lb Tillamook Cheese

2010-09-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I'd stop in at Provo Maceys.

They have their Tillamook 2 lb Medium Cheddar and Colby Jack on sale for $5.49 and there was a $1 coupon taped to the cheese. I like paying under $2/lb for cheese, but hey, it's Tillamook!

The sour cream was $.99, not an advertised price. I've been all out, unless you count the tablespoon or so that's in the bottom of the container my little sister left in my fridge like 2 weeks ago. I have your sour cream Ashley. Want it back?

Here's the grocerysmarts list for other items on sale

This sale ends Tuesday night.

Total Spent: $11.94

Money Left for the Month: $86.52

Smiths: Case Lots and Cheap Pepperoni

2010-09-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Smiths has the best prices on oil ($2 each), evaporated milk ($.65 each), mandarin oranges ($.33 each), and 5 lb bags of flour ($1.25 each). Keep in mind that you do have to buy an entire case to get the case price at Smiths. Check out the Case Lot Comparison Chart for more info.

FYI: I just read on PYP that Wesson oil is $1.99 at Winco right now so if you're heading there and don't want to have to buy a whole case, check them out. I'm not sure which Winco had that price though- sometimes they are different.

I'm splitting some of the evaporated milk and the oil with my sister in law but I'm way too lazy to just get a shot of that.

I love finding clearance stuff. Looks like I've got dinner covered tonight! Good. I can use a break from cooking after the last few time-consuming dinners I've made.

Couple items of interest:

The gummy vitamins are still on sale, the Marvel ones, and Provo has the 180 count back in stock. With the $1 coupon from the 8/29 RP or coupons.com they are $6.49, reg. $14.49. The 60 count are $3.99 or $2.99 w/coupon, but the 180 count is a better deal.
The Hormel pepperoni is on sale for $1 and there is a $.55/2 coupon here and here, making them $.73 each. They don't expire until February, so I'm thinking we've got pizza and sandwiches in our future. Maybe some Pizza Joes, we'll see.

Total Spent: $62.12

Money Left for the Month: $98.46

Comparing Case Lot Prices

2010-09-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Looking for the best prices at the case lot sales? Me too. This amazing woman at preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com has a price comparison sheet where she compares the case lots against each other and Winco, Walmart, Sams, Costco, the Cannery, and Emergency Essentials.

Even if you're not local and are looking to stock up on stuff, this would be a great comparison for the other stores.

I'll be heading to Smiths later for vegetable oil, evaporated milk, mandarin oranges, canned veggies, and flour. I love case lot sales!

Oops. Budgets are Overrated?

2010-09-09T13:40:00.001-07:00

I am admitting to 2 things

I am not on top of anything in my life.
We bought a few odds and ends this weekend with family in town and didn't record it.

Sorry. I'm guessing it came to about $10, so we'll call it that.

Also I hit Buy Low yesterday for some produce. I love their produce prices, you can't beat them. The grapes are $.78/lb, bananas are $.25/lb. There's always some great deal there, especially on their extra produce days- Wed and Thurs. I'm excited to try this Roasted Garlic Cauliflower to use some of that $.50/lb cauliflower. We'll see how it turns out.

Total Spent: $8.13

Buy Low's ad is here if you're interested in prices.

And since I'm such a cheater, I'm rolling over my extra $28.13 from last month. I forgot to do that when the month started. I'm excited to have this extra money as it will mean I go less over budget this month with all the caselot sales.

That being said, I'll subtract $18.13 from the $28.13 (no way- they're exactly $10 apart!) and add $10 to my budget for the month.

Money Left for the Month: $160.58

Chinese Food Heaven

2010-09-09T10:43:00.001-07:00

I was cooking for a while yesterday, but man, was dinner good. Is that braggy? I don't mean it to be braggy. Ok, that's a lie. Yes I do.

We had Sweet and Sour Chicken, Fried Rice, white rice, and Egg Drop Soup (super easy and fast).

It was the best Chinese I have had in a really long time and I would completely recommend each of the links. Of course I didn't make the Chicken or Fried Rice exactly as written. When has that ever happened? Which does occasionally make for "exciting" meals incidentally. This time it worked out.

Here's my interpretation of Sweet and Sour Chicken, the most complicated of the recipes, but SO worth it.

Oh, and if you want to mix it up a bit, the breaded chicken is really good on it's own and would make great nuggets to dip in ketchup and the Sweet and Sour Sauce would still be really good over non-breaded chicken.

If you're wanting to premake things a bit, the sauce can be made before hand and just reheated. Also, it took me a while to fry all the batches of chicken. The comments in the original recipe said that you can fry the chicken earlier in the day and then reheat it in the oven at 350 if you don't have time to do it right before dinner.

Breaded Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 recipe Batter (below)

1 recipe Sweet and Sour Sauce (below)

1 8oz can pineapple chunks, drained, juice reserved for Sauce!

2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

reserved pineapple juice from can

2 drops orange food coloring or 1 drop red and 2 yellow

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, combine the first 5 items and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Combine the cornstarch and 1/4 c water in a cup first (otherwise lump city!) and then slowly stir into the saucepan. Stir until mixture thickens.

Batter

2 1/4 cups self rising flour or 2 1/4 c all purpose and 3 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 egg

1 1/2 cups water

Combine everything except water in a large bowl. Add water gradually to make a thick batter. Add chicken pieces and stir until chicken is well coated.

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F. My burner was on medium-high. Fry battered chicken pieces in hot oil until golden. Don't overcrowd the pan! It took me 4 batches. Remove chicken. I like to drain it on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet in a warm oven. Throw a few paper towels in between to help with cleanup. This is also a great way to reheat breaded things- the bottoms totally don't get soggy.
Dump the leftover oil, leaving a little bit still in the pan, and quickly stir-fry the bell peppers and pineapple.
I served this over white rice, put the chicken down then topped it with the sauce then peppers and pineapple.

Serves 8

It's About Time.

2010-09-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hooray! A menu! I don't know who is happier when I post this, Matt or me. He loves new recipes and I hate coming up with them.

Main Dish:

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Fried Rice and Egg Drop Soup
BBQ ribs
Oven Pot Roast
Chicken Satay over rice
Potato and Bean Enchilada
Chicken Parmesan over Pasta

Other:

Roasted Beets with Feta (thanks Mom and Dad for the beets!)
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Fried Green Tomatoes
Zucchini Bake with Feta and Thyme
Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

To Buy for Menu:

cilantro
corn tortillas
fresh fruits and veggies including cauliflower. I'll be hitting Buy Low for their produce deals either today or tomorrow- their extra produce sales now last 2 days.

I am cheap. I will not only admit it, but I am quite proud of this fact. It may drive everyone around me a bit nuts, but I HATE paying full price for anything. To avoid this, I stock up on stuff when it is cheap, meaning that I have a stockpile of food to make my meals from. That's the goal, anyhow. I'm also using some of the produce that has miraculously grown in my weed patch, I mean garden.

Springville Reams: Chicken Breast $1.59/lb

2010-09-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

I drove out to Reams today to pick up chicken for my sister and me. I was so out of chicken. $1.59/lb is a decent price and one that I'm willing to pay with none in my freezer. You do have to get it in 20lb boxes for $31.80.

We're splitting one of these boxes.

Total Spent: $49.42

Money Left for the Month: $150.58

This is what the chicken looks like. It is in one big bag. The chicken is frozen individually and not in one big blob, but if you're looking for beautiful, perfect breasts, this is not the chicken for you.

The pieces are all in random shapes and sizes, not a big deal if you make a bunch of dishes where you cut up/shred the chicken. If you're getting it to primarily BBQ whole breasts then I'd skip this deal. I'm happy enough with it. There's enough bigger sizes to do whatever I'd want with them.

This chicken price is good only this weekend and ends Monday.

What to do with Raisins/Craisins? Oatmeal Craisin Cookies.

2010-08-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so these are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever made. They turned out beautifully- soft and chewy and so good. I had to give them away to keep from eating them all.

Oh, why didn't I save a few more?

I only had about 1/2 cup of craisins and so subbed the rest with raisins and it was super tasty. I wonder what it would be like to make a recipe with every ingredient exactly as written. Huh, weird to think about.

Anyways here is the recipe. The original was from here.

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup craisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl for 5 minutes. In another bowl mix oats, flour, baking soda and powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry mixture in with the wet until combined. Add in craisins/raisins.
Quickly form into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheets.
Cook for 12-14 minutes, or until slightly browned. Let cool slightly on cookie sheets and then transfer to cooling rack.

Makes 24-36 cookies

I am such a lazy person that I never thought the following cookie making instructions were important and had to learn the hard way that they are.

Things I've messed up on:

Not mixing the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another and then mix them all together
Pulling out a cookie sheet from the oven and not wanting to take the time to let it cool before putting another batch on (just run under cool water!)
Completely melting butter in the microwave instead of just softening it (hello Pancake Cookies!)

August Budget Review

2010-08-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not a regular grocery shopper. I buy stuff before I even need it, matching manufacturer coupons with store sales. This way I'm able to "shop" from my own pantry and pay a fraction of retail with items I use. No, we will not use all those green beans this month, but we will use them this year. When I make meals for us, I menu plan around what we already have on our shelves and in the freezer. There are occasional items I have to pay full price for, but they are the exception as I build up my food storage with stuff we actually use, all for less then I used to spend just to get us by every month. Want to learn how I do it? Check this out.

Total Spent: $188.87

Besides perishables like eggs, milk, and produce, this month I was able to stock up on steak, bacon, sausage, chips, snacks, cheese, cereal, drinks, baggies, vitamins, canned beans, ground beef, coconut milk, feta, popsicles, meds, dog treats, chicken, oil, dog food, fish sauce, honey, seasonings, diapers and wipes, spread, butter, soap, canned pinapple, paper towels, dish soap, marshmallows, shortening, and toothpaste.

Smiths: FREE Toothpaste

2010-08-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

Smiths is rounding up their coupons to $1 this week, ending tomorrow night. There were some new coupons yesterday so of course I NEEDED to go back. I couldn't get there before this afternoon so most of what I was looking for was gone.

Retails: $38.11

Total Spent: $16.06

Percent Off: 58%

I am the most excited about these bad boys down below. I have been wanting curry paste for a while but haven't been able to get it, mainly because 1. I'm cheap and 2. a lot of places don't carry it.

Happily, Smiths solved both of those for me! Hooray!

They are regularly $3.39, on sale for $2.99 and with the $.50 coupon from yesterday's paper rounded up to $1, they were $1.99 each. The trip to Smiths was worth it just for these friends.

For more info on what is on sale see here. For details on more rounding up see here.

Money Left for the Month: $28.13

Walmart; FREE Dish Soap, Green Beans

2010-08-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

I had to get to Walmart today to get a few basics I was out of: vanilla, shortening (I have the BEST tortilla recipe using this), powdered dish soap, and Pam. Unfortunately, Wamart has the best prices on these things. I hate Walmart. Just thinking about my trip annoys me.

Total Spent: $11.85

I went to the Orem Walmart and their marshmallows are $.88, a pretty good price. That's what Winco has had the off brand for the last month or so.

The green beans were free. I price matched the veggies from Maceys at $1/3 and used the $1/3 coupon from the paper yesterday. I get 3 papers and the coupon was in the RP and the Parade magazine, which is another insert. The sale at Macey's ends Tuesday night, FYI, so if you want this deal, do it now. Any ideas of what to do with green beans besides microwaving them plain or using them in Green Bean Casserole?

The Gain dish soap was free. It's $.97 and there's a $1 coupon in the PG from yesterday's newspaper.

Money Left for the Month (today): $44.19

Cheap Gummy Vitamins and Free Butterfingers

2010-08-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to point out a few deals at Smiths that I haven't seen posted anywhere.

First off, I found this $1/2 coupon on a cardboard display by the checkout. Butterfingers are on sale for $.50, so this makes them FREE!

I made these delicious cookies with my leftover Butterfingers after Halloween. If you are looking for something else to do with them besides just devouring them plain, give that recipe a whirl.

Speaking of delicious, have you ever had Gummy Vitamins? Oh boy. Take a fruit snack and cover it with a sugar coating and you've got Gummy Vitamins. I have no idea how these are good for our bodies, but the pediatrician told me to get them. Love it.

They are regularly $7.99 for a month supply for 1 person. They are on sale for $3.99 at Smiths and there is a $1 coupon in the 8/1 RP newspaper insert, making them $2.99. This is by far the best deal I have seen on them anywhere. Oh, and when you buy one a $2/2 coupon prints that you can use to buy 2 more. FYI.

I don't know if it's coincidence or what but my 2 year old had a perma-cold for like a year. He's only gotten sick a few times since we started these.

FREE Yogurt, Spread, and Soap at Smiths

2010-08-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

So this week is a good one at Smiths. They are rounding up any coupon under a $1 to be worth a $1. That makes for some free stuff, like yogurt, spread, and soap. It also makes for some super cheap stuff like paper towels, canned fruit, pudding, and pretty cheap butter.

Retails: $76.56

Total Spent: $22.46

Percent Off: 71%

For details on this and more deals see pinchingyourpennies.

This sale ends Tuesday night.

Money Left for the Month: $56.04

Huggies $3.27/pack!

2010-08-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

Rite Aid rocks. I could not believe how many diapers they still had at 2:30, the last day of the sale. There were hardly any on the shelf, but there were more on an endcap and TONS on the very tip top shelf on the side of the store. That is definitely one thing I have learned from couponing: if the shelf is empty look around and/or ask an employee. Lots of times they have more other places.

Retails: $70

Total Spent: $24.64

Percent Off: 65%

plus I have a $5 Rite Aid Rebate coming. Factoring that in,

Total Spent: $19.64

Percent Off: 72%

Plus I have $5 in UpRewards (Rite Aid's catalinas) to spent in the next 2 weeks.

I got my ideas from AThrifyMom. Check out her deal scenarios.

This sale ends tonight.

Money Left for the Month: $78.50

Beef Stroganoff: This is Good.

2010-08-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

I've tried a few stroganoff recipes in my day and they've all been fine, but this recipe I made tonight was Good. Real Good.

I have got to start menu planning lighter foods because when they turn out good I cannot stop eating them. I'm afraid I am going the wrong direction in my weight loss. No surprise.

Anyways, I tweaked this recipe from allrecipe.

This is so not my picture. I didn't think to take one until everything was in baggies and the natural light was gone. Let's just say my picture did not turn out very attractive.

Beef Stroganoff: My El Guapo

Ingredients:

1 pound beef top sirloin steak (original calls for chuck roast)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beef broth or 1 cup water and 1 tsp beef granules
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
couple Tbsp butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth or 1 1/2 cup water and 1 1/2 tsp beef granules
1 tsp mustard
6 ounces canned sliced mushrooms, drained or fresh ones, if that's what you have (Matt is not a mushroom fan so we left this out. Too bad. I am on Team Mushrooms)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Marinade beef in Worcestershire, garlic, and 1 c beef broth for a few hours in the fridge. I like to marinade in a gallon baggy on top of a plate.
Pull the meat out of the baggy (don't throw away the marinade!), remove any fat from the meat and cut into real thin strips about 2 inches long. Season with 1/2 tsp on salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef strips quickly then pull them out and put them on a plate or large bowl. Don't be nervous with all the liquid in the pan- this is good. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add them to the beef.
Stir the flour into the juices. Pour in beef broth and marinade left in the baggy and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and stir in mustard.
Cover and simmer for an hour or so or until tender. If you want to really be wowed, at this point throw it all in a crock pot on low for a few hours to get super tender meat.
5 minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and cream cheese. Heat then salt and pepper to taste. I also added a dash or two of garlic powder because we like our garlic around here.

Serve over egg noodles.

Serves 6-8, depending on how gluttonous you are. Want to guess how many servings it made for us?

Ease of Preparation: B+

This was not hard, but it took some time.
I guess I've got to burn off those calories some how.

Taste: A-

The flavor was really yummy but I wished the meat was a bit more tender which is why I suggested throwing it all in the crock pot to simmer for a few hours. If the meat had been a bit softer this would be an A for sure.

Overall: A- (but a high A-, almost an A!)

$1.19/pack of Huggies!

2010-08-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, so that was KIND of a lie, that $1.19/pack title up there, but not really. Let me explain.

Right now Rite Aid has Huggies jumbo packs on for $8.99

- use a $2 coupon from here

- AND use a $2 coupon from Rite Aid's Ad Perks site. You do have to watch a 30 second commercial to get to the coupon and you can only print one.

- So we're down to $4.99

- When you buy a Huggies jumbo pack a $2 UpRewards (Rite Aid's catalina) prints that you can use on any non prescription item in the store in the next 2 weeks.

- If you factor that in, we're down to $2.99. (You are shelling out that $2 from the UpReward up front though. That's where the "lying" thing kind of comes in to play.)

- Plus I went in with my sister to get $25 worth of stuff so we could use the $5 coupon, meaning $1.80 off the $8.99 sale price.

- Which brings us to $1.19!

This ends up being 3.8 cents/diaper for size 3. Wow.

FYI: Costco's Huggies are 18.3 cents a diaper and the Kirkland are 18.7 for a size 3.

My sister got 3 things of John Frieda shampoo/conditioner and 8 things of Royal Gelatin plus my diapers and we paid $12 between us with $4 in UpRewards and a $5 rebate. Factoring that in, we paid $3! Sweet.

Oh, and this is all perfectly within their rules, not shady at all.

I love the Rite Aid game. Check out Hip2Save for all the things on sale this week with coupon matchups and UtahDealDiva for some sweet deal scenarios.

This sale ends Saturday night, but you might want to call your Rite Aid and see what they have in stock before you drive all the way over there. As always, if they're out you can find out when they restock and go then or get a raincheck. The UpReward may not print for you if you get the raincheck though.

Total Spent: $3.19

Money Left for the Month: $98.14

UPDATE: AThriftyMom has some killer Huggies scenarios. Check it out if you're in Baby Mode.

WInco = Bulk Food Heaven

2010-08-24T13:19:00.001-07:00

I might have had the funnest time in the bulk foods section at Winco yesterday. It is like a dream, all of those bins filled with super cheap wonderfulness.

Total Spent: $24.19

5 things I would like to point out in regards to the bulk section:

All of those bay leaves cost me $.04. Nice.
That 5 lb bag of dog food cost me $1.56.
I bought Quinoa. What is quinoa? I have no idea. My little sister said it was good for me and I could use it like rice and I got a bit swept up in the moment. I'll give it a shot. Any of you know how to say "quinoa?" She told me but I cannot remember. How about eaten some? Any ideas?
Have you ever tried dried mangos? They are Good, mostly because they are covered in sugar so it's a total health food.
The honey was cheaper on the shelf than it was from the bee hives in bulk (No, I'm not kidding. They have bee hives. They have EVERYTHING back there, except curry paste apparently, darn it all.)

Money Left for the Month: $101.33

Rebates. I'm in the Money!

2010-08-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

I got a couple of rebates this last week. I got a $5 one from Precious string cheese and a $12 Rite Aid rebate. Since I take the money out of my budget when I purchase stuff, it gets added back in when I get the money back.

Money Left for the Month: $125.52

What to do with Tomatillos? Enchilada Sauce.

2010-08-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

These are tomatillos. They kind of look like small green tomatoes with a husk.

I had no idea of their wonder before last year when Buy Low had them on some crazy sale and I determined to find a use for them. I stumbled on this recipe below and my life will never be the same.

I harvested my 1st batch of tomatillos yesterday and was super excited to make Enchiladas.

This is such a yummy recipe and I just feel like a Fancy Jane making the sauce.

I use this recipe here from allrecipes and LOVE it. It's not too complicated and tastes way better than the canned stuff. Their recipe also has directions for cooking the chicken and making the whole enchilada if you're interested. It turns out really flavorful.

Enchilada Verde Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed
2-5 serrano peppers (depends on how spicy you like life. I've also used jalapenos in a pinch but the serrano is pretty fabulous.)
1/4 onion
2 cloves garlic
pinch salt
chicken broth, about 1 1/2 cups

Directions:

Place tomatillos and peppers in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until the tomatillos have changed to an army green color.
Strain. Put in a blender and add the onion, garlic, and salt. Add enough broth to cover the veggies plus an inch. Blend until pureed.
Heat sauce in pot.

I heated corn tortillas in oil, softened them in the enchilada sauce, filled them with chicken and mozzarella, and topped them with more sauce and cheese, avocado, cilantro and fresh salsa.

We had these Egg Deliciousness this morning with the leftovers.

You could also cook chicken in this sauce in a wok and serve it over rice.

Yum.

Ease of Preparation: A-

Pretty easy

Taste: A-

Pretty good.

Overall: A-

Maceys: Real Cheap Chicken

2010-08-20T20:57:00.001-07:00

Total Spent: $5.81

I used a couple of coupons from the Maceys coupon book I got in the mail a few weeks ago: the $3 super saver pack of meat and the $1 off hard rolls. With the super saver meat coupon, try and go for the smallest pack possible- it gives you the best price/pound.

I totally intended to make my own bread today but the doctor appointment for my baby threw me off. Apparently he has an ear infection. Poor little guy. I was next door picking up his meds and ran here really quick.

compiled my list from pinchingyourpennies.

This sale ends Tuesday night.

Money Left for the Month: $108.52

I'm Making Some Changes...

2010-08-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am pathetic. I spend SO MUCH TIME typing out prices for this blog so that I can accurately gauge my percent off. WHO CARES?!! Really, what am I trying to prove? Way to go Joy. Wow. You are a great shopper. Now brag all about it and use up all of your precious baby-free time. Good job. Get nothing else done. Way to go.

After much thought I have decided to stop keeping track of all that. I will link you to the place on the web that I got the prices for my deals and let you know if I've found a deal that's not listed anywhere.

I will still shop the same, take pictures and keep track of my budget here, just not break down every single item's price. What is so amazing is that shopping this way is no big deal. It's just posting about it. Crazy, huh? If I'm shopping at a store that says the percentage on the receipt like Smiths I'll still post that.

I'm sorry if this is annoying to you. I really wish I could do everything but alas, I cannot. Darn.

As a side note, I've got some new ideas in the works for this blog that I hope will be more beneficial for everyone. Stay tuned.

Menu, baby.

2010-08-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Between the super cheap produce at Buy Low and the stuff that's managed to grow between all the weeds that is my garden, I am loving life! I'm growing tomatillos this year for the first time. Kind of fun. And I can I just say that bell pepper plants are amazing? These tiny plants have huge peppers- it's crazy!

Main Course:

Grilled Tilapia and Mango Salsa
Turkey and Swiss Sandwich on homemade bread with Avocado Chimichurri spread
Chicken Enchiladas with Authentic Verde Sauce
Brazilian Chicken with Coconut Milk
Beef Stroganoff over noodles
Pork Taco Salad

Extras:

Avocado icing. Looks interesting.
Brazilian Limeade. Again and again and again. mmmm.
Homemade salsa with chips
Pear Crisp. Didn't make this last week, darn it.

Need to Buy for the Menu:

Besides the fresh fruits and veggies I got today, nothing! I menu plan on purpose around what I already have stockpiled in my house. That way, I can afford to eat well.

Buy Low: 2 Day Produce and Meat Deals

2010-08-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

Wow, Buy Low has made me a happier woman. They have extended their extra sales for produce from just Wednesday to Wednesday and Thursday and their extra meat deals now go Friday and Saturday. So nice. There was hardly anyone there when I went this morning. Pretty easy shopping.

Total Spent: $15.24

Would you be mad if I lazily just attached the link to the ad for you to see the prices? I just am too tired to type it all out. I am certain that I got well over 50% off today, but what can I say? I am lazy.

Here's the ad.

The only stuff on extra sale today are the avocados (5/$1), plums (3lb/$1) and onion (4lb/$1). The rest of the stuff ends Tuesday night.

I love Buy Low!

Money Left for the Month: $114.33

Smiths 88% Off: FREE Pringles, $.38 Popsicles, $.49 Dog Treats!

2010-08-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

My baby has been so sick with a temperature of over 103, poor little guy. I ran out last night to pick up some more meds for him and snagged a few deals.

I think he's doing better today, thank goodness. It's been a long couple of days.

Smiths

Retails: $43.60

Total Spent: $5.31

Percent Off: 88%

How did I do it?

I paid with $8 in catalinas I got the last time I shopped at Smiths.

Smiths has an Add Up the Savings Promo continuing this week: Save $4 when you buy any combination of 8 participating items, basically $.50 off each items. Everything I bought is in this promo except the meds, the pringles, the raisinets, and the popsicles.

Great Deals:

Pringles, reg. $1.65

- used FREE coupon I won from Smiths Spin the Wheel game

- FREE!!!

Popsicles, reg. $1.79

- on sale $.78

- used $.40 ecoupon

- $.38!!

Ceasar Dog Treats, reg. $3.99

- on sale $2.99/$2.49 when you buy 8 participating items

- used $2 coupon from newspaper

- $.49!!

Kroger Deluxe Ice Cream, reg. $2.08

- on sale $2.08/$1.58 wyb 8

- used $.50 ecoupon

- $1.08!!

Good Deals:

Raisinets, reg. $3.39

- on sale $2.79

- used $1.50 coupon I got from the catalina machine a few weeks back

- $1.29!

Ok Deals:

Meds, reg. $4

(they were out of the infant stuff so the nurse told me the dosage to give him from the childrens. Did you know they are the same thing, just the infant stuff is more concentrated? Good to know.)

For details on the cheese (the catalina has ended on this. sad.) and the sobes look here.

This sale ends Tuesday night.

thanks utahdealdiva!

Money Left for the Month: $129.57

Am I in Shrimp Heaven?

2010-08-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Goodness.

This shrimp was delicious. Delicious. Did I mention it was Delicious?

Because it was Delicious.

If you have this stuff to make this, do it now. You will wonder why any other recipe involving shrimp exists (except maybe Coconut Shrimp- come on, it's like fried candy!)

I basically made this recipe here from allrecipes but tweaked it a little- shocker, I know- for what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

1 cup olive oil
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley or a couple Tbsp dried
1 lemon, juiced or 2-3 Tbsp bottled
2 Tbsp tabasco sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
skewers (I grilled 1/2 of this last night and the rest today for lunch and used 3 very full skewers both times)

Directions:

In a gallon baggy, mix everything besides the shrimp together. Reserve a small amount, a few Tbsps, for basting later. Add shrimp, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Preheat grill for medium-low heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.
Grill those yummy little guys for about 5 minutes per side or until opaque (wow. that's a fancy word), basting frequently with the reserved marinade. Or twice if you're me.

I served it over white rice and it was perfect. The original recipe says pasta, so whatever floats your boat will work. We had it with Alton Brown's Oven Roasted Broccoli, a loaf of bread that's new to me that will add another 5 pounds to my hips that I will post about later, and another limeade drink. I really did not want to stop eating. Matt even did the dishes last night! Who needs restaurants?

Recipe Review:

Ease of Preparation: B+

Anything involving shrimp just takes longer. My shrimp were deveined, but I still had to remove the shell and tails on each one and that just plum takes time. Maybe if I were to actually get the large shrimp instead of these little things? Huh.
After that though it goes really fast.

Taste: A+

Matt has dubbed these "The Best Shrimp I Have Ever Had." This is big. I tend to agree, excluding the afore-mentioned Coconut Shrimp with which I have an unnaturally strong affection.

Overall: A

The only thing I would warn you about is the tabasco sauce. I'm a medium salsa lover and I could definitely taste that tabasco. It wasn't hot for me but if you're a ketchup-salsa kind of person (Mom) then you might want to think about decreasing the tabasco by a bit.

Feta Cheese Coupon

2010-08-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

Feta Cheese is something we rarely have here- it's just expensive and there aren't too many good sales/coupons for it.

Athenos has a Buy One Get One Free coupon here; just 'like' them on facebook. Don't forget to push your back button a few times to be able to print it twice.

I'm seeing a delicious salad in my near future...

thanks hip2save!

Maceys 66% Off: $.99/lb Ground Beef, $.15 Canned Veggies, $.39 Sour Cream

2010-08-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Too bad I completely forgot to post this. Matt was out of town all of last week and by Saturday I was, let's just say, less than perfect. From out of state he got me a babysitter, sweet man, and so what did I do? Went grocery shopping of course!

It was bliss. I wandered around aimlessly, taking my own sweet time and looking at whatever I wanted to for as long as I wanted. I leisurely flipped through coupons and chatted happily on the phone. It was exactly what I needed. I didn't buy a whole lot, but that wasn't why I was there.

Should I be concerned that when I have alone time I go to the grocery store? Kind of seems like a topic for a few therapy sessions to me.

Anyways, here's my trip to Maceys. Sorry it's being posted so late.

Retails: $36.85

Total Spent: $12.65

Percent Off: 66%

How did I do it?

Great Deals:

Ground beef, reg. $3.78/lb

- on sale $1.78/lb

- used $3 off super saver's pack of meat coupon from mailed coupon book

- $.99/lb!!! (Hint: get the smallest pack possible for the best price/lb)

Libby's canned veggies, reg. $1

- on sale $.48

- used $1/3 printable I printed a long time ago, sorry!

- $.15!!!

LaFlor tortillas, reg. $1

- on sale $.59

- used $.20 coupon from mailed coupon book

- $.39!!!

Sour Cream, reg. $1.32

- on sale $.78!!

Good Deals:

Kraft Parmesan, reg. $4.89

- on sale $2.50 (i think, I lost my receipt!)

- used $1/2 coupon from a blinkie in the chip aisle in Smiths

- $2!!

Coconut Milk, reg. $.99

cheapest price I have seen ANYWHERE. I bought a couple to test out the brand.

this sale ends tonight.

Money Left for the Month: $134.88

Smiths 82% Off: FREE Nut Clusters, $1.39/lb Cheese, $.48 Cereal, $.24 SoBe!

2010-08-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

First off, I want you all to know 3 things:

I KNOW that I have bought a TON of junk the last 2 trips
I'm giving a lot of it away. Ok, maybe not A LOT, but a good amount. This snacky stuff makes great pick-me-up gifts.
It's called "food storage" for a reason. I'm not eating it all tonight. (although one of those Warm Delights might be calling my name for dessert after dinner...)

Alright, I feel a little bit better. Not a lot, but a bit.

On to the junk food purchases

Retails: $110.14

Total Spent: $20.05

Percent Off: 82%

plus I have $8 in catalinas (like gift cards) to spend on anything in the store in the next 2 weeks.

How did I do it?

Smiths has an Add Up the Savings Promo: Save $4 when you buy any combination of 8 participating items, basically $.50 off each items. Everything I bought is in this promo except the vitamins.

I paid using the $6 in Rewards check I got from using my Smiths card this quarter. I also split up my purchases into 2 transactions and used the $3.50 catalina I earned from the Nut Clusters to help pay for that.

Great Deals:

Nut Clusters, reg. $3.99

- on sale $1.99/$1.49 when you buy 8 participating items

- bought 5

- used 5 $1 coupon from target.com (manufacturers coupon) and 8/8 GM newspaper

- prints a catalina: buy 3 get $1.50, buy 4 get $2.50, buy 5 get $3.50

- factoring in the catalina,

- FREE + $.21 Money Maker each wyb 5!!!!

Kraft Cheese, 16 oz, reg. $6.49

- on sale $3.29/$2.79

- bought 5

- used 2 $1/2 coupon from blinkie dispenser in store (in Provo it's in the chip aisle)

- prints a catalina: buy 5 get $5

- factoring in the catalina,

- $1.39 for a lb wyb 5!!!

Betty Crocker Fruit Roll Ups, Fruit by the Foot, Gushers, reg. $2.99

- on sale $1.99

- bought 5

- used 2 $.50/2 coupon from 8/8 GM newspaper

- prints a catalina: buy 3 get $1.50, buy 4 get $2, buy 5 get $3

- factoring in the catalina,

- $.69 wyb 5!!!

Golden Grahams, reg. $2.88

- on sale $1.99/$1.49

- used $1 coupon got with free samples in the newspaper a few months ago

- $.48!!!

SoBe, reg. $1.49 (wow!)

- on sale $.98/$.48

- used Buy One Get One Free coupon (have to play the game to win it)

- $.24!!!

Powerade Zero, reg. $1.19

- on sale $.98/$.48

- used $.60/3 coupon I got from my Smiths rewards mailer

- $.28!!!

Disney Spiderman Vitamins, 60 count, reg. $7.99

- on sale $3.99

- used $1 coupon from 8/1 RP newspaper

- $2.99!!

Hefty Baggies, reg. $3.19

- on sale $1

- used $.15 peelie coupon from box

- $.85!!

This sale ends Tuesday night.

compiled list from pinchingyourpennies GrocerySmarts list and thread.

Money Left for the Month: $147.53

Cheap-o White Sauce aka: Using Up Some Cream Cheese

2010-08-11T21:37:00.001-07:00

I have a few blocks of cream cheese that I got for free from Smiths a few weeks back. I love that cream cheese has a poll date like 4 months away. Yikes. What's in that stuff?

Anyways, I'm on the look out for recipes to use it. My brilliant sis-in-law Casey made a great white sauce (translation: fake alfredo) at our family reunion. Guess what it calls for: cream cheese! Hooray! You could totally use this as a pizza sauce, a dip for breadsticks, or serve it over pasta like I did last night. I have made a few changes, sorry Casey!, adding more calories. Mmm.

I just can't figure out why I can't loose that baby weight...

Caseys White Sauce that Joy Tweaked

(official name)

Ingredients:

clove or two minced garlic (or some garlic powder)

4 T butter

1 c chicken broth (or 1 cube bouillon with 1 c water)

2 T flour

1/3 c cream cheese

3-4 T parmesan

pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: (watch out- this is super hard)

1. In a saucepan, saute the garlic in the melted butter over medium high heat.

2. Mix in flour then broth.

3. Add in cream cheese. Stir until combined.

4. Throw in the parmesan. Live a little.

5. Season to taste.

6. Eat, eat, eat.

I grilled chicken the other day and had some left over so I threw that on top. By the way, I have recently discovered the beauty of marinade packets. Love them. And I tend to get them free, so it's a good situation.

But that's totally off topic. Sorry.

I served it with breadtwists and strawberry limeade, both of which were delicious. Sam (my 2 year old) took one sip of the limeade and said, "Sour. Nasty." Can't win them all, I guess.

I meant to make the garlic spinach too but ran out of time. Plus both boys were NOT having a good day. That would be an understatement. We were lucky to not be eating Mac & Cheese.

Buy Low 82% Off: CHEAP Snacks ($.05 Warm Delights), Produce!!!

2010-08-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so is all of the junk food cancelled out by the produce?

This is definitely the place to be this week around Provo. If you've wanted to check out Buy Low but haven't, GO THIS WEEK. And buy tons of junk like me. It will make me feel better.

Special Attention to the Warm Delights: There were a bunch today with peelies (coupons stuck on the box) that made them $.30. All you have to do is walk down the aisle, put them in your cart, peel off the coupon, and hand it to the cashier. Couldn't be easier.

Happy Hunting.

Retails: $103.71

Total Spent: $19.13

Percent Off: 82%

How did I do it?

Great Deals

Warm Delights, reg. $2.95

- on sale $.80

- used $.75 coupon from 8/8 General Mills newspaper. They also had $1/2 peelies on a lot of them.

- $.05 or $.30!!!, depending on your coupon

Chex Mix, reg. $2.89

- on sale $.80

- used $.50 coupon for Sweet and Salty Chex Mix from 8/8 GM newspaper

- $.30!!!

Gardettos, reg. $2.99

- on sale $.80

- used $.50 printables here and here

- $.30!!!

Bugles, reg. $2.99

- on sale $.80

- used $.50 coupon for Carmel or Chocolate PB Bugles from 8/8 GM newspaper

- $.30!!!

Bartlett Pear, reg. $1.59/lb

- on sale 3lb/$.99!!!

* Limes, reg. $.50 each

- on sale $.10!!!

* Spinach, reg. $1.50 each

- on sale 3/$1!!!

Peaches, reg. $2.49/lb

- on sale 3 lb/$.98!!!

Broccoli, reg. $1.29/lb

- on sale 2 lb/$.99!!!

Blueberries, 6 oz. reg. $3.49

- on sale $.98!!

Good Deals

Pringles, reg. $2.99?

- on sale $.99

- used $1/4 coupon from 8/1 P&G newspaper

- $.74!! wyb 4

Egg Noodles, reg. $1.99

- on sale $.80!

* Strawberries, 1 lb, reg. $2.99

- on sale $1!!

Oranges, reg. $1/lb

- on sale $.69/lb!!

Grapes, green, reg. $1.99/lb

- on sale $.99/lb!

Cilantro, reg. $.69

- on sale $.50

* = Produce deals that end tonight.

this sale ends Tuesday night. See Buy Low ad for more on sale.

Money Left for the Month: $167.58

delicious menu

2010-08-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my absence last week. Our family reunion was really fun! How could it not be with a million people under one roof?

We ended up with WAY too much food, darn it all, and I was able to bring some back with me. I made Pizza Joes (like sloppy joes but with pizza stuff) the other night with some of it, using this recipe at Recipe Shoebox as a base. I added italian sausage, garlic, chopped olives, and parmesan to it as well.

Menu:

chicken pesto pizza on the grill
beef fajitas
thai chicken pasta
shredded pork sandwiches on homemade buns with Greek Salad
grilled marinated shrimp (I didn't get to this when it was on the menu before)
pasta with homemade alfredo sauce and breadtwists

Need for the Menu:

1/4 c orange juice (or a few oranges)
cilantro
fresh fruits and veggies- Buy Low, here I come!
Nothing else! I menu plan around what I already have in my cupboards, fridge, and freezer as much as I can so that I can afford to stock up on what is on sale for the week. This way my money goes WAY further.

UPDATE:

Sides/Extras: After looking at Buy Low's killer produce prices for the week, I thought I'd find some recipes to use these great deals.

Oven Roasted Broccoli
Garlic Sauteed Spinach (I've made this before- SO good!)
Strawberry Limeade
Pear Crisp

Maceys 61% Off: CHEAP Eggs, Steak, Sausage!

2010-08-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

Retails: $34.41

Total Spent: $13.29

Percent Off: 61%

How did I do it?

Great Deals:

Eggs, medium dozen, reg. $.79

- used $.50 coupon from local calendar that came in the mail months ago.

- $.29!!!

Sirloin Tip Steaks, super savers pack, reg. $2.28/lb

- used $3 store coupon from Maceys coupon book that came in the mail last week.

- $.64/lb or $1.17 for 1.83 lbs!!!

Good Deals:

Farmland Bacon, reg. $5.89

- on sale $3.98

- used $1.50 store coupon from Maceys coupon book that came in the mail last week.

- used $.55 coupon from 8/8 SS newspaper

- $1.93!!

Johnsonville Italian Sausage, reg. $4.19

- on sale $2.99

- used $1.50 store coupon from Maceys coupon book that came in the mail last week.

- $1.49!!

Johnsonville Sausage, reg. $4.29

- on sale $2.89

- used $1 store coupon from Maceys coupon book that came in the mail last week.

- $1.89!!

Land O Frost 16 oz Premium Lunch Meat, reg. $5.49

- on sale $2.99

- used $.50 store coupon from Maceys coupon book that came in the mail last week.

- used $.55 coupon from 8/8 RP newspaper

- $1.94!!

Don Julio tortillas, reg. $1.99

- on sale $.98!!

Lettuce, reg. $1.49

- on sale $.89!!

Goldfish Grahams, reg. $2.19

- on sale $1.79

- used $1 printable from a while back, no longer available

- $.79!

Milk, reg. $1.98

- on sale $1.67!

This sale ends Tuesday night.

The coupons in the coupon book ends the 17th of August.

Money Left for the Month: $186.71

July Budget Review

2010-08-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not a regular grocery shopper. I buy stuff before I even need it, matching manufacturer coupons with store sales. This way I'm able to "shop" from my own pantry and pay a fraction of retail with items I use. No, we will not use all those fruit roll ups this month, but we will use them this year. When I make meals for us, I menu plan around what we already have on our shelves and in the freezer. There are occasional items I have to pay full price for, but they are the exception as I build up my food storage with stuff we actually use, all for less then I used to spend just to get us by every month. Want to learn how I do it? Check this out.

Retails: $575.46

Total Spent: $184.90

Percent Off: 68%

This month in addition to perishables like milk, produce, and yogurt, I was able to stock up on diapers, marinades, body wash, toilet paper, toothpaste, cheese slices, frozen chicken, gum, glue sticks, bleach, dog food, juice, soy sauce, spices, mac and cheese, paper towels, pasta, mustard, pineapple, tissues, cheese, pasta roni, qtips, cream cheese, margarine, popsicles, chips, rolaids, miracle whip, frozen pizza, breaded chicken, razor, paper plates, ribs, pretzels, sugar, koolaid, artichoke hearts, tuna, canning lids, salt.

Smiths 52% Off: FREE bodywash, marinades; CHEAP Diapers!

2010-07-31T16:09:00.000-07:00

And you thought I was done shopping for the month. Not so!

I looked under the kids' beds last night and was not happy to see how low we are on diapers.

So I made another trip to Smiths. Hooray.

Retails: $46.90

Total Spent: $22.96

Percent Off: 52%

How did I do it?

Smiths is running a Rounding Up promotion through Sat. Any coupon under $1 will round up to a dollar, so a $.25 coupon is magically a $1 coupon. The registers do it automatically at checkout.

They also have a Proctor and Gamble promotion where for every 4 participating items you buy, $4 automatically comes off. I starred all the P&G items I purchased.

Great Deals:

Weber Marinades, reg. $1.19

- on sale $.89

- used $.50 coupon from 6/27 SS newspaper

- coupon automatically rounds to price of item

- FREE!!!

* See this post for details on the Gillette Body Wash.

* Luvs Diapers, Mega Pack, reg. $11.79

- on sale $9.99

- $1 off each when you buy 4 participating P&G products

- used $2 coupon from 6/27 RP newspaper (expires today, may be another in tomorrows paper)

- $6.99!! This ends up being 11.65 cents/diaper for a size 4! Costco is 20.8 for Huggies and 21.3 for Kirkland. If you were able to buy the 200 count Huggies at Costco at this 11.65 cents/diaper, it would only cost $23.30 instead of $41.69!

see previous post here for other deals.

thanks pinchingyourpennies Costco thread

The Rounding Up couponing event ends Saturday night. The sale prices end Tuesday night.

compiled list from SavvySisterShops, UtahDealDiva, and PinchingYourPennies thread and Grocerylist.

Money Left for the Month: $6.82

Smiths 80% Off: FREE Bodywash, Toothpaste; CHEAP Charmin!

2010-07-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

I went to Provo and Orem Smiths today, attempting to get everything I wanted before the Rounding Up to $1 coupon event ends tomorrow. I didn't get everything, but I feel pretty good about what I did get.

not pictured: that darn 20 oz mustard. The Orem Smiths had it for cheaper so I had them adjust the price instead of returning them.

Retails: $73.04

Total Spent: $14.26

Percent Off: 80%

How did I do it?

Smiths is running a Rounding Up promotion through Sat. Any coupon under $1 will round up to a dollar, so a $.25 coupon is magically a $1 coupon. The registers do it automatically at checkout.

They also have a Proctor and Gamble promotion where for every 4 participating items you buy, $4 automatically comes off. I starred all the P&G items I purchased.

Great Deals:
* Gillette Bodywash, reg. $4.99
- on sale $2.99
- $1 off each when you buy 4 participating P&G products
- used $2 coupon from 6/6 P&G newspaper
- FREE!!!

* Old Spice Body Wash, reg. $3.29
- on sale $2.99
- $1 off each wyb 4 participating P&G products
- used Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) coupon from 6/6 or 7/4 P&G newspaper
- used $2/2 ecoupon
- 2 for FREE!!!

Ivory Bodywash, reg. $2.49
- on sale $1
- use $.25 or $.50 from 6/6 P&G newspaper
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- used $.50 ecoupon
- FREE + $.50 overage!!!

Crest Toothpaste, 6.4 oz, reg. $2.39
- on sale $1
- used $.50 from 6/6 P&G, $.50 or $.75 from 6/27 RP
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- FREE!!!

Yoplait Whips, reg. $.53
- used $.55/2 coupon
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- $.03!!!

* Charmin, 12 Big rolls + bonus 4 big rolls = 16 big rolls, big roll= 176 sheets, reg. $7.95
- on sale $6.99
- $1 off each wyb 4 participating P&G products
- used $.25 6/6 or 7/4 P&G newspapers
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- used $3 ecoupon
- $1.99!!! (Costco has a 30 count of Charmin that has 250 sheets- a larger roll- at $18.99. That ends up being $.0025/sheet. This price is $.0007 a sheet. If you bought Charmin at Costco at this price per sheet it would cost $5.25. Wow.)

Best Life Buttery Spread, reg. $2.49
- on sale $1
- used $1 coupon from 6/13 RP or $1 from 7/11
- FREE!!!

Trident Whitening, reg. $1.29
- on sale $.79
- used $.50 coupon
- automatically adjusts to be $.79 (value of item)
- FREE!!!

Goldfish Grahams, reg. $2.18
- on sale $1.99
- used $.75 coupon from coupons.com (not sure if still available)
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- used $.75 ecoupon
- $.24!!

Good Deals:
Cache Valley Sliced Cheese, reg. $1.99
- on sale $1.69
- used $.55 coupon from 5/23 SS newspaper
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- $.69!!

Chicken, boneless skinless, 4 lb, reg. $11.99
- on sale $6.96! (This is $1.74/lb. Costco is 2.26/lb. To buy Costco's 6.5 lb bag at this price would cost $11.31 instead of $14.71.)

Bananas, $.49/lb

see previous post here for other deals.

thanks pinchingyourpennies Costco thread

The Rounding Up couponing event ends Saturday night. The sale prices end Tuesday night.

compiled list from SavvySisterShops, UtahDealDiva, and PinchingYourPennies thread and Grocerylist.

Money Left for the Month: $29.78
Holy cow! I have $30 left and tomorrow's the end of the month! Write this event down in your journals because you don't see this every day.

Walmart 64% Off: FREE Gum, $.25 Glue and Crayons!

2010-07-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

We were on the way home from Winco last night when Sam started crying, "Walmart! Walmart!" He WANTED to go to Walmart. Did I mention that we had already been in Winco FOREVER buying stuff for my family reunion?

It's amazing what getting to look at the fish swimming around will do to a child. Poor, deprived child.

So off to Walmart we went!

Retails: $22.62

Total Spent: $8.17

Percent Off: 64%

How did I do it?

Great Deals:

Dentyne Pure gum, reg. $.96

- used $1 coupon from newspaper

- FREE!!!

Glue Sticks, 2 pack, reg. $.97

- on sale $.25!!!

Crayons, 24 pack, reg. $.97?

- on sale $.25!!!

Good Deals:

Kraft Cheese, 8 oz, reg. $2.69?

- on sale $2

- used $1 peelie on bag

- $1!

Odwalla Juice, reg. $1.50 (and yes, the bigger one IS empty. Thanks for noticing! It was pretty good.)

- used $1 coupon I got from another store a while ago

- $.50!

Blueberry Juice, reg. $1.88

- used $1 coupon hanging from juice

- $.88!

Clorox 2, reg. $3.86

- used $2 coupon I got from coupons.com a while ago. I'm not sure if it's still available.

- $1.86! (thought I'd give this a try!)

Ok Deals:

Coconut Milk, reg. $1.28 (this is the cheapest I have found it in a LONG time)

Money Left for the Month: $44.04

Winco 48% Off: $.25 Apple Juice, CHEAP Spices, Dog Food!

2010-07-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

I went to Winco to buy a bunch of stuff for our upcoming family reunion and couldn't resist snagging a few things for me too.

Retails: $16.38

Total Spent: $8.55

Percent Off: 48%

While this percentage isn't as high as it usually is, I feel great about it knowing that I spent so little on all the bulk stuff. It really isn't about percentages as much as it's about paying as low as possible for each item. (spoken by someone who got a lousy percent off!)

Also, Winco doesn't list their regular prices on things on sale so I entering the items I bought on this list on SavvyShopperDeals and used the regular prices at other stores. When the item wasn't listed I used my best guess and made it up. Nice.

How did I do it?

Great Deals:

Langers Apple Juice, 64 oz, reg. $2.99

- on sale $1.25

- used $1 coupon I got from a store a while back

- $.25!!!

Sesame Seeds, $2.86/lb (bulk)

- $.54 to refill my container, and some left over!!!

Curry, reg. $2.67/lb (bulk)

- $.11 to refill my container!!!

Cumin, reg. $3.38/lb (bulk)

- $.34 to refill my container!!!

Dog Food, reg. $.32/lb (bulk)

- $2.31 for a TON of food!!!

Good Deals:

Marshmallows, reg. $1.59

- on sale $.88!!

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, reg. $.75

- on sale $.68

- used $.55/2 printable coupon (sorry, I don't know where I got this)

- $.40 when you buy 2!

Grapes, red seedless, reg. $2.09/lb

- on sale $.98/lb!!

Kikkoman Soy Sauce, 20 oz, reg. $3.49

- on sale $1.98!

Money Left for the Month: $52.21

Smiths 71% Off: FREE Dawn, Pasta, $.09 Bounty, $.24 Warm Delights

2010-07-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

Items pictured but being returned: 2 mustards (rang up at $2.99 instead of $1.25) and 2 Welch's drinks (rang up $2.38 instead of $1.99) I'm keeping one of these- Sam had a cupful before I even had all the groceries out of the car.

Apparently these are priced lower at the stores closer to Winco and Ridleys.

Retails: $43.29

Total Spent: $12.55

Percent Off: 71%

I paid using a $5 catalina I got last week buying stuff for my family reunion. I feel happy as can be doing this as I am donating quite a few things from my stockpile to the reunion.

How did I do it?

Smiths is running a Rounding Up promotion today (wed) through Sat. Any coupon under $1 will round up to a dollar, so a $.25 coupon is magically a $1 coupon. The registers do it automatically at checkout. If you haven't gone already, I would call and find out when your store restocks and go then. I was there at 6:30 this morning and almost 1/2 of what I was looking for was gone.

Amazing Deals:

Bounty Basic paper towels, reg. $1.09
- used $.25 coupon from 6/6 PG and 7/4 PG newspapers
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- $.09!!!

American Beauty Quick Cook Pasta, reg. $1.69
- on sale $1
- used $.50 printable
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- FREE!!!

Warm Delights, reg. $1.99
- used $.50 printable
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- used $.75 ecoupon
- $.24!!!

Dawn Dish soap, 10.3 oz, reg. $1.59
- used $.25 coupon from 6/6 PG or 7/4 PG
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- used $.50 ecoupon
- FREE!!!

Great Deals:

Frigo String Cheese, 16 count, reg. $5.99
- on sale $2.97
- used $.50 coupon from 5/2 SS
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- $1.97!! (this is 12 cents a cheese. Sam's Club is 15 cents. It would cost about $7.20 if you bought the 60 cheeses at Sam's at the 12 cent price. They have it for $8.99)

Huggies/Pampers wipes, tub, reg. $2.59
- used $.50 coupon from 7/11 SS and 7/4 PG
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- $1.59! (2.2 cents for 72 count, 2.5 cents for 64. Huggies wipes are 2.4 at Costco.)

Dole Pineapple, reg. $.99
- on sale $.79
- used $.50/2 coupon from 6/27 SS
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- $.49!!

Kraft Mac and Cheese, reg. $.78
- used $.55/2 coupon from online somewhere...
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- $.28!!

Kleenex, reg. $1.29
- used $.50/2 coupon from 7/11 SS
- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon
- $.79!

Ok Deals:

Yoplait yogurt, reg. $.60

- used $.45/6 coupon printable

- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon

- plus used a $.40/6 ecoupon

- $.37 each when you buy 6!

Welch's refrigerated juice, reg. $2.38

- used $.75 coupon from 6/6 SS

- automatically adjusts to be a $1 coupon

- $1.38

The Rounding Up couponing event ends Saturday night. The sale prices end Tuesday night.

compiled list from SavvySisterShops, UtahDealDiva, and PinchingYourPennies thread and Grocerylist.

Money Left for the Month: $60.76

Menu! Super!

2010-07-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Main Dish:

Taco Salad
Stuffed Potato Pancakes
Chicken Parmesan Sandwich on homemade buns
Grilled Marinated Shrimp
Angel Chicken Pasta
Sloppy Joes

Need for the Menu:

Nothing! I really do my best to not have to buy anything for my menus but to choose meals that use stuff I've stockpiled. In that way I have money to buy the food that is on sale and build up my food storage. This doesn't mean I won't go shopping. I will probably want to get some more perishables for sides and snacks and I definitely WILL be shopping for other stuff, but I will buy what is super cheap at my price points.

Cheapskate Trick: Dryer Sheets

2010-07-26T13:06:00.001-07:00

This has nothing to do with anything, except keeping me from needing to buy dryer sheets. It's a little trick I picked up a while back and have loved.

When you open your box of dryer sheets, cut them in half. Then when you dry your clothes, just throw in the 1/2 sheet and love the magic.

This works awesome with Bounce sheets; I don't even notice a difference from a whole sheet. A box lasts twice as long! Nice.

WARNING: Before you cut the whole box I would run a load with a 1/2 sheet and see what you think. I halved a box with another brand a while back- I wish I remember which one!- and it was static city. Yikes. Did not work.

Strawberry Muffins: Mmmm Fay!

2010-07-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a recipe to use up my strawberries that were starting to go bad and suddenly wondered if there was such a thing as strawberry muffins. Guess what, there is! Hooray and yum. These are pretty darn good. I adapted this recipe here from allrecipes and was pretty happy how it turned out. Oh, and FYI: this was little less than a pound of strawberries to do both the muffins and butter.

Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1/4 c oil

1/2 c milk

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 t salt

2 t baking powder

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c packed brown sugar

1 3/4 c flour (I mostly used all purpose but used 1/4 c of wheat flour- I ran out of white and was too lazy to run downstairs to refill it. I'm glad though because it was yummy.)

1/2 t cinnamon

1/8 scant t nutmeg

1 1/2 c chopped strawberries (if using frozen, thaw slightly then chop)

Topping:

2 T sugar

1/4 t cinnamon

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray your muffin tins or use paper liners

2. In a small bowl, combine the first 4 items and beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix all the other items except the berries. When mixed, add berries and stir to coat. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.

3. Fill muffin cups. Sprinkle the topping over the muffins evenly.

4. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes (mine were done at 23) or until the tops bounce back to the touch. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans. Makes 12. Serve with Strawberry Butter.

Strawberry Butter

4 T room temperature butter

1/2 c chopped strawberries

1 t powdered sugar

Throw everything in the food processor and blend.

Ease of Preparation: B+

Not hard, but when I want muffins I want them NOW. There's the chopping of the berries and the dumping of everything else. Not hard.

Taste: A- (Matt), A (Joy)

These were REALLY good and so, so good warm.

Overall: A-

The only thing I would do differently is maybe try cream cheese in the Strawberry Butter instead of the butter. And then maybe change the name to, say, Strawberry Cream Cheese? Just going out on a limb.

57% Off: Super Cheap Soda and FREE Cheez-Its

2010-07-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

On top of their killer Mega Event going on right now, Smiths has a great price on Coca-Cola 12 packs. I snagged some today for our family reunion. Have I mentioned that I get to purchase the food? What a job! Someone else creates a menu, tells you what we need, gives you money, and you get to just pay for it. Love it.

Totally besides the point. Sorry.

Back to the deal: Coke 12 pack are on sale for $3.50 each. Each of these bad boys retails for $5.28! Wow. Buy 4 12 packs of Coke products and get a 5th for free, plus get 2 Cheez-Its for free! Sweet!

So for $14 plus tax you get 5 12 packs of soda and 2 boxes of Cheez-its.

This ends up being 57% Off!

You can only do this deal once per person per trip, so plan accordingly.

For other items on this sale, check out here and here.

This sale ends Tuesday night.

Buns: Now THAT is a good word.

2010-07-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

I seem to be on an eternal hunt for the best bread recipes. This recipe here from allrecipes is my current bun recipe. I'm a pretty big fan of it, although I did make a few changes this time that I liked.

Soft Sandwich Buns

1 1/4 cups milk (70 to 80 degrees F)
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
- *1/4 c wheat germ
- *2 heaping T dough enhancer
3 3/4 cups bread flour (I used all-purpose)
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

* Totally optional. This was my first time putting these in and I've made this recipe lots.

Directions

In bread machine pan, place the first 9 ingredients in the order listed. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
If you don't have a breadmaker then put the warm milk, sugar, and yeast in a bowl for about 5 minutes until foamy, add the rest of the ingredients, knead and let rise until doubled. Make sure the milk is not hot or cold but warm as it will kill the yeast.
When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. You're going to make 12 buns here so I like to divide dough in half (6 buns from each 1/2). Divide each half in half again (3 buns from each). Now divide each into 3. Form them into rounds.
Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Brush tops with melted butter. (why do I always forget the butter? )
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Don't under bake- I tend to make this mistake. Make sure the tops are darkly browned or the bottoms will get all soggy.
Immediately remove to a cooling rack or again, soggy buns. Nobody wants that.

Mmmm. Nothing quite like fresh bread.

Buy Low 61% Off: Super Cheap Produce!

2010-07-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

Buy Low

Retails: $26.26

Total Spent: $10.18

Percent Off: 61%

How did I do it?

FYI: Buy Low does not list the regular prices on any produce so I used the Shopping Wizard on SavvyShopperDeals for the regular prices on these items at other stores. When there were multiple prices, I took the lower one. If there wasn't an item listed then I (gasp) made it up.

Strawberries, 1 lb, reg. $2.99

- on sale $1!

Peaches, reg. $2.78/lb

- on sale 3 lbs/$1!!

Limes, reg. $.33 each

- on sale 5/$1!

Loose Carrots, reg. $1/lb

- on sale 2lb/$1!!

Mangos, reg. $.75

- on sale 2/$1!

Avocado, small, reg. $1.09

- on sale 5/$1!!

Russet Potatoes, 10 lb, reg. $3.49

- on sale $.99!

Cilantro, reg. $.69

- on sale $.50

Spinach, bunch, reg. $1

- on sale 3/$1!!

Ginger Root, reg. $1.99/lb

Daisy sour cream, 16 oz, reg. $2.19

- on sale $.98!

Gerber Rice Cereal, reg. $1.79

I'm so mad. I totally have a coupon for this but apparently didn't bring it with me. Darn it.

Sale ends Tuesday night, except for spinach, avocado and peaches. They were on sale today only.

Money Left for the Month: $73.31