I thought that I posted this over the weekend but I guess I didn't!!! The menu plan that was on the calendar for the week got changed after the trip to the store with a great deal on a steak and an okay deal on chicken wings that we haven't had in a long time (and added company on Wednesday night) so maybe it slipped my mind. I will try to be better about posting before we actually eat the food. I do plan the menu even if things are changing which does happen a lot but it is helpful because usually I just change the nights that certain things are being served (which can been seen by all the arrows on my calendar). I hope that this helps you to decide what is for dinner this week :)
Monday- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta (with veggie rotini)
Tuesday- Steak and Baked Potatoes
Wednesday- Chicken Wings and Tater Tots (Christmas with Sister in law and cousin)
Thursday- Crunchy Taco Rice
Friday- Spagetti and Meatballs with homeade garlic bread (new bread sticks if my son goes to school)
Saturday- Tacos
Sunday- Frozen Pizza
Great place to share couponing stories, cooking and baking recipes, and lots of fun for families without spending a lot of money.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Points Websites for free stuff
I love the free points websites. I have an account with Pampers, Huggies, Coke, Old Orchard Juice, Disney Movie Rewards, Recyclebank and a few other ones. I highly recommend that everyone get one (it might even be worthwhile with those without kids in diapers). There are tons of free points that comes up for Pampers and Huggies to add to it and tons of great stuff. I just added some more Pamper points this morning so I was thinking about it lots!! The Old Orchard and Recyclebank get points from watching videos and playing games.
I have gotten free Melissa and Doug Puzzles and Melissa and Doug Chalkboard/Dry Erase board with letters through Pampers. I got Crayola markers and paints through Huggies. I got free 20 oz Cokes through the Coke rewards for just 30 points each. I just got a free juice from Old Orchard from just watching videos and playing games. The Disney Movie rewards takes codes from DVD, Blu-Ray and movie tickets to give you free stuff. I just got a Winnie the Pooh movie for my son free and I am going to go shopping for more soon. I got coupons for Harris Teeter, Aveeno, and others through Recyclebank.
Pampers: http://www.pampers.com/en_US/home/
Huggies: http://www.huggies.com/en-US/rewards
Coke: http://www.mycokerewards.com/home.do
Old Orchard: http://oldorchard.com/club/#!/show/profile
Disney Movie Rewards: http://www.disneymovierewards.go.com/
Recyclebank: http://www.recyclebank.com/
Feel free to sign up and see if there is anything you can get for free!!!! I like to save up the toys and give it for birthday and Christmas presents but they are good for anytime!!! I hope that you love what you get :)
I have gotten free Melissa and Doug Puzzles and Melissa and Doug Chalkboard/Dry Erase board with letters through Pampers. I got Crayola markers and paints through Huggies. I got free 20 oz Cokes through the Coke rewards for just 30 points each. I just got a free juice from Old Orchard from just watching videos and playing games. The Disney Movie rewards takes codes from DVD, Blu-Ray and movie tickets to give you free stuff. I just got a Winnie the Pooh movie for my son free and I am going to go shopping for more soon. I got coupons for Harris Teeter, Aveeno, and others through Recyclebank.
Pampers: http://www.pampers.com/en_US/home/
Huggies: http://www.huggies.com/en-US/rewards
Coke: http://www.mycokerewards.com/home.do
Old Orchard: http://oldorchard.com/club/#!/show/profile
Disney Movie Rewards: http://www.disneymovierewards.go.com/
Recyclebank: http://www.recyclebank.com/
Feel free to sign up and see if there is anything you can get for free!!!! I like to save up the toys and give it for birthday and Christmas presents but they are good for anytime!!! I hope that you love what you get :)
Baking M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies
This the season to bake cookies. I made chocolate chip and M&M cookies the other night (remembering to take pictures). I also made Christmas cutout cookies (not remembering to make cookies). I would love to share the recipes so that you can make your own this holiday season.
But first, I love my Silpats!!! (Thanks Amy for buying my first one to get me addicted).
based on http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18476/Original-NESTL%C3%89-TOLL-HOUSE-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/detail.aspx
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda (sometimes I add a little paking powder for a cake-like cookie)
1 tsp salt
2 sticks of margarine, room temperature
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla (if you want to make it a little different- try almond YUM)
2 eggs
1/2 bag choc chips
bunches of M&Ms (whatever you feel you can spare)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until incorporated. Stir in chip and candy. Drop with wonderful cookie scoop on to wonderful Silpat or with a spoon onto a ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.
Christmas Cookies (based on recipe from my mother so I don't know where it came from)
3 sticks of margarine
1 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla (I used Almond which adds a little something extra)
1 egg
Beat well and then mix with:
4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
Roll out like dough (I swear that is exactly what my mom's directions say). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 8-10 minutes on a greased cookie sheet (or Silpat).
Like most of my mom's recipes, it is missing a few steps but they are implied. Flour a surface and use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough. Cut into wonderful festive shapes, currently I made christmas trees, stockings, candy canes, and gingerbread boys. I take the easy way out and put the sugar sprinkles on and then bake. My mother always frosted them after they came out of the oven and put sprinkles on then. My husband prefers them without frosting and prefer not to make it so it all works out well :)
I wish I took pictures of mine but I made them when I was exhusted but I was trying to get ready to go see Santa (now you get why we needed the cookies). We ate yummy paninis and christmas cookies while in line to see Santa. It was a nice treat and I hope that you all enjoy the recipes for your own families.
Every Store on Sunday
I highly recommend getting the most of when you leave the house but Sunday was packed full with excitement. I left around 7 am and was out almost all day. I went to CVS first and got the deal on the combos because they were $2 and you got $2 ECBs back. Then I used that and some of my remaining gift card to get diapers. I also bought a newspaper (not pictured) so with the use of the gift card it was no money out of pocket (OOP).
I left CVS and went to Bloom for Super Doubles (only on Sunday). There wasn't much in the ad that looked good but we were really low on all food at the house so I figured that I would go and look to see what they had. I got almost everything that I walked past so I think that I should have brought breakfast with me :) I found a couponing friend in the freezer section (we met at least a year ago at CVS through her sister, another couponer). She had meat in her cart and I remembered the good deals that Bloom has on their marked down meat. The nice thing is that they mark down the per pound price instead of just put a sticker on it like Giant does for $1 or $2 off. I am still not sure which one works out better but I know that I would rather know how much I am paying per pound so it is great for me. I found a fancy Angus Sirloin Steak for $3.14 (little less than a pound) and chicken wings for $5.22. Even they were two really strange purchases for me.... I was looking for something different to mix it up from the same stuff of boneless chicken and ground beef. It was a long shopping trip and then when I got to the checkout it became longer. The person in front of me was checking out a little funny but who am I to judge so I just put my stuff on the belt and minded my own business. I continued to try to figure out what they were doing but I thought that they were just trying to stay within a budget of money they had to spend but then I realized that people who do that don't usually have 10 frozen Pepperidge Farm Cakes. She explained to me that Bloom changed their policy and you have to give them the coupons after each item. I guess they were having problems with super doubles but I hope that isn't for every day. I usually did self check out and they were all closed so I guess that I just figured out why :) After the longest checkout ever, which is saying something for me, I spent $42.39 out of pocket and saved over $80. No pictures... more details later on why.
Then I looked at the clock and it was 10:00. I decided to go to Harris Teeter to get a few sale items including a great coffee deal for my mother in law and milk for my son. As I was walking up the aisles with my list and coupons, I saw a deal on Wasa crackers for $1.50. I knew that I had a $0.75 coupon out in the car so I got all my stuff in the cart and left it at the front of the store. I ran wildly to the car (scaring the people who were trying to get in the car next to mine) and then running back in the store. I was ready to check out.... NOPE. Forgot the milk. Took the cart to the back of the store and grabbed the milk. I spent $5.13 OOP and saved $18.55. They were out of tons so I got rainchecks and while I was getting my rainchecks, the cell phone rang. It was my husband to ask what the plans were because I was suposed to be at a girls lunch at 11 am but he realized that if I left, he didn't have a car seat to go to the boys playdate. How can we have these plans for a month and still not realize that until the last minute??? I called my friend Amy and she said that she would come and pick me up.... no problem!!! What a life saver but I had to get home and get the groceries unpacked and in the freezer. I knew that I could do it (okay I really didn't but I was determined to). My husband was in the shower because he thought that I was going to be home sooner so that he wouldn't have to do it with our son hovering outside the shower saying "Daddy is in the shower." I grabbed the first load of groceries (which we all over the car because I still had the recycling in my trunk from the past two times of trying to get it done). I ran into the house and dropped them in the kitchen. My son wanted to come out with me and he was in PJs with only one sock on so I decided that carrying was the best method of transport. I grabbed him and started running... he told me to slow down and puff with care (Thomas the train reference). I told him that there was no time so we were going fast, fast, fast. Grabbed two bags and ran back into the house. One more trip with him (28.7 lbs at the last doctor visit) and then I left him in the house to bother his father again :) I got everything in the house and brought out the cake that I had to bring to the girls lunch and put it on the steps so that I would be ready. I went back into the house only to be hit by a stinky diaper odor in the air! Grabbed my son, hit the stairs at a million miles, changed the diaper and got him changed to playdate clothes... then heard the phone ringing. That must mean that Amy is outside waiting in the car with her two little ones. Ran back down the stairs, told my husband that I was leaving and his son was dressed and ran out of the door. I got everything done just in time (well, late if you count the fact that it was almost 11am and we weren't really at the lunch yet). We dropped her two little guys at her mom's and then went on our way. She wasn't sure how to get there so she told me that I was in charge of directions (oh no- not my highpoint but I had faith). We made it there and had a yummy lunch. After the longest day ever, I think that I made it home around 3 pm after leaving at 7 am. So that is the reason why I don't have any pictures of my shopping trips :) It is nice to be productive but very tiring!!!!
Then I looked at the clock and it was 10:00. I decided to go to Harris Teeter to get a few sale items including a great coffee deal for my mother in law and milk for my son. As I was walking up the aisles with my list and coupons, I saw a deal on Wasa crackers for $1.50. I knew that I had a $0.75 coupon out in the car so I got all my stuff in the cart and left it at the front of the store. I ran wildly to the car (scaring the people who were trying to get in the car next to mine) and then running back in the store. I was ready to check out.... NOPE. Forgot the milk. Took the cart to the back of the store and grabbed the milk. I spent $5.13 OOP and saved $18.55. They were out of tons so I got rainchecks and while I was getting my rainchecks, the cell phone rang. It was my husband to ask what the plans were because I was suposed to be at a girls lunch at 11 am but he realized that if I left, he didn't have a car seat to go to the boys playdate. How can we have these plans for a month and still not realize that until the last minute??? I called my friend Amy and she said that she would come and pick me up.... no problem!!! What a life saver but I had to get home and get the groceries unpacked and in the freezer. I knew that I could do it (okay I really didn't but I was determined to). My husband was in the shower because he thought that I was going to be home sooner so that he wouldn't have to do it with our son hovering outside the shower saying "Daddy is in the shower." I grabbed the first load of groceries (which we all over the car because I still had the recycling in my trunk from the past two times of trying to get it done). I ran into the house and dropped them in the kitchen. My son wanted to come out with me and he was in PJs with only one sock on so I decided that carrying was the best method of transport. I grabbed him and started running... he told me to slow down and puff with care (Thomas the train reference). I told him that there was no time so we were going fast, fast, fast. Grabbed two bags and ran back into the house. One more trip with him (28.7 lbs at the last doctor visit) and then I left him in the house to bother his father again :) I got everything in the house and brought out the cake that I had to bring to the girls lunch and put it on the steps so that I would be ready. I went back into the house only to be hit by a stinky diaper odor in the air! Grabbed my son, hit the stairs at a million miles, changed the diaper and got him changed to playdate clothes... then heard the phone ringing. That must mean that Amy is outside waiting in the car with her two little ones. Ran back down the stairs, told my husband that I was leaving and his son was dressed and ran out of the door. I got everything done just in time (well, late if you count the fact that it was almost 11am and we weren't really at the lunch yet). We dropped her two little guys at her mom's and then went on our way. She wasn't sure how to get there so she told me that I was in charge of directions (oh no- not my highpoint but I had faith). We made it there and had a yummy lunch. After the longest day ever, I think that I made it home around 3 pm after leaving at 7 am. So that is the reason why I don't have any pictures of my shopping trips :) It is nice to be productive but very tiring!!!!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
More coupon reading but this one is a winner!!!
I started a new book which is going to be my first recommended book to anyone who wants to get into couponing. I think that it should be a pre-read before anyone comes to a couponing class because it helps with some of the concepts so that people can ask lots more questions. I think that they cover a lot of topics that many (including myself) learn by trial and error through websites. Sold on reading this book yet???
Be CentsAble: How to Cut Your Household Budget in Half by Chrissy Pate and Kristin McKee is a great resource for first time couponers. At $5.60 on Amazon, it might even be one that I recommend that people buy but certainly try the library to see if you think that it is a good reference (I don't want people to get . It goes through how and where to get coupons, how to stack store coupons with manufacturer coupons, how to stock up at low prices, and how to shop the drugstore game. I think that these ideas are the basis of all couponing. The great thing is that it takes so many steps to get to be an expert couponer where it is second nature instead of thought so anything to help save steps is a great idea (and a start to saving money).
A little off topic of the book itself but more on the concept of learning step by step from my own perspective. I started to try to save a little money because I was having my son (which funny enough was the same reason behind both authors). I saw a morning show with the Coupon Mom and then looked at her website. I learned a bunch from her information but started finding other websites. I quickly found a bunch of other blogs that had lots of learning. I started with one store and added another one at a time to see the difference in the policies. I learned how to use store sales, store coupons, and bunches of things together to get the best deal on products. It was great to have a "buy" or stock up price for different items because you knew when to buy all products but that means that I was always buying products. I had to go to the next step because even though I was saving my family tons of money, I had to figure out whether was a really saving my family money. Does that seem like double talk? Anyone who has been couponing for awhile knows that there are only so many tubes of toothpaste, shavers, and cans of tomato paste one family needed. I knew that I was getting tons of great deals but if you are still spending a ton of money, it doesn't add up to saving. After two years of couponing, I started tracking my grocery and drug store purchases to see how much I was spending a month. I do realize that this was a little late in the game to start to think about the budget but I had also just quit my job and trying to make sure that we were really saving. The only advice that I could find online was to figure out what you were spending currently and see if you could cut back more each month so I did exactly that. It turns out that most months with more careful planning, I could cut my budget to $150-$160. By all means, I am not saying that others should live off of this amount but I had a huge stockpile and needed to cut back so that I would actually use the older stuff. As they say in the book, please learn from my mistake and start tracking what you are spending first, this helps know when you are making progress but better yet you know when to stop buying the deals. Once you do one great trip to the store, you are hooked and can't stop so you need something to stop you. The best tool for me to keep on track and put down the 12th bottle of Tide just because it was a good deal or tell my husband that we have to wait until next month to get another box of cheese its because they were all gone too quickly. It helps the whole family to keep on track and on budget.
These 233 pages are a quick read (probably quicker than this post) and worth the time to save lots of money!! I hope that you agree. Please give it a read and post your thoughts :) I would love to hear if you have read it and what you think!
Be CentsAble: How to Cut Your Household Budget in Half by Chrissy Pate and Kristin McKee is a great resource for first time couponers. At $5.60 on Amazon, it might even be one that I recommend that people buy but certainly try the library to see if you think that it is a good reference (I don't want people to get . It goes through how and where to get coupons, how to stack store coupons with manufacturer coupons, how to stock up at low prices, and how to shop the drugstore game. I think that these ideas are the basis of all couponing. The great thing is that it takes so many steps to get to be an expert couponer where it is second nature instead of thought so anything to help save steps is a great idea (and a start to saving money).
A little off topic of the book itself but more on the concept of learning step by step from my own perspective. I started to try to save a little money because I was having my son (which funny enough was the same reason behind both authors). I saw a morning show with the Coupon Mom and then looked at her website. I learned a bunch from her information but started finding other websites. I quickly found a bunch of other blogs that had lots of learning. I started with one store and added another one at a time to see the difference in the policies. I learned how to use store sales, store coupons, and bunches of things together to get the best deal on products. It was great to have a "buy" or stock up price for different items because you knew when to buy all products but that means that I was always buying products. I had to go to the next step because even though I was saving my family tons of money, I had to figure out whether was a really saving my family money. Does that seem like double talk? Anyone who has been couponing for awhile knows that there are only so many tubes of toothpaste, shavers, and cans of tomato paste one family needed. I knew that I was getting tons of great deals but if you are still spending a ton of money, it doesn't add up to saving. After two years of couponing, I started tracking my grocery and drug store purchases to see how much I was spending a month. I do realize that this was a little late in the game to start to think about the budget but I had also just quit my job and trying to make sure that we were really saving. The only advice that I could find online was to figure out what you were spending currently and see if you could cut back more each month so I did exactly that. It turns out that most months with more careful planning, I could cut my budget to $150-$160. By all means, I am not saying that others should live off of this amount but I had a huge stockpile and needed to cut back so that I would actually use the older stuff. As they say in the book, please learn from my mistake and start tracking what you are spending first, this helps know when you are making progress but better yet you know when to stop buying the deals. Once you do one great trip to the store, you are hooked and can't stop so you need something to stop you. The best tool for me to keep on track and put down the 12th bottle of Tide just because it was a good deal or tell my husband that we have to wait until next month to get another box of cheese its because they were all gone too quickly. It helps the whole family to keep on track and on budget.
These 233 pages are a quick read (probably quicker than this post) and worth the time to save lots of money!! I hope that you agree. Please give it a read and post your thoughts :) I would love to hear if you have read it and what you think!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
More Reading completed
I continued reading all of my different research books which have been taking turns between organization books, stay at home mom books and frugal books. I was trying to get on the blog and write up each book but I am very far behind.
I read The Frantic Woman's Guide to Life: A Year's Worth of Hints, Tips, and Tricks by Mary Jo Rulnick and Judith Burnett Schneider. I quickly saw that this was a well written book that was not aimed at me. It would be a perfect for a mom with an older child in elementary or middle school. It gives tons of tips on how to prepare for college and with a 2 year old at home, I just do not want to think that far in advanced about all the forms that I will have to fill out. I did take notes on the to do lists for each month and the spring cleaning list. I am going to save the master list and change it to meet our family needs. I think that it is a good reminder on washing all the winter coats before you put them away for the year instead of pulling out a dirty coat when it is cold again. There are some great tips like going after Christmas shopping to get the red decorations for Valentines Day and Fourth of July or green things for St. Patty's Day. I always shop after the holidays to get stuff for the rest of the year like wrapping paper, paper goods and presents but the rest was a little harder to apply to my life. I was hoping for more organization information that would apply to my life but I am sure that it fits many others since it got some great ratings on Amazon!
In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Laura Schlessinger was an interesting read but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone- stay at home moms, people trying to figure it out or anyone else. If you look at the Amazon reviews for one stars opinions, that sums up my opinions on the book. I was going to put it down and return it to the library but I am that person who always thinks that things are going to get better so I kept going. I got more and more upset through reading the book because she started by talking about how she did not want to start or join the mommy wars which she promptly did. She was in favor of only the 1960's picture of a house wife (she didn't mention barefoot and pregnant) where the wife does everything for the husband. I certainly love the fact that I have the chance to stay at home with my son but I do not think that everyone should have to. The other thing that upset me was that she only talked about stay at home moms and not about stay at home dads. She specifically said that men and woman were different and children needed a mom and dad to grow up right. First, I got upset about stay at home dads but later after thinking more about it, this means that no single parents and no same sex parents which got me even more upset. I think that every child needs a loving family to tell them how much they love them and there is no reason that a preschool or daycare provider isn't good option for those families that need to work. I certainly do not want my child calling a nanny "mommy" but I am sure that all moms have that same wish but the constant harping on the worst fears of women was throughout the whole message of the book. If you want to be scared straight (or "guilt"ed) into staying home, this is the book for you. If you are already staying home and want to have one day when you appreciate your life because you don't agree with the things she says, read this. If not, I suggest skipping it!!!!
I hope that this helps you to decide which books you pick up off the library shelf. I know that I am going to try to read lots of different books to see if there is some new information out there to help. Any little bit helps!!!
I read The Frantic Woman's Guide to Life: A Year's Worth of Hints, Tips, and Tricks by Mary Jo Rulnick and Judith Burnett Schneider. I quickly saw that this was a well written book that was not aimed at me. It would be a perfect for a mom with an older child in elementary or middle school. It gives tons of tips on how to prepare for college and with a 2 year old at home, I just do not want to think that far in advanced about all the forms that I will have to fill out. I did take notes on the to do lists for each month and the spring cleaning list. I am going to save the master list and change it to meet our family needs. I think that it is a good reminder on washing all the winter coats before you put them away for the year instead of pulling out a dirty coat when it is cold again. There are some great tips like going after Christmas shopping to get the red decorations for Valentines Day and Fourth of July or green things for St. Patty's Day. I always shop after the holidays to get stuff for the rest of the year like wrapping paper, paper goods and presents but the rest was a little harder to apply to my life. I was hoping for more organization information that would apply to my life but I am sure that it fits many others since it got some great ratings on Amazon!
In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Laura Schlessinger was an interesting read but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone- stay at home moms, people trying to figure it out or anyone else. If you look at the Amazon reviews for one stars opinions, that sums up my opinions on the book. I was going to put it down and return it to the library but I am that person who always thinks that things are going to get better so I kept going. I got more and more upset through reading the book because she started by talking about how she did not want to start or join the mommy wars which she promptly did. She was in favor of only the 1960's picture of a house wife (she didn't mention barefoot and pregnant) where the wife does everything for the husband. I certainly love the fact that I have the chance to stay at home with my son but I do not think that everyone should have to. The other thing that upset me was that she only talked about stay at home moms and not about stay at home dads. She specifically said that men and woman were different and children needed a mom and dad to grow up right. First, I got upset about stay at home dads but later after thinking more about it, this means that no single parents and no same sex parents which got me even more upset. I think that every child needs a loving family to tell them how much they love them and there is no reason that a preschool or daycare provider isn't good option for those families that need to work. I certainly do not want my child calling a nanny "mommy" but I am sure that all moms have that same wish but the constant harping on the worst fears of women was throughout the whole message of the book. If you want to be scared straight (or "guilt"ed) into staying home, this is the book for you. If you are already staying home and want to have one day when you appreciate your life because you don't agree with the things she says, read this. If not, I suggest skipping it!!!!
I hope that this helps you to decide which books you pick up off the library shelf. I know that I am going to try to read lots of different books to see if there is some new information out there to help. Any little bit helps!!!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Menu Plan Monday
Monday- Grilled Spiedie Marinated Chicken with white rice
Tuesday-Chicken Paninis with tater tots (using homemade bread and leftover chicken)
Wednesday- Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes
Thursday- Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders with oven fries
Friday- Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread
Saturday- Tacos with Spicy Mahatma Rice
Sunday- Homemade or Frozen Pizza (depending on plans)
Last week didn't go exactly as planned but I just moved some of the meals around that were next on the list and we had a yummy week regardless :) Always have a easy backup plan in the freezer in case you forget to take something out of the freezer or set aside ground beef (my mistake of the week).
Tuesday-Chicken Paninis with tater tots (using homemade bread and leftover chicken)
Wednesday- Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes
Thursday- Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders with oven fries
Friday- Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread
Saturday- Tacos with Spicy Mahatma Rice
Sunday- Homemade or Frozen Pizza (depending on plans)
Last week didn't go exactly as planned but I just moved some of the meals around that were next on the list and we had a yummy week regardless :) Always have a easy backup plan in the freezer in case you forget to take something out of the freezer or set aside ground beef (my mistake of the week).
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