Treasured Book Review

I was excited to get to the third book in the series Treasured (Perfect Destinies) by Sherryl Woods.  The first two were so great that I knew that the third one was going to follow the third brother who we knew very little about.  I couldn't wait to find out what else Destiny had up her sleeve!!

Despite the wealth and power of his remarkable family, Ben Carlton stayed hidden away in rural Virginia with only his artistic talent and his troubled memories for company. But when he met beautiful gallery owner Kathleen Dugan at the urging of his matchmaking aunt Destiny, his wounded heart began to open—yet he couldn't completely forget the tragedies of his past.
Vivacious, driven Kathleen was intrigued not only by Ben's paintings, but also by the handsome, mysterious man who created them. Were Ben's wounds too deep for Kathleen to mend…or did Destiny create another perfect match?

I loved it as much as the other books and it was fun to see where the third brother would end up with the girl.  The family was covered a lot in this book and you got to see the other brothers that you had already grown to love.  Ben Carlton was an interesting character because he was trying to get over the loss of his parents and the loss of his girlfriend which he felt responsible.  Because of these losses, he locked himself away in his house doing his art but not interacting with the world.  It wasn't a full life until he met Kathleen.  She brought out all of the hope and opened him up to having a life again.  They were an interesting match from the start and both tested each other to grow.  Together they learned how to overcome their past but will they make it together, you have to pick up the book to find out.  I hope that you check out this book and all the rest of the books in the series.  I really enjoyed all of them!!!  I know that you will too!!!

Our Eating Out and Take Out Review

I track my grocery spending in a notebook and I have never tracked my take out and eating out budget!!!  LIKE EVER!!!  I decided to go back and figure out how the numbers looked for eating out this year after realizing that we went a little overboard in August!  I was worried that it was going to upset me but I was looking to find out anyway...better to know and get a handle on it.

I had some gift cards from my students and my husband had a few from his so we did enjoy some that cost us nothing out of pocket but that still doesn't mean that money wasn't spent.  I try to keep our eating out spending under $40 per month.  The take out budget I thought it was going well but check out my review below:

September:

$5.30 Little Caesars 

$9.54 Little Caesars

$4.23 Dominos Pizza

$5.30 Little Caesars

$9.53 Paisanos Steak and Cheese

Total $33.90

August:

$2.00 Red Robin (above gift card)

$3.58 Wendy's 

$10.59 Little Caesars

$14.85 Tony's Pizza

$13.50 Dairy Barn Ice Cream

$10.98 Chuck E Cheese

$12.16 Cheesecake Factory (above gift card)

$46.48 Chinese food

$15.68 Wendy's

Total $129.82

July:

$19.78 Grottos

$7.50 Thrashers fries

$5.00 Kohr's Ice Cream 

$6.91 Wendy's

 

Total $38.94

June:

$5.30 Little Caesars

$9.53 Paisano's Steak and Cheese

$5.30 Little Caesars

$8.54 Wendy's

$9.00 Little Caesars

$23.97 Green Turtle

Total $61.64

 

May:

$9.53 Paisanos Steak and Cheese

$5.30 Little Caesars

$2.00 Delia's tip (my mom paid rest)

$9.35 Wendy's

$5.30 Little Caesars

Total $31.48

April:

$42.55 Chinese

$5.30 Little Caesars

Total $47.85

March:

 $5.30 Little Caesars

$2.11 Wendy's

Total $7.41

February:

$5.30 Little Caesars

$5.30 Little Caesars

 

Total $10.60

January:

$4.01 Wendy's

$24.37 Little Caesars

$4.00 Mike's (above gift card)

 

Total $ 32.38

Total Take Out for the Year $394.02

Monthly Average $43.78

Only a little over in April with Chinese food for the family but either my mother or mother in law was visiting so we were hosting a special meal.  June and July included our vacation so I think that I did really well with eating out only being $22 over budget  in June because it was just one meal that we had on the beach.  We were also crossing over into July so it was nice to have it spread over two months and make so many great memories even though not the greatest sand castle because they spent so much time in the water instead.

August was a mess and I don't have any reason except we were trying to fit in everything at the end of summer.  We promised my son a trip to Chuck E. Cheese buffet which didn't happen until August. We had fun and he used tokens that we already have to play all summer and this was the only expense for that enjoyment.

We ended up picking up the tab for everyone to get ice cream since they picked us up before.  We love this place and got to enjoy it and make lots of memories this summer.

We went a little crazy at Cheesecake Factory after using the gift card because we eat a great meal and then got cheese cake!!!  Umm, it was great and my son's first cheese cake which he shared with us....lots of chocolate.  Another great memory!!

Then we bought Chinese food again when my mom was visiting and picked up the tab which is one of her favorites.  I know that we went a little crazy in August but we had a great end to the summer.  

After going over everything, I was so excited that the monthly total was only a few dollars over what I wanted to spend.  I am sure that we can figure out a way to even it over for the year!!  The best part is that I am sure that I am under on my grocery budget normally in a year about that much so it might even itself out to a total food budget being good.  The worst part is when the money is going out and you don't know where it is going so I am happy that I got this all tracked and I am going to continue for the year.

Do you tracking your take out and eating out spending??

September Reading Review

I read a ton of books over the summer and was interested in seeing how many books I would get read when I was trying to also get everything else done in our schedule.  It wasn't as much as I normally read but I still got lots of reading done this month.  I am still hoping to read 150 books for the year but I don't know if I am going to get to that goal but I did pass my 100 book mark this month which is my main goal every year.

Below are a list of all of the books that I read this month.  If you missed the review of the book, please click on the title and it will take you back to the original summary and review of the books that I enjoyed this month.  I hope that you add a few of these books to your reading list!!

The Heist

by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

The Chase

by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

The Job

by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club
by Wanda E. Brunstetter

The Scam
by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Fraying at the Edge
by Cindy Woodsmall

The Tattered Quilt
by Wanda E Brunstetter

Isn't It Rich
by Sherryl Woods

Priceless
by Sherryl Woods

Reading for 2016

January           13

February          11

March              9

April                 8
May                 9
June                 9
July                   16
August               18
September           9

Total Books        102

Currently Reading:

Treasured
by Sherryl Woods

Mind in the Making
by Ellen Galinsky

Sadly I started it and didn't pick it up again because it is a very serious book.  Hoping to finish because I have to return it to the library soon. It has a lot of interesting information!!

Off to a Fast Start for October Shopping

I had a bunch of things that I needed to get at the store but I didn't make it at the end of September so here is what I got so far this month:

Aldi $49.49

I went a little crazy at Aldi but hoping that I stocked up on a lot of things and won't have to go back again a million times.  I grabbed two packages of lunch meat ($3.49), two bags of chicken fries ($4.29), two bags of popcorn chicken ($3.99), four cheddar blocks ($1.89), three boxes of margarine ($0.59) and three 3 lb bags of gold potatoes ($0.99).  I grabbed milk because we needed it.  I was making lasagna so I needed more Parmesan because I never have enough.  My husband wanted bananas for breakfast/snack even though they weren't on sale!!!  Added one container of tub margarine and one monterey jack cheese just in case so I don't have to go back.  I also grabbed chips, chips and pretzels per my husband that would be nice to have.  We needed and will use most of the items but that is a super high Aldi total for me.

Harris Teeter $9.83

I went to grab lasagna noodles because Aldi still didn't have any.  They were shelf price of $2.99 and they were on sale for $2.50 but I still wasn't sure.  I ended up using a rain check for the lasagna noodles which was 3 for $5 and then a $1/3 coupon so I got three boxes for $4 which was $1.33 each.  I had planned on doing the same thing during super doubles but the coupon expired in a few days so it seemed like a good deal.  The Flesichman's Yeast packages are shelf price $1.59 and I have a coupon that doubles and makes them $0.09 each which seemed like a great time to stock up.  I also grabbed 4 boxes of Kleenex which were free after coupons and we really needed them.  There was also a great coupon for the Challenge butter to get free after coupon.  I got two ramen soup for my husband since he is sick!!  YUCK!!

Harris Teeter $0.66 + $0.42= $1.08

I went to one Harris Teeter close to work to grab three boxes of tissues and three packages of yeast and Kraft Parmesan Cheese.  The tissues were free after coupons.  The cheese was on sale for $3.50 and I had a coupon which was $1.50 off so that made it cheaper then Aldi.  The yeast had a shelf price of $1.49 but it rang up $1.59.  I went to customer service to ask and they gave me $1.79 plus tax back which was $1.59 for one and the $0.10 for each of the other ones.  Woot Woot!!  Then I left the store and went to the other Harris Teeter to get 3 more tissues and 3 yeast.  Love that all this cost me a little over a $1!!

Total Retail $125.04

Total Savings $64.64

Total OOP $60.40

I have a little under $100 for the rest of the month and I am sure that I can do lots with it but amazing how quickly this month started when I didn't get enough shopping done last month.  I was tempted to count this towards last month at least the first two trips but it doesn't really matter what month is is counted towards and I normally just do it on the date purchased and these were done on the 2nd and 4th of October.

Thanks to a reminder from Nathalie, I put in the potatoes for a rebate at Checkout 51 and got $0.25 and put in two rebates for MobiSave for $0.10 each for the bananas, pretzels and chips from Aldi and $0.10 for the pasta from Harris Teeter.  I am hopeful that all of those will come through and save a little more money even though it is only $0.65.  I took the time that I had to unlock all the new saving star deals that there were and save a few more on Ibotta but who knows if those are things that I am getting this month.  WooHoo...found three more things on Ibotta for $0.25 each for tissues, potatoes and challenge butter!!!  It is good to be reminded to check these things when getting home from the store to see if there is anything else that will apply to get deals!!!  Here is hoping that I find a few more too :)

Priceless Book Review

I was excited to get to the second book in the series and the best news is that I had gotten this book when I got the first book so I got to start it right after finishing the last one!!  Priceless (Perfect Destinies) by Sherryl Woods was the second book and I was ready to find out what was going to happen in this great chapter of the series.

Charismatic playboy Mack Carlton lit up a room—even a hospital room—like no one else. Dr. Beth Browning had to admit Mack's visits were a tonic for her young patient, but her own reaction was much more confusing… Although Beth didn't ask for a second opinion on her future with Mack, his aunt Destiny offered her prognosis: marriage. Given Mack's romantic history and her own wariness due to past losses, Beth hesitated to agree—but her symptoms were undeniably love!

This book was even better than the first book.  It was great to follow one of the other Carlton brothers and learn even more about the wonderful family.  Mack, the ex-football player and playboy, was sent to the hospital to lift the spirits of a sick boy by his aunt.  We quickly learned that there was another reason because there was an attractive doctor taking care of this wonderful little boy.  It was great to watch the twists and turns in this book but make sure you have your tissues.  It was a tear jerker with the doctor dealing with many life and death situations.  I hope that you enjoy this book and the rest of the series.  I know that I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to check out the next book in the series.

September Month End Budget Wrap Up

I knew when I did my middle of the month wrap up that I was destined for a low month because I had only done the first two shopping trips and that is really low for the month.  Things have been too busy to actually even make it to the store and coupon.  It is sad when that is the case because I do end up missing a bunch of great deals in the process but it makes the totals much lower.  As my husband pointed out, it means less food too!!!  I also haven't been cooking as much as I should have the second half of the month. 

Aldi $35.58- $0.85= $34.73

Enjoyed most of this food already with the exception of the darn Ricotta cheese because I thought that I was making lasagna and I didn't have enough noodles to make it so I have to add that to the list of things that I need because Aldi's only carries it seasonally and it must not be the season yet :(

Harris Teeter $0

I got these on a weekend freebie and we were already right by the store for soccer so it was a perfect run in and out score!

Aldi $12.45

I went back to Aldi to look for the lasagna noodles which they didn't have and pick up a few more essentials including the banana sale which is why I was mostly there.

Harris Teeter $4.04

There was a sale on flour for $1.97 per bag limit 2 which I knew from history included the bread flour so I grabbed it because I was nearly out and it was a good deal.  The Cranberry Ginger Ale and Bai were on an email for me to get for free.  My son picked out the ginger ale and I picked out the Bai because he wanted another one.  I loved the black cherry flavor and if it wasn't so expensive, this would be a favorite!!  YUM!

Harris Teeter $22.46

So long story but we went and did the previous trip as a family on Saturday but got a little confused at the store... the sugar was $1.47 in the ad instead of $0.97 which it said in my ad.  The soda was $3.50 instead of $1.77 in my ad so we didn't get any on Saturday.  We realized that the store in the flyer that I got in the paper was just another branch so we went there and got two transactions with 4 soda and 4 sugar which was the limit of both.  It was a huge savings and this store is actually closer to the house but not in the direction we are normally heading so I guess I will have to check it out because if there is lower pricing, it will have to be the way that I go!!!

Harris Teeter $18.64

I was going to go back to the new Harris Teeter but I needed gas and it is way more expensive that way so I headed to get gas and to my old store.  Turned out that there was an even better deal then I expected.  I had a electronic savings to get 4 boxes of granola bars for $1.77 so I knew that I was getting that but there was another deal on the shelf pictured below so I ended up getting way more then I was thinking because the coupons for $1/3 also expired on September 30th!!!  I also grabbed a few Tabasco bottle from a catalina that printed at the check out one of the last few trips.  We don't use it normally but I am sure that I will figure out how to for a free bottle :)

 It turned out great with a store tag that wasn't even advertised!! Where I could buy two and get another one free but it was a limit of one per transaction.  I only did three transactions but that means that I got a lot of great deals which averaged out to $1.24 per box of granola bars which is way better then the $2.89 shelf price!!

Total Retail $217.09

Total Savings $124.77

Total OOP $92.32

I know that there are a ton of things that I didn't get and even more that I really need to get but I know with the busy end of the month that it is going to be October before I get too much more.  Here is hoping that I get lots of deals after going through all my expired coupons to clean up my coupon basket a lot and cutting all of the new coupons except they are always coming in so I will be behind soon enough anyway.  My first list for next month is tissues, lasagna noodles, Parmesan cheese, milk, and turkey lunch meat...but the list is quickly growing! Here is hoping that I find some great deals next month!

How did your month go??

Menu Plan Monday 10/3

Monday- Chicken fries, Buffalo Chicken and homemade fries
Tuesday- Pasta with garlic bread and sausage
Wednesday- Salsa Sloppy Joes
Thursday- Chicken Tacos
Friday- Paninis and leftovers
Saturday- ?
Sunday- ?

I can't believe how quickly September has passed!!!  I did not get very much on the calendar before October officially started but I wrote in Monday, Tuesday and Friday through the month which we will continue from last month.  I took a quick inventory at the beginning of the month to figure out what we still had in the freezer to use up and we have 6 boneless chicken servings and 3 ground beef.  I am planning Wednesday for ground beef and Thursday for chicken.  So the inventory should last the month without too much trouble so I set to making the plan.

The weekends have been mostly been made up as we go along based on what day gets busy but last weekend we did chicken fries for my son, corn dogs for my husband and a chopped salad and potatoes to share one day and take out pizza the other day.  We are most likely going to be doing the same type of made up meals from the fridge, freezer and cupboard to mix lots of things for having a little something that we all like!!  Until this stops working, we might ad a weekend meal to the plan but my backup is always breakfast for dinner.

Hope you have a great week and yummy food!!