August Shopping in Review

I work on a monthly basis to make all of the meals for our family of three and spend less then $160 per month on groceries.  We have a variety of different meals based on the things that are on sale in the previous months.  We make use of all of the items that we get on sale and with coupons to stretch our money as far as possible.  I try to buy only the items that my family needs and uses on a regular basis or can figure out how to use but I can figure out how to use most anything.  

We have an amazing stockpile of personal care items that I store under the bed in our spare bedroom so we have free shampoo, toothpaste and more.  We have a wonderful stockpile of cleaning items and paper goods which I store in my laundry area and that one might be a little out of control with toilet paper and laundry detergent which has had some great sales.  I keep most of my food stockpile in the kitchen but there is a little in the basement that doesn't fit currently in the kitchen.  My new kitchen has two pantries so the one is for snacks, cereal and ready to eat food and the other is for things that need to be made like rice and pasta.  Currently there is pasta fit into a few other places in the kitchen because we got so much for free but I am trying to keep things together and organized by date so we use the oldest things first.

The summer went by in a blur but I think that I did pretty well with saving money which isn't usually the case in the summer months because I have my friend with me to entertain.  I think that you can see all the things that I got below as proof that I saved lots and got lots of things to add to the stock pile.  All of the transactions in the beginning of the month are broken down in my middle of the month post here.

Aldi $28.58

Harris Teeter $0.08

 Harris Teeter $2.11

Harris Teeter $0.04

Harris Teeter $0.93

Harris Teeter $0.04

Harris Teeter $0.04

Harris Teeter $1.90

Harris Teeter $0.54

Aldi $5.77

Harris Teeter -$1.37

Harris Teeter $2.23

Harris Teeter $0.17

Harris Teeter $0.23

Target $0 (MyPoints gift card)

Harris Teeter $2.64

Harris Teeter $0.10

Harris Teeter $0.63

Harris Teeter $3.00

Harris Teeter $0.48

Harris Teeter $0.09

Target $0 (paypal)

Harris Teeter $0

Shoppers $0.03

Aldi $0 (mom paid)

Giant $1.33

My friend posted that the ice cream was giving $1.30 overage so I knew that I better get to the store fast to get this great deal.  Then my other friend posted that there were peelies on the Mission taco shells to make them $0.99.  Someone in another group posted about free taco seasoning with a new coupon.  I finally made it to the store with all my coupons and ready to get some deals.  I got the ice cream for free and the taco seasoning for free.  The Mission taco shells were $0.99 each and the Chi-Chi's had peelies that made them $0.69.  The overage from the other deals paid for the tortillas so that there was very little out of pocket.  I also turned this in for a Ibotta rebate of $1.60 so it was a moneymaker where I got lots of good stuff!!

Aldi $1.94

We were running really low on milk and I wasn't sure if my son was going to run out one day or the next so I went to grab the milk so that we would have it in reserve.  He has been drinking lots more so we have actually been using it all and I have had to use the almond milk to make bread so that I don't use up his milk.

Harris Teeter $8.10

My last pre-super doubles trip to get Finish dishwashing tablets were $0.99 each.  The Capri Suns were $0.97 each.  The cereal was $0.47 each.  The turkey lunch meat was the best deal at $0.47 each. Even better my customer service money came off to make up for a missing catalina at the beginning of the month so I saved a little more on the deal then I was thinking.

Harris Teeter $4.91

Free Johnson and Johnson baby lotion, Garnier Shampoo, Enjoy Life Chocolate, and Coleman Chicken.  The Pop Tarts were on clearance so they were $0.44 each with coupon.  My big purchase was the $1.97 packages of paper towels because we were almost out.

Harris Teeter $16.96

I grabbed the cereal for $0.50 and the granola bars.  I thought there were rebates but I looked on my phone later and I think that the Cascadian Farms one might have expired so I was a little bummed.  Although there was $1 on the Annie's cereal so I don't know if I get $1 or $3 for the three boxes.  I got the corn for 5/$1 which will be tasty.  Trying to decide if I should freeze some on the ear or cut it off to save some of the wonderful summer goodness for later!!  I also got a bag of corn because they were out of peas which I really wanted but they were on sale for $0.88.  I went for the big 2 lb bags of chicken nuggets for $3.99 which is a bigger bag then Aldi's for the same price.

Harris Teeter $16.58

One last trip to the store and got a few remaining deals but I thought that there was a few good deals that I couldn't pass up.  The Barber Chicken was free after coupon.  The Pillsbury Cinnamon roll ended up being a money maker because they overrode coupons and it ended up being $1.24 profit.  I got cereal for $0.50 each.  The Tetley tea was $0.39 each.  The Stonefire Naan was $0.49 each.  The Dawn was $0.50 each. The Tide was on sale for $9.97 less $2 coupon doubled so they were $5.97 for the 100 oz bottle.  I really didn't need more Tide but it was a great price and I was well under budget for the month.

Shoppers $0.04

I went to get the freebie for me and decided on this one.  I melted some cheese on top and dipped in some tortillas.  It was pretty tasty for lunch after bringing it home.

Giant $5.81

I went to get the freebie frosting and decided on getting the Cranberry Juice because it was on sale for $1.88 if you bought three.  I also grabbed a banana for my husband.

Shoppers $14.47

I went to Shoppers to get the soda deal and didn't read the fine print under the buy 2, get 3 free but it said that I had to have $25 purchase.  I wasn't sure I was even going to do the deal because of the total required purchase which I only do to get the turkey because it always ends badly.  I grabbed the two freebies and tried to find out what else there were in deals in case I could get the total up and then use coupons to get it back down.  I had a coupon for one of the freebies to make it $1 profit.  I grabbed the cereal free and there was a $1/2 electronic coupon that made it a profit.  The yogurt was $1 each and there was a printed coupon and electronic coupon to make each a $0.20 profit.  The Snickers were $0.25 each after coupons.  The Ritz were on sale for $2.50 and my husband asked for them so I decided that the overage would pay for them.  The soda deal came off and then I gave them the coupons and it ended up to be a pretty good deal since the pricing is less then Harris Teeter shelf price.

Total Retail $979.76
Total Savings $861.38
Total OOP $118.38

At the beginning of the month, I thought I only turned in two rebates for any items so only $0.50 back in rebates so far for this month.  I started getting the emails from Saving Star on money back on different items and actually have $13.10 in rebates in for the month!!  I was super excited to see how many I got for the items that were already amazing deals.  There were few through Ibotta but I considered this a big bonus savings and was very excited!  I am hoping for lots more through Saving Star to hit soon but you just never know with them.

I used my gift card and PayPal money to go even further with my budget.  I actually paid my wonderful friend Christine with PayPal for all the transactions she did for me so it was even $3.70 less out of pocket but I am counting it so that it doesn't get even more confusing with my out of pocket for the month!!

Eating Out

We got take out from Little Caesars Pizza in Pennsylvania for $5.30 and fountain soda from McDonalds for $2.12 on the way back from our trip during the first half of the month.  Our total was $7.42 and we all enjoyed the amazing pizza which came with free cookies and free refills on our soda which is a great price for dinner for three and we had no waiting.  During the second half of the month, I took my son to the splash park with a bunch of friends and they were getting ice cream which was a crazy high $3 each.  He told them that he had ice cream at home and he was fine if they got some and he didn't because he never asked if he could get any, I broke down and bought him one. Then my dad came to town and we bought Chinese food because they were closed for a month and he didn't get it the last few times he was in town and that was $40.65.  My son had a coupon for a free pizza from his summer reading program so we got it the last day of the week which was also the last day of the month and it was $0 which was great because we were well over eating out spending for the month.  We ended up at $51.07 for the month.  It is great that the grocery budget ended so much under budget so that we saved overall for the month.

Menu Plan Monday 9/3

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade fries and tater tots
Pasta
Salsa Sloppy Joes or Tacos
Grilled Chicken and rice

Homemade Pizza
?? Take Out ??

Leftovers

We had Chicken Wraps and homemade fries on Monday followed by Pasta on Tuesday before basketball practice.  Wednesday was Homemade Pizza.  Thursday was a long day at the pool and my husband and I had Chili with Fritos and my son had the last bag of microwave rice.  Friday my son used his coupon from the summer reading program to get a free pizza which we had for dinner after soccer practice.  The only thing left in the menu plan was Grilled Chicken and leftovers so I needed to make sure that I actually took chicken out of the freezer and I didn't do it until Saturday morning so I had to thaw in the microwave but I got it done.  Saturday was grilling out with family and we  had grilled chicken, brats, rice, corn on the cob, salad and corn bread.  Sunday was a busy day so we did an early dinner of leftovers where my son had rice, my husband had fried rice and I had chili and corn bread.  We also had lemon shortbread bars and brownies for dessert this week too.  We did great this week with the plan and getting dinner on the table.

Hoping for another amazing week and lots of time to get the food on the table.  Going with a similar plan for next week and hoping for the best.  I haven't put a lot of time into digging around to see what we are going to eat or what we have but after everyone is back to work and school and work then I will have time to look for one last meal for the week but it might be pizza at the pool over the weekend or something at the festival we are going to.

Restless Hearts Book Review

I grabbed some more books from the free shelf at the library and one of them was Restless Hearts Larger Print by Marta Perry.  I am not sure which library this is from but it was next in my pile.  It used to be that I would read the oldest ones first and work my way through them but my piles have gotten crazy of the different books that I have to read through.  I probably have enough books piles on top of my bookcase to last me a lifetime.  I hope that I get through them all and can finally get rid of some of them but that is my weakness!!  I hate getting rid of books which is why I went to getting them at the library in the first place because I was supposed to return them!!

A search for her roots brought midwife Fiona Flanagan to Pennsylvania Dutch country—and made her wonder whether she should turn back. The area's mixture of Amish and English culture confused her, and her first encounter with local police chief Ted Rittenhouse didn't help. he'd thought she was breaking into her own office!

I hope that you check out this book for yourself and enjoy this half Amish and half English town that has both working together in mostly harmony.  Fiona moves to the town to start her midwife practice and to get to know her fathers side of the family.  Little did she know that she would also meet her mothers side who she has never met and hasn't spoken to since her mother left the small town.  She is stopped her first night in town by Ted Rittenhouse, the local police officer for breaking and entering because she got lost on the way to see her new home.  It was the first of many adventures for Fiona so make sure you read it for yourself to find out what happens but I promise you will enjoy the crazy ups and downs of this small town.

Menu Plan Monday 8/27

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade fries and tater tots
Pasta
Chili and Cheese with Fritos
Grilled Chicken and frozen rice

Homemade Pizza
??

Leftovers

I can't believe how quickly a week goes by!  Monday we had my son's favorite dinner of chicken fries and french fries and even pulled out a bag of tater tots to enjoy while my husband and I had chicken wraps.  Tuesday was homemade pizza so we had pepperoni and buffalo chicken.  Wednesday came and I had taken nothing out of the freezer again so we went with leftovers!!  I made fried rice for my husband, I took out steaks for Thursday to enjoy as a wonderful treat with rice and green beans.  Friday we had family coming in so we had pasta but I decided to go with Cheese Raviolis and fried zucchini which was yummy (still made spaghetti for my son)!  Saturday was Chinese food from my favorite restaurant and we really enjoyed it and leftovers the next day for lunch.  We went to the pool until after dinnertime on Sunday so it was tempting to give up and order pizza but we went with quick leftovers where my son had some spaghetti and chicken fries and my husband had buffalo chicken pasta and I made a little chicken for me.  It wasn't the chicken I was planning on but we all had a little chicken so I will call this to plan!!

This week my son starts school and there are tons of things going on including the start of soccer season so we are going to be into the busy life right away.  I am hoping for a few easy meals so this should make it easy for me to get dinner on the table when we need it.

Beteween You and Me Book Review

I put a bunch of books on reserve a long time ago and this one was another that was chosen because I like the author.  I was interested in reading anything by the author but I haven't even figured out what was coming until it showed up on my reserve shelf.  Between You and Me by Susan Wiggs was the next in my pile to read.

Deep within the peaceful heart of Amish country, a life-or-death emergency shatters a quiet world to its core. Number-one New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs delivers a riveting story that challenges our deepest-held beliefs.  Caught between two worlds, Caleb Stoltz is bound by a deathbed promise to raise his orphaned niece and nephew in Middle Grove, where life revolves around family, farm, faith—and long-held suspicions about outsiders. When disaster strikes, Caleb is thrust into an urban environment of high-tech medicine and the relentless rush of modern life.
Dr. Reese Powell is poised to join the medical dynasty of her wealthy, successful parents. Bold, assertive, and quick-thinking, she lives for the addictive rush of saving lives. When a shocking accident brings Caleb Stoltz into her life, Reese is forced to deal with a situation that challenges everything she thinks she knows—and ultimately emboldens her to question her most powerful beliefs.  Then one impulsive act brings about a clash of cultures in a tug-of-war that plays out in a courtroom, challenging the very nature of justice and reverberating through generations, straining the fragile threads of faith and family.
Deeply moving and unforgettable, Between You and Me is an emotionally complex story of love and loss, family and friendship, and the arduous road to discovering the heart’s true path.

I hope that you check out this book because it was an amazing read.  I couldn't put it down which is horrible because I couldn't put the last book down and now I am in a horrible sleep pattern but I have read some great books.  Only pick this book up if you have the time to not put it down or getting anything else done.  I thought it was great and I was amazed at the writing and characters.  Caleb has left the Amish world when he got the call that his brother and wife had been in an accident.  Caleb came home to raise his niece and nephew.  It is amazing to see how he has changed his life to make the best life for his niece and nephew.  Things go a little crazy when there is an accident and a disagreement over treatment.  Dr. Reese Powell is on the ER staff and takes an interest beyond the initial operation when she sees Caleb standing in the ER because no one has helped him find his nephew.  Their lives all change in the blink of an eye and you have to pick up the book to find out how.  It was a great journey and amazing story.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.

Cottage By the Sea Book Review

I reserved a bunch of books at the library and this one came on my shelf.  I knew nothing about Cottage by the Sea: A Novel by Debbie Macomber except that I liked the author.  I was excited to start reading it and find out more! Who wouldn't want to with a cover like that!!

Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager.
 
Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks in part to the folks she meets: a local painter, Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart—and who helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie, the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn. His quiet, peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from her grief, and the two begin to grow closer.

Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has come to enjoy. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven—and the man—she’s come to call home.  In this heartwarming tale, Annie finds that the surest way to fix what is damaged within is to help others rise above their pain and find a way to heal.

I thought this was a great book!  I couldn't put it down and was excited when I got a whole morning to sit home and read it.  I thought it was so interesting and I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next for Annie.  Annie went through a lot of guilt after her whole family died in a mudslide that took out her family home and she decided to take a vacation to someone to remember the good times.  In doing so, she quickly realized that she couldn't go on living the way that she was and she moved and set up a whole new life in the small town that she used vacation.  It was amazing to see how quickly she was healing after having so many problems before and you have to pick up the book to find out how she makes these changes.  I am sure you will be amazed at the way that the small town makes her feel better and safe like it did in her childhood.  I hope that you check out this book and enjoy for yourself!!

The Quilter's Legacy Book Review

I picked up The Quilter's Legacy: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel (The Elm Creek Quilts) by Jennifer Chiaverini at one of the libraries I think.  was  It was in my reading pile which is sadly getting way bigger then the speed which I can read so I was settled that I was going to get back to it.  I knew nothing about it but I was interested in finding out what it was about.  After I read the book and I was preparing for the review, I found out this book was in a series and this was book 5.  I normally look up that information first but it was easy to read on it's own without any problems so I didn't even think twice.

Readers of Jennifer Chiaverini's popular and engaging Elm Creek Quilts series are treated in each successive volume to storytelling that expertly weaves the joys and intricacies of history, quilting, and family ties. In The Quilter's Legacy, a daughter's search for her mother's treasured heirlooms illuminates life in Manhattan and rural Pennsylvania at the turn of the last century.
When precious heirloom quilts hand-stitched by her mother turn up missing from the attic of Elm Creek Manor, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson resolves to find them. From scant resources -- journal entries, receipts, and her own fading memories -- she pieces together clues, then queries quilting friends from around the world. When dozens of leads arrive via the Internet, Sylvia and her fiancé, Andrew, embark on a nationwide investigation of antiques shops and quilt museums.
Sylvia's quest leads her to unexpected places, where offers of assistance are not always what they seem. As the search continues, revelations surface about her mother, Eleanor Lockwood, who died in 1930, when Sylvia was only a child. Burdened with poor health and distant parents, Eleanor Lockwood defied her family by marrying for love. Far from her Manhattan home, she embraced her new life among the Bergstroms -- but although warmth and affection surrounded Eleanor at last, the Bergstroms could not escape the tragedies of their times.
As Sylvia recovers some of the missing quilts and accepts others as lost forever, she reflects on the woman her mother was and mourns the woman she never knew. For every daughter who has yearned to know the untold story of her mother's life, and for every mother who has longed to be heard, The Quilter's Legacy will resonate with heartfelt honesty as it reveals what tenuous connections bind the generations and celebrates the love that sustains them.

This book switches from generation to generation of the different people in the family to tell the story of the quilts . I thought it was really interesting to see the changes in the stories and lives of the people because it was really interesting.  The mystery of where the quilts have gone is amazing and I loved following along with the hunt for them.  I am not normally one for historical books but this one was really good and easy to follow with lots of great characters to pull for.  The biggest problem was that it just ended when I thought that there was going to be a little more wrap up.  I am assuming that the next book in the series will have the next steps but only time will tell.  I enjoyed the story and the characters in this book and I can't wait to see others in the series to get the rest of the story.  I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I have!