Menu Plan Monday 3/9

Chili with cheese and Corn Bread
Penne Pasta with garlic bread (maybe ravioli or meatballs)
Roast Beef Sandwiches and mac and cheese
Homemade Flatbread Pizza
Leftovers
Steak and Potatoes
Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade french fries

What a week?!  My husband was sick so I mixed up the menu a lot.  We did get Monday and Tuesday done as planned and then everything got a little mixed up.  Wednesday was leftover soup for my husband and myself and Penne for my son on request.  Thursday was Flat Bread Pizza with the free Stonefire Flat Bread that I got for my son and I and my husband had leftover soup again.  Friday was breakfast for dinner so I made Pancakes (regular, blueberry and chocolate chip), hash browns, fried eggs and sausage patties.  It was my husband's first meal that wasn't soup.   We went with my son's favorite dinner on Saturday night of Chicken fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade fries with a few of our tater tots.  We decided ahead of time with the time change and the schedule we had on Sunday that we would get Pizza Hut.  We used the last of our gift card and redeemed points for free breadsticks so dinner was $6.18 after all that.  Hoping for a better week with less craziness this week and a meal plan that actually happens!!

I took my freezer inventory and pantry inventory so I have to finish the meal plan for the month.

To Tame a Wild Cowboy Book Review

I went straight from my last book to this one without taking a break because I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next in the series.  To Tame a Wild Cowboy: Cupid, Texas by Lori Wilde is the seventh in the series.  Sadly this is the last book in the series unless they add more later but I think that you will still enjoy!!

One minute, Rhett Lockhart is a love ‘em and leave ‘em bull rider with a slow, sexy smile, a swagger, and not a care in the world. The next, he learns his free-wheeling days are over: a baby has been abandoned in the hospital, and there’s no question: he’s the father. But from the first moment he gazes into his daughter’s eyes, he knows the moment has come to say ‘no’ to no-strings. It’s time to grow up.
Standing in his way is the baby’s foster mother, Tara Alzate, who doesn’t quite believe Rhett is ready to change his ways. Still, she’s not not immune to his considerable charms. So when he proposes a marriage of convenience and shared custody, against her better judgement, she says “I do.” Can Tara tame this wild cowboy and make her own, long-buried dreams come true?

Rhett has been living the bachelor lifestyle for many years after leaving home to do bull riding professionally.  It seems to attract a lot of women who he doesn't say no to.  His lifestyle catches up with him when he has to be DNA tested to see if he is the father of a newborn baby.  He changes his whole life around when he meets him baby and her foster mother.  Tara is taking care of the baby and doesn't want to loose her.  She also happens to be someone that Rhett grew up with and used to babysit him when he was younger.  Tara seems to be the only one that tests Rhett and tells him no.  I thought it was great to meet someone else in the Alzate family and find out if she finds her true love.  I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the series and enjoy it as much as I have.  It is a great light read that makes you instantly connect with the characters.  I hope that you love Rhett and Tara as much as I did.

How the Cowboy Was Won Book Review

I read my first in this series because I got it free at the library which seems to be the start to many of my reading adventures.  It was on the giveway shelf so I decided to give it a chance.  The amazing thing is that I went back and read the rest of the books in order so this is getting further in the story and getting back to the family that I met in my first peak into the middle of the series. Cupid, Texas: How the Cowboy Was Won by Lori Wilde is the sixth book in this series and almost to the end.

Ember Alzate is a fantastic matchmaker with one big problem: she can’t find the perfect mate for herself! Alzate family legend says that when she kisses “the One” she’ll hear a mysterious humming in her head. Well, Ember’s kissed a lot of guys and she’s never heard a thing. Now, instead of searching for herself, she vows to find her best friend, Ranger Lockhart, a bride. It’s clear this smart, sexy man just needs to meet the right gal.  Ranger’s returned home to Cupid with marriage on his mind, but he’s not interested in the parade of women Ember pushes under his nose. His thoughts keep returning to his best friend—with her combustible combination of curves and sass. No one compares to Ember, but what’s it going to take to convince her she’s the woman for him?

Ember was an amazing personality that you couldn't help but like.  She was genuine and always spoke her mind.  Although that sometimes got her into trouble, she still was honest to who she was and you always knew where you stood with her.  She was part of the Alzate family so there is also the legend that says that she is going to hear humming when she meets and kisses her soul mate.  I loved the last book with this family and I couldn't wait to get back into the great family to meet this new member.  Ranger is back in town after working abroad and he is trying to settle down and start a family.  Ember has decided that this means that she should go out and find him a match because he is her best friend.  The amazing part is she finds out that she is jealous of all the women that she sets Ranger up with because their friendship has grown into more.  The thing that has you shouting at the book is that they both feel this way and don't tell the other one.  You have to pick up the book to find out if they decide to tell the other or if they ignore the truth.  It is a great journey and I hope that you enjoy seeing how it ends up.  I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the great series.

Confession Club Book Review

I put this on reserve at the library because I knew that I had read the author and enjoyed them but I didn't even look at the description of the book or any details.  I was excited to find after starting to read this one that it was the third book in the Arthur Truluv series.  The Confession Club: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg is the last book in the series unless they decide to add another one soon.

When a group of friends in Mason, Missouri, decide to start a monthly supper club, they get more than they bargained for. The plan for congenial evenings—talking, laughing, and sharing recipes, homemade food, and wine—abruptly changes course one night when one of the women reveals something startlingly intimate. The supper club then becomes Confession Club, and the women gather weekly to share not only dinners but embarrassing misdeeds, deep insecurities, and long-held regrets.

They invite Iris Winters and Maddy Harris to join, and their timing couldn't be better. Iris is conflicted about her feelings for a charming but troubled man, and Maddy has come back home from New York to escape a problem too big to handle alone. The club offers exactly the kind of support they need to help them make some difficult decisions.

I hope that you check out this quirky book and find out all the great things about living in this small town.  Mason, Missouri is a little town that has a lot of heart.  They start a group where they get together and talk about secrets that they are keeping from others so that they can move forward and start to heal.  It is an interesting story with all the great characters that we have gotten to know from the past books.  My favorite is Maddy who comes back to the small town after being away for a short time and is enjoying being back in the small town.  She is a great person who has to deal with her issues instead of running away from them but you will have to pick up the book to find out what she decides.  I loved seeing Iris again and all the new things that she is getting into with her new friend who is squatting in an abandoned house in the area.  It was great to read it because it was like catching up with old friends.  I hope that you check out this book and enjoy it as much as I have.  I think that it is more enjoyable after reading the other books but it can stand on its own.  The sad thing is that it might ruin the first few books because of where it is so I suggest starting at the beginning of the series.

February Month End Budget Update and Eating Out Total

Each month I work with a budget of $160 for our family of three.  This year I have changed a little bit and I am actually using the rebates back towards my total so that I work harder to get the rebates and because I am now transferring them into our bank account.  We also budget $40 for eating out.  I link the two amounts because we normally spend more on eating out when I don't get as much grocery shopping. The $200 budget is super low but I work hard to make it every month with sales, coupons and anything else I can use.

This month, I decided to make a list of all of the things in my pantry and my freezer even though I had already done the meal plan for the month.  I was a few meals short for the month so I thought that this would help fill the gaps.  I realized that I was super low on meat so I had my eye out for deals.  I went crazy this month with all the deals but I was super excited with all that I got so you will have to check it out below.  There are pictures and break downs of everything that I got for the month and the totals at the bottom. 

Harris Teeter $27.95

It was the last day of super doubles that I made it to and the first day of the month.  I got Ocean Spray for our stockpile for $2.14.  The Bananas Mixed Berry was on sale for $1.50 and there was a coupon so I got $3 off so they were $1 each.  I got the Super Pretzels for $0.09 and Tater Tots for $0.50.  The cheese was $1 which is super tasty for making pizza and other melting cheese.  The Prego was a great deal (thanks Christine) where the one was the Taste and Tell freebie.  The second jar was $0.48 after the sale and coupon. I put in for $3.85 rebates on the pretzels on Ibotta and Checkout 51.

Aldi $15.33 

I went to grab a few things we were out of (mostly chicken fries, tub butter and the shortening) and grabbed a few extras like the garlic salt for $0.99 and the bananas for my husband.  I also decided me needed the Parmesan if I decided to make lasagna which has been in the works for awhile.  I got $0.10 any item Ibotta rebate.

Harris Teeter $3.32

I picked out the tomato sauce which the shelf sign had the same price as the others but it didn't come up on sale but customer service fixed it for me.  I love when they have the tomatoes on sale cheap and we were running low so I was glad to get some.

Harris Teeter $3.32

I went to the other store to get the weekend freebie veggies because the other store didn't have them and I grabbed the diced tomatoes.  They rang up $0.37 each so I got the limit of 12.  I have made the sweet potatoes a few times for lunch and they are tasty but I still have a few left.

Aldi $7.52

We were out of milk and rice and bananas.  This was my second store looking for rice so we were totally out which isn't common because it is a staple at our house.

Harris Teeter $5.10 

I got two ice creams and there was a great rebate that made these an amazing deal.  I got back $9.19 from Ibotta and Checkout 51.  I also used the rain check for the Roasting Mexican Street Corn.  I am trying to decide if I am going to eat this plain or make some chicken tortilla soup.

Wegman's $15.82

I went to Wegman's to get ground beef which I kept some out to make tacos and then froze 5 bags for meals to come.  It actually went up in price so I was a little bummed but I got it anyway. 

Giant $0.05

I went to get my free Chobani yogurt.

Harris Teeter $3.63

I got some clearance steaks and free cottage cheese which I am going to use with the ricotta for lasagna.

 Safeway $0

My friend, Pam, gave me a coupon for free flour so my son and I stopped there and my son excitedly got two tickets for the Monopoly game.  We scanned them into the app and put them on the paper.

Lidl $12.55

I went to Lidl to the grand opening and got a bag, frisbee and chip clip.  I got $0.75 eggs, $0.75 Nacho Cheese Chips, $0.89 Tortilla Chips, $1.19 Celery and $1.00 Oven Ready Lasagna.  I got three bags of potatoes for $1.99 each. Fun new store and I can't wait to find some new favorites.

Giant $0.04

Freebie and used it to make scones.

Safeway $0 

I got another freebie on my Safeway app and we enjoyed it on a busy weekend.

Harris Teeter $15.62

There was a deal to get $2.47 soda so I decided to get them.  I saw the popcorn and grabbed two bags of kernels.  I got clearance sausage which was $1 so I came home and made sausage sauce.  I also got a head of lettuce for $0.99 which is cheaper then Aldi and Lidl.

 Wegman's $12.85

I went to get mac and cheese because I totally forgot when I got the ground beef.  I saw a sign for chicken at $1.79 per pound so I grabbed it too.  Now I just needed to make time to cut it all up and freeze it!!

Aldi $12.58

I went back for another trip to Aldi to get some things that were were low on.

Giant $10.72

I went to Giant to get the bacon that was on sale for $1.99 each pound.  I was told that it was really important to get them so that we could have baked potato soup.  When walking through the store, I saw ground beef for $1.79 so I got that and came home and cooked it all.  I made salsa sloppy joes, chili and cooked some for taco rice.  I was excited to be prepped for the week and get some cheaper ground beef.

Lidl $3.87

I went back to get my free birthday croissant at Lidl which I got when signed up for the app.  I got an extra bag of chips and a big block of cheese because we were totally out.

Harris Teeter $21.61

I went to the store with a ton of coupons and the best deals for the first day of super doubles. I didn't have that much left in the budget but I decided to put together a huge order and try to use the $5 off $25 coupon from Lidl.  I got 6 packages of Fruit Gushers for $0.34 each.  I got the Perdue Chicken $1.09 each.  I got the hashbrowns for $0.50 per bag.  The expensive Perdue chicken was $3.49 per bag for 1.5 lbs.  The ground beef was on sale for $1.88 per pound so I was excited to grab a few of them.  I got the roast beef for $1.99.  The Egg rolls were $0.50 per box.  The Ragu sauce was $0.34 each and I got three tomato and one alfredo.  The best deal was the Scrubbing Bubbles which gave a $2 catalina which printed out before so I used it in this transaction too!!

Harris Teeter $0.03

Something went crazy wrong in this transaction but it was only $0.03 so it was great that I got this all for free.  I had to use the clearance Kool Aid to get above the negative.

Harris Teeter $1.30

I got the Fruit Gushers for $0.34 each and the tater tots for $0.50 each and the Scrubbing Bubbles.  The amazing thing is that I had the catalina from the previous transaction to get all this for $1.30.  I love the roll over catalinas!!

Harris Teeter $1.44

I got the fries for $0.50 each and the Scrubbing Bubbles for $0.99 each with the last of my sad coupons for Scrubbing Bubbles running out.  I used the catalina to get these for super cheap too!! Then super excited to get another one to use on another transaction.

Harris Teeter $2.13

I thought this was going to be the end of my super doubles fun so I decided to get the one thing on the list that my son and husband said they needed.  It is obviously not a real need but they were super happy to get them.  I used the catalina so that it was way cheaper at $1 per box.

Harris Teeter $1.66

One last stop for the month and I got three more bags for $0.50 and my freezer is overflowing.  I also got two free Stonefire Naan which I actually put them in the freezer so later pizzas. Sad for no more catalinas but super excited about all these deals.

Safeway $0

Got another freebie added to the Safeway card so I went to the store to get it.  The women in front of me kindly gave me her monopoly coupons which was an even greater gift to my son.  He loves the monopoly game even though we never win anything.  I also put in an Ibotta for $0.25 for any item.

Total Retail $569.74

Total Savings $391.30
Total Rebates $16.04

Total OOP $162.40

I was totally excited to get all the deals that I got this month and only be $2.40 over budget.  It was an amazing month and I think that I got a bunch of things that will carry us through the next month really well.  I just need to reorganize the freezers to fit things and get at them better.

Eating Out

I can't believe that this month only had one take out Pizza Hut and we used a gift card so there was no money out of pocket.  $0 spent for our total take out this month!!

Menu Plan Monday 3/2

Penne Pasta with garlic bread and Turkey and Rice Soup (for our sick one)
Baked Potato Soup with bacon and cheese (Hashbrowns for our little one)
Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry with white rice
Tacos and corn bread
Leftovers
Homemade Flatbread Pizza
Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade french fries

I did really well last week because I cooked ahead on the weekend. This week is a going to be a little bit crazy because my husband got sick and I worked a few times last week and have to work a few times this week.  I am hoping that this is the meal plan but things might be changing based on the things in the freezer and making room.  Hope you have a good week!!

Jackson Book Review

I found a new book on the new release section and I was excited to see Jackson: Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas by Emily March.  I was excited to read this book and see if there were any other books in the series that I missed.  I was glad to find out if there were no books missing and that I was super excited to get to read this book.

Sometimes it takes a new beginning
Caroline Carruthers thinks she buried her dreams along with the love of her life…until a stranger named Celeste dares her to chase a dream all on her own. Moving to Redemption, Texas, is chapter one in Caroline’s new life story. Opening a bookstore is the next. Finding love is the last thing on her mind as she settles into this new place called home. But when she meets a handsome, soulful man who’s also starting over, all bets are off.

to reach a happily-ever-after
Jackson McBride came to Redemption looking only to find himself, not someone to love. Ever since his marriage ended, he’s been bitter. Sure, he used to believe in love—he even has the old song lyrics to prove it—but the Jackson of today is all business. That is, until a beautiful young widow who’s moved to town inspires a change of heart. Could it be that the myth of Redemption’s healing magic is true…and Jackson and Caroline can find a second chance at a happy ending after all?

I thought that this was a great book and a great addition to the Eternity Springs series and get to see the new area that this is set in Redemption, Texas.  It is interesting to see the three cousins and get to know Jackson the most (and know that there are two other cousins we are going to see soon in other books).   Caroline is dealing with having her husband who has memory issues and is forgetting the life that they had together.  She wasn't able to care for him so she had to put him in a facility to take better care of him and keep him safe.  She felt guilty and really missed the life that they had together.  She went to visit on their anniversary and ran into Celeste who needs help writing an article on the town of Redemption, Texas so she visits and falls in love with the small town.  Jackson came to Redemption because he and his cousin's inherited the old western town.  He stayed because his marriage fell apart and he was missing his daughter.  He made a life in this new town and worked to renovate the inn and dance hall to bring in tourists.  Caroline and Jackson found each other and they felt like kindred spirits and stayed friends when she left Redemption when she heard that her husband had a medical issue.  Time passes and Caroline decides to leave her old life behind and start a book store in Redemption and loves to make a new a life for her.  Jackson is excited to find her on her first day back in town.  You have to pick it up and find out what happens but I know you will like it.  I hope that you pick up the book and enjoy it.  Make sure you check out the Eternity Springs books if you like this because you will enjoy them as well.