Last Week's Thrifty Moves

Sunday I went online and checked out the new Fred Meyer and Walgreens ads.  I determined the only thing I need at Fred's this week is milk and produce.  I came across some good deals at Walgreens.  I also checked out my two coupon sites and found nine coupons I could use.

I printed the coupons on scrap paper.

I did another store survey for Fred Meyer and added 50 bonus points to my rewards card for  my next fuel purchase.

Monday, after work, I stopped in at Walgreens with six of the coupons I printed off the web to buy some items on sale for Easter baskets:

Two packages of gum on sale for 69¢ each.  I used two 50¢ OFF coupons which made them only 19¢ each.

Two packages of candy on sale for 59¢ each.  I used one Buy One Get One Free coupon so I only paid 59¢ for both.

Two large packages of Tic Tacs for $1.49 each.  I used one Buy One Get One Free coupon so I only paid $1.49 for both.

Two more bottles of dish soap on sale for 99¢.  I used a 30¢ OFF coupon to make it only 69¢.  Of course, this item is not destined for an Easter basket. J  But I am pretty well stocked for dish soap at the moment.

On the way home I used my rewards points to fill the gas tank on our car.  I saved an extra 10¢ a gallon!

Tuesday the oldest was back at the university for her workshop.  Youngest one and I went to the library to hang out until she was done.  I surfed the internet a bit using their free WiFi and we both read.  On the way there we stopped in at Cash & Carry once again to pick up the other cheese I wanted that went on sale.  Five pounds of grated cheddar and Monterey jack.  We are now completely stocked up on cheese.

Thursday we dropped the oldest off at the university and then headed to Fred Meyer to pick up milk and produce.  I scored big time on both.  All the produce and one gallon of chocolate milk was on markdown.  The other gallon was on sale for $1.89.

While there I picked up a few houseplants.  I only planned to buy two but since they were on sale Buy 2 Get 1 Free I ended up with three.  One became a gift for a friend and the other two will be ours.  Our home currently has only one plant which was a start from a co-worker's spider plant.  I found two pretty pots on sale for $7.99 each and a good sized bag of potting soil for $3.49.  There is plenty of soil leftover for starting seeds for our garden this spring.  I am keeping the plastic pots the plants came in to use for seed starting.

The girls and I divided 10# of grated cheese into bags holding two cups each and marked them.  I then reused the bags the cheese came in originally to put the packages inside for the freezer.  Putting them in the larger bag helps me keep them contained, organized and helps ward off freezer burn.

Friday evening we made homemade pizza and vanilla ice cream.  Delicious!

I baked a loaf of homemade French bread.

We ate our leftovers for lunches keeping our food waste minimal.  I composted coffee grounds, tea bags, eggs shells, banana peels, potato peels and onion skins.  We gave the chickens our other kitchen scraps, which makes them incredibly happy.

The hens blessed us with 11 eggs this week.

How was your thrifty week?

I Am Seriously A Grocery Nerd

Lately I have received a lot of comments and emails asking how I manage to keep our grocery budget so low.  It seems that people are struggling in their effort to stay within a set budget while others are flat out having a hard time putting food on the table.  I truly hate the thought of anyone having to go without.  I've been there myself, way back when, and it sucks.

I am a self confessed grocery nerd.  Grocery shopping and meal preparation is more than a necessity to me.  It is also a hobby and I devote a lot of time to it.  Not an astronomical amount of time, but I do invest a fair amount.  It is fair to say I am quite passionate about feeding my family.

I probably spend a good 3 hours each week "hunting and gathering" food for my family:

Twice a week I check out ads online - Fred Meyer on Sunday, Albertson's on Wednesday and Cash & Carry puts out their "Hot Deals" ad about twice a month.  I do not shop at Costco because the membership is high, in my opinion.  Cash & Carry does not have a membership fee and their prices are better, again, in my opinion.

5 pounds of cheese from Cash & Carry

Twice a month I check out the online coupon sites - Coupons.com and Smartsource.com.  I only print the ones I know I will use and to maximize savings I try to use scrap paper whenever possible to print them on.

I am constantly making and updating my shopping list, always planning ahead.  I shop more for food for the future than I do for the present.  Only about 30% of our grocery dollars go toward dairy and fresh produce each month.

I am a meal planner.  I keep meals simple and use a monthly calendar to plan out our dinners based on what I already have on hand.  I keep a running list of breakfast and lunch ideas.  Most of our lunches are reheated leftovers.  I have a microwave at work and both girls have thermoses.

I regularly rotate my stock and keep an inventory of my pantry and two freezers so things don't get forgotten and I always know what I have on hand.  I keep a Pantry List so I know if I am getting low on something I can put it on the shopping list and watch for it at a good price.

Salsa

I cook a lot from scratch and keep the pre-prepared stuff to a minimum.  I can jams, jellies, salsa, pickles and when I get a really good price on fruit I do that too.  I make as many of our condiments as possible - salad dressings, tarter sauce, fry sauce, marinade, etc.

I use my slow cookers and my bread machine a lot. 

I bake a lot of our bread, rolls, buns and biscuits.  If I buy it at the store I get it from the markdown bin - bagels, English muffins, and multi grain bread.  I'll pick up hamburger and hot dogs bun when they go on a really good sale.  I buy my flours and yeast in bulk.

I do what I like to call investment cooking.  I'll make a big pot of chili and put it in two cup containers to freeze rather than buy canned chili.  I make my own refried beans.  I freeze soups in two cup containers instead of buying canned soup.  About the only soup I do buy is cream soups for recipes and Progresso clam chowder, because we love it.  But I always wait for a really good sale and use coupons too.

We eat a lot of salads and I prepare a homemade soup at least once a week.  I also make a meatless meal once a week, sometimes more often.  I cook a lot of beans and use beans to stretch out meats.  For example I like to add black beans to my taco meat and my black bean soup recipe only uses a half pound of Italian sausage.

Homemade Hawaiian Pizza

I'm a bit of a skimmer.  For example if I cook up ground beef or sausage I'll put a little bit in a small freezer container to save for pizza topping.  When I make spaghetti sauce I'll put half a cup of it in a container and freeze it to use for the pizza sauce.

We dilute our milk.  I buy whole milk and mix it 50/50 with filtered water.  We used to drink skim milk and we like the flavor and texture better of the diluted whole milk.  I don't worry about a lack of nutrition in doing this as a serving of milk is only one cup and none of my kids has ever just drank a cup of milk and called it good.  They always go for the big glass and fill it to the top.  Sometimes twice.  Plus we get calcium from a lot of other sources - fresh spinach, broccoli, fruit, legumes, cheese, ice cream, homemade yogurt, etc.

Homemade yogurt

I buy spices from the bulk bin in little plastic baggies and refill my spice bottles.  This saves a ton of money.  I also use a lot of fresh garlic.

We eat our leftovers.  In fact, a lot of our meals are planned leftovers.

In addition it is important to know your prices so you know whether you are getting a good deal or not.  I primarily shop in three stores but I've also found good prices on certain things at Winco and Walmart.  Neither one of those stores are close to me and I have to factor in the cost of gas when I shop there.

Dollar store finds

We also have a grocery outlet store near Walmart that I'll check out from time to time.  Lately our dollar store has really expanded their grocery section and I have found some super deals on good quality products.  Right now they have the best prices on dried beans and long grain rice.

I'm also willing to go without and make do with something else if I don't find what I want at the price I'm willing to pay.  Flexibility is important, especially when working with a meal plan.

Making "frozen burritos" using some ground beef and homemade refried beans

As time goes on I'll be doing more posts on this subject and of course if you need help I'm here for you.  You can always email me if you don't want to post a comment too.  No one needs to go hungry or struggle with paying for groceries.

Don't forget to check out the recipes I've posted too.  Just hit the link on the right of the page and you'll have access to all of them with more on the way.

A New Kerosene Lamp - I Made It Myself!

As many of you know I love and collect vintage canning jars.  I also happen to love pretty kerosene lamps.  So imagine my delight when I stumbled across a kit that you can buy to make a kerosene lamp, out of all things, a canning jar.

It was super easy to put this lamp together.  I washed out the jar and made sure it was thoroughly dry.  To take up some of the space I filled it with two bags of glass marbles I purchased at the dollar store.  It also made it so the pretty vintage wording on the jar stood out more.

I filled it with oil and put the adapter piece on.  Then I screwed on the burner and let the wick soak for a bit.  I turned the little handle until I was able to remove the wick and then I inserted it upside down so the soaked part was at the top and the dry half was now in the oil.  This allowed the entire wick to be saturated with oil for proper burning. 

I ordered a set of 5 kits from Amazon.com with the idea I would make one for myself and one for a friend of mine who loves kerosene lamps.  The set of five was less money than two individual kits so I have three more to use later.  I think these would make great gifts.

I ordered the glass chimney separately and also from Amazon.  They have a nice selection of all kinds but I chose an expensive basic one.  After all, I am more interested in emphasizing the design of the jar.

It only took about five minutes to put this lamp together.  I just love it.

My Favorite French Bread Recipe

Nothing is better than homemade bread, but a fresh hot loaf of French bread is divine.  Here is the recipe I use all the time with my bread machine.

French Bread

3 cups all purpose flour

2 ½ tsp. yeast

1 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 ¼ cups hot water

1 Tbs. olive oil

Select the dough cycle.  Place dry ingredients in pan and select start.  Add water and oil.  Once dough forms a smooth ball (you may have to add a little flour or water depending on humidity) close lid and allow cycle to run completely.

Once finished remove dough from machine and knead lightly on a floured surface.  Dough should be smooth and not be sticky.  Shape into a long loaf and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Cover with a tea towel and allow dough to raise until doubled in size in a warm draft free place, approximately one hour.

Bake loaf in a preheated 400° oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush top with butter, if desired.

We love to use any leftovers to make sandwiches.  Best grilled cheese ever!  Also French Toast. 

Yum!

Goals For January

I think making lists and having goals is very important.  It helps me immensely to be more efficient and productive.  This year I've decided to try something a little bit different.  For one thing I want to scale down the size of my lists by half.  Last year we accomplished a ton of stuff and now that things are much more manageable around here a shorter list should do just fine.

This is what I have planned for this month:

1.          Purge, organize & put away Christmas décor & wrapping supplies

2.         Send a card or letter to someone

3.         Family Nite Out or Outing

4.         Be creative - sew or craft something

5.         Do some investment cooking

6.         Complete a small home improvement project

7.         Spring clean both bathrooms

8.         Wash all the mirrors

9.         Create a new menu plan for February

10.       Make or bake something to share

11.        Purchase a small Valentines gift for my girls

12.        Enjoy a Family Movie Nite or Family Game Nite!

13.        Organize and update important paperwork

14.        Begin compiling information for filing 2015 tax return

15.        Invite guests over for a visit or dinner

Although this list is much smaller I'm sure I will still be productive and manage to accomplish quite a bit each month.

This is how I did last month with my much longer list:

1.          Count my blessings

2.         Go to the $$ Store

3.         Send a letter or card to someone

4.         Family Game Nite! We played the Wii and had a bowling night

5.         Invite guests over for a visit or dinner

6.         Make goodie plates to give our friends and neighbors  I kind of fizzled out at this point.

7.         Sew or craft something

8.         Make a monthly meal plan for January

9.         Make a menu for Valentine's Day  Spicy Romano Chicken & Pasta with homemade French bread.  YUM!

10.       Try a new recipe

11.        Read a book or write

12.        Family Movie Nite!  Christmas Movies!!

13.        Family outing  We walked the neighborhood on Christmas Eve and looked at lights.

14.       Put away Fall décor

15.       Decorate for Christmas

16.       Repurpose/recycle something

17.       Mail Christmas cards and letters

18.       Finish wrapping Christmas gifts

19.       Shop for stocking stuffers

20.      Bake and decorate cookies with my girls

21.       Make Thank You cards  I bought a package of 8 really cute ones at the $ Store.

22.      Rake leaves

23.      Complete a $5 or $10 home improvement project  I thought about this a lot but honestly, with all the other stuff I did I was totally fine skipping this one.

24.      Clean gutters  The freezing weather meant everything in there was stuck.  Next warm day we are on it.

25.       Prune a tree

26.       Family Nite Out!  We went out to dinner at a restaurant we had never been to.

27.       Make a new day planner for 2016

28.       Spring clean my desk and sewing area  I did a lot of sewing and it was needed.  I gave my desk to my youngest so it got a thorough clean as well.

29.       Make suet cakes for the chickens

30.       Take some time for myself

Do you find you get more done with a list?  What are some of the things you have in mind for this month?

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

Sunday I baked one of the hams I bought last month on sale for 88¢ a pound.  Monday I sliced about half of it for sandwiches and cut the rest of it up and put it into packages for the freezer.  I left quite a bit on the bone for a pot of soup later.  I used my Grandmas's old meat grinder to grind up some ham and used it to make her delicious ham salad for sandwiches in our lunches.

My youngest has Honor Orchestra on Mondays after school.  I usually take my laptop and write or read a book while I wait.  There is a Fred Meyer near the school where she rehearses so this time I decided to do my grocery shopping.  I only purchased a handful of things last week and they were on sale plus I had coupons too:

Spinach $1.99 (less 45¢OFF coupon), two 16 oz. tubs of sour cream 99¢ each, two half gallon jugs of chocolate milk marked down to 69¢ each, 5 pounds of flour $1.59 (less 50¢ OFF coupon), bag of tortilla chips $1.00 (less 40¢ OFF coupon), and a loaf of whole wheat bread 99¢.

While at Fred Meyer I found a bag of Ghiradelli chocolates on markdown for $1.75.  My girls love these so I grabbed them up to give them for Valentine's Day.  I even tried a couple to make sure they are good. Yes, I made the sacrifice. J

I had these heart shaped boxes in my gift wrap bin they were given last year so I decided it would be fun to refill them.  They will love it.

On the way home we stopped at a Walmart Neighborhood Market (I'd never been to one before).  We've passed it a few times and thought we'd stop in and check it out.  I picked up some oranges and bananas and used another coupon I had on some smoked sausages we like.  I doubt this will be a store I frequent but I'm glad I checked it out.

Tuesday my oldest had her workshop at the university.  My youngest and I waited for her at the library.  Before we went to the library we went to Cash & Carry since it is close by.  I bought 5# of cheese for pizza and lasagna.  It was on sale for $10.48.  They also had 10# of lean ground beef on sale for $19.50.  It has been a very long time since I bought ground beef that inexpensively.  That pretty much hits the bulk of what I had on our shopping list this month.  I'll probably shop at the end of next week for fresh milk and produce again.  Other than that we are pretty well set.

While at the library we returned one book and checked out four more.

We enjoyed our free trial of Netflix and watched several episodes of Grey's Anatomy and NCIS.

We ate all of our meals at home this week.  Our food waste was kept to a minimum and we gave our kitchen scraps to the chickens, which always makes them happy.  I composted eggs shells, coffee grounds, tea bags and banana peels.

The chickens have started laying again.  I think they really like their new coop heater.  It doesn't have a light and I think they are able to sleep better at night now.  Plus the coop is warm and dry.  I'm so glad it finally came off backorder.  They blessed us with 8 eggs

The youngest and I had a date on Saturday.  We went out to breakfast at one of our favorite little diners.  At breakfast we discussed making a big pot of beanless chili.  On the way home we stopped in at Cash & Carry for a big can of tomato sauce.  I did the math and it was over a dollar in savings over buying the equivalent in 15 oz. cans.

When we got home she and I got to work and made the chili.  She actually did most of it browning 4# of lean ground beef while I divided the rest of the 10# package into individual packages for the freezer.  Then she added half the big can of sauce and I put the rest in freezer containers to use later.  After seasoning it with two packets of chili spices we let it cook all day.  It was fabulous.  My baby did a very good job.  She and I tested it out and then we put it in containers for the freezer too.  We got some serious investment cooking done and it felt good.

I saved the little bit of rendered fat after browning the ground beef in a small container and put it in the freezer.  I plan to use it later to make my hens another suet cake.

Lots of goodies tucked away.

How was your thrifty week?

How I Managed Our Christmas On A Budget

In 2014 we had a house to furnish so our Christmas budget was a paltry $100.  And somehow we did just fine.  Every month I set aside $10 in an envelope and by October I had it all save up.  Fortunately, I also had some gift cards to use to purchase quite a few items which helped a ton.

Last year I doubled the budget to $200 for Christmas 2015.  I funded it with money from my 2014 Christmas bonus I got at work so I didn't have to worry about setting aside money every month.  I tucked it away and used it throughout the year as I needed to.

As in years past I made a lot of the gifts I gave.  I derive a lot of joy in making my gifts and I try to tailor the things I make to the recipient as there is no point going to all that work and expense on a gift someone wouldn't want.

I got started in January by making my youngest a scarf and head warmer set I crocheted from yarn I already had in my stash.  In February I made another set for my oldest, and again, I used yarn in my stash.  Two gifts finished, wrapped and hidden away on the top shelf of my closet.  I used file folder boxes I had pulled out of the recycle bit at work and brought home along with tissue paper, Christmas wrap, bows and tags I already had on hand.  Two beautiful handmade gifts at no cost so the budget was untouched.

A super great online sale at Bath & Body Works got me bottles of foaming hand soap on clearance for $2.50 each.  I paired them with handmade hanging dish towels in a Christmas theme for several gifts and a couple gift exchanges.  On the same sale I also got lotion and shower gel for $5.00 each.  I gave each of my girls a set and used tissue, bows, gift bags and tags I already had.  I spent just enough at the sale to qualify for free shipping.

I had two big projects in mind.  The first was to make four throw pillows for some friends of ours.  They love wolves and have a wolf theme in their living room.  They had just purchased a gorgeous gray leather sectional for the room and had no pillows for it.  I had this idea pictured in my head.

In May I was thrilled to find old vintage quilt panels of wolf scenes from the 80s on eBay and I bid on them.  Then over the course of three months I used coupons a friend kept giving me for JoAnn's to purchase coordinating fabrics, quilt batting and bags of Polyfil.  By September I had all of my supplies needed to complete this project and paid for.

My other big projects was to make "Go Bags" for the girls.  I've always thought it would be a good idea for each of us to have a "Go Bag" assembled and ready in case of an emergency, but also I like the idea of having it for the convenience of travelling.  I'll post more about these in another post.  But suffice it to say that the majority of my budget went into putting these together.

I shopped around town and Amazon for supplies for the bags as well as a big barreled curling iron for the oldest and a set of Sony headphones for the youngest.  I also bought two books on discount from Amazon.  I like to give each of my girls a book at Christmas.

I used coupons paired with great sales to acquire lip balm and gum super cheap for stocking stuffers.  I also picked up items at the dollar store and grabbed up four packages of socks on a 50% OFF sale at ShopKo.

Santa gifts in addition to what was in their stockings included two adult coloring books I bought at Amazon for under $4.00 each with free shipping and a second hand Wii Sports game I got on eBay for under $12.00 with free shipping.  My girls don't mind a second hand gift and frankly, I don't think they really even noticed.  They are just thrilled to have the game.

I bought a new set of lights for the tree and our neighbor gifts were simply jars of jelly I made last summer wrapped in bags and using bows and trim I already had on hand.  I did buy ingredients for a special jar of Thai chili paste I made for some friends but I used a big pickle jar I had saved to put it in and dressed it up with red cellophane, bows and trim I had on hand.  They really love that chili paste and were so excited to get it.

So that is pretty much it.  Do you set a budget for Christmas?  How do you save for it?