dinner tonight is london broil - baked potatos and green beans .
london broil twin pack was just under 6$ so 1 will be 3.00
will be more than what 1 serving per person should be meat wise
potatos ~ 50c ( 5 potatoes out of a 10 lb bag that was 2.99 )
green beans - 80c ( 2 cans bought on sale for 39c each )
4.30 or 72c a person for 6 of us .
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Feeding a Family Frugally
I am able to feed my family well with less cost by shopping loss leaders.
Loss leaders are the specials the stores usually have on the front pages- those great deals that are to lead you into their store to shop - even if they take a small loss on that item- they hope to make it back many times over when you do the rest of your shopping there .
I also do some couponing although have been busy and haven't been organized with that so not doing much of that the past few months . Our stores do not sell liqueur so no wine tags and even if so for me personally its a gray area to remove a sticker or tag from something i am not buying to use it - to me its meant to go with that item its on so should only be used if that one is bought . Yes i know there is no legal ruling to say on that - just my personal preference in life . I do not look down on those who take coupons / tags off things they don't purchase and say they are wrong - that is up to them - i just feel odd about it- the thinking in my area is the store expects you to but the item to get the coupon - so don't do it - so may not save as much .
Many equate couponing with having tons of processed junky foods . Sadly sometimes the media showing the coupon queens only show the shelved stock they have- which often has a lot of hamburger helper and canned items and snacks etc and they don't show their freezer meats or their canned veggies they grew that summer - so people who have never couponed only see processed foods and get the wrong idea. I am sure some eat a lot of processed stuff - but many couponers don't even have a box of hamburger helper on their shelves .
I personally do not like the taste and to feed all of us would need 4 boxes and i can whip it up homemade just as easy - although if it came out to be free or under 25c a box i might buy some for my son at college or to donate to a food pantry .
For me couponing allows me to save some $ on items we use like cereals - toothpaste - paper and beauty aides so that i can use that saved money on meats and fresh fruits and veggies .
Sometimes it allows some treats that i normally wont buy unless a loss leader coupon special !!
And here's a secret - your kids- your husband - no one will die from starvation of they don't get their favorite treat for a few weeks . my kids LOVE fruit snacks but honestly since i haven't been keeping up with my couponing and haven't seen a cheap enough sale there haven't been any in the house for a good 2 months ...and yet they keep going along and actually after about 2 weeks of them not in the house they forget about them .
My stores also do not take Internet printed coupons unless its from their own site and even then there may be some issues because of a huge amount of fraud that went on a few years back where the stores lost thousands of dollars on free coupons people were using .
Even without couponing I am still able to do grocery shopping including all foods- pet food- litter etc for our bunny Mr Flopsy - beauty health- paper and cleaning for 500$ or less a month for 7 of us . I do buy some of the more expensive processed things to have my oldest take back down to his college house ( TV dinners - hot pockets etc )- but try to do that when its on sale only .
Although i know there are many out there who are able to do it for less- this gives me a comfort zone for my family - if i have a bad month financially- i can do it for much less if i need to. And i like knowing i can do that if necessary .
8 years ago i was doing it for 350 a month .
I do not live in some magical area where food is always the prices you will see posted here when i itemize a meal -they are usually deep discounted deals and i will stock up on them when on sale - so that London Broil for 1.69 a lb may have been in my freezer a month or so from a previous sale even though i am eating it today ( Good freezing techniques are a must for a frugal family !!!)
A good six years ago a family in my area with one less child than i have and whose children were younger than mine stated they spend over 1200$ a month on food .
At the time i was doing it for 400$ or 1/3 of that and was able to do it for 300$ or 1/4 of that if i had to .
Family members with just 4 tell me they spend 250 a week and that was a few years back so at this time i am still spending about 1/3 to 1/4 what the average family of 7 would spend on food in my area .
At this time i do allow my children to buy lunch at school and that figure is not included into my grocery bill . It was a decision made based on stress level time and affordability and the fact that even when i bought enough juice boxes - snacks etc to last the week somehow i was out buying more last minute and in the end i was only saving maybe 20$ a month - .
Two of my older kids who are in high school receive a monthly budget on the 15th of the month that allows them to buy a lunch each day OR they can buy partial lunches or brown bag and keep the money to buy something they want - go to movies etc . My way of teaching them budgeting choices just as i have to decide what to do with my monthly $$ so do they .
So that money is not included in my grocery bill either - but much of it isn't spent on lunches as they often take things in for lunch so they can spend the $ on other things.
We do the pantry principle - buy more when on sale and stock up . During this whole recent peanut butter crisis we were fine because mine had been bought way before issues were at hand and stored in my pantry .
With the pantry principle you rarely have to pay full price .
We go to a produce distribution center that has a stand and get our fruits and veggies ( which we eat a lot of here ) for about 30-50% off what they want in the grocery stores stores.
When i feel its cheaper i can go to a wonder outlet and a entemanns outlet and a pepperidge farm outlet if i am nearby one and get some items . They are not real close so its not a regular thing for me anymore.
We drink mainly water and milk - if we have soda its for a special occasion - Gatorade is bought when on sale for the oldest two for sports etc . My youngest 3 wont even drink soda they never had it when young so find the bubbles " weird " .
Because all 5 of my kids would have GI issues from apple juice and hated grape juice and my youngest had red dye issues and sugar sensitivities we really don't have juice boxes around but in the summer for freezing and taking to pool etc .
We don't really have kool aide or fruit punches or ice tea either .
Milk - OJ and the ice cold water that comes filtered from our fridge are our usual drinks ,
lemonade at times especially in the summer - hot cocoa in the winter .
So i think i save a lot on drinks compared to other families .
And when out at b-day parties - friends houses etc my kids ask for water much to the amazement of their friends parents who usually are offering soda and punches .
I will watch the meat departments at stores- certain stores i do not do this at because i am not happy with the quality when its finally marked down but many will mark down meats by 1-3$ or 50% off when its a day away from their sell by date . If i can find a good deal say the already on sale boneless chicken breasts and then get more off that's a great double play in the meat department .
I do not spend a lot of time wandering stores to do this - but if i come upon a good deal i stock up the freezer with meats .
We buy our milk at the local CVS or Minimart - we may pay 10c more a gallon but time wise and the fact we arent tempted to buy anything the store has sitting out saves us a lot more than the 10c we spend and sometimes its actually cheaper there - because CVS is hoping to get you to buy more or the Minimart if attached to a gas station will have it lower hoping you will get gas while there too.
Aldis- i go to Aldis once every month or two to stock up on some canned soups -snacks and other items that i use as ingredients for cooking . And sometimes just some specials they have on things and some treats for the kids ( they love their french toast sticks )
Bulk cooking - although i don't do 30 day cooking ( that would put me in a fibro flare for sure !!) i do bulk cook - if the ingredients for lasagna are on sale - i make 4 have one for dinner freeze the other 3 for future dinners .
Big ground beef sale ?? I bulk brown some ground beef - some i just put into freezer baggies browned to add to later meals - some i add taco flavoring to and freeze for future taco dinners and the same with sloppy joes . One time messy stove...... several dinners !!
Just a lot of little things i do and at this point just do subconsciously that are a big part of saving $$ when feeding a family .
Please feel free to add what you do to the comments !!
Loss leaders are the specials the stores usually have on the front pages- those great deals that are to lead you into their store to shop - even if they take a small loss on that item- they hope to make it back many times over when you do the rest of your shopping there .
I also do some couponing although have been busy and haven't been organized with that so not doing much of that the past few months . Our stores do not sell liqueur so no wine tags and even if so for me personally its a gray area to remove a sticker or tag from something i am not buying to use it - to me its meant to go with that item its on so should only be used if that one is bought . Yes i know there is no legal ruling to say on that - just my personal preference in life . I do not look down on those who take coupons / tags off things they don't purchase and say they are wrong - that is up to them - i just feel odd about it- the thinking in my area is the store expects you to but the item to get the coupon - so don't do it - so may not save as much .
Many equate couponing with having tons of processed junky foods . Sadly sometimes the media showing the coupon queens only show the shelved stock they have- which often has a lot of hamburger helper and canned items and snacks etc and they don't show their freezer meats or their canned veggies they grew that summer - so people who have never couponed only see processed foods and get the wrong idea. I am sure some eat a lot of processed stuff - but many couponers don't even have a box of hamburger helper on their shelves .
I personally do not like the taste and to feed all of us would need 4 boxes and i can whip it up homemade just as easy - although if it came out to be free or under 25c a box i might buy some for my son at college or to donate to a food pantry .
For me couponing allows me to save some $ on items we use like cereals - toothpaste - paper and beauty aides so that i can use that saved money on meats and fresh fruits and veggies .
Sometimes it allows some treats that i normally wont buy unless a loss leader coupon special !!
And here's a secret - your kids- your husband - no one will die from starvation of they don't get their favorite treat for a few weeks . my kids LOVE fruit snacks but honestly since i haven't been keeping up with my couponing and haven't seen a cheap enough sale there haven't been any in the house for a good 2 months ...and yet they keep going along and actually after about 2 weeks of them not in the house they forget about them .
My stores also do not take Internet printed coupons unless its from their own site and even then there may be some issues because of a huge amount of fraud that went on a few years back where the stores lost thousands of dollars on free coupons people were using .
Even without couponing I am still able to do grocery shopping including all foods- pet food- litter etc for our bunny Mr Flopsy - beauty health- paper and cleaning for 500$ or less a month for 7 of us . I do buy some of the more expensive processed things to have my oldest take back down to his college house ( TV dinners - hot pockets etc )- but try to do that when its on sale only .
Although i know there are many out there who are able to do it for less- this gives me a comfort zone for my family - if i have a bad month financially- i can do it for much less if i need to. And i like knowing i can do that if necessary .
8 years ago i was doing it for 350 a month .
I do not live in some magical area where food is always the prices you will see posted here when i itemize a meal -they are usually deep discounted deals and i will stock up on them when on sale - so that London Broil for 1.69 a lb may have been in my freezer a month or so from a previous sale even though i am eating it today ( Good freezing techniques are a must for a frugal family !!!)
A good six years ago a family in my area with one less child than i have and whose children were younger than mine stated they spend over 1200$ a month on food .
At the time i was doing it for 400$ or 1/3 of that and was able to do it for 300$ or 1/4 of that if i had to .
Family members with just 4 tell me they spend 250 a week and that was a few years back so at this time i am still spending about 1/3 to 1/4 what the average family of 7 would spend on food in my area .
At this time i do allow my children to buy lunch at school and that figure is not included into my grocery bill . It was a decision made based on stress level time and affordability and the fact that even when i bought enough juice boxes - snacks etc to last the week somehow i was out buying more last minute and in the end i was only saving maybe 20$ a month - .
Two of my older kids who are in high school receive a monthly budget on the 15th of the month that allows them to buy a lunch each day OR they can buy partial lunches or brown bag and keep the money to buy something they want - go to movies etc . My way of teaching them budgeting choices just as i have to decide what to do with my monthly $$ so do they .
So that money is not included in my grocery bill either - but much of it isn't spent on lunches as they often take things in for lunch so they can spend the $ on other things.
We do the pantry principle - buy more when on sale and stock up . During this whole recent peanut butter crisis we were fine because mine had been bought way before issues were at hand and stored in my pantry .
With the pantry principle you rarely have to pay full price .
We go to a produce distribution center that has a stand and get our fruits and veggies ( which we eat a lot of here ) for about 30-50% off what they want in the grocery stores stores.
When i feel its cheaper i can go to a wonder outlet and a entemanns outlet and a pepperidge farm outlet if i am nearby one and get some items . They are not real close so its not a regular thing for me anymore.
We drink mainly water and milk - if we have soda its for a special occasion - Gatorade is bought when on sale for the oldest two for sports etc . My youngest 3 wont even drink soda they never had it when young so find the bubbles " weird " .
Because all 5 of my kids would have GI issues from apple juice and hated grape juice and my youngest had red dye issues and sugar sensitivities we really don't have juice boxes around but in the summer for freezing and taking to pool etc .
We don't really have kool aide or fruit punches or ice tea either .
Milk - OJ and the ice cold water that comes filtered from our fridge are our usual drinks ,
lemonade at times especially in the summer - hot cocoa in the winter .
So i think i save a lot on drinks compared to other families .
And when out at b-day parties - friends houses etc my kids ask for water much to the amazement of their friends parents who usually are offering soda and punches .
I will watch the meat departments at stores- certain stores i do not do this at because i am not happy with the quality when its finally marked down but many will mark down meats by 1-3$ or 50% off when its a day away from their sell by date . If i can find a good deal say the already on sale boneless chicken breasts and then get more off that's a great double play in the meat department .
I do not spend a lot of time wandering stores to do this - but if i come upon a good deal i stock up the freezer with meats .
We buy our milk at the local CVS or Minimart - we may pay 10c more a gallon but time wise and the fact we arent tempted to buy anything the store has sitting out saves us a lot more than the 10c we spend and sometimes its actually cheaper there - because CVS is hoping to get you to buy more or the Minimart if attached to a gas station will have it lower hoping you will get gas while there too.
Aldis- i go to Aldis once every month or two to stock up on some canned soups -snacks and other items that i use as ingredients for cooking . And sometimes just some specials they have on things and some treats for the kids ( they love their french toast sticks )
Bulk cooking - although i don't do 30 day cooking ( that would put me in a fibro flare for sure !!) i do bulk cook - if the ingredients for lasagna are on sale - i make 4 have one for dinner freeze the other 3 for future dinners .
Big ground beef sale ?? I bulk brown some ground beef - some i just put into freezer baggies browned to add to later meals - some i add taco flavoring to and freeze for future taco dinners and the same with sloppy joes . One time messy stove...... several dinners !!
Just a lot of little things i do and at this point just do subconsciously that are a big part of saving $$ when feeding a family .
Please feel free to add what you do to the comments !!
Monday, February 23, 2009
COMING SOON ....
The frugal kitchen and bathroom redo are done - pix have been taken and i just need to edit them and figure out the actual cost and hopefully by end of week i will post the results and what it cost !!
Crazy surprising weekend !!
My sons unfrugal birthday party went very well !! It was run nicely and the food was good and all had fun . I was tired and ready to rest when i got home as i had decided on impulse Thursday to repaint my bathroom and had spent Friday night and Saturdays AM finishing it up as my oldest 2 kids had their boyfriends and girlfriends coming over later that day .
well the surprise was on me - i walked into my house and get yelled at SURPRISE !!
I was stunned at first i was like who are they yelling surprise to and what for !!
Then i looked around and saw all my friends from PA i don't get to see often . Some i hadn't seen for 5 years because just life and schedules getting in the way !! Then i was thinking but why are they here until they started singing happy birthday LOL !! Of course my birthday was a few weeks before and it wasn't one of the " special " #'s that you usually get a surprise party for but he knew to get me that's how he would have to do it !!
It was especially nice because it was just my out of state friends - done that way so i didn't feel like i had to be properly polite and spend time socializing with friends and family i get to see regularly and miss out on spending time with these friends i don't see very often !! So it was just them .
DH had even arranged for hoagie trays and pizza and i said Hmm he did this so well i may let him take over for the communion party and the graduation party we will be having this year for 2 of the kids !!!
Anyway i have no idea how much he spent , he saved his own money for it as my birthday gift and i have to say it was a priceless and extremely thoughtful gift !!
First time i have ever been surprised - i had no birthdays growing up due to my moms religion and i knew when i was being proposed to and figured out my wedding and baby showers so i think i was still stunned the next AM.!!
Funniest thing is that they had me running around cleaning that AM for my own party !!!
well the surprise was on me - i walked into my house and get yelled at SURPRISE !!
I was stunned at first i was like who are they yelling surprise to and what for !!
Then i looked around and saw all my friends from PA i don't get to see often . Some i hadn't seen for 5 years because just life and schedules getting in the way !! Then i was thinking but why are they here until they started singing happy birthday LOL !! Of course my birthday was a few weeks before and it wasn't one of the " special " #'s that you usually get a surprise party for but he knew to get me that's how he would have to do it !!
It was especially nice because it was just my out of state friends - done that way so i didn't feel like i had to be properly polite and spend time socializing with friends and family i get to see regularly and miss out on spending time with these friends i don't see very often !! So it was just them .
DH had even arranged for hoagie trays and pizza and i said Hmm he did this so well i may let him take over for the communion party and the graduation party we will be having this year for 2 of the kids !!!
Anyway i have no idea how much he spent , he saved his own money for it as my birthday gift and i have to say it was a priceless and extremely thoughtful gift !!
First time i have ever been surprised - i had no birthdays growing up due to my moms religion and i knew when i was being proposed to and figured out my wedding and baby showers so i think i was still stunned the next AM.!!
Funniest thing is that they had me running around cleaning that AM for my own party !!!
some crazy shopping deals this past month !!
i have had the luck to run into some crazy shopping deals this past month !!
While i am frugal i am not anti credit cards when used in certain ways - ( ie for the most part my belief is that if u dont hae the cash to pay it off right away - dont use one - although if it came between putting brakes on my car and feeding my family - paying for medical things i would use one even if i didnt have the cash )
many - especially store cards can reap you many benefits with what you get in mailers etc
J C Penneys is one that i easily get 100$ worth of free things with - they send me a 15$ off 15$ coupon for my birthday month and then quite afew times a yera i get a 10$ off 10$ etc and then i hit the clearance racks - go gift hunting etc .
This month being my birthday month i recieved quite a few coupons fron JCP , kohls and Victorias secret .
I took a 10 off 10 kohls coupon i was sent for my birthday and i had a 30% off coupon i got in my flyer hit the clearance racks and got myself 2 pairs of jeans basically free after coupon and 30% off - also picked up a few summer tops for dds trip to DW for senior class trip for 3$ each .
RV for this trip was over 175$ and i spent about 15$ out of pocket .
used my 15$ of 15$ coupon i got for my b-day at JCP and got 2 things for the bathroom decor 1.97 each from 17.99 each originally - ( next on my needs some work list is the bathroom )
2 sweatshirts that say grandpop and something else on them for fil for his b-day ( oct ) and for cmas for 4.97 each and a dress shirt for dh for 4.97 and used the coupon and i paid like 3.xx overage for all of it !!
.then i went downstairs to shoes- kids - woman's etc and got17 yo dd a cmas gift for next year - it was a 280$ leather jacket in a nicer dressier style ( kind of buttoned like a pea coat ) that was on sale for 49.99 minus 15% off coupon i had so ~ 42$ then i had the 2 10$ gift cards from mypoints so it was 22.xx$ saved more than 90% off retail value .
went to victorias secret i had 2 10$ cards they had sent me for my B-day month - i got 2 clearance mini make up bags with those spray scents they have -( has three mini's in there a spray a lotion - not sure what the 3rd is ) and a hand lotion that was 75% offRV all together was 36$ -after coupons i paid 2.00 . one was a V-day gift for17 yo - one will be stuck in her Easter basket . will save the lotion for a gift for later in case she needs something small for a friend .
i come home and i find a 10$ off 10$ or more JCP coupon in my mail !!
so next day i check out another JCP .
they were having a huge clearance in the mens dept they were remodeling !! i got my dh's valentines gift - not very romantic but practical - mens nice solid medium khaki / brownish suit / sports coat - by IZOD orig $$275 said 29.99 and i thought that was a deal because he uses them for work -but it rang up 9.99 and i used a 15% off coupon on it and the rest of the things ( shirts / sweatshirts for older 2 boys and dh for next cmas that i got for 1.97 each ) in the end his suit jacket was just 8.49 and i only paid 24.xx
i got 8 items all together and the receipt says i paid 24.43 and saved 557.59 !!
a few things are Cmas gifts for next year for dh and the boys -!!
then i checked out the home decor got a 3 things for my kitchen or bathroom 4.97 each minus 2.xx for 15% off minus the 10$ coupon from mail - i paid under 4$ cash and according to the receipt i saved 95$ !!!
in shoe dept i got one son vans style shoes in a size away on clearance and younger dd school shoes on clearance next size up - paid 11.94 saved 66.06$
My favorite kind of shopping !!!!
so all together i paid 40.34 out of pocket
and saved 718.65 !!
While i am frugal i am not anti credit cards when used in certain ways - ( ie for the most part my belief is that if u dont hae the cash to pay it off right away - dont use one - although if it came between putting brakes on my car and feeding my family - paying for medical things i would use one even if i didnt have the cash )
many - especially store cards can reap you many benefits with what you get in mailers etc
J C Penneys is one that i easily get 100$ worth of free things with - they send me a 15$ off 15$ coupon for my birthday month and then quite afew times a yera i get a 10$ off 10$ etc and then i hit the clearance racks - go gift hunting etc .
This month being my birthday month i recieved quite a few coupons fron JCP , kohls and Victorias secret .
I took a 10 off 10 kohls coupon i was sent for my birthday and i had a 30% off coupon i got in my flyer hit the clearance racks and got myself 2 pairs of jeans basically free after coupon and 30% off - also picked up a few summer tops for dds trip to DW for senior class trip for 3$ each .
RV for this trip was over 175$ and i spent about 15$ out of pocket .
used my 15$ of 15$ coupon i got for my b-day at JCP and got 2 things for the bathroom decor 1.97 each from 17.99 each originally - ( next on my needs some work list is the bathroom )
2 sweatshirts that say grandpop and something else on them for fil for his b-day ( oct ) and for cmas for 4.97 each and a dress shirt for dh for 4.97 and used the coupon and i paid like 3.xx overage for all of it !!
.then i went downstairs to shoes- kids - woman's etc and got17 yo dd a cmas gift for next year - it was a 280$ leather jacket in a nicer dressier style ( kind of buttoned like a pea coat ) that was on sale for 49.99 minus 15% off coupon i had so ~ 42$ then i had the 2 10$ gift cards from mypoints so it was 22.xx$ saved more than 90% off retail value .
went to victorias secret i had 2 10$ cards they had sent me for my B-day month - i got 2 clearance mini make up bags with those spray scents they have -( has three mini's in there a spray a lotion - not sure what the 3rd is ) and a hand lotion that was 75% offRV all together was 36$ -after coupons i paid 2.00 . one was a V-day gift for17 yo - one will be stuck in her Easter basket . will save the lotion for a gift for later in case she needs something small for a friend .
i come home and i find a 10$ off 10$ or more JCP coupon in my mail !!
so next day i check out another JCP .
they were having a huge clearance in the mens dept they were remodeling !! i got my dh's valentines gift - not very romantic but practical - mens nice solid medium khaki / brownish suit / sports coat - by IZOD orig $$275 said 29.99 and i thought that was a deal because he uses them for work -but it rang up 9.99 and i used a 15% off coupon on it and the rest of the things ( shirts / sweatshirts for older 2 boys and dh for next cmas that i got for 1.97 each ) in the end his suit jacket was just 8.49 and i only paid 24.xx
i got 8 items all together and the receipt says i paid 24.43 and saved 557.59 !!
a few things are Cmas gifts for next year for dh and the boys -!!
then i checked out the home decor got a 3 things for my kitchen or bathroom 4.97 each minus 2.xx for 15% off minus the 10$ coupon from mail - i paid under 4$ cash and according to the receipt i saved 95$ !!!
in shoe dept i got one son vans style shoes in a size away on clearance and younger dd school shoes on clearance next size up - paid 11.94 saved 66.06$
My favorite kind of shopping !!!!
so all together i paid 40.34 out of pocket
and saved 718.65 !!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Birthday Parties
Around here kids birthday parties can run one of two things - very frugal or not so very frugal .
This year my youngest sons is not so frugal as we are allowing him to have his first friends from school / classmates party and its a paid fo rlocation thats running us about 10$ a child .
( including paper gppds baloons- pizza soda and two helpers to do the sports game with the kids for 1.5 hours )
My kids usually get soemthing like this 1x and after that its invite a few close friends to a movie and pizza type of thing . If they were born in warmer weather i would do the back yard thing but April is iffy in NJ you can be springish cool you can be soaked or you can have ice snow and february and december are not outdoor months at all around here for parties .
so i am trying to safe a few $$ on his goodie bags .
This is what we did
around here they typically just give some candy usually and dont stuff them crazy full .
went to CVS ot get some clearance candy it was 50$ off i didnt but anything heart shaped but the packages may have a teeny V-day design on it but it was only a week ago and none of it screams Valentines .
got m/ms in individual packages ( packages are red white or pink )
got hershey kisses ( wrapped in red and silver )
and a bag of a mix of laffy taffy and nerds ( nothing Vday about them at all)
also bazooka bubble gun .
after ECB i had i paid 5$
then onto the $ store
i got sidewalk chalk / and little mini telescopes. paid 4$
so each goody bag has little bag of m&m's- 2-3 hershey kisses- 2 pc of gum - a peice of XL sidewalk chalk - a mini telescope -and a nerds + laffy taffy .
i figured that was enough since they were getting pizza - soda / punch and cupcakes at the party .
made 24 bags for 9$ out of pocket or 38c each
i had 9$ in ECB so if i didnt have the ECB it would have been 18$ or 75c a goody bag .
i have seen places that provide them, charge you 3-5$ per goodie bag so i am happy with the results .
This year my youngest sons is not so frugal as we are allowing him to have his first friends from school / classmates party and its a paid fo rlocation thats running us about 10$ a child .
( including paper gppds baloons- pizza soda and two helpers to do the sports game with the kids for 1.5 hours )
My kids usually get soemthing like this 1x and after that its invite a few close friends to a movie and pizza type of thing . If they were born in warmer weather i would do the back yard thing but April is iffy in NJ you can be springish cool you can be soaked or you can have ice snow and february and december are not outdoor months at all around here for parties .
so i am trying to safe a few $$ on his goodie bags .
This is what we did
around here they typically just give some candy usually and dont stuff them crazy full .
went to CVS ot get some clearance candy it was 50$ off i didnt but anything heart shaped but the packages may have a teeny V-day design on it but it was only a week ago and none of it screams Valentines .
got m/ms in individual packages ( packages are red white or pink )
got hershey kisses ( wrapped in red and silver )
and a bag of a mix of laffy taffy and nerds ( nothing Vday about them at all)
also bazooka bubble gun .
after ECB i had i paid 5$
then onto the $ store
i got sidewalk chalk / and little mini telescopes. paid 4$
so each goody bag has little bag of m&m's- 2-3 hershey kisses- 2 pc of gum - a peice of XL sidewalk chalk - a mini telescope -and a nerds + laffy taffy .
i figured that was enough since they were getting pizza - soda / punch and cupcakes at the party .
made 24 bags for 9$ out of pocket or 38c each
i had 9$ in ECB so if i didnt have the ECB it would have been 18$ or 75c a goody bag .
i have seen places that provide them, charge you 3-5$ per goodie bag so i am happy with the results .
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tonights Dinner ...
Crazy wednesday is here - youngest d has accolytes class - dance and then cheer
Middle ds has ECC club at school
Oldest dd has cheer at the gym
so family in and out at all different times means an easy and quick dinner !!
dinner tonight is frozen pizzas LOL
shop rite had ones that are normally 1.99 each for a small little bigger than personal size for 49c each .
so we will have 5 of them between the 6 of us as ( john and i will share one )
so 2.45
salad will cost about 1.50
so 3.95 for pizza and salad dinner for 6 of us or 66c a person .
Middle ds has ECC club at school
Oldest dd has cheer at the gym
so family in and out at all different times means an easy and quick dinner !!
dinner tonight is frozen pizzas LOL
shop rite had ones that are normally 1.99 each for a small little bigger than personal size for 49c each .
so we will have 5 of them between the 6 of us as ( john and i will share one )
so 2.45
salad will cost about 1.50
so 3.95 for pizza and salad dinner for 6 of us or 66c a person .
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
some not so frugal doings
Still don't have a kitchen update tally - can you say i am afraid to add it all up LOL... But i will by end of week .
Older dd needed a passport and has been out of work for 2 weeks due to a cheer injury and will be out another week till she can go back PT --so guess who paid for it !! But she is paying for the trip herself and at least the passport will last quite a few years !! That was 110 unexpected on top of the 80$ unexpected on the 2 specialist c0-pays for the injury.
Oldest ds has quit his PT banking job because his classes this semester are so much harder and he was getting sick from lack of sleep between working 20 hours a week and doing homework etc .
This will have some affect on my food bill as i - as a worried mom will do - will be buying some extra food and because he often needs to eat quick- some of it will be processed stuff like hot pockets - frozen dinners- extra canned soups -and extra pasta and jarred sauce for him to eat with as alot of his income went to meals - he has enough saved to cover his portion of the rental house and associated costs thru July and hopes for a FT paid internship this summer .
I haven't been keeping up with my coupons but have still been able to eat rather frugally here at home just watching loss leaders etc .
some dinners we have had that i remember ( ha ha )
last night ....
family pack of boneless chicken breast 7.xx ( loss leader sale -1.79 a lb )
mashed potatoes 2.00
2 cans corn 90c
total 9.90 for 7 people 1.41 a person plus i had leftovers for lunch today .
tonight is London broil ( twin pack- on sale as loss leader ) 1 from twin pack was under 3.00
Parmesan noodles 1.00
green beans 75c
biscuits- 35c
5.10 for 6 of us (oldest is back at college tonight ) or 85c a person
so much is in the planning and watching sales !!!
Older dd needed a passport and has been out of work for 2 weeks due to a cheer injury and will be out another week till she can go back PT --so guess who paid for it !! But she is paying for the trip herself and at least the passport will last quite a few years !! That was 110 unexpected on top of the 80$ unexpected on the 2 specialist c0-pays for the injury.
Oldest ds has quit his PT banking job because his classes this semester are so much harder and he was getting sick from lack of sleep between working 20 hours a week and doing homework etc .
This will have some affect on my food bill as i - as a worried mom will do - will be buying some extra food and because he often needs to eat quick- some of it will be processed stuff like hot pockets - frozen dinners- extra canned soups -and extra pasta and jarred sauce for him to eat with as alot of his income went to meals - he has enough saved to cover his portion of the rental house and associated costs thru July and hopes for a FT paid internship this summer .
I haven't been keeping up with my coupons but have still been able to eat rather frugally here at home just watching loss leaders etc .
some dinners we have had that i remember ( ha ha )
last night ....
family pack of boneless chicken breast 7.xx ( loss leader sale -1.79 a lb )
mashed potatoes 2.00
2 cans corn 90c
total 9.90 for 7 people 1.41 a person plus i had leftovers for lunch today .
tonight is London broil ( twin pack- on sale as loss leader ) 1 from twin pack was under 3.00
Parmesan noodles 1.00
green beans 75c
biscuits- 35c
5.10 for 6 of us (oldest is back at college tonight ) or 85c a person
so much is in the planning and watching sales !!!
10 reasons for neglecting your blog for 11 days ....
10. You forgot your password
9. You are re-doing a kitchen frugally and still dont have it done all the way !!
8. You had a birthday ....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!
7. One of your kids had a birthday ....
6. You got a few days of lovely spring weather that made you forget what a computer was!!
5. You were busy doing 3 peoples taxes - awaiting 1099s so you could do yours and then had to start on student aide fasfa forms ( double AHHHHHHHHH !!)
4. you had a mini fibro flare so your mind was too foggy.
3. You had to go in for CPR recertification class at 1 PT job .
2. You are orienting at second PT job.
1. Every time you remembered you were already in bed under warm toasty covers and getting out wasnt an option
9. You are re-doing a kitchen frugally and still dont have it done all the way !!
8. You had a birthday ....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!
7. One of your kids had a birthday ....
6. You got a few days of lovely spring weather that made you forget what a computer was!!
5. You were busy doing 3 peoples taxes - awaiting 1099s so you could do yours and then had to start on student aide fasfa forms ( double AHHHHHHHHH !!)
4. you had a mini fibro flare so your mind was too foggy.
3. You had to go in for CPR recertification class at 1 PT job .
2. You are orienting at second PT job.
1. Every time you remembered you were already in bed under warm toasty covers and getting out wasnt an option
Friday, February 6, 2009
Almost always a way to save more ....
Today i went to Lowe's to look for paint - new hardware for the re-do of the kitchen cabinets . I am weird i guess - i would rather leisurely walk around a home improvement store than a designer outlet LOL !!
My dad was always in our basement making this or that when i was young - and i often used the scraps to make things !- I didn't get a barbie house or furniture i made it myself from scraps . So that sawdust smell brings back fond memories of time i spent with my late father !!
ANYWAY ..... onto the savings ........
As i was walking past i saw a display of 16 pack of AA energizer batteries with a sign that said buy a 16 pack of energizer batteries get 10$ off any 50$ Lowe purchase ( by rebate ).
Well with 5 kids and a wii that has remotes that can eat batteries faster than i can recharge - the chargables - we use plenty of AA batteries . - Spent 7.99 on the 16 pack as they were on sale and will send in the rebate .
So depending how you apply it i got +2.01 for buying the batteries or i will be saving 10$ off the kitchen re-do ( since i buy batteries anyway and they were on sale at a price i would buy for - i will opt for the latter to off set the cost of the re-do ) .
Remember to always keep your eyes open for little surprises like that wherever you go - you never know what you may find .
Some other re-do ideas that i didn't apply this time but can be done :
Check out the mis tinted paint - today the 1 gallons were marked from 10 to 5 to 3$ !! Too bad none in a color that would work for me !! If its a wall or item you can be flexible with exact color on you can save a ton . The small sizes were 2$ and the little bitty cans were 1$ !!
Even if i am not there for paint i take a peek - you just never know what you will find !!
The hardware - i could have just spray painted the existing hardware a metal black color to be what i wanted but this time i opted not to as over the past 5 years they were spray painted a nice shiny brass color and re-done each year so i think it may not last long - that the black may get scratched and the gold will some through .
I did pick pulls and hinges that were on sale and i will save the old hardware to use for future projects .
One thing i love about both home depot and Lowe's they use bright yellow stickers on the shelves to alert you to the sale items !!
Just follow the yellow sticker road to extra savings !!!
My dad was always in our basement making this or that when i was young - and i often used the scraps to make things !- I didn't get a barbie house or furniture i made it myself from scraps . So that sawdust smell brings back fond memories of time i spent with my late father !!
ANYWAY ..... onto the savings ........
As i was walking past i saw a display of 16 pack of AA energizer batteries with a sign that said buy a 16 pack of energizer batteries get 10$ off any 50$ Lowe purchase ( by rebate ).
Well with 5 kids and a wii that has remotes that can eat batteries faster than i can recharge - the chargables - we use plenty of AA batteries . - Spent 7.99 on the 16 pack as they were on sale and will send in the rebate .
So depending how you apply it i got +2.01 for buying the batteries or i will be saving 10$ off the kitchen re-do ( since i buy batteries anyway and they were on sale at a price i would buy for - i will opt for the latter to off set the cost of the re-do ) .
Remember to always keep your eyes open for little surprises like that wherever you go - you never know what you may find .
Some other re-do ideas that i didn't apply this time but can be done :
Check out the mis tinted paint - today the 1 gallons were marked from 10 to 5 to 3$ !! Too bad none in a color that would work for me !! If its a wall or item you can be flexible with exact color on you can save a ton . The small sizes were 2$ and the little bitty cans were 1$ !!
Even if i am not there for paint i take a peek - you just never know what you will find !!
The hardware - i could have just spray painted the existing hardware a metal black color to be what i wanted but this time i opted not to as over the past 5 years they were spray painted a nice shiny brass color and re-done each year so i think it may not last long - that the black may get scratched and the gold will some through .
I did pick pulls and hinges that were on sale and i will save the old hardware to use for future projects .
One thing i love about both home depot and Lowe's they use bright yellow stickers on the shelves to alert you to the sale items !!
Just follow the yellow sticker road to extra savings !!!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Dinner Thursday
shells with pasta sauce-salad - garlic bread
1 box shell pasta- 59c
1/2 bag salad- 1.00-
2 tomatos- 75c
1 onion - 10c
1 jars spaghetti sauce 99c
garlic bread- 1$
total -4.43 or under 74c a person for 6 of us.
1 box shell pasta- 59c
1/2 bag salad- 1.00-
2 tomatos- 75c
1 onion - 10c
1 jars spaghetti sauce 99c
garlic bread- 1$
total -4.43 or under 74c a person for 6 of us.
Frugal Home Makeovers
Today i am pondering the fact that my kitchen is driving me nuts !!. This house was built in the 50's and i think i have the original cabinetry if not they are no newer than early 70.s!!
In the past 19 years we have lived here we have fake stained them to look like a dark wood ( some of the doors are a laminate so cant stain ) - then did a county style white washing of them - painted them a tannish mauvey pink and now i want to do something new . We took an old upper cabinet from my mom when she redid her kitchen - hung it in mine and painted to match ( when we did the mauve-y paint job ) - cant beat a free cabinet !!!
Of course ripping them out and putting in a whole new kitchen seems the "thing to do" around my area - because resale wise you get more bang for your buck BUT we have no intentions of selling anytime soon and don't have enough bucks to bang to do that LOL !!
So my goal is to see if i can paint the cabinets - get new hardware for them - repair the damages area in the floor- recover the L shaped bench seat - sand and repaint or re stain the kitchen table and a few other misc things for under 100$
I would love to redo the counter top we had it put in almost 20 years ago and its just a tan - now stained and scratched in some places counter top . Not sure what to do that would withhold the work that gets done on it - tiles wont work because it curves up and then down in front in a way that is supposed to keep drips from going onto the floor ( note i said " supposed to" LOL !!) so counter top will just stay the same for now unless someone can point me to a frugal way of fixing that too !!!!
We will see ..... the wheels are going in my mind ...look out ....but i will post pix and the final tally when its done !!
In the past 19 years we have lived here we have fake stained them to look like a dark wood ( some of the doors are a laminate so cant stain ) - then did a county style white washing of them - painted them a tannish mauvey pink and now i want to do something new . We took an old upper cabinet from my mom when she redid her kitchen - hung it in mine and painted to match ( when we did the mauve-y paint job ) - cant beat a free cabinet !!!
Of course ripping them out and putting in a whole new kitchen seems the "thing to do" around my area - because resale wise you get more bang for your buck BUT we have no intentions of selling anytime soon and don't have enough bucks to bang to do that LOL !!
So my goal is to see if i can paint the cabinets - get new hardware for them - repair the damages area in the floor- recover the L shaped bench seat - sand and repaint or re stain the kitchen table and a few other misc things for under 100$
I would love to redo the counter top we had it put in almost 20 years ago and its just a tan - now stained and scratched in some places counter top . Not sure what to do that would withhold the work that gets done on it - tiles wont work because it curves up and then down in front in a way that is supposed to keep drips from going onto the floor ( note i said " supposed to" LOL !!) so counter top will just stay the same for now unless someone can point me to a frugal way of fixing that too !!!!
We will see ..... the wheels are going in my mind ...look out ....but i will post pix and the final tally when its done !!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wednesdays Tip
i read a good tip i never heard of yesterday in a magazine ( i think redbook )
if you have cheese that you slice .. like chedder cheese for crackers - rub some butter over the cut end before storing it because it will prevent mold from growing on it and it will last longer .
if you have cheese that you slice .. like chedder cheese for crackers - rub some butter over the cut end before storing it because it will prevent mold from growing on it and it will last longer .
Wednesday's Dinner
dinner - pork chops - potatos - corn - biscuits
pork chops - 3.04 ( was already on great sale and i got a quick sale marked down by 2$ package and put it in freezer )
potatoes -50c
corn- 49c
biscuits - free
4.03 or 67c a person for 6 of us.
pork chops - 3.04 ( was already on great sale and i got a quick sale marked down by 2$ package and put it in freezer )
potatoes -50c
corn- 49c
biscuits - free
4.03 or 67c a person for 6 of us.
Snow Day .....
Good AM !!!- Its a snow day here in NJ - well at least 1/2 a snow day my oldest two have off- youngest two go in two hours early ( which as you can imagine they are not happy about since two have off ) and i really have no idea if the oldest at college has school or not !
Today i went to find my old blog and couldn't get into it so decided that was a sign to start a new one !! Especially since i hadnt used it for over a year and a half !!.
I decided to start this up again so that i can keep track of the ways we save on $$ while still living a nice life . So many equate frugality with poor and that is not always the case.
For many its a choice so they can afford other things .
We choose to be frugal on other things so we can afford to educate our kids in private catholic schools . Now i am not anti public school nor anti home schooling ... you wont see any of that here . I am pro the fact that people can choose how they want to educate their children and shouldn't be questioned or battered by others opinions for their choices .
Many tell me "i cant afford to send my kids to private school" but sometimes if i watch them i see that is really more a choice - as they are spending the same amount i am spending on tuition on other not a " need " items - soda- beer - cigarettes- weekly dinners out - sporting events movies etc etc . I may point out their choices - but i don't question them for the choices they make. Its their freedom to choose !!
So you will be reading about some couponing - some sales shopping - some ebaying ( i closed my store recently to go back to work PT as a RN but still plan to sell now and then especially if i need to come up with some $$ unexpectedly !!) .
I will be posting my frugal meals - i try my best to keep my meals to less then 1$ a person for a well rounded meal.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia over 3 years ago . I believe i may have had it very mildly for many years but it came out big time about 5 years ago and i finally was dx about 3.5 years ago...
So many things i use to to to save $$ i no longer do as it is just not worth the savings when it affects my health badly - IE i use my dryer year round- hanging out clothes for 6- 7 people just isn't going to happen - i do not have the upper body strength to have my hands over my head for that long without being in pain and having numb fingers some days trying to do this will possibly causing the start of a flare up ..which could last days ...so just not worth the chances. And i may GASP order take out if i am having a really bad day !!
BUT i budget for these things in my grocery budget its not going on a credit card .
AND speaking of credit cards . Because of my inability to go back to work for 5 years even in a PT status - we have run up some debt - i am now in a better place health wise with my FMS thanks to dietary changes- homepathics- d ribose and just changes in life i have made.
This allowed me to go back to work PT in February 2008 to cover my 3rd child's high school tuition and now i will be doing some home care visits while the kids are in school also .
SO you will see some postings about paying down the CC that have built up over the past few years - not from name brand clothes or fancy purses or wild vacations - but just from life costing more than we planned and our commitment to not changing the kids schools for a short term issue .
Oh and lastly - i can spell - i just dont type well .Never did- in typing class in HS they had to pass me even though i couldnt type correctly because my hands were too small to reach the keys properly so even though a keyboard is now smaller i still do the Debbi's way of typing i did back then.
Small hands with fibro fingers some days = typos and wrong keys hit and if i am rushed and dont spell check and a typo gets by me on a busy day - please just ignore- if its funny enjoy your free laugh at my expense -LOL !!
Pet peeve of mine is people that assume that a typo is some sort of an IQ test .
Looking forward to sharing - learning - laughing and venting with you all !!!
Today i went to find my old blog and couldn't get into it so decided that was a sign to start a new one !! Especially since i hadnt used it for over a year and a half !!.
I decided to start this up again so that i can keep track of the ways we save on $$ while still living a nice life . So many equate frugality with poor and that is not always the case.
For many its a choice so they can afford other things .
We choose to be frugal on other things so we can afford to educate our kids in private catholic schools . Now i am not anti public school nor anti home schooling ... you wont see any of that here . I am pro the fact that people can choose how they want to educate their children and shouldn't be questioned or battered by others opinions for their choices .
Many tell me "i cant afford to send my kids to private school" but sometimes if i watch them i see that is really more a choice - as they are spending the same amount i am spending on tuition on other not a " need " items - soda- beer - cigarettes- weekly dinners out - sporting events movies etc etc . I may point out their choices - but i don't question them for the choices they make. Its their freedom to choose !!
So you will be reading about some couponing - some sales shopping - some ebaying ( i closed my store recently to go back to work PT as a RN but still plan to sell now and then especially if i need to come up with some $$ unexpectedly !!) .
I will be posting my frugal meals - i try my best to keep my meals to less then 1$ a person for a well rounded meal.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia over 3 years ago . I believe i may have had it very mildly for many years but it came out big time about 5 years ago and i finally was dx about 3.5 years ago...
So many things i use to to to save $$ i no longer do as it is just not worth the savings when it affects my health badly - IE i use my dryer year round- hanging out clothes for 6- 7 people just isn't going to happen - i do not have the upper body strength to have my hands over my head for that long without being in pain and having numb fingers some days trying to do this will possibly causing the start of a flare up ..which could last days ...so just not worth the chances. And i may GASP order take out if i am having a really bad day !!
BUT i budget for these things in my grocery budget its not going on a credit card .
AND speaking of credit cards . Because of my inability to go back to work for 5 years even in a PT status - we have run up some debt - i am now in a better place health wise with my FMS thanks to dietary changes- homepathics- d ribose and just changes in life i have made.
This allowed me to go back to work PT in February 2008 to cover my 3rd child's high school tuition and now i will be doing some home care visits while the kids are in school also .
SO you will see some postings about paying down the CC that have built up over the past few years - not from name brand clothes or fancy purses or wild vacations - but just from life costing more than we planned and our commitment to not changing the kids schools for a short term issue .
Oh and lastly - i can spell - i just dont type well .Never did- in typing class in HS they had to pass me even though i couldnt type correctly because my hands were too small to reach the keys properly so even though a keyboard is now smaller i still do the Debbi's way of typing i did back then.
Small hands with fibro fingers some days = typos and wrong keys hit and if i am rushed and dont spell check and a typo gets by me on a busy day - please just ignore- if its funny enjoy your free laugh at my expense -LOL !!
Pet peeve of mine is people that assume that a typo is some sort of an IQ test .
Looking forward to sharing - learning - laughing and venting with you all !!!
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