Free Tim Horton's Snacker

Head's up Mount Vernon! Our local Tim Horton's is participating in this wonderful event, I did call to confirm and got the A-okay! Plan to get your free lunch tomorrow!

Today's Shopping Trip

We had to buy soccer cleats for my daughter today, it pained me to pay full price. We have a whole tub full of hand-me-down cleats but none were her size!! Total for new cleats: $26.68

Cat food has really increased in price since the last time I bought a bag ( that was in August!) I need to check the prices in Newark and Westerville, we only have one pet food store here in town.
Total $41.00 for a 22lb bag

I was in dire need of trash bags so I stopped at CVS, the coupon printer wasn't working so my kids were bummed!! Here's what I bought there: 4 28ct boxes trash bags, 2 Rimmel Mascara ( both free!), 2 Sally Hansen Nail Polish for my daughter ( both free!!), Reinventing Beauty magazine $.99 Total: $18.00 cash

Walmart was the last trip of the day, we needed to buy some seeds for the garden and other gardening gear. I also bought a new Brita pitcher to save on buying bottled water! All the kids spent their allowance money on new toys. I also picked up five packs of foil.
Total: $65.00

Today was painful. I hate paying full price for anything. However, I won't need catfood for 8 months or trash bags for probably two months. The garden should pay for itself when it begins producing. The only upside was the only household need we have for a long time is diapers, I'm hoping for a great sale at CVS soon!!

New Month, New Challenge

I can't believe this is the end of March already! Where has the time gone?

I am giving myself two challenges this month. The first one I have done before but I am going to give it another shot. In the last month I have been spending more money on bargains like clothes and books and I need to get control on my spending again before I lose all I have gained. So, for the month of April my spending will be frozen. I have just a very few exceptions...my daughter might need cleats for soccer if we don't have the right size here, diapers/pull-ups ( unless CVS runs an awesome sale soon), cat food, and trash bags. Also, once the first week is over I'm going to try to just use $60 for the month of April for gas.

My other challenge is my garden challenge. I am planning to expand our garden and sometimes I'm guilty of having great ideas and then not following through. My challenge is to plan out all of my gardening needs, start my lettuce and other early crops, get my compost bin built and started, and stay on a budget so my garden doesn't cost me more than the grocery store produce!!

How about you? Are you embarking on any new challenges? Need some encouragement with it? Leave some comments and we can all support each other in our quest to become more frugal!

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what's cooking this week at the pennypinchinmomma's house!

*Monday Crock pot Jambalaya
* Tuesday- tacos
* Wednesday- Hamburgers/fries
* Thursday-Lemon Pork Tenderloin in crockpot/ mashed potatoes/ vegetables
* Friday- homemade fast food
* Saturday- grill out...steaks
* Sunday- 3 packet roast for after church lunch

for more menu plans and ideas check out orgjunkie !

Super Saving Saturday

After being coupon crazy for the last eight months and chasing every great deal that came along, I have a serious case of frugal burnout. I only went to Krogers this week and spent under $16 for the following:
2 boxes of Ritz crackers
2 Bottles of Apple juice
3 12 packs of coke
3 lbs apples
2 lb baby carrots

I also stopped at Walmart to price match for some fruit. I spent about $10 here on the following
4 lb strawberries
1 cantaloupe
4lb grapes
4 lb apples
1 bunch of bananas
2 packs of yougurt

Check out moneysavingmom to see how others are sticking to their budgets!

Kroger Deals 3/30

Kroger is being very generous these days with their deals. I am really stocked up on meat and really just need some fruits, fresh veggies, milk, and flour, that being said here are the best deals I see next week...

Produce:
* seedless grapes $.87lb
* 1lb mini carrots $.97
* 5lb bag Idaho potatoes $1.97
*3lb bag organic apples $2.99
*1lb organic strawberries $2.99
* Garden Fresh cucumbers $.67

Meat:
Private Selection Angus Steak Sale T-bones, Porterhouse, Ribeye,and Tenderloin 50% off
* Boneless center cut pork chops 50% off
* Kroger frozen chicken breasts $1.79lb for 6.5lb bag

Other Deals:
Quaker Cereal or Granola Bars 4/$10 ***** buy 4 and get 5 FREE half gallons of Kroger milk or juice!!! There are coupons out there for these so this is a great deal. I think the coupons are for $1/2 so buy four boxes pay $8 for 4 granola bars and five 1/2 gallons of milk/juice!!!

***P&G Promotion*** buy 3 participating products get $3 off your order on non procter & Gamble products
Here is a short list of what is out there:
Pampers $9.99 * $1-1.50 coupons = 8.99-8.50
Pampers wipes $4.99
Pringles Stix $2.99
Secret Flawless deodorant $4.29
Old Spice Body Wash $3.50
Bounce $5.99

Dannon Activia 2/$4 - $1 coupon = $1 each

CVS deals 3/29

I see no great deals to be had again this week. I am going to have to check to make sure my ecb's aren't going to expire!

They do have the CVS brand trashbags buy one get one free.

Cat Haircuts

I bet that caught your attention didn't it?? Today is baking day and I have been going strong. I have two loaves of bread rising and I just made a quadruple batch of chocolate chip cookies when suddenly I realized it was quiet. Too quiet. I went to check on the kids. My oldest is playing the computer, the two middle girls were playing little pet shop, and the baby is napping....that leaves only one unaccounted for and she's three... I start searching and finally find her in our laundry room ....with scissors.... and the cat.

Garfield has never been so happy to see me! I can't believe the cat let her give him a haircut. Thankfully it was just a trim on his back but still!! I tell you having a large family is so worth it...even if you cat does get a buzz cut!!

Works For Me Wednesday

I have always struggled with making menu plans. Every month brings new stress of looking at 30 new days to plan dinners. It seems so overwhelming looking at the calendar and it was for me until I stumbled across this idea.

Plan a different type of meat or meal type for each day. For example, Monday is chicken so you might need to only find four chicken recipes and four nights are planned. If you have a couple of really busy days and you need a meal fast plan that day to be crockpot day. There are many recipes for freezer meals that you just thaw and dump in the crockpot, you can't get much easier than that! If Friday is always pizza night, then make four pizza crusts the first Friday and freeze the ones you don't use for quick meals on Friday and you have another four or so meals planned out of the month!

When you start to break it down this way menu planning isn't that difficult or time consuming. It will also save you serious money in the grocery store.

That's what works for me to see other works for me ideas check out wearethatfamily

Spring Cleaning With Children

I have decided Spring cleaning is a joke!! Yesterday my kitchen and living room were sparkling clean...today not so much. The living room closet is really clean though, so I keep opening it to see something that stays done!

It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow so we'll get some more cleaning done in between baking!!

Once A Month Cooking Session

Today I have spent the last hour doing a dump chicken session. I love doing these because it takes so little time and it produces a lot of meals. It was a little harder today since my 10 month old needed to be entertained off and on and the other kids were all outside enjoying the semi warm day. I am not finished yet but here is what I have done so far...
* simple Caribbean Jerk Chicken ( from recipezaar)
* Sweet and Spicy Herbed Chicken ( recipezaar)
* Garlic Ranch Chicken ( recipezaar)
* Shredded Crockpot BBQ Chicken ( Saving Dinner Website)
* Caribbean Turkey ( saving Dinner Website)

Still to do:
Italian Slow Cooker Chicken
Lemon Drumsticks
Crockpot Jambalaya
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Lemon garlic Pork Tenderloin

Usually when I do this I make three of every meal but this time we're using all new recipes so we don't know if we'll love them yet! By the end of today I plan on having ten meals in the freezer for April! I also have already picked out ten crockpot meals to have on the two busiest days of the week so that only leaves me 10 days to plan for in April!! The best part is all of the ingredients are on hand so my grocery shopping next month should be really low!!

Spring Break Is Here

This week is our local school districts spring break so we are on spring break too! I am planning on getting caught up on some much needed deep cleaning and baking. I am also planning on doing at least one once a month cooking session.

I will post recipes and ideas from my once a month session which is planned for tomorrow. I am hoping to get at least 10 meals into the freezer!! Wednesday is supposed to be a rainy day so I decided that I would have our baking day then. Thursday is going to be busy with the co-op class followed by a play date so that will just be fun day! Today and Friday are going to be deep clean days. I'm hoping to have our living room, kitchen, living room closet, and my sons room done today.

Have you done any Spring cleaning? How did it go?

Menu Plan Monday

This week we are taking our Spring break so I'm planning on getting some major chores done, as well as some major baking and once a month cooking. Here are our easy menu plans!

Monday- Sloppy Joes
Tuesday- Bacon Chicken, Mashed Potato, Salad
Wednesday- Homemade Fast Food
Thursday- Shredded BBQ Pork, Coleslaw, Chips
Friday- Hamburgers, Chips
Saturday- Marinated Flank Steak on grill, rice, vegetable
Sunday- Grill

For more menu ideas check out orgjunkie

Kroger Coupons in Todays Local Paper!

If you live near Mount Vernon pick up a Mount Vernon News today for $.50 get the SmartSource coupon section and there is also a section of Kroger coupons. There is only one coupon section in the big paper this week so if you're buying multiple papers this is the cheapest way to go!!

Kroger deals 3/23

Here are the best deals I see at Krogers beginning on 3/23....

* Manwich Sloppy Joe 10/10
*Kroger Cheese 6-8 oz shredded, bars, or slices 10/10
*Hunts Pasta Sauce 10/10
*Rotel tomatoes 10/10
*Kroget Pretzels 10/10
*Hunts Snack Pack Pudding 10/10
*Kroger tortilla chips 10/10
*Armour lunch makers 10/10
* Kroger brand syrup 10/10
* Pillsbury refrigerated dough 4/4 ( limit three offers per transactions)
- golden layer biscuits 10ct
-grands 5ct
-cinnamon rolls 5 ct
- pillsbury pizza crust
- Cresent rolls 4 ct
- Pillsbury crusty french loaf

Produce Deals:
*Red or Orange peppers 10/10
*Avocados 10/10
*mangoes 10/10
*organic mini peeled carrots 10/10
* english cucumbers 10/10
* DelMonte Fruit Naturals 10/10
* Strawberries 3/5
*Organic Bananas $.58 lb
*3lb bag organic apples $2.99

Other deals
* Amick Farms fresh boneless chicken breasts 1.88lb
* Buy two nabisco ritz crackers and get three 12 packs of Coke for $1.99
Deal idea: use 2/2 off any two Nabisco crackers pay $3 for two boxes and get Coke for $1.99 ( even better deal if you have any of the $1 off coke coupons!)

Frugal Friday

What do you do when your well runs dry? Sometimes we just run out of steam when we have to be frugal all the time. There can be days or weeks when you just don't want to be frugal. It gets tiring chasing deals and saving money. When we're going through a dry spell it helps to really look at how we're saving money.


There are many ways to be frugal. IF you're chasing three or four kids under five this might not be the time to cut coupons. It might be a time of being content at home playing with your babies and working on getting your electric bill down. If you're in the middle of homeschooling many children maybe weekly grocery shopping isn't the best money saver, maybe planning a monthly menu and grocery shopping once a month is how you can be frugal. Maybe you're happy with your grocery bill and it's time to focus on lowering your other bills like turning down or turning off your heat! Do you want to cut your produce bill then it's time to plan a garden.

I think that sometimes being frugal gets turned into a competition and for people who don't save as much they can feel like a failure. Keep it in perspective. All the things you do make an impact on your budget! Keep up the good work moms! ( and dads)

Check out lifeasmom for other Frugal Friday ideas!

Weekly Wrap Up

It's time for another weekly wrap up over at Getting Ahead

This week was just okay as far as being frugal goes. We had to pay for our oldest daughter's soccer league and a few bills.
Here is what we did this week that was frugal...
* continued our fast food fast, we still haven't eaten out since Lent started
* got a free latte from Mcdonalds
* washed all clothes in cold water
* stayed well under our grocery budget this week
* I bought a small clothes line to hang in my laundry room for socks, under clothes, and other small items.
* only left town twice this week. All other errands were ran in town.
* we used some free ice cream coupons on Sunday for a fun treat
* we turned off our heat for three days this week!!

How was your week?

Works For Me Wednesday

What word can strike fear in many homeschool moms hearts? Art! How in the world can I teach art when I can't even draw a stick figure?!? Many of the moms I know resort to expensive art lessons, but what can you do when you're homeschooling on a shoestring?

The first year we homeschooled I bought a very expensive art curriculum that I thought would solve this problem. It taught us how to draw lines and mix colors and how to paint. I was very disappointed and so was my son! Instead of looking at other ways to teach art I just chose to ignore it since my son didn't draw often or act very interested in art. Then, my oldest daughter came along...she lives to draw, sketch, and paint! Something had to change...I didn't want to stifle her creativity and I wanted her to grow. So I did what all good homeschooling mothers do when they need help....I researched the internet for easy art ideas.

One day my daughter found me looking at a book by Monet and she grabbed her sketch book and copied the picture. An idea was born!! Each year we pick a few different artists to study, for example, Monet, Renoir, or Mary Cassatt and we check out books about their art and life. I read them a little background of the artist and then we look at some pictures. I talk about the artist technique last. Now, comes the fun part!

I have picked out the first print to copy, usually an easier one, and we talk about all the details we can see and how it is unique. Now, they get to copy it. We might use oil pastels, paint, watercolor, colored pencils, or charcoal. We hang up the original work on our wall and next to it is all their work (even the three year old!) All week long we talk about the artist and the name of their work. We study the same artist for about 4 weeks and do at least four different prints. Once our four weeks is up I put all their work and the original works into their portfolio for the year.

Here is an example of how it works. For Van Gough we read about his life and how he cut off his ear to give to a girl! We copied his works of Starry Night, A Self Portrait, and another one where he painted his room ( can't remember it's name!). During this we used paint, oil pastels, charcoal, and colored pencils. My children learned a lot about how many artists lived and how their lifestyle influenced their art.

We've also studied Georges Seraut. His technique was to paint by putting thousands of dots beside each other. If you look closely at his work you can see them. If you want to make you kids crazy copy his work first! It takes a long time to finish a painting done this way. We've also done the Sistine Chapel by laying on our backs and painting on paper taped to the bottom of chairs or tables.

I hope this gives you some fresh ideas. If you like these try the book Discovering Great Artists with Children for more great ideas!

This is what works for me, to see what else works check out wearethatfamily !

Menu Plan Monday

I am finding it harder to get motivated to plan our meals, I feel like I am making the same meals over and over!! That being said here is our menu plan for this week...

Monday- Chicken parmesan, alfredo noodles, salad, garlic bread
Tuesday- Italian chicken, noodles, salad
Wednesday- homemade fast food
Thursday- Stuffed Peppers in crockpot
Friday- homemade pizza or homemade fast food
Saturday- something on the grill...hamburgers or flank steak
Sunday- something on the grill brats or hotdogs

How is your menu planning going?

Having a Baby Shower on a Budget

I was recently asked for some tips on throwing a frugal baby shower, here are my best tips!

I have only given one baby shower so I might not have too many ideas but here goes...
* check the library for books on throwing showers for games and ideas for food.
* At the shower I had we didn't do punch, instead it was water or pop ( you can get pretty decent sales on 2 liters.)
* Buy balloons at your Dollar Tree or Dollar store where everything is a $1
* This might sound extremely rude but we didn't do party favors either. Our budget just didn't allow it. If you have a large stockpile of lotions or nail polish you could do something like that or little bags of the candy you can get free from CVS or Walgreens, wrap up with blue or pink ribbon and put some confetti in it and there you go! You can get the cheap baggies that don't zip close pretty cheap at Walmart.
* Food is a huge budget buster so really think on what you want to serve... a meal or just appetizers? If your party is from 2-4 you could have a vegetable tray, some Chex Mix ( free from coupons!) platter of cookies ( free or cheap cookie mixes from coupons), pretzels with cheese cubes ( cheese as been really cheap or free here lately with coupons), or crackers and cheese ( crackers have also been super cheap lately! You can even get some free this week at CVS!!) If you want to serve a meal I would do something simple like Sloppy Joe in the Crockpot or shredded chicken sandwiches.
- invitations are a hard one...if it's only family or close friends I would send email cards, otherwise I would look at Dollar Tree or Walmart for some cheap invitations. You could even make your own if you need too! I would try to hand deliver if it's possible because stamps can be a large expense!

** Here is a budget breakdown of how I would throw a shower if I had one today...
-Crackers and Cheese ( less than $5 all cheese has been free and crackers were less than $1 a box)
-Pitchers of Ice water or Koolaid ( free or minimal cost since I have tons of free sugar and Koolaid from the summer)
-Platter of different cookies chocolate chip, sugar cookies, chocolate peanutbutter chip ( cookie mixes were $.25 each, eggs, and vegetable oil @ $2.29 for a bottle)
- bowls full of Chex Mix ( free after coupons)
** make cake from free cake mix and free icing**

Paper plates, napkins, plastic silverware, cups buy at Walmart for about $10 depending on how many people
-games from free book at the library
* party favors for guests would be bags of candy ( free from CVS) ** clutter free gift!!**
* buy balloons for $1 at dollar store and tablecloth

My total might be $20-30 for all. Do you have any tips on throwing showers on a budget?

Kroger deals 3/16

Kroger is running the buy 10 get $5 off again.
* Tyson bagged chicken is $4.49 after the $.50 discount use $1 coupon in SS 3/15 $3.49!!
* Soft soap elements $1.00 After $.50 discount if you have the $1 off coupon from the All You magazine it's free!!
** everything else appears to be the same**
*** also note that the ziplock freezer bags are included and are $2.49 after discount and use the $.40 off any ziplock in SS 3/15 for some cheap freezer bags

Also on Sale this coming week:
seedless grapes $.97lb
Cantaloupe $.97
Grape Tomato pint $.97
Porterhouse steaks $4.99lb
Half gallon milk $1

* I will be Krogering tomorrow night and will let you know if I find any other unlisted deals!

Meijer Deals 3/15

Here are some highlights from the Meijer ad...remember you can price match these at Walmart!
* Lysol wipes are 50% off
* Lysol toilet bowl cleaner 50% off
*Lysol spray 50% off
* Green Giant steamers/boxes $1
* Organic baby carrots $1
* Organic romaine lettuce 3/$5
* Organic Celery hearts 3/$5
* Combos $1
* betty Crocker warm delights $1
* Hormel Sandwich size pepperoni and salami $1
* Fleishmanns margarine $1
* armour lunch ables $1
* 1lb strawberries $1.50
* Dole Salad $1
Click on the Nickels and Dimes button at the side of my blog for a complete list and coupon match up! There are some great deals to be had!

CVS Deals 3/15

Here are some of the best deals I see this week and there are some easy ways to earn some ecb's!

Irish Springs body wash $4.99 earn $4.99 ecb only thru Tuesday! Use $.50 off coupon in SS 3/15
Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste or toothbrush $2.99 earn $2.99 use $.75 coupon in SS 3/15
Dry Idea deoderant $2.99 earn $2.00 ecb there is a $2 printable coupon...check out moneysavingmom for the link.

If you were able to print the $5 off any Huggies Gentle care coupon you can get the wipes for $.99 this week after coupon!!

Here is an easy low out of pocket set of transactions...
#1
Buy Dry Idea use $2 coupon pay $.99 earn $2 ecb
#2
Buy Colgate Max use $.75 coupon= 2.24-$2 ecb= $.24 earn $2.99 ecb
#3 buy Irish Spring Body wash $4.99-$.50=$4.49-2.99 ecb=$1.50 out of pocket earn $4.99 ecb for your next trip!
Total out of pocket...$2.73 and end up with $4.99 for next week!!

Awesome Kroger Trip!

Last night I went to Krogers for another trip to use the buy 10 get $5 off. It turned into one totally awesome shop. I found all sorts of meat on mark down, 5lbs hamburger for $.99lb and Laura's Lean Beef for $.64 ( after coupon), three packages of fresh hamburger patties, and a pork roast. 4lbs of strawberries and 3 lbs of apples. 10 tubes of Colgate, 2 toothbrushes, 3 Poweraides, Ken's salad dressing, 2 boxes ziploc freezer bags, 3 boxes of Kashi waffles, 3 ben & jerry's ice cream, breyers all natural ice cream, 12 pack mt.dew, dannon activia yogurt, 1 package meatballs, box of creamette pasta, 2 packs of Dentyne gum, Mentos, 3 cliff bars, 2 betty crocker potatoes, land o lakes butter, 2 packs hamburger buns, 2 rubbermaid containers, Welchs juice, and tidy cat litter.

Total of 59 items and paid $56.03! Definitely one of my best trips since I bought a lot of meat and produce. Many of the items I bought will be donated to our church pantry like the toothpaste and potatoes.

How did you do this week?

I think I'm going to always do my Krogering at about 8 pm because they had a lot of meat marked down. I'm thinking about going again tonight to see if there is more meat markdowns to fill my freezer with.

Weekly Wrap Up

It's time for another weekly wrap up at Jennifer's blog getting ahead. I can't believe it's Friday already! Here is how our frugal week went...
* another nice day so we turned off the heat for over 24 hours!!
* didn't eat out all week
* got five orders of free fries and a free latte at Mcdonalds
* Saved over $70.00 in coupons this week!!
* Found a ton of marked down meat at Krogers
* had two and a half stay at home days
*shopped the Walmart clearance section and found an awesome toy for the birthday party tomorrow.
* baked a batch of cookies and dairy free/gluten free cake to take to the party
* reduced shower time for our family
* cleaned out our flower bed to get ready for planting our garden
* planned out our crops we hope to grow
* shopped Goodwill for a couple t-shirts for my oldest daughter

I also did all the usual things like running only full loads of dishes/clothes and reducing drying times, washing clothes in cold water, ran errands in town and saved gas. How was your frugal week?

Frugal Friday!

The days are getting longer and occasionally we wake up to a warm morning and it's putting me in the gardening mood! Have you wanted to put in a garden but hesitate because of the time and expense? Maybe you live in a rental and can't till up the yard? I've been there and where we live now we can't till up the yard and buying tons of containers to have a container garden was out of our budget. So, what did we do? The first year we lived here our flower bed was overgrown with weeds, my heart was really bad that year so we didn't do anything with it. The next year we cleaned it out and by a fluke we planted a pumpkin at one end which actually produced one pumpkin...an idea was born! This last year I decided to turn our flower bed into a garden. It was already weeded but it had mulch so my kids and I raked all the mulch to one end that we weren't going to use and spread it around so it looked nice. Then we picked some plants. We planted two squash plants, two pumpkin plants, onions, sweet corn, and way too many tomato plants. Everything we planted yielded a surprising amount of produce. Our corn did thrive but the ears were only about two inches long! We had so many tomatoes and squash that we ended up giving a ton away. We also had two pumpkins.

This year we are really planning our "garden" since we know that plants will grow and thrive. Our plans so far are cucumbers, peppers, one or two tomato plants, onions, and the kids are still trying to decide what else to plant. Our neighbors are also sharing their garden plot with us so we'll plant our potatoes over there and maybe a squash plant. My husband is building me a container to put on our cement patio to plant lettuce and green beans. We also dug up a new spot to try pumpkins at.

By using our flower bed for our garden last year we didn't buy much produce at all. It was so nice to say " we need potatoes or tomatoes" and the kids could go outside or next door and pick fresh produce. We also didn't use any pesticides so it was all organic!

For more frugal friday ideas check out lifeasmom.com!!

Even More Kroger Deals!

I went to Krogers again last night and here are some more deals I found...
Part of the buy 10 get $5 off
*Colgate toothpast $1.50- .50=$1 use $.75 off any colgate toothpaste in SS 2/22 free plus $.50 overage!
*Colgate tootbrushes $1.50-.50 =$1 use $.75 off any toothbrush in SS 2/22 free plus $.50 overage

Dentyne gum is $1.29 use $.75 off coupon ( not sure what insert) makes this free!


did you find any hidden deals anywhere?

Being Content

Living on a budget can be hard. There are days when it is wonderful and then there are those days when you just really really want to buy a Starbucks and a new shirt. How do you remain content? Is it possible to live a life on a shoestring budget and really enjoy it?

Every day we are bombarded by tv shows, magazines, and catalogs that beg us to buy everything that we can't afford. If we don't buy then we won't be happy. Most days I find it easy to say no. I look around my house and see everything I already have and feel content. Other times I give in to the poor me, my couch isn't new, the dishes don't match, and all my clothes are from the thrift store. It is a constant battle to stay content. When we fail not only do we feel like a failure but we also deal with the guilt of making a purchase not in our budget. Maybe we go over our grocery budget because we were tired and bought cookies, chips, and frozen meals. Satan steps in right here and gladly tells us that we've failed our husbands and family by not only buying "junk" food but we're also wasting his hard earned money! Here are my top ways to stay content on a budget!

* Don't read woman's magazines. I quit reading these but then I signed up for some free subscriptions and was quickly reminded why I stopped reading them. After I spend even 15 minutes with these I "need" to lose 10 lbs and redo my living room.

* Throw the homeschool catalogs away. I know this sounds crazy but hear me out... I've already picked our curriculum for next year ( and bought it!) but then suddenly this really neat catalog comes and in it is the answer to all our homeschool problems. It will make our day run smooth, it includes everybody from infant to high schooler with NO prep work for mom, and it will make our children into the perfect homeschooler! Suddenly, I'm doubting my previous decision, now do I buy more curriculum and hope to sell my others ( or just add it to the shelves of other mistakes?) or do I make do with what I've bought and feel like a failure because I picked the wrong curriculum? Just pitch those catalogs! Don't open them! Don't peek inside just quickly drop it in the trash!!

* Don't look at the ads in the Sunday paper. I only open that section to get the coupons and that's it. I can always find something I need in the Target ad or the Kohls ad that I didn't even know I needed until that minute!

* I do not go to malls or window shop. It is too easy to get sucked into spending money you don't have on stuff you don't need.

* I also don't like to do my Christmas shopping with other people, I shop by a list of what we can afford not necessarily what we want. Shopping with people who buy everything on their lists without a care about money breeds discontentment quickly!

* I take only a certain amount of money when the kids and I yard sale. I can easily spend way more than I planned to if I hit a few sales with "great" deals. I pick up a shirt here or a book there that wasn't on my list and suddenly the money is gone and I'm discontent that I can't buy anything else. I also make a list of things we want or need so if I find them I know it's something to buy if it's not on the list it doesn't come home with me!

What about you? What are some ways you have found to stay content on a budget?

Close out deals at Krogers

Today I found a cart full of bakery items on managers special $1 each for a dozen fresh cookies, also there were pork chops and fresh chicken on managers special also.

In the close out bin near the meat there were Pampers swim diapers for $4 something.
** in the nature's market Ians individual peanut butter cups were on closeout for $2 something.

* in the baby isle there is various bottle and nursing pads on closeout.
* also in the baby isle Pampers bibsters are on closeout.

High Dollar Kashi Coupons!

Today at Kroger I found the motherload of Kashi coupons! Near the yogurt and butter area there is a small freezer filled with Kashi frozen food and there is a ton of tearpad Kashi coupons. There are two $2 off any frozen product, $3 off any pizza, and another $1 off any bread product. Right now the Kashi line is 25% off so you can pick up a box of waffles for $.77 after the $2 coupon!!
My kids love their waffles and the $3 off pizza makes their pizza a little over $2 a box.

Kroger Deals

Kroger is having another mega event! Buy 10 save $5! Here are some deals I see:
I'm assuming you have bought 10 items so the final price will be after the $.50 comes off.

* Power Ade $.49
* Quaker Quakes $.49 use $1 off coupon in recent insert (maybe 1/18) free plus money maker!
*Land o Lakes Margarine $.99 there is a $.55 off printable coupon at smartsource.com makes this free plus $.10 money maker!
*Dannon Activia Yogurt/All Natural yogurt $1.99-$1 coupon from checkout or from SS 3/1=$.99
*Purex Laundry Detergent $2.49- $.35 off coupon in SS 3/8 = $1.79
*Nature Valley Granola bars $1.99- $.60 coupon at www.coupons.com =$.79
*Fiber One Cereal bars $1.99- $.50 in SS 3/8 = $.99 ( also a loadable coupon at Shortcuts.com)
*Scotch Brite sponges $1.50- $.50 off in SS 3/8 = $.50
*Breyers all natural ice cream $2.49
*2 liter A & W or Sunkist $.75
There are other items included I just highlighted what I think is the best deal.

Other deals:
* ice mountain water 28 pack $3.99
* 1lb strawberries $1.97
* whole boneless pork loin $1.99lb

Update on my Organics on a Budget

I am shocked! I cannot believe how expensive some things have gotten! I went on a small shopping trip yesterday and paid $5 for seven/eight gluten free chicken nuggets! It was a moment of weakness for me and I will never ever pay for that again. They don't even taste like chicken nuggets, more like hush puppies! My daughter was very disappointed.

After spending more than I wanted on food that didn't taste all that great I have really decided that the only way to go gluten free on a budget is to eat lots and lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, and make everything from scratch. I wanted my daughter to have "fun" food that didn't require a lot of effort from me so I paid a pretty penny for it and then she had the nerve to say it tasted bad! At first, I was a little mad but then I realized she was perfectly happy eating her fruit and vegetables, I was the one who wanted to get her the fun food that she didn't ask for. Lesson learned, listen to your children!!

I also realized that in a small town there are not many organics available that are good quality that don't cost an arm and a leg. I can usually find organic apples, lettuce, potatoes, and carrots for a decent price but that's all. The organic strawberries or other fruit usually look like they should have been thrown away and not being sold for $4 a container!! This challenge is proving much harder than originally thought. I wanted it to be doable for families who don't want to drive an hour to Whole Foods or Trader Joes, however our local stores don't have much and what they do have is extremely overpriced. I am not giving up but I have realized that unless you have an unlimited amount of grocery money this probably isn't going to be easy. It will require lots of effort and stalking of the markdowns in Kroger! As always I will post any close out deals I find or other great deals or even just okay deals for my local shoppers after my Kroger trip today.

Menu Plan Monday

Here is what's cooking this week at our house!

Monday- shredded bbq pork sandwiches
Tuesday-oven fried chicken/mashed potato/rolls/vegetable
Wednesday- homemade fast food
Thursday- 3 packet roast
Friday-homemade pizza or grill out
Saturday- pork chops on the grill
Sunday- something on the grill

Weekly Wrap Up

I can't believe it's the end of another week already! Here is a run down of some of our frugal choices we made this week.

* We ate at home every single day this week.
* I got a free latte at Mcdonalds yesterday!
* Turned our heat off for two days so far!!!
* Washed all clothes is cold water.
*Stuck to our menu plan
* Price matched the Meijer ad at Walmart instead of driving to Newark
*saved $50.00 using coupons this week.
* we didn't rent any movies/games this week, instead we watched what we have.
*I had one at home day but all other trips except to co-op were in town.
* ordered some clothes for my husband and kids from Old Navy's Fundamental Sale and saved money by not driving 45 minutes each way! We also got free shipping!

Check out Jennifer's blog here for more weekly wrap ups!

Organics on a budget?

Have you been putting off using coupons because you think they're only for "junk" food? Here are some tips on eating organic on the cheap!

*There are many different places to find organic coupons on the web, here are some places I find useful... organicgrocerydeals this site has links to many organic websites that have printable coupons. I will also check websites of products I buy frequently and look for printable coupons.

* Always check the mark down area in your grocery store. I've found many great deals by combining coupons with mark downs. Also find out when your stores mark down produce,meat, and milk to find deals on organic meats, etc.

* I will email companies and compliment their products and ask for coupons. Most organic companies have been very generous with their coupons if you ask!

All in all I think the best way to go organic/all natural is to cook from scratch. I'm on a mission to eat all organics for a month to see how different our grocery bill is. We eat mostly organic now but every once in awhile a little junk sneaks in. I'm also not going to buy organic bananas because I personally don't think it's worth it. Also in good ole Ohio right now there are some fruits/vegetables that we can't get at Krogers/Walmart/Meijers and I would like to show my local readers that this can be done without driving to the "big" city to eat well, so there might be some non organic produce selections! So, the question is can you eat organic/natural on a budget? I'll be keeping a close eye on things and will give you all the details on my mission possible!

More High Dollar Huggies Coupons!

If you haven't printed out your huggies coupons yet they are still available! Click here coupons.com and remember you can print two of each by hitting your back button. Also if you have already printed them it appears they have been reset and you can print two more of each! Redplum also has these coupons on their website so you should be able to print them from there.

Frugal Friday

One of the ways we have found to consistently spend less money is by doing home haircuts. We received a pair of hair clippers for Christmas about five or six years ago and we haven't looked back since! We use just a cheap pair that are from Walmart they cost about $15.00. My husband and my son just have your basic buzz cut so we didn't need expensive clippers.

Until chemo my daughters and I all had long straight hair that was easy to maintain with just an occasional trim by me. My hair came back completely different than before so I now get my hair cut by another home school mom for a discount! However, my daughters all have long straight hair so I still cut their hair. The best tip I have is to let their bangs grow out!! I had a horrible time trying to keep them straight! I did find some tips in The Tightwad Gazette that did help but it is so much easier without those bangs! My oldest daughter is just getting to the point where she wants to pick a style. Thankfully, it's just been a shorter version of what she has now so it hasn't been to difficult-yet.

I cannot even imagine the amount of money we have saved over the six years we have done this. We have five people (the baby's isn't long enough yet!) who we don't pay for haircuts, the cheapest place for a haircut is $4.99 (with a coupon) and if they each got their hair cut every six weeks or so it would add up to a hefty chunk of change!!

Want to see other frugal Friday tips? Check out Biblical Womanhood for more!

What Doesn't Work for me Friday!

Have you ever had one of those days? I think today might be one of those days. Last night after dropping my son off at Scouts I stopped by to see my mom. She kindly pointed out that both of my eyes were extremely red and asked if they hurt. Well, no they didn't until she pointed it out! In less than one hour my left eye hurt so much it was hard to keep it open, thankfully it was a short meeting. Upon getting home I realized my eye was starting to goop up, so I got out our trusty bottle of pink eye antibiotics that we have from the last time one of us had it and started my drops. Now, before any one asks this question, it wasn't that long ago and our doctor said that it was okay to do that!

So now I'm stuck in my not so cool glasses for the day which wouldn't be bad if it was a stay at home day but today we have Co-op and our Upward Award Night! GRRR! I suppose this is a good day to remember that God doesn't care what we look like and that's whose opinion we should always seek!

Beautiful Day

It's a beautiful day today and it's getting me in the mood for Spring cleaning! My bedroom has become a dumping ground for awhile now and I think it's time to take it back. My plan is to open up the window and air it out while I get busy getting rid of all the junk in there!! I'll post a before and after picture if I can figure out how to work it!!

What about you? Has the Spring cleaning bug hit you yet?

Works For Me Wednesday

As a homeschooling family with three children Kindergarten and younger it can be difficult to have uninterrupted teaching time with my older students. Here are some ways I've found to make the most of our school day.

First, have a routine or schedule. We strive for a regular routine instead of a schedule that way if the baby is really fussy it isn't such a big deal. We also have regular snack times to keep all children happy.

Second, know what's crucial to your school day. For us I want to cover Bible, math, phonics/English, and preschool time. If I have done all of those subjects and anything else it has been a successful day!

I always included my youngers in our school day until this year. Our three year old is a major distraction at times and now that the baby is crawling I need to know where she is at all times. There have been many days when I have wanted to pull my hair out and flag down the big yellow bus!! Finally, I decided I needed to plan for real activities for my youngest "students". My plan is to use activity boxes for 30 minutes at a time and then switch to other activities. We have water table, sand table, and play dough time. The more quiet boxes are sewing cards and felt boards, wooden blocks, and mega blocks. Add in some preschool activities and the older kids alternating between educational computer games, art, and Wii time it should be a stress free month. I am also going to enforce a 30 minute quiet time each afternoon when the afternoon grumpies come.

I also just purchased the New Testament on cd so I'll be playing this every meal time throughout the day along with our classical music. Our final task before "free unscheduled" time is afternoon clean up. Then it's free time or scheduled activities like church, scouts, or 4-H.

Check out other works for me Wednesday posts for more great ideas!

Gluten Free

We are currently in the process of removing all gluten from my five year old daughters diet. I never realized how hard it was going to be. I have been able to find some snacks that she likes and of course her Lays chips! It's that darn lunch thing that is driving me crazy!

My question is for anybody who also does the gluten/dairy/soy free diet, how do you handle lunch? My daughter doesn't like meat very much so leftovers don't work. Please tell me how you do this without losing your mind? I feel like I hit a brick wall with ideas!!

Kroger Deals Updated

I went Krogering today and here are some more deals I saw!
* Auqafresh extreme clean toothpaste $1.99 use $.75 off in 1/4 smartsource pay $.50
* there are select Colgate toothbrushes still 10/10 and coupons in recent inserts
* Oral B toothbrushes on closeout for $1.87 ( I think)
* many different deodorants are on closeout so take your coupons with you!
*organic baby food in the nature's market is on sale for $.89-1.09
* the Kashi frozen food deal is great if you eat this product. Be on the lookout for $1.50 off this frozen food purchase peelies on certain boxes!
* the Envirokid cereal is on sale for $3.99 a box
* I also saw other close out deals on various organic products.

Did you find any other deals?

Menu Plan Monday

Here is our menu plan for the week!

-Monday- meatloaf, mashed potato, peas, rolls
-Tuesday- chicken noodle soup, bread
-Wednesday- homemade fast food
-Thursday- 3 packet roast, vegetable, rolls
-Friday- homemade fast food
-Saturday- the weather is supposed to be a little warm so STEAKS on the grill! fried potatoes, noodles
-Sunday- something on the grill for lunch and dinner

Need some menu ideas? Check out orgjunkie for more ideas.

Starting the Week Out Right

As we start our first full week of giving up fast food for Lent I decided to try something new, today I spent most of the afternoon prepping most of our meals for the rest of the week. I browned 4lb of hamburger, mixed our meatloaf, baked 10 potatoes, sliced up four to have for fried potatoes in the morning, cut up 3lb of strawberries, and washed 2lb of grapes. That takes care of our breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomorrow and I have a huge jump start on our meals for the rest of the week.

Monday is going to be baking day after our school day is over. I'm planning muffins, cookies, and brownies. I'm also going to put together some more muffin mix for the future.

If the kids are still behaving after that I'm hoping to make some freezer meals out of our chicken stockpile in the freezer.

I also have to say that this weekend was our first test of strength. We managed to go all weekend without eating out once!! It is always so tempting to take the weekend off of cooking/cleaning so I'm proud that we stayed true to our sacrifice!

New Coupons!

Before you head out to the grocery store make sure you check www.coupons.com for new coupons. These do have a daily limit so if you see some you think you'll use make sure to print them now!

There are some HIGH dollar Huggie coupons on there!!

Kroger deals week of 3/2

Here are some of the best deals I see this coming week at Kroger:
*Kroger gallon milk $1.99
*Amick Farm Fresh boneless skinless chicken breast $1.99lb
*10lb russet potatoes $2.99
*Dannon Activia yogurt 2/$4 use $1 off coupon in 3/1 smart source $1 each 4 pack
*28 pack of Ice Mountain water $3.99
*Kroger brand 12 pack pop $1.77


* Kroger is having yet another mega event. Buy 10 items get $5 off at register. Here are some items in the ad:
Stouffers or Lean Cuisine $1.49 ( assuming you buy 10)
Gorton's Seafood $2.49
Eggo Waffles $1.49
Toaster Strudels $1.49
Tyson meal kits $4.49
Breyers ice cream 48-56oz $2.49
Ben and Jerrys ice cream $2.49

*Kashi products are 25% off I saw $1.50 peelie coupons on the pizzas.
I'll be Krogering tomorrow night and I'll let you know what else I find!

CVS Deals

Here are the best deals I see this week!

*Carnation Instant Breakfast $4.99 get $4.99 ecb back
*Glucerna products are buy one get one 50% off...if you printed the $5 any cereal coupon you can get two for free!
*ACT Total Care trial size 3 oz $.99 get $.99 ecb back
* Pampers Diaper deal buy two packs of diapers or pull ups for $10 each for a total of $20 use two coupons either $1.50 from homemailer or $1 from 3/1 proctor and gamble ** Pay $17 and get $5ecb back** Other Johnsons baby products are included in the spend $20 get $5 ecb
* Slimquick energy shot pay $4.99 get $4.99 ecb back

Did you find any other awesome deals?