Another Kroger Run!

So, I have to admit I am slightly obsessed with Kroger... I went for another run tonight to use some more pasta coupons so I can donate them to the pantry at church. Along the way I picked up a few other things as well. Today I received a few coupons for Philadelphia cooking cream. One was a coup for a free one and the other $1.50 off. They are in the mega event for 1.99 right now so I figured why not :)

For those of you wondering what a mega event is, they are WONDERFUL!!! :) Basically there are certain items in the store that if you buy a specified amount you get a $ off amount. In Kroger's case, this week if you buy 10 participating items than you get $5 off :) Many times, even without coups you get great deals!

Here is what I got tonight:
8 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta $.49 in the Mega deal
Print 2x's for each coup here or here

2 Philadelphia cooking creams $1.99 in the Mega deal

2 Packs of Kraft Singles $1.99 in the Mega deal
Print for $1 off 1 Kraft 2% singles here You can print this 2x's

1 Classico Light Alfredo Sauce $1.99 in Mega deal
There was a $1 off coup in the paper coup in the paper a few weeks ago

2 packs of BumbleBee Albacore Tuna $.49 in the Mega deal

2 Vitamin Waters $.49 in the Mega deal
I had a coupon that printed with my Kroger reciept a while back for $1 off 1 so I got 2 for free

1 Smart Balance cooking oil $2.12 in the Mega deal
$.75 off printable here and there was also one in the paper.

1 2 liter of Coke for the Hubby :) $.89 in the Mega deal

1 Dove Men+Care Deodorant $2.99 in the Mega deal
$2 coupon here but use zip code 60016
Also, go to Kroger's website and load their ecoupon onto your card for another $1 off, that way you get it FREE!!! :)

1 Gillette Fusion Shave gel Not on the Mega deal but it's $3.50
There is a $2 ecoupon on Kroger's website, put that with the $1 off one that was in the newspaper and you have some fantastic shave gel for $.50!!!

My TOTAL: $9.48 SAVED: $42.64!!! :) THAT'S 85%

I found another great deal on Tanner's formula!!! They have the 24oz cans of Good Start 2 Gentle formula on Closeout for $13. 29 and it's regular $19.99. I mixed that with a formula check for $3.75 and a coupon for $5 and got them both with tax for $19.89! :) I was very happy!!! (Not Pictured)

FOR MORE MATCH-UPS AND KROGER DEALS GO TO SOUTHERNSAVERS.COM

Meal Planning

Besides couponing, meal planning is possible the most effective way to lower the cost of your grocery bill. I have been meal planning since I first got married almost 4 years ago.

This is my method:

I always look at store ads first. I base it on either meats that are on sale or meats I already have stock-piled in the freezer. BTW, I will not spend more than $1.99 on chicken breast, $2.49 on 85/15 beef, or $1.99 on pork loin.
After I figure up the proteins for the meals I than decide what meals to make.

A big tip is to plan meals where they can domino off each other. Dominoing meals is shown through the meal plan example below but basically it means you use parts of one meal to make one for the next meal.

Here is an example of 5 days worth of planning for you to see:

Monday-
Breakfast: Cereal and milk
Lunch: Bread, lunch meat, carrot sticks, chips, and banana
Dinner: Crock Pot chicken- Whole chicken ($.79 lb FoodCity), spices,
potatoes,carrots, and onion. Sides- veggies from the crockpot, crescent
rolls,and green beans.

Tuesday-
Breakfast: Cereal and milk
Lunch: Left over Crockpot Chicken
Dinner: Spicy Chicken soup- left over chicken pulled from bones from crock
pot meal, onion, garlic, jar of salsa, 2 cans of diced tomatoes, 1 can whole
tomatoes, 1 can tomato soup, chili powder, 1 can of corn, 2 cans of chili
beans, 8oz sour cream.

Wednesday-
Breakfast: Cereal and Milk
Lunch: bread, lunch meat, carrot sticks, chips, and banana
Dinner: Left over soup for a quick meal before church

Thursday-
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Bread, peanut butter, jelly, yogurt, orange
Dinner: Spaghetti- ground turkey or ground beef, sauce, noodles Sides: Salad,
garlic toast

Friday-
Breakfast: Cereal and milk
Lunch: Left over spaghetti
Dinner: Italian Chicken- 2 chicken breasts cut in half, pepper, salt, italian
dressing, bag of frozen veggies, basil Sides- veggies already in the meal and
crescent rolls.

After you have made your list like so, go through your pantry, freezer, and fridge to see what you don’t have.
In my case I would need to purchase:
Salad
Bananas
Oranges
Milk
Bread
Sour Cream

All the rest I have stock-piled through couponing when I got it free or super cheap! :)

Stick to your meal plan. When you venture off is when you get into trouble with going outside your grocery budget.
Sometimes it's good to have a pantry clean out week of food. There are things that will continue to get overlooked in your pantry. Take a week and try to only cook and eat out of items you already have or have had for a while. I used to dread it but now I like it because you can get creative with coming up with new meals to add to your meal plans later on! :)

If I have left anything out or if you have any questions just comment below! :) Have a great night!

Coupons

So tonight I realized just how long it has been since I posted on here! Wow!

I have become coupon obsessed! I have always been a big couponer but since I had my son in May have blossomed into an extreme couponer ;) LOL

There are several sites I use to aid in my couponing; thekrazycouponlady southernsavers and hip2save

Tonight I made stops at CVS and Kroger.


Here is how my CVS trip went:
There are several good deals right now but I just wanted to pick up a couple things.



CVS had Dial Nutra Skin Lotion for $4.99. When you buy it you get $3.99 back in ExtraCare Bucks. There was a $2 off coupon in the Feb. 20th Redplum. Also, I picked up a couple bottles of Herbal Essences. They were 2.98 on sale but when you buy 2 you get $2 back in ECB's (ExtraCare Bucks). There was a coupon for Buy 1 Get 1 free in the paper this past Sunday and than I also use a $1 off 1 Herbal Essence along with it that was in my P&G $110 booklet they sent me.
I also had $4.29 in ECB's from my last trip.
After coupons, sales, and ECB's my subtotal was $.68 but my tax was $.92 so
TOTAL: $1.60 with $5 in ECB's for my next visit! :)
Oh, and I saved $14.09

Kroger:
I LOVE KROGER MEGA EVENTS! :)
There are some great coupons out there right now... a few freebies to pick up; Heluva sour cream dips (we tried the jalapeno cheddar and it was yummy!) Ronzoni pasta and many others! If there are any you would like to have coupons for that are in my post just comment below and I can try to give you links to print the coupons.
Okay, so here is what I made out with tonight. I got 30 items for $27.88 and SAVED $50.95!!! :)

I know there is a lot of pasta in the picture, I stock up when I can get it for free because it lasts so long! ;) Plus, the best part about couponing is that it makes donating a lot easier to do when your grocery/household budget is only $150 a month.

Money saving ideas!

Wow, it has been forever since I have posted on here! I have many new recipes for cheap meals to post on here very soon! I have some great money saving ways to lower your grocery budget!

1. DON'T BUY BAGGED SALAD! We all know that buying premade salad in a bag is just convenient, I myself have fallen into the trap. The problem is, while it is the perfect mix of what you want in a salad, they greens wilt faster than you can eat all of it many times. At the beginning of the week I make a "salad bag," it lasts waaayyy longer than the bags at the store and stays fresher. You just buy what you want to put in, lettuce, cucumbers, etc. and throw them all in the bag. That way you have it ready for meals during the week or to take to work for lunches. It really does save on costs in the long run, just make sure you buy ingredients that are on sale and not too ripe.

2. MEAL PLAN!!! I do this to a T! Before I go grocery shopping I sit down with adds and see what's on sale, mainly meat sales. I will plan 2 weeks of meals, writing down their ingredients and what sides I would like to have with them. Than I go through my cabinets and circle everything I don't already have on the list of meals. That way I have a list when I go to the store and I don't stray from it!

3. DOUBLE UP ON MEALS: This is something that follows right along with meal planning. For example, I made a crockpot chicken meal the other night with veggies that used a whole chicken (great for a cheap meal, you can get one for $4). There is a ton of chicken left over when you make this meal so the next night I made a huge delicious batch of spicy chicken soup (which hubby LOVES) and used the leftover chicken. The soup makes a huge pot so we had it for the next 2 nights. I spent maybe $7 for 3 nights of meals because I did this.

4. COUPONS: I love coupons... BUT, BE CAREFUL!!!! Coupons are great, unfortunately, many times you can spend more using them. Check the sales and see if when you use the coupon you are getting it cheaper than the store brand. Some people are die hard brand name users, I used to be as well until I stepped out of the box and tried the Food Club Brand, now I won't go back to the other unless it's cheaper! If you look at the manufacturer, many times they are the same. Also, just to throw this out there, A member of our financial peace class took her family to the Mayfield Dairy farm for a tour. While she was there they were bottling Walmart Great Value brand milk. The lady guiding the tour said that they bottle it in a different jug and the cows that drink that milk eat regular hay from a pasture so they have to send it through an extra machine to get the taste of wild onions out. Ummmm... I don't know about you, but I think I would prefer my milk cows to eat a natural diet.... Okay, so back to the coupon thing... haha I have quit buying the newspaper and started clipping online. Great websites are; coupons.com, redplum.com freeflys.com afullcup.com and make sure you subscribe for offers from P&G brandsavers and other commonly used brands in your household! Good Luck!!! :)

So these are just a few tips... More to come along with some delicious and cheap recipes!

Yummy Italian Chicken and Veggies Meal for $3!!!!

This meal is super easy, super cheap, and literally takes about 15mins to cook!!!



Many of these ingredients are pantry staples so there are very few that you will have to purchase. Your ingredients are;
* 1lb of chicken breasts halved
* frozen veggies of your choice (let them thaw a little)
* 1/4 cup of Italian Dressing
* 1/2 tbs of garlic
* 1 tsp of basil
* ground pepper



Combine the dressing and garlic in the skillet, cook about 1 min. on med. heat. Next add the chicken breasts and sprinkle with a little ground pepper and about half of the basil (keep the rest for the other side of the chicken). Cook the chicken 4 to 5 mins on each side until done. Sprinkle the other side of the chicken with a little pepper and remaining basil. After chicken is done, add your veggies and cook until they are tender and done. Than ENJOY!!!



Since many of these ingredients are staples in your pantry you probably really only have to buy the frozen veggies and the chicken! I watch sale adds and buy chicken in bulk and freeze it when it is on sale for about 1.99 a pound. Also, my Steamfresh veggies that were in the picture, were on sale for Buy One Get One at Food City plus I had a coupon so I got them for only .94 a bag!!!
So your total:
* Chicken Breast- 1.99
* Mixed veggies- .94
= $2.93!!!!!!!

Skillet Lasagna

This meal is super easy and is a great alternative to spaghetti in case you ever get tired of it.
Here are the ingredients you will need, I already had the pasta on hand and the cheese on hand (these are always in my pantry staples). So you will need:
1lb. of ground beef
spaghetti sauce
half a box of bowtie pasta
about a cup of water
and mozzarella cheese



Brown the ground beef and drain off any grease. After you drain off the grease reduce the stove to med/low and add sauce, pasta, and water. Stir well and cover to simmer. Make sure to stir every once in a while cause the pasta will stick to the bottom. Keep cooking until the pasta is tender (about 15-18 mins). Move to a cool stove eye and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and cover to let it melt.



After cheese has melted serve and enjoy with whatever you like.



My total on this meal was:
$4.37
But, I already had the pasta, cheese, and bread left over from past meals and I got my bag of salad on sale for .99 because it's sell by was in a few days.
If you were to buy these ingredients it would be:
Pasta-1.25
1lb of Beef-2.49
1 can of sauce-.89 (BTW, Food Club spaghetti sauce in a can is great! Try it!)
Mozzarella cheese- 2
water- FREE!!! :)
--------------- The total is... $6.73!

Welcome!

So my husband and I started Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University a few weeks ago. It's funny, when people hear Dave Ramsey, they automatically think... "Oh, bless their hearts, they are having a hard time." LOL The point of Dave Ramsey is to "Live like noone else, so later you can LIVE like noone else"-Dave Ramsey, so don't feel bad for us!
The reason I started this blog is because I have people ask me all the time, "how do you spend less than $40 on groceries a week?" A lot of times, they also say... "Well, it's just two of you right now so that's why." Really, we cook full recipes for every meal, meals that are intended for 4 or more people at a time. This blog will show you how I do it and hopefully give you some ideas for cheap, yummy, wholesome recipes to add to your kitchen! :) Enjoy!