Meijer, CVS, Walgreens

Gearing up for Smore season. Stocked up on church snacks.

Meijer:

Hershey's 6 packs 2/$5- $1MC= 2/$4

Meijer Graham Crackers: $2

Meijer Marshmallows: FREE

Goldfish Crackers: BOGO Free $2.39 for 2

Ritz, Triscuits, 2 Wheat Thins: $1.99 per box- $3 off 4 boxes

Total: $15.93 Total Savings: $16.96

Jump start to Halloween stock.

Walgreens:

1. Vanilla Carmex $1.50 get $1.50RR

Total: $1.63 Savings $0.49

2. M&Ms 4/$10 get $5RR - $2.50MC

Wrigley Gum: $0.99

Total: $7.72 Savings $9.66

3. Pampers Cruisers $19.99 get $1RR - $1.50MC - $2.00SC

2 Hershey Bars for fillers: $1.79

Total: $15.19 Savings: $11.50

4. 2 Dozen Large Eggs $1.29 per dozen - $0.55MC

Total: $1.06 Savings $2.35

Total out of Pocket: $25.60 Total Savings: $24.00

CVS:

1. Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief $4.99 get $1 ECB - $1.50MC- $1 ECB (from previous visit)

Total: $2.93 Savings: $3.80

2. 2 Gallons Dean Milk $3.19 get $1 ECB- $1 ECB

Total: $5.44 Savings: $1.00

3. 3 Boxes of Puffs at $0.99 - $2 ECB

Total: $1.23 Savings: $4.64

Total out of pocket: $9.60 Total Savings: $9.44

Walking Away

I admit it; Couponing is ADDICTING! There is nothing quite like seeing your total and then watching it fall with each coupon swiped. It is a total rush and a very fun game. But, in order to not go crazy you have to give yourself limits. This week I had to limit myself : ( It was so hard to walk away from a fabulous deal! But, it can be done, I promise. I had scoured the ads. Meijer's looked pretty good. They were having a 10/$10 11th item free sale. So, I wrote down everything that I would buy. Then, I looked at the County Market ad. (I write my list by order of the stores I go to). I ended up crossing some things off of the Meijer list and putting them onto the County Market list. Grands Biscuits were $1 at Meijer and $0.88 at County Market. It was the same for; carrots, Knorrs Rice Sides, Hunt's Ketchup, and Tony's Pizza. Jackpot! I had coupons for the Grands and the Knorrs Rice making them $0.73 and $0.63 respectively. Here's the thing I already have 7 tubes of Grands and 5 or 6 pouches of the Knorrs Rice. While this is a GREAT deal I didn't need anymore. I needed to spend my grocery money on things that I really needed. This was fine in theory but when I got to the store it was very hard to rationalize with myself that I truly didn't need it and walk away! But, walk away I did. Now, someone else can enjoy this fabulous deal.

This doesn't just apply to groceries. Just because something is a "good deal" does not mean we have to get it. Ask yourself if you truly need it? Can you live without it? Do you have something that is already similar? Are you still going to love it in a year? If you can't answer an absolute "yes" to all of these questions it would be a good idea to walk away. If you do answer yes give yourself at least a 24 hour time limit before you purchase the item. The time limit gives the adrenaline time to wear off and you the time to make a sound decision.

Book Review: Save Me

This was a pretty intense read. If you had to choose saving your child or three other children (who are closer) who would you save? Add into account that these three are bullying your child. What would you do? The heroine of this story has to make this decision and deal with the consequences. As the story evolves there is so much more to this story than what is on the surface. To discover what's under the surface check this one out at your local library! You won't be disappointed.

Girls Night Out

As moms we put ourselves last. It's what we do. We need to remember to take some time for ourselves too. I am really bad about this. I don't remember the last time I left the house by myself to do anything other than go to church, the store, or work. Last night was the first time in a long time and I totally needed it! I needed a break to rest and recharge my batteries. I forgot what it was like to go to the store and just look around without hearing, "I want it!" Here's a total shocker; I didn't have to share my food or ice cream! It was great! I totally love my child. He is my greatest blessing along with my husband of course. But, I am not just a wife and mother. I am also a person who every once in a while needs a break so I can be a good wife and mother. When I got home my husband could tell the difference and even suggested that I make it a regular thing. I think I will. Thanks Tiff for a great night! I can't wait to do it again!

So, take some time for yourself. Daddy's need one on one time with the kids too. It's great for bonding. Go take a walk or wander around a store, go to dinner or ice cream, watch a movie, or whatever interests you. 

Life WITHOUT TV

The reaction I normally get when people find out we don't have TV is, "Really? Why not? How can you live without it?" We still physically own 2 but, we use them to watch movies. Truthfully, it's not that hard to do without TV. The last time I had cable was when I lived at home. I was a poor college kid and to me cable was a luxury that I could do without. Plus, in Nursing School there was no time for TV. When Josh and I got married we survived with a rabbit ear antenna. I worked nights so I slept during the day and Josh worked and went to school. Neither of us had time for TV. We did get one of those converter boxes when TV switched to digital. But, it shorted out before lil man turned 1. We made the decision not to replace it. So, that ended my evenings of Rachael Ray, Oprah, Friends, and all the other nightly WB TV watching. It was extremely difficult at first. I had to figure out what to do with all of this time I now had. When you quit watching TV you realize how much time you were really wasting. So, what are the benefits of not spending  time in front of the TV?

1. I do not have to worry about lil man hearing inappropriate language or seeing any violence or adult content. Let's be real TV programs now are nothing like they were when I was growing up. We have more control over what we watch with movies.

2. I don't hear, "I need, I want" for any toy or product being advertised on commercials. This definitely benefits the budget.

3. We spend real time as a family. We talk at dinner time. We take walks, ride bikes, play outside, garden, and work on projects together.

4. We read a lot in the evenings. We want lil man to love books as much as we do.

5. Our house projects get completed a little bit faster.

6. I have learned to sew and do all kinds of crafts. Plus, I've taken up blogging about it all.

7. No cable or satellite bill.

I am not saying that we never ever watch TV. My guilty pleasure is watching Grey's Anatomy and I can watch that online. We do watch movies but, we have been better able to control our time. When we had the box it was so easy to just leave the TV on and just let it flow from one show to the next and completely tune out.

I feel that we have tuned out the TV and tuned into life.

I challenge you to go one week without any TV. I guarantee it will change your life!

8/15 Shopping

Aldi:

Cantaloupe $0.99

Peaches $0.29each x 4

Plums $0.29each x 3

Bananas $0.43/lb x 2.23lbs

Strawberries $0.99/lb x 2

Red Grapes 2lbs $1.98

Iceberg Lettuce $0.99

Applesauce $1.29

Ground Turkey $1.49/lb x 2

Total Spent: $13.33

CVS:

#1: Pampers Cruisers $19.99 get $3ECBS plus I had a $2.50 MC

The Magic Coupon Machine game me 2 awesome coupons; Free CVS Brand Fabric Bandages and a Free Hershey's Bar! Obviously, the chocolate didn't make it home. Honestly, it almost didn't make it to the car!

Total 1: $19.62 Savings of: $11.28 Plus got my $3 ECBS

#2 Dean's Milk $3.19 per gallon. CVS allows ECBs to be used on dairy!

Total: $0.22 plus I got $1 ECB!!

Meijer

Sweet Corn 4/$1

Oral B Stages $1.89 - $0.50MC

Oral B Toothbrush $1.89 - $0.50

Total $4.12

Walgreens:

Blue Rhino Propane Tank. If you exchange your old tank it is $18.99 then there is a $3 mail-in-rebate  making it $15.99. Not a bad deal.

Total with tax: $20.65

Homemade Blueberry Ice Cream

This summer Aldi sold a Crofton Ice Cream Maker for $19.99. It does not require rock salt. You freeze the insert and that's it. Once the insert is frozen you place it in the maker and then add your cold ingredients and 20-30 minutes later you have delicious ice cream.

I bought blueberries when they were $1.66/pint. My husband loves blueberries so, I bought 3. With them I made this ice cream and 2 batches of blueberry pancakes. I have never had blueberry ice cream. I found the recipe when I googled, "blueberry recipes." I had all the ingredients and it sounded awesome. It tastes just as good. If you have an ice cream maker you will definitely want to try this one!

2 cups whole blueberries, washed

1 cup sugar or splenda, etc

1 Tbsp water

2 cups heavy cream or half and half

Boil blueberries, sugar, and water until sugar is dissolved and berries are soft. I used a potato masher to smash the berries. Strain mixture over a bowl. Discard the skin and seeds that are in the strainer. Next, stir in the cream. Refrigerate mixture over night.

Fill ice cream maker 2/3 full and turn it on until mixture is thick.

Place in freezer for 2-4 hours before serving. This allows it to be firm.

Serve in a waffle cone or bowl and enjoy! It's the perfect remedy for a hot summer day!