Learning The Frugal Life

31 Days of Nothing - Week 4

2012-01-27T04:45:00.000-08:00

This is the last Friday of the month. We have almost completed the challenge! I will be doing one more post and link up next week to give an overview of the month. I am really looking forward to hearing how everyone did.

Well this was an interesting week to say the least. On Tuesday my oldest son broke his hand requiring a trip to both our primary care doctor and an Orthopedic specialist. The totals for that day cost me $70 and that is just the beginning of the charges I'm sure.

Here were our other expenses for the week.

$46.o6 spent on gas to fill up my husbands Jeep.

Over the weekend we celebrated 2 birthdays and also attended a fundraising dinner for my nephews who are in Boy Scouts. Total spent on those events was $54.00.

Prescription $2.33.

2 grocery trips. $10.44 was spent on the following. ($.45 for each of the 2 liters-good eye by my husband!)$16.55 was spent on the second trip.Total spent for the week on groceries was $26.99, bringing my total for the month to $80.54. I think we can get away with staying out of the grocery store for the rest of the month.

Today was a huge bummer financially. We took my van in yesterday because the heater wasn't working. After all the inspections they told us that is was going to cost us $1400 to fix. That isn't even fixing everything that is wrong. This is just to get us driving safely again. Sigh...so it looks like we won't be saving much money after all this month. The only good thing is that now we have a little extra money to go towards this large, unexpected expense.

How did your week go? Leave a comment or link up your blog post below.

What's on Your Book Shelf?

2012-01-26T06:21:00.001-08:00

I have been on a reading kick lately. I have been actually reading big girl books instead of just Batman and nursery rhymes! It's a nice change. I haven't spent time reading in a very long time. I went to the library the other day and in the few minutes I had to look for myself I found a few books. Currently I am reading...

Organizing Your Home and Family by Sandra Felton.
And Fresh Living by Sara Snow.I am looking for some ideas on books to read. Categories I am interested in include simple living, green living, frugal living and homesteading. If you have any recommendations I would love to hear them.

What's on your book shelf?

Homemade Bread Recipe

2012-01-25T09:14:00.001-08:00

I have been back to making my own bread pretty faithfully the last couple months instead of buying store bought. It took a little while to convince the kids that this was a much better bread both economically and nutritionally. Now 2/5 of the children love it, the other 2/5 will eat it if they have too which is really all that matters, and the baby will eat anything so she doesn't count. My husband and I both really like this bread especially warm out of the oven with butter or honey!

We use this bread for everything. It makes great toast, sandwich bread or just plain ol' bread and butter. I have posted the recipe before but here it is again with a few variations.

Ingredients~

2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

2/3 cup honey *or sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoon yeast

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup oil

6 cups bread flour *I use 2 cups whole wheat flour and 4 cups bread flour, you can adjust it however you like.

Directions~

1.In a large bowl dissolve honey or sugar in warm water and then stir in yeast. Allow to foam.

2. Mix salt and oil into yeast mixture. Add flour 1 cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface till smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl and cover with damp cloth. Allow to rise till double in bulk, about 1 hour.

3. Punch down and knead for a few more minutes. Divide dough in half and shape into loaves. Place into well oiled bread pans. Allow to rise for about 30 minutes or until dough is 1 inch above the pan.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

You can brush butter on the tops once it's out of the oven if you like. Enjoy!

Original recipe can be found here.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 1/24-1/30

2012-01-24T17:40:00.002-08:00

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of the deals that I see at Hy-Vee for this week. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes both printable coupons and manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

Hy-Vee Frozen Sack Sale Friday and Saturday January 27 and 28
15% off all the frozen items you can fit into a grocery sack. Remember you can combine manufacturer coupons with this sack sale for an even bigger savings!

Grocery
Hy-Vee Tomatoes or Tomato Sauce 15 oz $.50
Hy-Vee Ketchup$.69
Doritos, Ruffles or Lay's Chips $2.50

Buy 3 General Mills Cereal at 3 for $9, Get a coupon for $3 off your next grocery order.
- $.75 General Mills Fiber One Original, Honey Clusters, Raisin Bran Clusters, Caramel Delight, Frosted Shredded Wheat (1/1 SS) or
- $1.00/2 select cereals (1/22 SS) or
- $1.00/3 select cereals (1/8 SS)
= prices will vary

Campbells Spaghetti or Spaghettios $.59
- $.40/3 (12/4 SS)
= about $.46 each when you buy 3

Hunt's Snack Pack Pudding $1.00
Buy 5, Get 1 Free, Hy-Vee in ad coupon combine with
- $.45/3 (1/1 SS)
= about $.76 each when you get 6

Prego Pasta Sauce $1.77
- $1.00/3 (1/8 SS)
= about $1.44 each when you buy 3 or
- $1.00/2 Prego Smart Italian Sauce if included in sale
= $1.27 each

Campbell's Condensed Soups $1.00
- $.40/4 (12/4 and 1/8 SS)
= $.90 each when you buy 4

Buy any 3 Kellogg's Special K Products on pg 5 of the ad get $3 off Milk (in ad coupon)
Special K cereal $2.99
Special K Bars or Crackers $2.50
Lots of coupons in the 1/1 RP insert including
- $1.00/3 Special K Bars
- $1.00/2 Crackers
- $1.00/3 Cereal and
- $.75/2 Bars (1/22 RP)
= prices will vary

Nabisco Ritz or Snack Crackers $1.68
- $3/3 (1/8 SS)
= $.69 each when you buy 3

Hamburger, Tuna or Chicken Helper $1.00
- $1.00/5 (1/8 GM)
= $.80 each when you buy 5

Meat
Boneless Beef Chuck Roast $2.77 lb
Hy-Vee Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs $.97 lb

Buy 1 lb or Di Lusso Sliced Meat get 1/2 lb Cheese Free (in ad coupon)
Di Lusso Thin Sliced Chicken or Turkey $6.99 lb

Produce
Chilean Red Grapes $1.49 lb
Blueberries $2.88 pint
Dole Salad Kits $2.50
Asparagus $2.68 lb
Cantaloupe $2.48
Radishes $.50 each
Tomatoes $.98 lb
Red Bell Peppers 3/$2

Dairy
Hy-Vee Sour Cream 8 oz $.69
Weight Watchers Yogurt $.50

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls $1.00
- $.40/2 (1/8 GM, 12/11 SS, 12/4 SS) or here
= $.80 each when you buy 2

Pillsbury Grands $1.00
- $.30/2 (1/8 GM or 12/11 SS) or here
= $.85 each when you buy 2

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls $1.25
- $.30 (1/8 GM) or here or
- $.40/2 (12/11 SS)
= as low as $.95

Let me know if you see something I missed. This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Fareway Deals Week of 1/24-1/30

2012-01-24T17:40:00.001-08:00

And the Winners are...

2012-01-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

The 2 winners of my Grocery Rules Ebook are...

Shelley who wrote

My favorite tip was how to make your own dishwasher detergent. Big money saver.

and preemie-mommy who wrote

Thanks for all of your tips. I love all of the "top ten", etc. ways to save. I like step-by-step frugal tips and I love the frugal recipes posted. Thanks!

Congratulations ladies. Please contact me to receive your ebook.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 1/24-1/30

2012-01-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

Frugal Tuesday Tip - Meet Your Hostesses!

2012-01-23T23:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Frugal Tuesday Tip! What do you think of the new look? We are very excited to kick off our second year with a new look and new hostesses. We will not be hosting a linky this week, instead we thought it would be good to introduce ourselves to you. So here we are, the ladies behind the Frugal Tuesday Tip.
Hi, I’m Jennifer from Getting Ahead. I have been living the frugal life ever since marrying my school teacher husband 15 years ago. Out of necessity we paid off debt, cooked from scratch, cloth diapered, clipped coupons and did just about everything ourselves so that I could stay home with our 4 children.

We live in Ohio now and all the kids are in school. I still cook from scratch, live frugally, and save money but now I also work from home, chauffeur the kids to gymnastics and soccer, grow some of our own food and try to feed my family from local, organic sources as much as possible - all while sticking to a rather small budget.

When I am not hosting Frugal Tuesday Tips you can find me at Getting Ahead where I talk about frugal living, saving money, getting financial freedom and raising kids.

My first memories of coupons are of my grandpa redeeming rebates. He always liked to ‘beat the man’ and get his money back. To him, Discover Card’s cash back was the one of best things since sliced bread (and he knew what unsliced bread was!).

I began using coupons when my friend Jean encouraged me to join her yet-to-be-created coupon train circa 2008. We used yahoogroups to stay in touch with everyone on the train. It was pre-Facebook and worked very well to ingrain frugal habits into my life, and with four kids, I needed those habits!

I had the idea to collaborate last year and gathered three other frugal bloggers to join – we used Kimberly’s name Frugal Tuesday Tip, and ever since then, I have been the linky manager. If you link the same post twice, or don’t use a permalink, I am the one who contacts you. I look forward to another year of learning with all our linky friends!

Julia lives online at juliecache.com, her crafty, personal, beekeeping, bloggy space; Examiner.com as Des Moines (IA)’s Frugal Family Examiner; Three Sisters’ Home Learning Resources, a home school event production company; and at juliecache.blogspot.com where she tells her geocaching tales.

Hi, My name is Sara and I blog at Learning the Frugal Life. I started living more frugally after my family and I did a 30 days of nothing challenge back in January 2009.

That challenge changed the way we lived forever and I started blogging about it. I blog about lots of different topics including frugal and green living, recipes, coupons, gardening, and backyard chicken raising We are still learning everyday how to live a more simple, frugal lifestyle and be content with what we have.

I am one of the original Frugal Tuesday Tip hostesses and I am excited to host another year. I truly look forward to Tuesdays and reading everyone's tips and ideas. I hope you continue to join us each week and this linky will provide you some ideas on how to live a more frugal life.

I hope you will join us next week for the start of our second year of the Frugal Tuesday Tip! Feel free to add our new button to your own blog and help us spread the word.

Frugal Tuesday Tip - Break

2012-01-23T13:52:00.001-08:00

The Frugal Tuesday Tip will be taking a 1 week break to finalize our plans and prepare ourselves for a new look and a new member for the new year! We are excited to introduce you to Jennifer from Getting Ahead.

Please come back tomorrow for a special post where you can "get to know" your Frugal Tuesday Tip hostesses. Then join us again next week for our kick off of the second year of the Frugal Tuesday Tip.

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-22T18:51:00.002-08:00

It is the last full week of January and the last full week of the 31 Days of Nothing Challenge. We are still sitting pretty well on food in our pantry and freezers. Here is our menu for this week.

Monday...Fried fish, corn, blueberry muffins and pears.

Tuesday..Japanese chicken salad and apples.

Wednesday...Pancakes, bacon, pears.

Thursday...Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, carrot sticks and peaches.

Friday... .Orange chicken from the freezer, rice, salad and pineapple.

To see what others are having this week, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

31 Days of Nothing - Week 3

2012-01-20T10:55:00.000-08:00

This week went amazing well. The cold weather kept me in the house most of the time. I did go out on Monday to take my son to a birthday party. We stopped at Target to buy a gift and I felt some urges as I walked past the shoe and clothing department. I saw lots of clearance signs. One of those was on winter snow boots. I felt a little tug knowing that all my kids would need new winter boots next year. They were still $14 even at 50% off. I walked away from Target only buying the gift that we came there to get.

I was telling my husband about all the clearance signs when I got home and he said "but really how much of that stuff do we really need?" The only thing we would really need were the boots and the chances of me finding some on a community swap or at a garage sale in the Spring for just a couple bucks is pretty high. So I was pretty happy that I resisted the urge to buy stuff.

I went all week without going to the grocery store. I finally went in last night because the baby needed milk. I spent $11.52. That puts my total to $53.55 for the month.I have gone almost 2 weeks without getting gas in my vehicle. That is unheard of! I still had about half a tank left and decided to go ahead and fill up since the temps in our area where getting close to zero. I spent $33 on gas.

We didn't spend money on anything else this week other than 1 prescription. My husband bought his first soda at work. He had a rough week. He has gone from buying a soda almost every day to just one in 20 days. I'm ok with that.

So now it's your turn. How did your week go? Leave a comment or link up your blog post below. I look forward to hearing how your week went.

New Printable Coupons

2012-01-20T06:09:00.000-08:00

Gotta love those printable coupons. Here is just a sample of what is available.

$1.00 off when you buy TWO Knorr® Homestyle Stocks

65¢ off when you buy ONE Knorr® Homestyle Stock

Buy 3 Kellogg's® Pop-Tarts® toaster pastries and/or Kellogg's (TM) Pop-Tarts mini crisps (TM) (6 ct. or Larger), Save $1.00. Expires 2/8/2012. One time use only.

Buy 2 packages of Kotex® products, Save $1.50. Expires 2/1/2012. One time use only.

Coupons.com is one of my favorite sites and is currently offering lots of high dollar toy coupons as well as other coupons.

$0.50 off 5 Campbell's Spaghetti0's pasta

$8.00 off SCRABBLE, SIMON, or YAHTZEE FLASH

$3.00 off TRANSFORMERS Deluxe action figure

$5.00 off when you buy one NERF VORTEX PRAXIS blas

$8.00 off when you buy one BABY ALIVE MY BABY ALIV

$5.00 off when you buy one PLAY-DOH MEGA PACK

$5.00 off BOP IT! XT game

$8.00 off when you buy one PLAYSKOOL SESAME STREET

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 1/17-1/23

2012-01-18T04:41:00.000-08:00

Fareway Deals Week of 1/17-1/23

2012-01-18T04:13:00.000-08:00

Start Saving Now for Vacation

2012-01-16T23:59:00.001-08:00

It's a good idea to start planning ahead for vacations. My husband and I have been discussing lately what we want to do this summer for our family vacation. Now is the time to budget and start saving for those upcoming trips.

First, come up with a dollar amount that you think you will need for your vacation. Then you can take that number divided by the number of months you have left until your vacation. Each month put that amount of money away either in a seperate bank account or in your savings. For example, we think we will be able to take a nice vacation for around $2,000. We are planning to go sometime in July. If we start saving now then we will have to put away about $167 each paycheck (every 2 weeks) from now until July.

Taking a little out of each paycheck for the next 6 months is a lot easier than coming up with a large lump sum all at once. We can transfer the money over to our savings account where it can sit until we are ready to use it in July.

You can do this for any big expense you have coming up. This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 52 - Let's Celebrate!

2012-01-16T23:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 52nd week of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. To celebrate our 1 year anniversary of the Frugal Tuesday Tip I am hosting a giveaway! I want to thank all of you who join us each week and read and/or link up your frugal tips. I truly enjoy reading all tips and ideas and I have learned so much over this last year.

To show my appreciation I am hosting a giveaway. 2 readers will win a copy of my Grocery Rules Ebook. To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite frugal tip was over the last year.

The giveaway ends Monday January 23 at midnight. 2 winners will be chosen Tuesday January 24. Good luck and thanks again for supporting the Frugal Tuesday Tip.

Some of the other hostesses are having a giveaway as well. Visit Julie over at Juliecache.com for her coupon giveaway and Julia at Confessions of a Frugal Mind for her magazine subscription giveaway!

If this is the first time your visiting the Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-16T04:34:00.001-08:00

We are starting our third week of the 31 Days of Nothing Challenge. Here is what is on our dinner menu for the week.

Monday...Spaghetti, lettuce salad and mandarin oranges.
Tuesday...Meatloaf, corn, fruit.
Wednesday...Homemade pizza and pears.
Thursday...Fried fish (didn't have this last week), broccoli, blueberry muffins and peaches.
Friday...Oven baked chicken, green beans, dinner rolls and pineapple.

31 Days of Nothing - Week 2

2012-01-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

We are 13 days into the 31 Days of Nothing Challenge. All is going well on our end.

I went to the grocery store on Saturday the 7th and got this for $15.93.I then went yesterday the 12th and got this for $20.95. I was a little bummed my total was so high. It doesn't seem like much for $20. For the week I spent $36.88. My goal is to stay under $100 for the month. I am sitting at $42.03 right now.

My husband filled up his jeep with gas for a total of $54.36. Other things we spent money on this week were...

2 prescriptions $15.56
Eye exam and new frames for the hubby $100
Paid off my Kohl's credit card from Christmas shopping $153.89
Paid the garbage bill and a couple random medical bills

No unnecessary money went out this week. I am so proud of my husband for not buying any pop or snacks or lunch for that matter at work. This is huge for him and he is doing great. We have cooked and eaten at home for all our meals. My pantry and freezer are still very well stocked. I think I had put up way more food than I thought.

I hardly went anywhere this week so my gas tank is almost full from when I filled up on Sunday. My oldest son is needing some new shoes but said he thought he could get by for a few more weeks. We do have some gift cards that we could use but the goal is to stay out of the stores so I am going to hold onto them. I am a little tempted because I just got a Kohl's coupon for 30% off in the mail. I feel like I should get the shoes now since we have the coupon but for now I am going to hold off. These are the things that tempt you into the store to spend money!

The family has done relatively well turning lights, radios and TVs off when leaving the room. The weather was decent earlier in the week so I even hung a couple loads of laundry outside.

How are you doing? Are you feeling the need to shop? Leave a comment or link up your blog post below. I look forward to hearing how your week went.

Beautiful Days and Little Surprises

2012-01-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

We are finally getting some winter weather rolling into our region. Yesterday was a beautiful day with highs in the 50's. I took my daughter outside for an afternoon walk and to let our birds out to roam. My daughter loves the hens. She is totally fascinated with them. My Buffs are the friendliest of all the birds. They are my favorite. I held one of them while Em petted and inspected her beak and comb.
On our walk we discovered a treasure in the bare flower bed. Can you see it?
Here it is a little closer. I rarely find eggs anywhere but in the nesting boxes. Once in a while I'll find one on the floor in the chicken house or run. A couple times I have found an egg right outside on the ground next to the chicken house. This is the first time I have found an egg in a strange place. It was a fun little surprise!

This post is linked to Simple Lives Thursday at Spain in Iowa.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 1/10-1/16

2012-01-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of the deals that I see at Hy-Vee for this week. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes both printable coupons and manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

Slow week for deals. Let me know if you see something I missed.

13 Hour Sale Friday January 13, 8am -9pm
Jack's Pizza $1.88 limit 5
Banquet Frozen Meals $.59 limit 12
Ragu Pasta Sauce $.99 limit 3
Hy-Vee Sliced Bacon $2.50 limit 2
Hy-Vee Cottage Cheese 24 oz $1.48
Wonder Classic or Wheat Bread $.99 limit 2

Meat Sack Sale Saturday and Sunday January 14 and 15 Only
-All meat items you can fit into a sack get 15% off. Limit 1 sack per person.

Grocery
Sun Chips $1.88
Ronzoni Healthy Harvest or Garden Delight Pasta $.99 *stock up price for this type of pasta

Campbell's Chunky Soup 4/$5 or $1.25 each
- 1.00/4 (1/8 SS)
= $1.00 each when you buy 4

Kellogg's Cereal $2.50
- $1.00/3 (1/8 RP)
= about $2.27 each when you buy 3

Hershey's Valentine Kisses $3.69
- $1/2 (1/8 SS) stack with
B2G1 Free Hy-Vee in ad coupon
= about $2.12 each when you buy 3

*$3 off your shopping order when you buy any 10 General Mills Items*
(Hy-Vee in ad coupon)
This is a Hy-Vee coupon so there are tons of manufacturer coupons to stack with this to make for some good deals. Big G, Progresso, Chex Mix, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Betty Crocker, Nature Valley, Totinos and Green Giant products are all included. Look in your General Mills insert that came out last Sunday to find coupons to pair up.

Here is a one scenario...
Progresso Soup 3/$4 or $1.33 each
- $1/4 (1/8 GM)
Buy 10 cans use 2 manufacturer coupons and factor in the $3 it will be like getting the soup for $.78 a can

Meat
Delightful Farms Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 3lbs $4.99

Produce
Dole Salad Kits $.99
Blackberries 6 oz $1.88
Sweet Grape Tomatoes 1 pint $1.50

Beverage
Old Orchard Apple Juice $1.77

Non-Food
Lysol Toilet Cleaner or Wipes $1.99
- $1.00/2 (1/1 SS)
= $1.49 each when you buy 2

Kleenex Tissues $.77
- $.50/3 (1/1 SS)
= 3/$1.81 or about $.60 each

Let me know if you see something I missed. This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Fareway Deals Week of 1/10-1/16

2012-01-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of current deals that I see at Fareway. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes printable coupons as well as manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area. I know they run different ads in different locations.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

1 Day Sale Friday January 13th Only
Fareway White Bread $.79
24 Pack Water $1.99
Fareway Potato Chips 8 oz $.79
Fareway Canned Peaches, Pears or Fruit Cocktail 15oz $.79
Tombstone Pizza $1.97
93% Ground Beef $2.79 lb sold in 10 lb tubes (in ad coupon)

Grocery
Quaker Instant Oatmeal 11-15 oz Box $2.50
Fareway Pancake Mix or Syrup $1.50

Hamburger, Tuna or Chicken Helper 4/$5 or $1.25 each
- $1.00/5 (1/8 GM)
= $1.05 each when you buy 5 (Buy 10, use 2 coupons and the Fareway $4 off coupon = $.65 each)

*$4 off your shopping order when you buy any 10 General Mills Items*
(in ad coupon)
This is a Fareway coupon so there are tons of manufacturer coupons to stack with this to make for some good deals. Big G, Progresso, Chex Mix, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Betty Crocker, Nature Valley, Tostinos and Green Giant products are all included. Look in your General Mills insert that came out last Sunday to find coupons to pair up.

There are lots of scenarios.

Here is a one scenario...
Progresso Soup 3/$4 or $1.33 each (price match to Hy-Vee)
- $1/4 (1/8 GM)
Buy 10 cans use 2 manufacturer coupons and -$4 Fareway in ad coupon it will be like getting the soup for $.73 a can

If you price match to Hy-Vee's ad (some Fareway's automatically do this) and have multiple coupons you should be able to get...
Hamburger Helper as low as $.65/each
Pillsbury Grands as low as $.78/each
Nature Valley Granola Bars as low as $1.73/each
Green Giant Boxed Veggies as low as $.75/each

Meat
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.69 lb *stock up price
Whole Boneless Pork Loins $1.99 lb average 10 lbs (in ad coupon)

Produce
Dole Salad Blends $1.49 (price match to Hy-Vee $.99)
Navel Oranges 4lbs $2.49
Colored Mixed Peppers 4 pk $2.99
White Onions $.69 lb
Texas Grapefruit $.44 each
Fuji Apples $.88 lb
Clementines 5lbs $4.99

Dairy
Fareway Shredded Cheese 16 oz $1.99
Anderson Erickson Yogurt $.40 each
Large Eggs $.99

Trix or GoGurt $2.00
- $.75/2 (1/5 GM)
= $3.25 for 2

Frozen
Jack's Frozen Pizza $2.50

Pillsbury Toaster Strudel $2.00
- $.50/2 (1/8 GM)
= $1.75 each when you buy 2

Beverage
Old Orchard Juice 64 oz 3/$5 or $1.67 each

Non-Food
Purex Laundry Soap $1.99 (in ad coupon)

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 51

2012-01-09T19:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Frugal Tuesday Tip! I look forward to seeing what you all have to share this week. Next week we celebrate our 1 year anniversary of the Frugal Tuesday Tip and we will be having some giveaways. Make sure you join us so you don't miss out.

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Ways to Earn a Few Bucks

2012-01-09T19:35:00.001-08:00

image credit

It's always nice to earn a little extra money. Last week I earned $284. It didn't take a lot of time or effort. Here are some easy ways to earn a few bucks.

Cash in that gold. Gold prices are high right now. Go through those jewelry boxes and cash in what you aren't wearing. Don't mail it in to those places you see advertised on TV. Visit your local jewelers and get a few quotes on what they are willing to give you. If you are local, visit Marcia's Jewelry on the east side of Des Moines. My mother owns that store and my brother and her will take good care of you!

Sell something. You can advertise your items for free on Craigslist. Another option may be community swaps. Local Facebook community swaps are popping up all over the place. It makes it easy to sell your unwanted items.

Cash in cans and bottles. Every couple weeks I make a trip to the redemption center. I take the cans and bottles in from my house as well as both my parents and sometimes my brother. I figured if we pay for the deposit when we buy them we might as well get that money back.

How do you earn extra money? This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

We are in the second week of our 31 Days of Nothing Challenge. We ate all our meals at home last week. Here is what is on this weeks menu. I am hoping to come up with some new ideas in the next couple weeks as long as all the ingredients are already in the pantry I feel like we have the same thing over and over again. May have to break out some of the old cookbooks.

Monday...Lasagna from the freezer, garlic bread sticks, salad.
Tuesday...Tacos, pineapple.
Wednesday...Roast, potatoes and carrots in the crock pot and pears.
Thursday...Chicken Breast, rice, broccoli and peaches.
Friday...Fish fry, corn, muffins and fruit.

To see what others are having this week head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Getting Rid of Stuff

2012-01-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

I am feeling the urge to simplify our lives at home. Another goal for the new year. There are many ways I can do this I know. The first thing I want to do is declutter the house and get rid of unwanted and unneeded items.

Stuff is just that, stuff. It clutters our house, our thoughts our lives. For me, having less is better. I don't feel as stressed or overwhelmed when I don't have things laying all over the house. Nothing makes me (or my hubby) more frustrated than looking for something and having to wade through piles of stuff just to find what I am looking for. I think I will feel more content having less things.

My plan is to start with one room and go through it's entire contents. I started this last Friday in the kitchen. I went through every cupboard and drawer and cleaned, organized and purged any items that we haven't been using. I was able to throw one bag of trash out and have another bag and a half to donate.

I am happy to get going on this project. I feel good about starting fresh, purging items that we no longer use or need. Cleaning and organizing things so that our life can be that much simpler.

31 Days of Nothing - Week 1

2012-01-06T04:26:00.000-08:00

We are on Day 6 of our 31 Days of Nothing. This first week has gone pretty easy. I felt no temptation or need to go to the stores or spend any money. I did go to the grocery store on Wednesday and spent $5.15 on a gallon of milk and 2 heads of lettuce. I ran out of bread so I made 2 loaves of homemade bread instead of buying any. (I will be posting my bread recipe later next week.) I budgeted $25 for the week so I am well under.

I tried not to leave the house as much this week. Wednesday I had to go into town for an appointment so I did my other errands at the same time. This helped me save on gas.

Unfortunatly alot of money was spent this week on medical expenses. That is something I can't really control. We had to take my daughter to the emergency room early in the week because she was running a fever of 105 and vomiting. She required an IV and antibiotics. She is doing better now. We had yearly eye exams for myself and 2 older children. We had to pay our co-pays for the exams. I also had to pick up some medication for my son. Since it is a new year, our deductibles start over. This means paying full price for prescriptions until the deductible is met.

We started composting all our table scraps again. I am using a 5 gallon bucket set outside our back door to store the scraps in. Every couple days I will have one of the boys empty it into the compost pile in the backyard.

I still need to call and see if we can get another recycle container. Our recycle is only picked up every 2 weeks and we fill it almost weekly. That is on my list of things to do.

There was lots of reminders this week for turning lights off. Hopefully after another week of nagging it will become habit. The kids have done well limiting their water usage. They even took quick showers.

Over all I am happy with how the week went. I am excited to hear about your first week. Leave a comment or link up your blog post below. We can all support and benefit from each other.

Locally Grown Pork

2012-01-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

This is what a 222 lb (carcass weight) Berkshire hog looks like. I am super excited to have a freezer full of locally grown meat! This will be especially helpful as we have started our 31 Days of Nothing Challenge. We ordered a whole hog from a local farmer early in the summer. We just had it delivered at the end of November.

Here is a list of the items we got.

24 lbs of bacon
40 lbs of sausage, breakfast, hot and mild
48 1" cut porkchops
64 brat patties
50 tenderloins
4 roasts at 4 lbs each
1 whole picnic roast to smoke ourselves

Buy purchasing our hog from a local farmer, we can feel comfortable with what we are eating and what we are feeding our children. It's important to get to know your farmer. Make sure they are using sustainable methods. These hogs were grown outside in the sun, ate home mixed foods and were not given any growth hormones or antibiotics.

Here is the breakdown of our cost. We pay the farmer $1.25 per hanging weight of the hog. We then have to pay the locker fee. The locker charges different fees depending on how you would like your meat. For instance, tenderizing runs $.15 lb, grinding meat runs $.20 lb, making patties runs $.40 lb. There are also charges for curing and smoking if you desire that.

The total price for our meat was $458.65. This includes all the locker fees. This averages out to be about $2.66 per lb. I am averaging that number because we are charged for the actual carcass weight of the animal and not the butchered weight.

Whether your buying a half or a whole hog there is going to be a larger up front cost. If you plan this purchase into your budget it won't be such a big deal. We know each year we will be paying for a hog in November, so we work that number into our budget at the beginning of the year.

If you are curious about buying from local farmers and don't know where to start localharvest.org is a great resource and can lead you in the right direction.

This post is linked to Simple Lives Thursday at Spain in Iowa.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 1/3-1/9

2012-01-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

Fareway Deals Week of 1/3-1/9

2012-01-04T04:41:00.000-08:00

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 50

2012-01-02T23:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Frugal Tuesday Tip! I look forward to seeing what you all have to share this week. We will be having some giveaways in the future to celebrate our 1 year of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. Make sure you join us each week so you don't miss out.

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-01T20:22:00.001-08:00

Here is what we have planned for meals this week. We are kicking off our 31 Days of Nothing so that means for the next 31 days I will be making dinner at home. No going out!

Monday...Japanese chicken salad and mandarin oranges.
Tuesday...Buttermilk pancakes, eggs and apples.
Wednesday...Corn dogs, green beans and fruit.
Thursday...Panera Cream Cheese Potato Soup, homemade dinner rolls.
Friday...Homemade personal pan pizzas and pears.

To see what others are having this week head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

New Month, New Printable Coupons

2012-01-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

The first of the month brings lots of new printable coupons. Here are just a few released from Coupons.com. Check out the links below and get printing before they are gone!

$0.50 off 2 Betty Crocker Fruit snacks

$0. 50 off Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

$0.80 off 4 Hamburger, Tuna or Chicken Helper

$1.00 off 2 boxes Cheerios cereal

$0.40 off SIX CU! PS Yoplait Yogurt

Red Plum also released some new coupons. Here are just a few.

$1.00 OFF any ONE (1) all® Laundry Detergent (28 Load or Larger)

SAVE $1.00 on ANY Studio Line styling product

SAVE $1.00 off any TWO (2) packages of Hefty® OneZip® Bags

31 Days of Nothing Kick Off - Come Link Up!

2012-01-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today is day one of our 31 days of nothing challenge for the month of January. I am totally committed to staying out of the stores, spending no money, as well as being more earth friendly and green.

If you want to read my families goals for this challenge you can read about it here. I will be updating a few times a week on how we are doing. I am excited to host a link up as well each Friday for the entire month. If you are wanting to join in on this challenge feel free! You can make up your own rules for this challenge. We can all benefit from each other. Please link up your blog post below telling us about your rules and goals for this challenge. This way we can all follow you on your journey. Then continue to come back each Friday and update us on how you are doing.

Please link back to this post so others can follow along. Feel free to post the following button.

Good luck!

2012 Goals

2012-01-01T06:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I love the new year. A fresh start, a new beginning, time to pause and reflect on the previous year and think about whats yet to come. I have spent a lot of time thinking about my goals for 2012. Things I would like to work on or improve.

It's kinda cliche but here are my 2012 New Years goals, resolutions, inspirations, what ever you want to call them.

Personal
*Drink more water.
*Exercise 3 times per week. It may be nothing too exciting, just a walk around a park would be nice.
*Cut back on coffee. This isn't something I necessarily want to do but I figured if I drink more water maybe my coffee intake will become less. Right now, I drink way.too.much.coffee.
*Read more. I have some awesome magazines and books begging to be read but finding "me time" is difficult.
*Continue to have a large garden and put up enough produce to feed my family for the non-gardening months.
*Keep growing my blog. When I started this blog a couple years ago I never dreamed it would grow the way it did. I LOVE being a resource for helping people and I love the ideas I have gotten and online friendships I have made. I would love to make it to 500 subscribers. I just really like that number! Making a little more money from blogging would be nice too, but honestly it's really not about the money. I truly enjoy blogging.

Ok. Moving on.

Financial
*Successfully complete our 31 Days of Nothing Challenge. Would love to have a chunk of money saved up to go towards our medical bills that we accumulated in 2011.
*To go along with the above...pay off all our medical bills. Right now we owe almost $2000. And unfortunately, since it is the new year, our deductibles will start over.
*Start tracking coupon savings each month. I have always been curious how much money I am saving with coupons. I may do this for a few months just to get an idea.
*Stay on track with our budget and go back to using the envelope system. This system really works for me and I don't spend near as much money when I am using cash instead of swiping my debit card.
*Increase our savings account by $5000. This may be difficult, but if we work really hard I think we can do it.

Family
*Read more books together. All my kids love to read and this would be a good thing to do
as a family.
*Spend more one on one time with my husband. With the business of life, sometimes we don't get a chance to really connect just the two of us.
*Establish a good morning routine with the two youngest children. Once the 3 older kids are off to school sometimes I feel lost with what to do with my little ones that are still at home. I want to get some sort of schedule in place.
*In general just spend more time with my kids and husband. I am always so busy and feel like there is so much to get done in the day that I need to just sit back and truly enjoy life.

Greener, Healthier Living
While my family has made huge leaps this last couple years in being more earth friendly there is always room for improvement. I want to step up a few things this year.
*Step up the composting and actually move it around so that is composts!
*Continue to recycle. I need to get a larger recycle bin for our kitchen.
*Completely switch over all cleaning products to homemade. Right now about 80% is made by myself.
*Buy less packaged and processed foods. Cook more from scratch.
*Continue to garden, shop local, attend produce auctions and support our local farmers.

Well I think that is it! Doesn't seem so bad huh? I look forward to 2012 and I hope you continue to follow me and my family on our journey.

31 Days of Nothing Challenge

2011-12-29T09:26:00.000-08:00

My family and I are kicking off the new year with a 31 days of nothing challenge. This will be our 4th year doing this type of challenge. You can read all about our first year here. This was what really kicked off our frugal lifestyle and made me change the way we live. You can also read about lasts years adventure here.

This 31 days of nothing isn't just about not spending any money. It's also about being more aware of how we are living. Not being wasteful by leaving lights on or keeping the water running. Being more earth friendly by composting, recycling and making our own cleaners.

My family and I have sat down and planned out some rules. Here are the rules we have set for our family for the month of January.

1. The ultimate goal is to spend NO money except for necessities. For my family I consider necessities to be gas for work and appointments, monthly prescription medications, groceries (although very minimal, more on this later) and our basic bills and utilities. Necessities may mean something different for your family.

2. There will be no consumerism. My hope is to stay out of the stores completely. No new clothes, books, or any other impulse buys. No shopping the deals!

3. Groceries. I am allowing $25 per week for grocery shopping or $100 per month. I really just want to stick with eating from the pantry and freezers as much as possible. We will need milk for the baby, as well as fresh produce so I am setting money aside for those things. We should be good on most other items because our freezers and pantry are very full. I usually budget $500 for the month.

4. Zero money spent on entertainment. No eating out, we will cook from scratch and eat at home each day. No money spent on movies or impromptu ice cream cones. We usually budget $150 each month for entertainment.

5. Allowance. Everyone is giving up their allowance for the month. There will be no money in our pockets tempting us to spend it.

6. My gas budget is up in the air right now. I need to actually keep track of what we are spending so I can get a more accurate number. For this month though, I want to just try and stay home as much as possible. Combine our errands so that we aren't making multiple trips each week.

7. Get back composting, recycling, and shutting off. Our compost bin has been missing so scraps have been being tossed in the trash which makes me crazy. We are great at recycling but the bins need to be cleaned up. My family has gotten extremely lazy about shutting off lights and unplugging items when not in use. This is going to be enforced more.

8. Cutting back on water usage. Our water bill has done nothing but climb. We use alot of water. Mainly because of long showers and children playing in the sinks. Showers will be timed and sink time monitored to make sure we aren't being wasteful.

I will add to this list if I think of anything else.

So what do you think? Want to join me on this 31 days of nothing challenge? You can make up your own set of rules for your family. You can join for 1, 2, 3 weeks or the entire month. It is a great way to kick off your savings or even pay off some of that Christmas debt.

I will be hosting a weekly linky each Friday. I will be giving my weekly report and will post a linky here for anyone who wants to join in and link up their blog. I only ask that you make sure you link back to Learning the Frugal Life or display this great little button. Just copy the html code and add it to your post. Don't have a blog and still want to join? Leave a comment letting us know how your family is doing.

I am really looking forward to this challenge. I encourage you to join in with me. It could really open your eyes to how you spend your money. It is a great way to start living more frugally and learning to be content with what you have. Who knows, it may change your way of living forever.

Weely Grocery Match-Ups

2011-12-29T06:49:00.000-08:00

There will be no grocery match-ups this week. Sorry. My husband and I have been sick since Christmas so we are just now getting out of town to visit family for the holidays. I will have the ads up next week. Hope everyone enjoys the holiday.

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 49

2011-12-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, 49 weeks! Thank you so much for joining us this week. We will be having some giveaways in the future to celebrate our 1 year of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. Make sure you join us each week so you don't miss out.

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

2011-12-24T05:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! I will be spending the next few days enjoying time with my family. Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Chicken Update

2011-12-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

We have had some unseasonable warm weather for December. The other day the temps were near 50 so I took advantage of that and went out and cleaned out the chicken house. The girls now have fresh straw in the house, nesting boxes and run. They were so excited. I even had one immediately go in and make herself comfy in the box. I am glad to have that project crossed off the list. Hopefully they will be good to go now until Spring. I usually clean out the house fully every few months, and every couple weeks I toss some new straw in on top of the old. Weekly the straw gets fluffed up with a pitch fork and any large clumps get removed. There really isn't that much maintenance.

The girls must be really happy because they have been laying like crazy. I added a heat lamp a few weeks ago and since then they have really picked up the egg production. I thought using a red bulb wouldn't make that much of a difference but it really has. They went from laying 2-4 eggs a day to laying 6-8 eggs a day.

As long as there is no snow on the ground the girls have been roaming freely during the days.This is nice because when they can get out and graze they eat less grain. Of course every time they see me or the kids outside they run up to us looking for a snack. They know we are usually good for some sort of treat.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 12/20-12/26

2011-12-21T07:54:00.000-08:00

Fareway Deals Week of 12/20-12/24

2011-12-21T04:22:00.000-08:00

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 48

2011-12-19T20:28:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much for joining us this week. We will be having some giveaways in the future to celebrate our 1 year of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. Make sure you join us each week so you don't miss out.

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-18T18:51:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is the week of Christmas! We have a busy week planned as usual. Wednesday is the last day of school and then all the kids are home for 2 1/2 weeks. We will really be going through the food then! I have a pretty easy meal plan for the week.

Monday...Brat burgers, peas, lettuce salad, and pineapple.
Tuesday...Potato soup, homemade dinner rolls, apples.
Wednesday...Corn dogs, green beans and fruit.
Thursday...Spaghetti, lettuce salad and garlic bread sticks.
Friday...Leftovers.
Saturday Christmas Eve Dinner...We always have a fancy Christmas eve dinner. It is the only time of the year we break out all the fancy china and tablecloths and eat by candle light. I am not 100 % on our menu for that evening as I have to get all the kids input. I will post what we decide later!

To see what others are having this week, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Coupon Winner

2011-12-16T14:13:00.001-08:00

According to Random.org the winner of the coupon giveaway is...

#4 Tracy Gravitt

Congratulations Tracy! Please email me your information so that I can get your coupons in the mail.

Thanks to everyone who entered. There will be more giveaways coming up in the weeks ahead.

Stocking Up on Baking Supplies

2011-12-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

Image Credit

During the holidays is the best time to stock up on baking supplies. Right now you can find rock bottom prices on most baking items. Try and remember that not only will you need these items around the holidays but you will also need them for the months ahead. If possible try and stock up now while the prices are low. I have seen 5lb bags of flour anywhere from $.88-$.99 the last couple weeks. Usually flour is over $2 a bag. Store the bags of flour in plastic bins or buckets for safe keeping.

Sugars have also been on sale. This week I also stocked up on some free spices and cheap butter. Chocolate chips have been on sale lately, match those up with a coupon and you get a pretty sweet deal. My pantry shelves are full of baking supplies that will last me the next few months. The best thing is that I paid a fraction of what it would cost if I had bought all those items at full price.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 12/13-12/19

2011-12-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of the deals that I see at Hy-Vee for this week. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes both printable coupons and manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

2 Day Sale Thursday December 15 and Friday December 16
Hormel Boneless Pork Loin $1.99 lb limit 2
Hy-Vee 1/2 gallon Milk $.99 limit 2
Bakery Donut Holes $.12 each
Hy-Vee Bagged Garden Salad or Cole Slaw $.88
Tony's Pizza $.69 limit 5
7UP Product 6 pks $1.88
Cottonelle Bathroom Tissue 9 big rolls $3.99
Banquet Meals $.80 each

Tide Laundry Detergent 100 oz $9.99
- $.50/2 (11/27 P&G)
= $9.49

Grocery
Hy-Vee All Purpose Flour 5lbs $.99 limit 2
Midwest Country Fare Sugar 4lbs $1.99
Hy-Vee Frosting $1.28
Hy-Vee Ketchup $.99

Crisco Oil 46 oz $2.99
- $.50 (11/6 RP)
= $2.49

Hersheys Baking Chips $1.99
- $1.00/2 (11/13 SS)
= $1.49 each when you buy 2

Argo Corn Starch or Baking Powder $1.25
- $.30 (10/2 and 10/23 SS)
= $.95

Swanson Chicken or Beef Canned Broth $.58
- $.50/5 (11/6 SS)
= $.48 each when you buy 5

Produce
Grimmway Carrots 2lbs $.99
Monterey Whole Mushrooms 8 oz $1.18
California Navel Oranges $.88 lb

Meat
Hy-Vee Spiral Sliced Whole Ham $1.99 lb
Spiral Sliced Half Ham $2.29 lb

Carl Budding Meat 2 oz $.50
- $.75/4 (12/11 SS)
= $.31 each when you buy 4

Dairy
Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese $1.25
Blue Bonnet Margarine $.77

Yoplait Greek Yogurt $.80
- $.50/2 (11/13 GM)
= $.55 each when you buy 2

Frozen
Cool Whip $.69 limit 2

Beverage
Pepsi 12 pk cans or 6 pk bottles 4/$8 in ad coupon
Hy-Vee Apple Juice 64oz $1.69
Coke 12pks or 6 pk bottles 4/$10 in ad coupon

Non-Food
Herbal Essences or Aussie Hair Care $2.50
- $1.00 (11/27 P&G)
= $1.50

Let me know if you see something I missed. This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Fareway Deals Week of 12/13-12/19

2011-12-13T17:55:00.000-08:00

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 47

2011-12-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for joining us this week. If you haven't done so already, make sure you enter my coupon giveaway. We will be having more giveaways in the future to celebrate our 1 year of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. Make sure you join us each week so you don't miss out.

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

2011-12-12T15:57:00.001-08:00

I had tacos on the menu the other night. While browning the hamburger I realized I ran out of all my taco seasoning packets. How can that be? I had stocked up majorly like 2 years ago. I Didn't realize the supply had come to an end.

That was good though because I have been wanting to try and make my own seasoning mix. Here is the recipe I used.

Taco Seasoning
1 T Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

Mix all together and store in airtight container.I made a single batch and added it to my 2 lbs of ground beef. The verdict? We love it. Better than the store bought, or at least the brand we bought. It was less salty and all the kids and hubby agreed it tasted better.

I ended up making another batch, only I took the recipe times 8. This way I have it already to go the next time we make tacos.
This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

Coupon Giveaway

2011-12-12T09:20:00.000-08:00

I am hosting another coupon giveaway! There are 5 inserts up for grabs. The inserts included are...

(1) SmartSource 11/13

(1) SmartSource 12/4
(1) Red Plum 12/4
(1) Red Plum 12/11
(1) Proctor and Gamble 11/27 (not pictured)

There are 4 ways to enter. You can enter all 4 times.

1. Simply leave a comment on this post. Yes, it's that easy! Make sure you leave your email address so I have a way of contacting you.

2. Like Learning the Frugal Life on Facebook, leave a separate comment letting me know, if you already follow, leave a comment telling me.

3. Follower Learning the Frugal Life on Twitter, leave a separate comment letting me know, if you already follow, leave a comment telling me.

4. Subscribe to Learning the Frugal Life by email, leave a separate comment letting me know, again if you already do, leave a comment telling me.

The giveaway ends Thursday, December 15 at midnight. A winner will be chosen Friday morning. Good Luck!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-12T08:42:00.001-08:00

Here is what is on the menu for the week.

Monday...Grilled cheese and tomato soup, green beans.
Tuesday...Pancakes and apples.
Wednesday...Homemade pizza, pears.
Thursday...Oven baked chicken, mashed potatoes, fruit and homemade rolls.
Friday...Leftovers.

To see what others are having this week, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Homemade Birthday Cake

2011-12-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my son's 5th birthday a few weeks ago. His current love is super heroes. After discussing with him what kind of cake he wanted and googling images on the internet we came up with a plan.

It doesn't look like much but it took me about 2 hours to make these fondant decorations. Do you know how difficult it is to make a bat out of fondant and a pairing knife?It was totally worth it though to see the look on his face when it was done. The cake was a simple store bought cake mix. The frosting was homemade buttercream.
You can view other cakes that I have made here.

Fareway Deals Week of 12/6-12/12

2011-12-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of current deals that I see at Fareway. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes printable coupons as well as manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area. I know they run different ads in different locations.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

Large ad this week and some good deals to be had! Finally some things to stock up those pantrys! Let me know if you see something I missed.

Grocery
Fastco Flour 5lbs $.88 limit 2
Fareway Cream Soup $.50
Fareway Canned Broth $.38
Del Monte Canned Pineapple 15 oz $.77 *stock up
Planters Peanuts 52 oz $6.99 (my Fareway had peelies on these for $1.50/2) making them an even better deal.
Fareway White Bread $.98
Nabisco Honeymade or Keebler Graham Crackers $2.50
Lay's Kettle Chips $2.50
Frito Lay Family Size Chips $3.50
Fastco Pretzels $.89 *stock up

C&H Sugar White Sugar 4lbs, Brown or Powdered 2lbs $1.88
- $1.00/2
= $1.38 each when you buy 2

Keebler Town House Crackers $1.97
- $1.00/2 (11/13 RP)
= $1.47

Chex Cereal 3/$4.50 (Fareway in ad coupon)
- $1.00/2 (11/13 GM and 12/4 SS)
= 3/$3.50 or about $1.16 each

Keebler Pie Crust $2.00
- $.50/3 (11/6 RP)
= 3/5.50 or about $1.83 each

Tone's Mini Spices 3/$2 or $.67 each
- $1.00/2 (12/4 SS)
= $.17 each when you buy 2

Hershey's Baking Chips $1.88
- $1.00/2 (11/13 SS)
= $1.38 each when you buy 2

Ragu Pasta Sauce $1.50
Buy 2, Get a Pasta Free (11/13 RP)
= 2 Sauces and Spaghetti for $1.00 each

Jolly Time Popcorn 3/$4 or $1.33 each
- $.50
= $.83 each

Meat
85 % Ground Beef $2.49 lb (in ad coupon)
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.79 lb
Whole Boneless Beef Sirloin $3.49 lb 12-14 lb average, cut and packaged any way you like.
Hormel Deli Sliced Ham $2.49 lb
Iowa Chops $1.99 lb
Bar S Hotdogs $.88

Hillshire Cocktail Smokies $2.00
- $.75/2 (11/13 RP)
= 2/$3.25 or about $1.63 each

Produce
California Sunkist Clementines 5lbs $5.68
Dole Salad Kits $1.50
Dole Bananas $.38 lb
Braeburn Apples $.88 lb
Texas Grapefruit 3/$1.00
Dole Snap Peas, Broccoli Slaw, Broccoli Florets or Cauliflower Florets $1.50
Del Monte Whole Pineapples $2.88 each
Russet Potatoes 5 lbs $1.49
Oranges 10lbs $5.88

Dairy
Land O Lakes Sour Cream 16 oz $.99
Fareway Shredded Cheese $1.50
Fareway Cream Cheese $.99
Imperial Margarine $.67 or 3/$2
Anderson Erickson Yogurt $.50 each

Frozen
Old Orchard Juice Orange, Grape and Pineapple $1.38 *stock up for Orange
Blue Bunny Ice Cream Pail $5.88
Kraft Kool Whip Large 12oz $1.50

Digiorno Pizza $5.50
- $1.00 on Rising Crust (11/13 RP)
= $4.50

Reames Egg Noodles 12 oz $1.88
- $.50 (11/20 SS)
= $1.38

Green Giant Vally Fresh Steamers $.98
- $.50/2 (11/13 GM)
= $.73 each when you buy 2

Beverage
Fresca, Mellow Yellow and Sprite 2 L $.88
7-up 2L $1.00
Old Orchard 100% Juice 128 oz $3.88

Non-Food
Pup-Peroni Dog Treats 7oz $1.79
- $1.50/2 (10/9 RP)
= 2/$2.08 or $1.04 each

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 12/6-12/12

2011-12-07T03:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of the deals that I see at Hy-Vee for this week. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes both printable coupons and manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

In ad coupons, good all week long. Limit 1 each.
85% Ground Beef 16 oz roll $1.99
Midwest Country Fare Brown or Powdered Sugar $.99
Hy-Vee Russet Potatoes 5 lbs $.99
Midwest Country Fare Ice Cream Pail $3.99
B2 Ore Ida Potatoes, G1 Free $2.99 each
B2 any 2 Margaritaville Hummus, Salsa, Dip or Chips G1 Free $2.99 each
Hy-Vee Cream Cheese $.79
Large Eggs $.88
Imperial Margarine $.49

Keebler Zesta Crackers $.99
-$1.00/2 (11/13 RP)
= $.49 for the first one, not sure if the second will ring up at $.99 since there is a limit of 1

Grocery
Select Hy-Vee Cereal $1.46 limit 3
Hy-Vee Kidney or Chili Style Beans $.44 each
Hy-Vee Canned Fruit 15 oz $.88

Chex Cereal 3/$5 or $1.67 each
- $1.00/2 (11/13 GM and 12/4 SS)
= $1.17 each when you buy 2

Tone's Spices 5/$4 or $.80 each
- $1.00/2 (12/4 SS)
= $.30 each when you buy 2

Nabisco Ritz or Snack Crackers $2.00
-$.75/2 (11/13 SS)
= $1.63 each when you buy 2

Produce
Del Monte Whole Pineapple $2.48
California Navel Oranges $.89 lb
Dole Bagged Salad $1.50
Jumbo Cantaloupe $1.88
Green Pepper or Cucumbers $.50 each
Bartlett or Anjou Pears $.99 lb
18lbs Grapefruit $6.99
Jalepeno Peppers $.77 lb
Grimmway Baby Carrots 16 oz $.99

Meat
Hy-Vee Value Pack Drumsticks and Thighs $.88lb
Hormel Bacon $2.98 lb

Dairy
Hy-vee Yogurt $.29 each
Hy-Vee Sour Cream 16 oz $1.28

Land O Lakes Half and Half $2.88
- $.75 (11/13 SS)
= $2.13

Frozen
Hy-vee Frozen Veggies $.68
Hy-Vee Whipped Topping $.97

Palermo's Classic Pizza 6/$10 or $1.67 each
- $1.00/2 here
= $1.17 each when you buy 2

Totino's Pizza Rolls $1.25
- $.40/2 (10/2 GM)
= $1.05 each when you buy 2

Reames Egg Noodles 12 ox $2.18
- $.50 (11/20 SS)
= $1.68

Non-Food
Ziplock Containers 2-6 ct $2.50
- $1.50/2 (12/4 SS)
= $1.75 each when you buy 2

Let me know if you see something I missed. This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 46

2011-12-05T20:12:00.000-08:00

This is our 46th week for the Frugal Tuesday Tip. Thank you so much for joining us each week. I always look forward to reading what you all have to share. I have learned many new things along the way.

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Do-It-Yourself Homemade Holiday Decorations

2011-12-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

Our family went to the tree farm last weekend and cut down our own Christmas tree. The kids were so excited to get home and decorate it. We aren't too fancy. Simple multicolored lights and a small silver star for the top. The kids each have their own box of ornaments that they can put on.

Most of our ornaments are homemade. The kids have made some at school, craft projects we've done at home, as well as gifts from family. Each ornament has a memory to go along with it. I love that part of decorating the tree.

The tree seemed a lot bigger once we got it home and up in the living room. We soon discovered that our little silver star was going to get lost on the top of that big tree. So the kids and I decided to make a new star.

We cut a star out of a piece of cardboard and the younger boys helped paint it yellow. once the paint dried we decided to make it sparkly so we used a glue stick and added some glitter.We used an empty toilet paper roll and hot glued it to the back of the star so that we could slide the star on a branch at the top of the tree and have it stay in place.Once it was all dry we placed it on top of the tree. It looks way better than our old store bought star. We added some of our own homemade garland as well.
Do you make any homemade holiday decorations? This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

Monday...Orange Chicken, rice, steamed carrots, apples.
Tuesday...Tacos with veggies and oranges.
Wednesday...Beef strips sauted in olive oil, garlic, onion, red bell pepper(cut in strips), broccoli and pineapple.
Thursday...Spaghetti, garlic bread sticks and lettuce salad.
Friday...Leftovers or something outta the freezer like popcorn fish.

To see what others are having this week head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

November Grocery Totals

2011-12-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

I kept track of all my grocery spending for the month of November. I also kept track of the money saved while using coupons. I have been wanting to track my grocery spending/savings for awhile now but this is the first month I actually wrote down all my purchases as well as the money saved using coupons. Here is what I came up with.

For the month of November my total grocery store spending was $335.62. My total coupon savings was $35.68. This comes out to be about 11% savings. Not huge, but hey, $35 saved is something. It is hard to calculate the exact savings because the savings percent I am keeping track of is only for the coupons that I have used. It doesn't include the amount I saved by purchasing items on sale, which I usually do.

It was interesting to see what my numbers were. I am curious now, so I will probably continue to do this each month and post here my total spent on groceries as well as my coupon savings. I budget $500/mo for groceries and this includes things like toiletries and diapers. This month was a slower month for me and I was well under budget. Let's hope I can continue to do so.

Budget Review

2011-12-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

It's the beginning of a new month which means it's time to review your budget. Can you believe it's December already? Check out all your categories. Make sure you are staying within your budgeted amounts. Are you spending more in any areas? Less? Has your income changed? Are you prepared financially for the holidays? Maybe you need to do some adjusting.

Take the time to sit down and go over your budget, it's there to help you know where your money is going and give you peace of mind.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 11/29-12/5

2011-11-29T11:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of the deals that I see at Hy-Vee for this week. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes both printable coupons and manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

2 Day Sale Thursday December 1 and Friday December 2
Hy-Vee Butter $1.88 limit 2
Hy-Vee All Purpose Flour 5lbs $.88 limit 2
Hy-Vee Bacon 12-16oz $2.50
Pepsi Product 6pks $2.75
Dole Salad Blends or Kits $1.25
Family Size Tostitos or Dip $2.99
Midwest Country Fare Paper Towels or Bathroom Tissue $3.99
Ocean Spray Juice $1.77
Banquest Frozen Meals $.69

Charmin Bathroom Tissue 9 lg rolls $3.99
- $.25 (10/16, 10/30, 11/27 P&G)
= $3.74

Grocery
Hy-Vee Baking Chips $1.38 *stock up
Hy-Vee Noodles or Pasta 12-16oz $.88 *great price
Midwest Country Fare Sugar 4lbs $1.49 limit 1
Hy-Vee Canned Tomatoes $.49
Hy-vee Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup $.49
Ragu Pasta Sauce 3/$5 or $1.67 each

Progresso Soup $1.25
- $1.00/4 (10/23 SS and 11/13 GM)
= $1.00 each when you buy 4

Argo Baking Powder or Corn Starch $1.28
- $.30 (10/2 and 10/23 SS)
= $.98

General Mills Cereal $1.99
- $1.00/3 (10/23 SS)
= $1.66 each when you buy 3

Hormel Complete Microwave Meals $1.43
- $1.00/2 (11/6 SS)
= $.93 each when you buy 2

Welch's Grape Jam or Jelly $1.98
- $.55 (9/25 SS)
= $1.43

Produce
Grimmway Baby Carrots 2lbs $1.88
Red Bell Peppers $1.00 each
Blueberries 4.4 oz $2.00
Blackberries 6oz $2.00
Braeburn Apples $.99 lb

Meat
Frozen Country Pride Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 2.5lb $3.99 ($1.60/lb) *Stock up
Hy-Vee Little Smokies $2.50

Dairy
Hy-Vee Cottage Cheese 24oz $1.68
Blue Bonnet Margarine $.77

Frozen
Hy-Vee Frozen Waffles 3/$5 or $1.67 each

Beverage
Folgers Country Roast Coffee 10-11.3 oz $6.99
- $1.00 (10/2 RP)
= $5.99

Non-Food
Hy-Vee Wax Paper $1.18

Ziploc Bags 10-20 ct $1.77
- $1.00/2 (11/13 SS) or
- $1.50/2 (11/20 SS)
= $1.02-1.27 each when you buy 2

Secret Deodorant $1.50
- $1.00/2 (11/27 P&G)
= $1.00 each when you buy 2

Old Spice Deodorant $1.50
- $1.00/2 (11/27 and 10/30 P&G)
= $1.00 each when you buy 2

Let me know if you see something I missed. This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Fareway Deals Week of 11/29-12/5

2011-11-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 45

2011-11-29T04:24:00.000-08:00

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Tips for Saving Money During the Holidays

2011-11-28T23:59:00.001-08:00

Photo Credit

There are many ways to save money during the holiday season. This time of year can be a bit tough on the pocket book. The food, the gifts, the traveling, it all adds up. Here are a few frugal tips to help make the holidays a little easier on your wallet.

Make a budget and stick to it. Sit down and plan out how much you want to spend. You can come up with a lump sum and then divide it up between the people on your list you want to buy for. Don't forget to budget for food and travel arrangements if that pertains to you.

Pay cash. By paying cash you are more likely to stick to your budget. Charging to a credit cards can make you forget how much you are really spending. Seeing the cash leave your wallet let's you know exactly how much you have left to spend.

Buy for the group or family. Instead of buying for each individual person, why not buy a family gift? Tickets to the movies, a new board game or movie are some ideas that you could give to the entire family.

Skip the Christmas cards. You can save quite a bit of money by not sending Christmas cards. Postage and the cards themselves can add up. If you feel like you need to send cards think about sending post cards. Postage will be cheaper. Email is another option and it won't cost a thing.

Do it yourself. Homemade gifts are always a welcoming option when it comes to gift giving. Homemade gifts can be less expensive and can also get the family working together. If you aren't feeling exceptionally crafty what about homemade baked goods or canned items such as salsa, jams or jellies?

How do you save money on the holidays? This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-11-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

We are starting basketball season here at our house. Games always fall during dinner time so it makes menu planning a little tricky on those nights. Here is what is on the menu for the week.

Monday...Homemade vegetable beef soup and dinner rolls.
Tuesday...French toast, bacon and oranges.
Wednesday...Pork tenderloin sandwiches, green beans and pears.
Thursday...Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup and apples.
Friday...Tacos and pineapple.

To see what others are having this week, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Weekly Grocery Shopping

2011-11-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

I am a little behind in getting my weekly grocery shopping picture up. Here is what I bought last week. The deals have been slow so I didn't stock up on anything for the week. I bought a few items for Thanksgiving (cream, fried onions and dinner rolls). After getting home I told my husband I felt a little guilty because I had spent $8 on dinner rolls. I knew I could make homemade rolls, but time and travel would have made it difficult.

I also bought 2 more containers of laundry soap. I didn't have a coupon but thankfully it was on sale for $2.50 per bottle. I am going to be using that on my husbands clothes because we have been having issues with yellow spot on some of his shirts. I will still be using my homemade laundry soap for most things, just not his work clothes unless any of you have any suggestions to fix our problem.

I also got free pasta and pasta sauce courtesy of my wonderful husband who scored some coupons a couple weeks ago at an event.

Total spent was $65.62
Coupon savings was $6.68

Saturday night the hubs and I went out for a couple hours to a friends birthday party on the way home we stopped and bought some fancy ice cream for the family (Ben and Jerry's for the win!)
Total spent there was $17.65.

The total for the week was $83.27

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody! I am taking the long weekend off of the blog to spend time with family and friends. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. For those of you on the road, safe travels. See you Monday.

Hy-Vee 3 Day Sale Nov. 25-27

2011-11-23T05:10:00.000-08:00

Fareway Deals Week of 11/22-11/28

2011-11-23T04:38:00.000-08:00

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 44

2011-11-21T19:47:00.000-08:00

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Having a Go To Meal

2011-11-21T19:45:00.001-08:00

Last week I was sick in bed for most of the week leaving my dear husband in charge of dinner making. Unfortunately for him I got sick Sunday night so I didn't even have a meal plan set up for the week that he could go off of.

After getting up early and working all day, picking up and delivering kids, taking care of the house and all that goes with it, dinner was really the last thing he wanted to do. In our house it really is beneficial to have 2 adults around while making dinner. One to make dinner and one to wrangle children. Thankfully we had a few meals that were quick and easy to prepare.

Times like this is when it is important to have a go-to meal. I call it this because if something comes up then we have something we can put on the table that is quick, easy and healthy. My main go-to meals involve pasta and sauce because they are easy. I always keep canned fruit and veggies on hand so add those and you have an easy meal. I also try and keep packages of cooked hamburger in the freezer. You can pull it out, toss it in the microwave and have it ready in minutes for tacos.

Having go-to meals can help keep the stress level at a minimum when you are in a hurry, tired or just don't feel like cooking. It also keeps you from over spending by going out and buying something quick like fast food to feed your family.

What are your go-to meals? This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-11-21T04:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! It is a short week so it makes planning this weeks menu super easy.

Monday...Grilled chicken breast, rice, broccoli and pears.
Tuesday...Loose hamburger sandwiches, carrots and apples.
Wednesday...Japanese Chicken Salad and mandarin oranges.
Thursday...Thanksgiving!!
Friday...Leftovers :)

To see what others are having this week, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Weekly Grocery Shopping

2011-11-18T09:11:00.000-08:00

This was a big shopping week for me. I had a few stock up items, a few items for Thanksgiving dinners and just some things we needed. Here is the breakdown.

11/13 Needed to pick up a shirt for son's concert so while I was at Walmart picked up 2 loaves of bread and 7 lbs of bananas. Total spent $6.72.

11/16 Walmart. Box of overnight diapers for my daughter and a bottle of laundry soap to get me through till I make another batch of homemade soap. Total spent $20.74, coupon saving $2.00.
11/16 Weekly grocery trip to Fareway. As you can see from the picture I picked up some stock up items including cereal (for chex mix), margarine (even better deal this week than last, $.59), canned pineapple. It was my son's birthday so he took treats to school (oatmeal cream pies) and the rest is stuff either we needed, wanted or was for Thanksgiving dinners.

Total spent $68.74, coupons saving $7.50.

The grand total for the week was $96.20, coupon savings $9.50.

The grand total for the month is $229.29, coupon savings is $27.00.

Covering the Strawberries for Winter

2011-11-18T05:08:00.000-08:00

We put straw down over our strawberry bed a couple weeks ago. The chickens were out during that time and decided to run over and see what I was doing. I'm sure they were hoping for a snack. Once they relalized I was messing with straw they had to join in. They were in heaven. They love scratching and moving the straw around. It's almost as good as a snack.They kind of made long work out of a short project because they kept moving the straw around and uncovering the plants. I finally decided to give up after a while.

My younger boys were also great helpers. Once they got tired of scratching the straw they moved over to take a dust bath in the garden. The chickens that is, not my boys. Although if given the chance they would probably take a dust bath too.
I am pretty sure and hoping that all the winterizing of the garden is complete. There really isn't any work for my fruit trees, the raspberry canes can be left till Spring and everything else is done. I think I can relax for the season.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 11/15-11/24

2011-11-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, due to my illness I will just be posting a quick list of the deals that I see at Hy-Vee this week. Feel free to add any additional deals that you see in the comments below. Thanks!

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

Hy-Vee Canned Green Beans or Corn $.39 limit 4
Dole Celery $.49
Clementines 5lbs $5.99
Pillsbury Cake Mixes $.88
Imperial Margarine $.59 *stock up
Cool Whip $.97

Campbell's Gravy $.59
- $.25/4 (11/6 SS)
= about $.53 each

Hershey's Baking Chips $1.88
- $1.00/2 (11/13 SS)
= $1.38 each when you buy 2

Nabisco Ritz Crackers $2.00
- $.75/2 (11/13 SS)
= 2/$3.25

Chex Cereal 3/$5 or $1.67/box
- $1.00/3 (10/2 GM or 10/23 SS) or
-$1.00/2 (11/13 GM)
= as low as $1.17 per box

Dole Pineapple 4/$5 or $1.25 (my Fareway had them for $1.18)
- $.50/2
= $1.00 each or in my case if your Fareway is the same $.93

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter $1.99
- $1.00 printable here
= $.99

Swanson Broth 3/$2 or $.67 each
- $.50/5 (11/6 SS)
= $.57 each when you buy 5

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

Let e know if you see something I missed. This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Fareway Deals Week of 11/15-11/23

2011-11-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, due to my illness I will just be posting a quick list of the deals that I see at Fareway this week. These are the things I would (and did) stock up on. Feel free to add any additional deals that you see in the comments below. Thanks!

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

Dole Celery $.58 *price match to Hy-Vee of $.49
Yams $.49 lb *reg. $.99
Clementines 5lbs $5.99
Jumbo Yellow Onions $.39 lb
Dole Baby Carrots 1 lb $.69

Mom's Best Cereal 3/$5 or $1.67/box
Imperial Margarine $.59 *price match to Hy-Vee
Fareway Philadelphia Cream Cheese $.99
Cool Whip $.97
Mini Marshmallow's $.88

Campbell's Cream Soups $.60
- $.40/4 (9/18 and 10/4 SS)
= $.50 each when you buy 4

Dole Pineapple 4/$5 or $1.25 (my Fareway had them for $1.18)
- $.50/2
= $1.00 each or in my case if your Fareway is the same $.93

Chex Cereal 3/$5 or $1.67/box
- $1.00/3 (10/2 GM or 10/23 SS) or
-$1.00/2 (11/13 GM)
= as low as $1.17 per box

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Happy Wednesday

2011-11-16T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. I have been down with some sort of bug the last few days so I am a bit overwhelmed with all the catching up that needs to be done. Today is the first I have been out of bed and functioning since Sunday night. So, as you can guess I am feeling a little scatter brained! To top it off, today is my youngest boys 5th birthday.

SO with all that is going on I am going to give you the quick version of the grocery match-ups for the week. Lucky for me it looks like another blah week so there won't be much effort put in. Please feel free to chime in any great deals you see that I missed.

Happy Shopping!

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 43

2011-11-15T04:12:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday!! Thank you to everyone who visits and links up, I always enjoy reading everyone's frugal tips and ideas each week.

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Weekly Grocery Shopping

2011-11-11T04:51:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we headed into the store to get a gallon of milk and a few cans of tomato sauce and tomato paste to make chili. Total spent there was $11.03.

My husband took the day off on Tuesday so Monday night he headed into the grocery store to pick up a few snacks. It seriously was all junk food. Tuesday was declared junk food day and we won't be doing that again for a long while. I didn't get a picture which I would have been embarrassed to post anyway! Let's just say there was a few frozen pizzas, some 2 liters of pop, strawberry wafers and few other random snack items. Total spent was $17.34. Ouch. We really could have done without that shopping trip.Here was my weekly grocery shopping trip yesterday. I mostly picked up fruit and stocked up on margarine at it's rock bottom price of $.67. I still do some of my baking with margarine. Most of the items I bought didn't have coupons. My total spent was $41.92. Coupon savings was $.50.

Not a great week for savings. I didn't really stock up on anything either since the sales have been slow. My total for the week is $70.29, making my monthly total $133.09. My total coupon savings for the month is $17.50.

Another Homemade Birthday Cake

2011-11-10T05:05:00.001-08:00

I thought I would share with you another birthday cake I made. We celebrated my daughters first birthday this past weekend. Here are her cakes. The big cake is 2 9x13 cakes put together and the small round cake is one that I made in a Pyrex dish.

I cheated and used store bought cake mix that I stocked up on for $.77 a box. The frosting was a new buttercream recipe that I tried and it was delicious!!

Here is the recipe. You can find the original recipe here.

Buttercream Frosting
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract *I used a little more, about 2 tsp
1-2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Mix sugar and butter with mixer till blended then on high for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and cream and blend for another minute. Add more cream till you reach desired constistancy.

Here are my little baggies I used to decorate. They are just sandwich sized baggies and I cut a small hole in the corner.And here is my daughter enjoying her first birthday cake!

Fareway Deals Week of 11/8-11/14

2011-11-08T23:59:00.001-08:00

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of current deals that I see at Fareway. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes printable coupons as well as manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area. I know they run different ads in different locations.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

Grocery
Fastco Saltines $.99
Fastco Pretzels $.99
Pillsbury or Robin Hood 5lbs Flour $1.88 *good price. My stock up is $.99 but this is still a decent price for flour.

Swanson Chicken or Beef Broth $.50
- $.50/5 (11/6 SS)
= $.40 each when you buy 5

Campbell's Cream Soups $.60
- $.40/4 (9/18 and 10/9 SS)
= $.50 each when you buy 4

Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms 20-22oz 4/$10 with in ad coupon
- $1.00/3 (10/2 GM or 10/23 SS) or
- $.50 on Honey Nut Cheerios here or
- $1.00/2 GM Cereals here
= as low as $2.00 per box, these are the BIG boxes too.

C&H Sugar 4lbs white, 2lbs Brown or Powered Sugar $1.99
- $..75/2 (10/16 RP)
= 2/$3.23 or about $1.62 each

Pillsbury Brownie Mix $.98
- $1.00/2 (11/6 RP)
= $.48 each when you buy 2

Meat
Fastco Butter Basted Young Turkeys $.99 lb
Boneless Beef Arm Roast $2.99 lb
Deli Style Shaved Honey Ham or Mesquite Turkey $3.99 lb
T-Bone Steak $5.99 lb in ad coupon

Hormel Sliced Pepperoni $2.50
- $.55/2 here
= $4.45 for 2 or about $2.22 each

Produce
Clementines 5lbs $5.99
Braeburn Apples $.88 lb
Bartlett Pears $.79lb
Red Raspberries 6oz $2.50
On the Vine Tomatoes $.99 lb
4 pk Mixed Colored Peppers $2.99
Dole Bagged Salad or Spinach $1.50
Jumbo Sweet Onions $.69 lb
Russet potatoes 15 lbs $3.99

Dairy
Large Eggs $.99
Imperial Margarine 3/$2 or $.67 each *stock up price
Anderson Erickson Yogurt $.50 each

I Can't Believe it's not Butter 15 oz $2.50
- $1.00/1 or
- $1.00/2 or
- $1.50/2 and use
Free bread when you buy 2 ICBINB tubs all found here
= prices vary best case scenario is $3 for 2 tubs of butter and a loaf of bread

Frozen
Bella Garden Sliced Strawberries 16oz 3/$5 or $1.67 each
Fareway Whipped Topping $.88
Birds Eye Steamfresh Veggies $.99
Jack's Frozen Pizza $2.50 each
Fareway Ice Cream Pail $4.99

Beverage
Pepsi and Mt Dew 24 packs $6.99
- $2/2 Fareway in ad coupon
= $5.99 each when you buy 2

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 11/8-11/14

2011-11-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 42

2011-11-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

It's week 42 here at the Frugal Tuesday Tip. Thank you to everyone who visits and links up, I always enjoy reading everyone's frugal tips and ideas each week.

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-11-06T18:25:00.001-08:00

Here is what is on the dinner menu for this week. We have a relatively quiet week so cooking at home each night shouldn't be a problem.

Monday...Chili and chicken noodle soup, homemade dinner rolls, apples.
Tuesday...Pancakes, bacon, oranges.
Wednesday...Homemade pizza, lettuce salad and fruit.
Thursday...Fried chicken drumsticks, mashed potatoes, corn, pears.
Friday...Fish fry, blueberry muffins, broccoli, peaches.

To see what others are having this week head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Garden Clean Up and Chickens

2011-11-04T20:15:00.001-07:00

We finished cleaning up the garden the other day. Hubby and son picked the last of the jalapeno and green peppers. I had a pretty thick layer of straw on the ground so my boys helped me rake some of it up and move it to the compost bin, we burned part of it, and left some in the garden to till into the soil in the Spring. 2011 gardening is officially done. I finally canned my last batch of tomatoes last week.
The chickens have been happy to get out and free range the yard again. I had them locked up for part of the summer because they kept getting into the neighbors garden. Now that she has pulled up all her tomatoes the birds can be free again! I am happy to have them out roaming.My daughter is fascinated with the birds. She loves to sit and watch them. Now that she is mobile she tries to reach out and touch them. I think they are as curious about her is she is about them.

Weekly Shopping Trip November 2, 2011

2011-11-03T15:11:00.001-07:00

As I said in my previous post I am going to be keeping track of the amount of money I spend on groceries as well as the amount of money I save by using coupons. I will be doing this for the month of November just to see how well I do with my $500 budget. I have been lazy lately and using the debit card instead of my envelope system and I know I have gone over these last couple months. This is hopefully going to get me back on track. Plus, I think it sounds kinda fun! So let's get started!

Oh and by the way, I will be keeping a running total of both what I spent and what I saved on the left sidebar.

Fareway Trip
Total spent: $29.47
Total saved with coupons: $3.25
The cereal was a stock up item and the pop was a splurge!

Hy-Vee TripTotal spent: $33.33
Total saved with coupons: $13.75
The cereal, sugar, hot dogs and bacon were all stock items.

After looking at my receipt I noticed that I was charged $.48 extra for 4 packages of hotdogs. So I should have saved an additional $1.92. Grr, guess I will have to talk to customer service next time I am in.

November total spent $62.80
November total saved with coupons $17.00

My savings for the week with just using coupons was 27%. If I factored in the items that were also on sale, that percentage would be higher.

Keeping Track of Grocery Savings

2011-11-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

For the month of November I will be posting pics of my weekly shopping trips. We are really trying to cut back our spending and get some money saved up. My pantry and freezer are pretty full right now so I really don't need much expect fresh produce, dairy and any stock up deals that I see.

I am also going to be keeping track of the amount I spend each week and the amount I save using coupons. Sometimes it is hard to keep track of the actual amount you saved on items because sometimes they are on sale as well. For now I am just going to keep track of the actual coupon amounts.

Feel free to share your grocery shopping savings as well in the comments!

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 11/1-11/7

2011-11-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of the deals that I see at Hy-Vee for this week. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes both printable coupons and manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

2 Day Sale Thursday November 3 and Friday November 4
Eggs $.88 limit 2
Hormel Whole Boneless Pork Loins $1.99 lb limit 2
Tostitos or Sun Chips $1.88
7up Product 6 pks $2.00
Hy-Vee Frozen Pizza 6/$10 or about $1.67 each
Hormel Little Sizzlers $1.11
Bakery Fresh Donut Holes $.10 each
Hall's Cough Drops $.99

Tidy Cats Cat Liter 10 lbs $.99
- $1.00 (9/11 RP)
= Free

Weight Watchers Smart Ones 8/$10 or $1.25 each
- $3.00/10 (8/7 SS) or
- $1.00/5 here
= prices vary depending on coupon

Charmin Bathroom Tissue 9 large rolls $3.99
- $.25 (10/16 and 10/30 P&G)
= $3.74

Grocery
Hy-Vee Flour 5lbs $1.18 *stock up price
Mrs. Grimes Chili or Kidney Beans $.58
Nestle Hot Chocolate $.99
Rice or Pasta Roni $.88
Hy-Vee Instant Oatmeal 10 pk $1.18
25% off all Spices

C&H Sugar $1.88
- $.75/2 (10/16 RP)
= 2/$3.01 or about $1.50 each

Buy 4 Select General Mills Cereal get $4 off (in ad coupon)
combine with..
- $1.00/3 (10/2 GM and 10/23 SS) or
- $1.00/2 (9/25 SS)

Buy $10 in Del Monte Products get $3 off (in ad coupon)
Del Monte Tomatoes or Pizza Sauce $.99
Del Monte Fruit $1.28
Del Monte Veggies $.89

Produce
Roma Tomatoes $.99 lb
Jazz Apples $.99 lb
Dole Sugar Snap Peas 8 oz $2.00
Monterey Whole Mushrooms 8 oz $1.50
California Black Plums $.99 lb
Bartlett or Bosc Pears $.99 lb
5lbs Hy-Vee Russet Potatoes $1.18

Meat
Hy-Vee Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.77 lb *stock up price
Chicken Drumsticks and Thighs $.99 lb

Bar S Franks $1.00
- $.75/2 (10/23 RP)
= 2/$1.25

Buy a Hormel Cure 81 Whole Ham for $2.99 lb, get a Jennie-O or Honeysuckle Turkey Free 10-12 lb average (in ad coupon)

Dairy
Hy-Vee half gallon Chocolate Milk $1.88

Frozen
Hy-Vee Frozen Veggies $.68 *stock up price
Old Orchard Juice 3/$5 or $1.67 each
Edy's Ice Cream 1.5 qt $2.99

Beverage
Folgers Coffee 10-11.3 oz $3.88
- $1.00 (10/2 RP)
= $2.88

Non-Food
Herbal Essence Shampoo or Conditioner $2.77
- $1.00 (10/30 P&G)
= $1.77

Charmin Bathroom Tissue 12 double rolls $5.88
- $.25 (10/16 and 10/30 P&G)
= $5.63

Crest Mouth Wash $2.97
- $2.00 (10/30 P&G)
= $.97

Let e know if you see something I missed. This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Fareway Deals Week of 11/1-11/7

2011-11-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 41

2011-10-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday!! Thank you to everyone who participates in the Frugal Tuesday Tip each week. I look forward to reading everyone's tips and ideas for frugal living! I hope you continue to join us each week. We will be wrapping up our year with some giveaways so make sure you stay tuned.

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

Homemade Greeting Cards

2011-10-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

During the month of October we celebrated 4 birthdays and 1 anniversary. Instead of purchasing cards I decided to make them. It really didn't take much time and I think they turned out really well.

It took about about 40 minutes of my time to make the cards you see above. Instead of buying cards for special occasions I am going to try and continue to make them. My plan is to sit down each month and figure out what events we have coming up and then I can make all my cards at once. I am sure I could even make some cards to have on hand when events pop up.

Not only am I saving money by making my own cards I can add a bit more of a personal touch to each one that you don't get with store bought cards.

This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

Budget Review

2011-10-31T04:57:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first (can you believe it is November already?). Time to review those budgets. The holidays are just around the corner are you prepared financially? Reveiw your gift and grocery budgets to make sure you have enough set aside. Don't forget to add in things like postage if that applies to you. Being prepared for these expenses in advance will make it easier when they come up.

Remember your budget is there to guide you and help keep you on track. It lets you know where your money is going.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-10-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here is what is on the menu for the week.

Monday...Spaghetti with Pesto, lettuce salad, mandarin oranges.
Tuesday...Chicken breast, white rice, broccoli and pears.
Wednesday...Homemade pizza and apples.
Thursday...Lasagna and lettuce salad.
Friday...Leftovers.

To see what others are having this week head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Putting the Strawberries to Bed for Winter

2011-10-27T05:13:00.000-07:00

I had a good crop of strawberries this year. As you can see my strawberry bed is getting pretty crowded. There is actually stepping stones in there but you can't see them cause the runners have taken over.

I read that you should thin out your berries in late fall or early spring to get ready for the following year. I was contemplating how to do this. I just had surgery on my foot so I am still not very mobile but I really wanted to get out there and get this done before winter. I cover my berries with straw as well to protect them from the really cold temperatures we get here in Iowa.

One suggestion I had was to run the tiller down the bed. This would get rid of a section of plants and give the remaining plants room to spread out. Since I have a my bed enclosed this would require taking down part of the fencing as well as moving the boards that we used to keep them contained.

I could have also gone through the bed and picked individual plants and manually thinned them out. Since we haven't had any rain and the ground was bone dry this would have been really difficult not to mention very time consuming.

What I ended up doing was raking the entire bed with a metal rake. I couldn't believe the amount of debris I raked out. It also would rake up some of the runners and plants themselves. It seemed to do the trick and it made a huge difference. I am hoping this will be enough to thin out the plants and give them room to expand in the spring. I am still in my early years of growing strawberries. The goal of course is to have a good crop of nice large berries. Now that the patch is thinned out, it's time to cover with straw and say goodbye till Spring.

I am curious to know how do you thin out your strawberry beds?

Fareway Deals Week of 10/25-10/31

2011-10-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 10/25-10/31

2011-10-26T04:32:00.000-07:00

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 40

2011-10-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

New here? The Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

Julia at Juliecache.com
Julia S. at Confessions of a Frugal Mind
Kimberely at Frugal Playground
and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

A Well-Stocked Pantry - Pantry Staples

2011-10-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

This is my pantry. Part of it. A well-stocked pantry provides all the makings for a good meal. With the right ingredients you can quickly create a variety of meals. Keeping these items in stock also means avoiding extra trips to the grocery store, saving you both time and money.

Everyone's pantry in different, although I think there are a few basic items you should try and always have on hand. Here they are.

Baking supplies-
Flour (buying these items in bulk will also save you money)
Sugar-raw, granulated, brown and powdered
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Yeast
Salt
Chocolate Chips
Corn Meal
Corn Starch
Oil-olive and canola
Powdered Milk
Vinegar
Honey

Condiments-
Ketchup
Mustard
BBQ Sauce
Dressings
Mayonnaise
Syrup
Peanut Butter
Jellies

Homemade/Store Bought Canned Goods/Packaged Items-
Beans
Corn
Broth and/or Stock
Canned Tomatoes, Past and Sauce
Fruit
Soups
Salsa
Spaghetti Sauce
Rice-brown and white
A variety of Pastas
Cereals

Spices/Seasonings
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Cinnamon
Chili Powder
Basil
Garlic
Onion Powder or Salt
Soy Sauce
Vanilla
Worcestershire Sauce

Miscellaneous Items (this is my list, you may or may not consider these for your pantry)
Cereals
Granola Bars (from Father-in-Law)
Crackers (from Father-in-Law)
Pretzels
Oatmeal
Pizza Sauce
Nuts-almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachios

Non-Food Items
Shampoo
Body Wash
Deodorant
Toothpaste
Toilet Paper
Dishwasher Soap
Hand Soap
Dish Soap

Remember to try and stock your pantry with items that you have bought at rock bottom prices. When something is on sale or you get it for a really great price, try and buy enough to last you until the next sale.

What's in your pantry? This post is linked up to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-10-23T18:50:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a busy week for us. Here is what I have planned for meals.

Monday...Baked Ziti, garlic bread sticks, lettuce salad, mandarin oranges.
Tuesday...Popcorn fish, green beans, pears.
Wednesday...Steak, baked butternut squash, grilled bread, fruit.
Thursday...Breakfast, pancakes, eggs, bacon and apples.
Friday...Leftovers or frozen pizza.

To see what others are having this week, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

A Video About My Backyard Chickens

2011-10-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed by Juliecache.com about my backyard chickens. The birds were all free ranging at the time but I was able to grab one of them to be in the video. She was a little nervous and I thought she might peck me at the beginning but she eventually calmed down.

Using Coupons Again

2011-10-21T04:51:00.001-07:00

I took a little break from using coupons for awhile. I got lazy and didn't want to take the time to clip them. There for awhile there really wasn't any coupons in the inserts that I could take advantage of. Now I have been rejuvenated and have been saving some big money using coupons again. It feels pretty good!

There are very few things that we are brand specific to. Therefore, sometimes even when using a coupon, it is still cheaper to buy generic. However when items are on sale and you have a coupon you may be able to stock up at a rock bottom price.

I am going to be reorganizing my coupon binder. When I was new to couponing I used to clip every single coupon and place them in the appropriate sleeve. I get multiple inserts so it took so long. Then after awhile I just started clipping the coupons I thought I would use and would toss the rest of the insert. There was many times I would be at the store and come across an item that was on sale and I knew I had seen a coupon for it but it was in the insert that I didn't keep. For example I don't regularly buy gum so most gum coupons I don't keep. But if I see gum on sale or on clearance and I can use a coupon to get it super cheap or even free then I am all over that.

So here is my new plan for organizing coupons. Each week I will review the inserts and clip the coupons I think I will most likely use. I will organize those coupons into my binder pockets. Then I am going to mark each insert on the front page with the date. I am going to file these in the back of my binder. This way if a sale comes up or I stumble on a really good deal I will still have access to the all the coupons.