So my newest life quest is to re-learn what I am all about. Since my kiddos threw my prince and I into immediate adulthood at a relatively young age for our generation, Ive realized that I need to be reintroduced to myself. I am in this, pseudo midlife crisis, what you see is what you get, no apologies necessary quest. When I figure it all out, Ill let you know how things are going. So far, and there's really a lot more to it then what Ive described... but for now...the two of us, Me and Me, are getting along....
OKAY...;) Its getting a little too deep in here so I'm abandoning this subject, and I'll go to the next one. Yup cooking. I have never thought of myself as a cook, nor have I really ever enjoyed it but I do really enjoy saving money and being resourceful. Recently, excited about paying off our debt, I delve back into coupons, meal planning, and shopping with a purpose. I started investigating some of the really great blogs that help you save money and meal plan. I hate planning meals so, being the resourceful (lazy) person I am, I found www.5dollardinners.com. No I'm not joining the million of coupon bloggers, but I'm very thankful for them. I am just sharing (and documenting) my adventures. I am sure a lot of you have seen or heard of this amazing website, there is so much to explore there is no way to tell you about it all. But what I will tell you is that one of the most helpful tools on the site, aside from the weekly meal plans she provides, is her blog about baby #4's freezer stock up plan. I love the idea of freezing breakfast for your family so that Pop-Tarts and Cereal are not the go to...*remember this*. This morning I made and froze about 24 Potato Egg and Cheese breakfast burritos (she calls them tacos). Here is her recipe and link to the stock ups http://www.5dollardinners.com/stock-the-freezer-list-for-baby/
Dinner Recipes...
Family Portioned Chicken Tenders
1 Jar of BBQ sauce
Chopped onions...
Thank you Miss Crock Pot, I always like it when you cook for me :)
On to bigger and better, the actual shopping part. YAY! Ok, after burning 300 calories in the gym... Wait, before you congratulate me I already ate those 300 calories, in the not-so-healthy way *Cereal and Pop-Tarts*. Remember, no apologies!! It was awesome! :)
STORE #1...well# 2 :) Shoppers...
One of the best places around here to shop. Its really expensive here, ask my mother-in-law. Its not just that we live on the East Coast, its the actual area we live in. Everything is way more expensive. Shoppers and Target (with coupons) is the most economical for me. I've shopped Shoppers many times before and two places I have to check out before leaving is:
*1. the day old bakery section
*2. the dent and scratch basket.
OMGsh I feel like I won the supermarket lottery today...Green beans for $0.35 a can, peaches for $0.65 a can, stuffing for $0.75, Mini Spooners for $1, and Brawny for $0.75 a roll. Is it sad that I get this excited about beat up grocery goods? Really for me, this is the best part of the dinner prep. I did think about taking all of the cereal and canned goods in the basket but realized that if I let the hysteria take over, I might have the impulse to beat the sweet old lady next to me over the head with the really cheap paper towels I just scored...walk away Steph, walk away! lol I seriously get these visuals, oh I so entertain myself.
Ok back to reality, I did strategically buy some other items, and used coupons. My total tally of all of this heart stopping shopping is... 21 items and a total savings of $6.48. Everything else was on my "Shoppers" list. Now on to Target where the shopping game resumes, and its a little more tricky. Do any of you see gambling tendencies in you future after grocery shopping like me??...I also think, thank goodness saving a dollar for me is like winning a dollar at the casino, except I don't have to smell cigarette smoke, run the risk of catching a serious illness, or give total strangers all my money.
I had a plan, I knew that select breakfast foods were on sale at target today. Also if you purchased the certain breakfast foods, 5 at a time you receive a $5 gift card. Before you judge me for the quality of the food, I know that Pop-Tarts aren't breakfast so to speak, and right now all three of my kids are eating me out of house and home. In our house these items accompany "real food" or are only eaten alone as snacks. we usually do not have chips, or soda. Our junk food is Pop-Tarts and empty calorie cereal.:) My kids eat almost anything. Even Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts...the list really does go on. OK so here's the low down on the damage to the pocket book.
So much easier to show than to tell so here is what I am talking about....
The best part about this is...Target will allow you to use your coupons, both manufacture and target, in combination with the gift card deal. I have a few rules about coupons. I don't ever buy something just because I have a coupon and just because I have a coupon doesn't mean its the cheapest brand. I had multiple coupons for the General Mills Cereal and Pop-Tarts so here's the tally.
3 Corn Pops @ $2.75 each
- $1/3 Kellogs coupon =
$2.41 each
_________________
3 Poptarts @ $2.75 each
-$ 1/3 Poptarts coupon =
$2.41 each
__________________
$14.46 total
Part of the Buy 5 get $5 gift card so the cereal and Poptarts
After the $5 gift card each item is a little over $1.50 per item....
The coupon guru's do it much better than I do...and yes, Target allows you to stack your manufacture coupon with your Target coupon for each item...Lots of savings!
This is a match up from $5 Dinners website.
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Kellogg's Cereal, 10.7 - 16.7 oz - $2.751.00 off any 3 Kellogg's Cereals listed
$1/2 Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Cereal, exp. 3/31/13 (Package Insert)
$1/2 Kellogg's Rice Crispies, Cocoa Krispies, Crispix or Kellogg's Corn Flakes Cereal, exp. 3/31/13 (Package Insert)
$1/2 Kellogg's Krave, Raisin Bran Cinnamon Almond or Crunchy Nut Cereal, exp. 3/31/13 (Package Insert)
$1/2 Kellogg's All Bran, Rice Krispies, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, or Raisin Bran Cereal, exp. 3/31/13 (RP 02/17/13 R)
$1/2 Kellogg's Cinnamon Jacks Cereal, exp. 3/24/13 (RP 02/10/13 R)
$1/3 Kellogg's Cereal, exp. 3/17/13 (RP 02/03/13 R)
$0.70/1 Kellogg's Cinnamon Jacks Cereal, exp. 3/24/13 (RP 02/10/13 R)
$0.70/1 Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Crunch, exp. 3/24/13 (RP 02/10/13 R)
$1/2 Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Crunch, exp. 3/24/13 (RP 02/10/13 R)
$1/3 Kellogg's Cereals, exp. 4/14/13 (RP 03/03/13 R)
STACK WITH
$1/3 Select Kellogg's Cereals Target printable
$1/1 Kellogg's Rice Krispies (Ibotta Deposit)$0.50/1 Kellogg's Corn Flakes (Ibotta Deposit)
$0.50/1 Kellogg's Raisin Bran Original Cereal (Ibotta Deposit)
$1/1 Kellogg's Corn Flakes (Ibotta Deposit)
$1/1 Kellogg's Raisin Bran Original Cereal (Ibotta Deposit)
Read more: http://www.5dollardinners.com/shopping/target/#ixzz2McX55EU1
On top of all of that, each box of Corn Pops and Pop-Tarts had this coupon insert. So really, I can do this over and over again until the 5/$5 gift card promo is over. Its Krazy Coupon Lady bliss..
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| *This one even has coupons for eggs and milk |
Here's a pic of the boxes that have the coupon inserts, not all of them do... Another plus side to using these specific coupons is every time one of these coupons are redeemed, Kellogs makes a donation to school breakfast programs...for some kids, that's good news. CHA-CHING....and the tickets at the arcade keep coming...
I had a quick stop off at the house to unload all the loot and look who I found...Doing homework..Cutie Pie
Now off to the Local library...I love the library, it makes me feel smart, and cheap...wait I don't feel cheap...frugal...man, that almost took a wrong turn.
So here is our awesome, lovely local library. It looks cold outside, right, UH! Lately I have been renting movies for the girls. The girls are in that stage where all they want to do is watch girl movies and...you know...eat a pint of ice-cream cause my best friend is no longer my best friend, until tomorrow, I never look right and my hair is always crazy and all I want to do is look at my iPhone and listen to music, draw crazy pictures and no one is as interesting (or as pitiful) as me stage...everyone got that...yeah, me neither...
The BEST part of the library...I'm addicted! The $0.10 paperbacks...Does anyone know if there is a cent sign on the keyboard??? Anyway..I never get out of the library without buying something from this cart. There is also a $1 hardback section too..
Today I scored almost an entire series of inspirational romance, christian based, the best thing for the girls now since everyone in their peer group is still obsessed with overly dramatic vampires..BLAH!
Back in the car, home sweet home there on the left. My day is almost getting to the really busy mommy stage of my elementary and middle school goblins. It's 4pm and the, "MOM!!! So and so said this, and so and so said that, and now my life is ending as we know it!!!!. I'm hungry!..My legs and arms hurt!!!! Can I go to so and so's???? Can so and so come over???"... "OH MY GOSH JUST DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!"... part of the day is coming! Seriously, I love my life and I love seeing it unfold, chaotically, in front of me.
But before I go to bed for the night and leave you all to wonder why you've waisted 10 minutes of your life that you cant ever get back...I have to give you the grand tally for today's awesome shopping excursion...and here is the recap!
Burned 300 + calories
Saved $6.48 at Shoppers
Saved almost $25 at Target
Bought 10 books for $3.70
All in a days work...All in a days work...Until next time, love you all!
