Celebrating Cinco de Mayo the whole month of May

Ok, for the 2 people who actually read my blog. You know that for the past 2 months I have tried to follow Kathy at $30 Weekly Grocery Challenge. She somehow feeds her family of 3 on $30 a week and has been doing so over a year now. My goal has been to spend less than $150 per month. I'd honestly just like to make it one month to prove I can do it. In March, I spent $300 and April was $284. This month I am going to follow the Dave Ramsey advice of using cash. I have counted out $150 in cash and I am determined I can do it.
The past week's deals at HT were mostly for Mexican foods. We'll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo for the whole month of May due to the great deals on tortillas, salsa, cheese, and seasonings. That is fine because I have already found some great ways to get creative.
1. Whole wheat wrap with Tastefully Simple's Vidalia Onion dressing, chicken, onion, sweet peppers, and spring mix. I had some version of this wrap 4 meals in a row. In one version, I used honey mustard dressing and added walnuts and cranberries.
2. Burritos: use a burrito mix, ground beef, 1 cup of water, and a can of fat free re-fried beans to fill a flour tortilla. Top with sour cream, salsa, and Mexican cheese.
3. Cheese quesadillas. Simply put some cheese on a flour tortilla, fold and put in your Foreman grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted. Cut into wedges. Kids love these.
4. Add chicken to #3 and serve with sour cream and salsa.
5. Homemade tortilla chips. Cut corn tortillas into wedges and deep fry in a mix of olive and corn oil. Turn once when they start to float. Drain on paper towels and grind some sea salt on top. Yummy by themselves or with salsa.
6. Salmon and crab wrap: Spread salmon flavored cream cheese on whole wheat tortilla, add spring mix and crab meat.
7. Spinach and salmon wrap: Wilt fresh spinach in olive oil for a few minutes (medium high heat). Prepare one frozen salmon fillet with salmon seasoning and teriyaki sauce. Wrap in whole wheat wrap.
8. Chile Relleno casserole: 2 cans green chiles, 1.5 cups of cheese, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup flour, 5 oz evaporated milk, 1 can tomato sauce. Layer cheese and chiles. Mix eggs, flour & milk and pour over cheese/chile layers. Bake for 30 minutes. Pour tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes longer. Serve with homemade tortilla chips.
9. I am going to try breakfast burritos with chicken to make them healthier.
10. Good old fashioned tacos!

I'll need to make a run to Costco to pick up more spring mix and milk. It is worth the trip to save about a dollar per gallon since we go through so much milk. I just have to stay focused and not get distracted by all the yummy stuff in Costco!

Grocery Challenge--blown by a trip to Costco

Why I ever decided to walk into the $200 a trip store in a month I am trying to spend $150 on groceries is beyond me. Yes, milk is $1.84 and I bought 7 gallons--maybe enough to last until the end of the month. But why did I need the other $150 worth of stuff? And I still had to go to Harris Teeter and spend $60 on items I can't really get at Costco.
Maybe next month??

Grocery Challenge

First of all, I probably have too much time on my hands. Even with having 3 little ones at home all week and not allowing myself to use the computer from 10-12 and again from 4:30-7:30 no phone or computer, I still somehow have the time to read blogs of all these women who are spending way less than me on groceries (and I am the coupon queen or so I thought). There is a mom who spends $30 a week all year. I might be able to do that one week, maybe! I have been reading tons of blogs of women all over NC and the Southeast who are really saving money on their grocery bill. One lady has only spent $237 total since January 1. Honestly, how does she do it?
So in March, I decided I would eat down the pantry and freezer and try to spend only $150. Of course, I failed in that by spending $322 and that was half what I normally spend and what I now normally spend is half what I spent 2 years ago. I know it is just the competition factor that has me motivated, but this month I am going to try again. I am not buying anything except milk that is not FREE. (OK, I'll be honest: I will buy soda and coffee if we run out because I am addicted). I am going to try to make a gallon of milk last 2 days instead of going through a gallon a day like we usually do.
I am completely stocked up on all toiletries, paper products, diapers, wipes, meat, fish, frozen vegetables, breakfast items, lunch items, pasta, rice, spices, juice, soda, butter, condiments, etc. Truly, I should be able to get by with just buying milk and fresh fruit. I should be able to do that for $150.

Spring Break

I didn't realize how much I would look forward to spring break since I'm not teaching. It makes sense that I would pray for a snow day and dream about spring break when it really means I get a break. I like the little things like not having to get the kids dressed in the morning or think about what I'm going to put in their lunch boxes. I would say I like the part about sleeping in, but inevitably one of them will get up at 6:30 anyway. I am looking forward to having Michael and Hannah home all week. We've had a big start to our vacation. We went to Chuckie Cheese on Friday, had our friends over Friday night for martinis and appetizers, Hannah & Caden had a sleepover Friday night, had 2 Easter Egg Hunts on Saturday, went to see Princess and the Frog at the dollar ($2) theater, took the train to Time Warner Arena for the Elevation Easter service (ok--that was not really for the kids, but it was an incredible event for Mommy), and had Easter dinner with family and friends. The weather here in Charlotte has been absolutely incredible! 80's and sunshine all weekend. All winter I kept saying I would be happy to deal with pollen and all its evilness just to be warm. So here I am unable to put my contacts in, drugging up on allergy meds, and blowing my nose every 5 minutes. It is all worth it to be warm. Spring didn't just spring--it catapulted!
Off to plan some fun, cheap activities for 3 little ones the rest of the week!

Triple Coupons-spent $50, got $400

Sadly enough, Triple Coupons is over after today.
I shopped 5 times, spent a total of $50 and got almost $400 worth of groceries, etc.
Here is what I got for my $50.

1. 3 Lysol cleaners, 3 Lysol toilet cleaners=all free
2. 9 bags Mahatma rice = $0.76 total
3. 2 boxes Lifesavers Gummies = FREE
4. 3 boxes Cheez Its = $0.25 each
5. Chinet coffee cups = $0.25
6. 10 boxes Frosted Mini Wheats = $10.74 (bought these to get...
7. 4 gallons of milk = FREE
8. French's yellow mustard (3) = FREE
9. Brown spicy mustard = FREE
10. French's honey mustard = $0.50
11. Nature's Own Sandwich rounds (4)= $0.22 each
12. White Wheat buns & bread (3) = FREE
13. Lunchables (3)= $0.33 each
14. Beechnut biter biscuits (2) = $.10 each
15. Totino's cheese pizzas (4) = FREE
16. Bisquick = $0.05
17. Frank's hot sauce (4)= FREE
18. Diet coke (6 pack) = $2.29
19. Domino sugar = $1.99
20. Campbell's chunky soup (3) = $.25 each
21. Texas Toast croutons = $0.20
22. Crisco veg oil = FREE
23. Snyder's honey mustard pretzels (2)= $0.25 each
24. Dole frozen fruit (2) = $1.04 each
25. Tropicana orange juice = $0.79
26. Stonyfield Farms organic yogurt (5)= FREE
27. Gold Medal flour = $0.64
28. V8 splash (3) = $0.25 each
29. Country crock spread (2) = FREE
30. Kraft sliced cheese = $0.67
31. Danactive drinkable yogurt = $0.25
32. Silk Soy milk (2) = $1.10 each
33. Claussen pickles = $1.00
34. Coffeemate cream = FREE
35. Ball park hotdogs (2) = FREE
36. Ortega taco seasoning (2) = FREE
37. Ortega green chiles (2) = $0.29 each
38. Welch's grape jam (2) = $0.17 each
39. Old El Paso green chiles (2) = FREE
40. McCormick vanilla extract (2) = FREE + $1.50 off next shopping trip
41. Organic canned tomatoes (2), 15 bean dry soup mix = $3.74 total (to make hambone soup)
42. Barilla pasta (2) = FREE
43. Strawberries (3) = $0.95 each
44. Thomas bagel thins = $1.34
45. Huggies wipes (3) = $.94 each
46. Huggies wipes (1) = $0.14
47. Tide 50 ounce = $1.77
48. Lipton Tea bags = FREE
49. HT brand sweet n low (2) = $1.27 each
50. HT boneless chicken breast (6+ pounds) = $9.41

Grand Total = $49.39

Couponing for Beginners--some info taken from Southern Savers

Supermarket Savings

Have you tried couponing, but felt that it was not helping?

First, couponing isn’t just clipping some coupons from Sunday's paper and handing over a few coupons every now and then. If that is what you think, then you will save $5 or $10 dollars and become discouraged that it is not worth your time.

True couponing is cutting those coupons from your paper and then saving them until the product you want to buy is on sale. Doing this you can get items for 50-100% off regular price (yes, that’s right – FREE).

How?

1. Product prices fluctuate on cycles normally 6-8 weeks long. When an item is at its lowest price in that cycle you want to buy enough of that item to get you through until it comes back on sale. An example: your family eats 1 box of cereal a week, so you buy 6 boxes when it is on sale to get you through the sale cycle.

2. When it is a rock bottom price, you use your coupons to reduce the price even lower. Grab some extra copies of coupons that you will use a lot of by purchasing more papers, getting friends' papers, or printing the individual coupons online.

If I don’t have you convinced, let me spell it out with money.

You can buy 1 box every week for 6 weeks, or buy all 6 boxes on sale.

1 box @ $4.50 x 6 weeks = $27

1 box @ $1 x 6 boxes = $6

That’s one product and you have saved $21. Now think of the other 200 products that the average family buys a month. Even if you didn’t have coupons for all of your items, if you wait until the product is on sale to purchase it, you are still saving. How many times have you heard someone say, "If only I had an extra $200 a month!" If they could save just one dollar per item on 200 items, there is the $200!!

Remember: You maximize your savings by combining the store's sale with coupons.

Want some more tips to save even more?

1. Cut ALL coupons or Save all inserts from the Sunday paper. If you save the entire insert to cut as needed, make sure you mark the date on insert so that you can find it when you see a coupon can be used.

2. Start to shop buying only the things that are on sale and using your coupons then. Also when an item is on sale you STOCKPILE. Some sites recommend 12 weeks worth because that is the common time it takes for an item to come back on sale. That's great if you have the space; if not get enough that if you shop at two different stores you can hold off until it goes on sale at the other store. Once you have a good stockpile, you will only be shopping for sale items and never having to pay non sale prices. Also, once you pay an amazing price for something like 50 cents for cereal you will not want to have to pay the regular price ever again.

3. Make a menu for the week based on what is on sale that week at the store. For example, don’t plan fish when no one has it on sale and you are paying top dollar.

4. If you know that you are going on a trip or having a special event in the future, start a separate stockpile early for those items so that you are not paying top dollar for your groceries just because you are on vacation . Paying $3 for 5 12pks of Coke at CVS a month before a trip is much better than paying $4.50 a 12pk once you get to the beach!!

5. The less brand loyal you can be, the more you can save . My husband prefers Kellogg's Raisin Bran, but if Total or Post are on sale and I have a coupon and can get a box for 25 cents whereas the Kellogg's is $4.59, well, you can just guess which I am going to buy. If you want to pay full price, go for it, but I’ll use my coupon. If Herbal Essences shampoo is 20 cents a bottle, it can’t hurt to give it a try.

6. Store brands are not the best deal. National brand items bought on sale with coupons become incredibly cheaper than store brand items. If you can buy store brand butter for $2.49 or get Land o Lakes butter for 80 cents… that's not hard math. Remember: A store wants you to buy their brand because they keep all the money. They will try to make it seem like a deal, but you can ALWAYS do better by combining a sale with a coupon. The only store brand items I buy are milk, flour, and sugar. Of course, if the store is offering their brand for FREE, I'll gladly take it. Harris Teeter does that from time to time. So far this year, I've gotten trail mix, soup, crackers, milk, and a few other items that are the HT brand for free.

7. Shopping at Costco and Sam's will become a thing of the past mostly. Milk is definitely cheaper at Costco. We eat a lot of fish and spinach so I buy those at Costco. There are a few other things that the grocery stores don't carry that I like to buy from Costco, but even then I know it isn't a deal; it's just something I want! Buying 4 boxes of cereal for $10 at Costco never compares to getting 4 boxes for 2.00 (the average price of cereal when bought correctly is $0.25-$1.00). Personal Care items that could be a good deal can’t even touch being FREE at CVS.

I hope you'll consider learning to save money using coupons. It is truly worth the effort!

Things you can get FREE during Triple Coupons at HT

Yes, I am obsessed with coupons and saving $$. Even if you don't have any coupons, you can still get some FREE things this week at Harris Teeter during triple coupons.
Check out Southern Savers for a list of things that are FREE or a few pennies with coupons that you can print right from her site to your computer. How easy is that?

My husband posted this on Twitter yesterday. The middle class is worried because they don't have any money. They don't have any money because they spend it.

http://www.southernsavers.com