My Menu Plan For The Week

Chicken Tetrazine

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

BBQ Tri Tip Salad

Enchilada Casserole

Brown Butter Tortellini With Spinach and Ham

Tacos

Bean and Brown Rice Casserole

I bought two whole chickens last week on sale for .79 per pound.  I will be able to get four meals worth of chicken out of the one chicken.  I had cream of chicken soup in the pantry for the chicken tetrazine.  The recipe also called for green bell pepper.  I bought the frozen variety on sale this week for $1.  I will only half of the package.

For the Philly Cheesesteaks, I will use tri-tip roast that was on sale this week for $1.99 per pound.  I will also use the other half of the package of the fore mentioned frozen bell peppers. Provolone is the cheese Hubby prefers which was also on sale.  The cheesesteaks will be eaten on homemade rolls (I always have those ingredients on hand).

The Tri Tip Salad will be made with two bags of salad mix that I bought on sale for $1 each.  I also had a coupon for one for .55 off one of the packages.  I will also use another tri tip roast that I purchased.  I will put frozen corn (on sale), black beans (already had those), carrots (had those already) and cheese in the salad(bought cheese on sale).

The Enchilada Casserole calls for ground beef.  Ground turkey was on sale buy one get one free.  I picked up two packages of that.  I also have homemade enchilada sauce that I made at the end of last week that I will use.  It also calls for tortillas, that I found on sale and had a coupon for $1 off.  The total price for 30 corn tortillas was .29.

Brown butter tortellini will be made with packaged tortellini that I had a coupon for and also was on sale.  I will make it with chicken instead of ham.  

I will make the tacos with the ground turkey.  Tomatoes were also on sale so those will go into the tacos as well.

Bean and brown rice casserole will be made with homemade refried beans.  I had the pinto beans and the brown rice in the pantry.  I did buy salsa (that was on sale).  Homemade refried beans will be an adventure as this will be my first time making them.

Anyway, that is what we are eating this week.  I will post some of the recipes in the next few days.

Happy Saving!

The End Of The "Freebie" Challenge

I only managed to get a couple things free this week.  I received a free gallon of milk, a package of Oreos, a free can of formula, and free 4x6 prints from Snapfish (although I did have to pay for shipping).  The milk was a coupon I printed from the internet.  There was a promotion going on the "Got Milk" website.  If you spent $100 in groceries (before discounts, you received a free gallon of milk).  I received a coupon for a free package of Oreos for becoming a fan of Oreos on facebook.  The 4x6 prints were received because I set up a new account.  I also have a credit for a set of six coasters, a 4x6 photo book and 10 more prints.  I will cash in on the other things on Snapfish when they run another promotion for free shipping.

Happy Saving!

Money Saving Tips

This is a little something that I came up to help with saving money based on principles I have learned along the way.

C- Contentment 

        As I have already shared, contentment has been key.  I will tell you that it has not been easy.  Contentment is  a choice, not always an easy one but a choice none the less.  1 Timothy 6:6-8.

A- Always use cash
     This is the basis for Dave Ramsey's program.  This has helped significantly in our grocery budget.  I really need to start using cash for other budget items as well.

S- Sacrifice
     When it comes to saving money, sacrifice will always have to be part of the process.  The more sacrifices that are made, the easier it becomes.  Some examples include:  becoming a one car family, canceling satellite/cable,  eating out less and buying clothes at consignment stores instead of the mall.

H- Hunt for bargains
     This includes what is known as the "buy ahead" principle.  The idea here is to buy things at rock bottom prices before items are needed.  For example, in January I purchased $670 worth of clothes at Old Navy for $130.  My oldest child has a complete wardrobe when she grows into the next size.  The other kids also have items that will fit them in the future.

Another principle here is to think outside the box when shopping for groceries, household goods and toiletries.  Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid are great stores to find not only toiletries at rock bottom prices but also groceries.  Target** is another source of great deals.  Last week, Target paid me to buy oatmeal! 

** The one caveat I have for Target is that it is easy to walk out with a $200 bill when you went in to pick up a few "deals".

The best way to maximize the "hunt" is to use coupons found in the newspaper (L.A. Times in my area).



Happy Saving.

Another Lesson Learned

The lesson I learned today is to always know how much money in coupons should come off the bill.


I was at Ralphs today and realized first while in line that my free milk did not come off the total.  I saw the checker scan it but it did not come off.  I realized a couple other things after coming home.  Unfortunately, I had no way of proving it so I did not feel it right going back after the fact and requesting my money.  I was supposed to receive a catalina for $4.00 off another purchase ( catalinas are those coupons that print along with the receipt).

Secondly, one of my coupons did not come off the bill.  The only reason I noticed that particular coupon  was because it was a strange amount.  From now on I will total what I should be saving in coupons and double check my receipt before leaving.  My mistake cost me at least $4.70 if not more.  That is not a lot when you take that by itself.  However if that happened every time I went to the store, that would add up in a hurry.


The whole situation was a little bit of a bummer because there is a certain checker that I do not care for.  She is constantly flirty  and chatty with the other employees around while I stand there (a pet peeve of mine).  I purposely went to another line and just as it was my turn she switch over to my line.  All of the groceries were already on the belt, making it impossible to switch lines.    After she made the switch, I really should have checked my receipt.


Remember check those receipts.


Happy Saving.

The New Challenge Starts Today

As promised, here are some places to look for freebies to start the new challenge:
Click here
          here
          and here

Those websites will be a good place to start.  Walgreens has freebies pop up from time to time.  Just this past week, I was able to get a free 8 x 10 photo collage(which I will use for a gift).  I uploaded the pictures to their photo website and chose in store pickup and I paid $0.  It was ready in an hour.   After Christmas, I was also able to get an 8 x 10 photo collage.   They also are running a special through February 19 that is get 25 free prints.  Become a fan of stores/ products on facebook.  Several others I have become fans of are Herbal Essence and International Delight creamer.  Both of those companies sent me free coupons in the mail. 

One more way that I will tell you about to obtain free stuff is to join email lists.  Just about every store and restaurant have email lists now.  The stores will send out coupons for dollar off items but also free items as well.  I will however tell you to get an email address that is a "junk" address.  You will be inundated with junk mail.  I received a $10 off a $10 purchase coupon for JC Penney's this past week (because I am on their email list and have made some purchases).  I would have bought something for $10 but I used it to start to put together Easter baskets for the kids. Those are just a few simple ways to get items for free or really cheap. 

Happy Saving! 

Weekly Challenge Wednesday

Next weeks challenge is to see how many things you can get for free either with a coupon, joining a facebook page this is offering something free for signing up or a free sample of something (nothing illegal, please :) It will be fun to see how many things we can come up with.  The challenge will start Sunday February 14 and will run through February 20.  I will post several places to look for freebies in the next couple of days.

Happy Saving.

Recipes from Challenge

Chicken Pot Pie

Filling
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb  potatoes (about 2 baking), unpeeled, diced
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup non fat milk
1 package frozen veggies (pea, corn, green bean mix)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 cups diced, cooked chicken

Crust Topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup canola oil
3 Tbsp. well chilled non fat milk

Preparation for crust:
Combine flour and salt in bowl.  Combine oil and milk in a covered jar and shake vigorously to mix.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the oil and milk mixture.  Mix by hand until almost completely combined.  Finish combining with fingertips and work into a ball.  Roll out to 9 inch circle.

Prep for filling:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 1 cup broth to a boil in a large pot.  Add onion and cook 3 minutes, until soft, then add remaining 1 cup broth, potatoes and thyme.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.  Add package of veggies for last 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine cornstarch and milk and stir until smooth add mustard.  Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.  Stir in chicken and remove from heat.  Pour into one 9-inch deep dish pie plate. 

Cover filling with crust and pinch edges to side of pan.  Cut vents into top and bake 20 minutes or until top is golden.


Made From Scratch Pancakes
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp oil

Combine all ingredients in order listed.  Stir just until moistened.  Add additional milk to thin  batter, if desired.  Refrigerate until using.  Pour out a 1/4 cup for each pancake.  Cook on griddle until bubbles form around edges.  Flip and cook other side.

You could combine dry ingredients ahead of time and store in a container.  Just add "wet" ingredients when ready to cook pancakes.

Eating Two Meals From The Pantry Challenge

I did in fact eat two meals from the pantry. We ate homemade chicken pot pie (recipe to follow in another post) and pancakes (recipe to follow in another post) with ingredients I had on hand. The pancakes were for lunch for my son's birthday and the chicken pot pie I made from scratch for dinner on Saturday night. I also cooked up a turkey that was in my freezer. I will use that in place of chicken in recipes and for turkey sandwiches. As far as savings is concerned, that is a little hard to gauge as the past week was a little different than normal because of my sons birthday party and the family celebration we had for him.

My goal was to stay within my budget of $100 per week. So far I am about $10 over budget. I did purchase some things to take to a Super Bowl party. I also have four dozen cookies to make for an event at church and my soon to be three year old's birthday coming up this next week. This is yet another example of how it really saves money to think ahead on these things and be prepared.

How did you do making meals with ingredients you had on hand? I would love to hear in the comments section.

Weekly Challenge Wednesday

How is this weeks' challenge of using items in your pantry for two meals going? I will post my results at the end of the week.

The new challenge is very simple but it is something that saves lots of money:

Create a menu for the week.

Even without clipping coupons, having a plan when going to the grocery store, helps to stay on track when purchasing food.

I have done great at planning for dinners and breakfasts for some reason are easy (maybe it's because my favorite meal is breakfast). Lunches on the other hand cause me grief! My goal this next week will to plan lunches better.

The menu plan challenge will run February 7 to February 13. Good luck and happy saving.