These are the little things that we have done to save money the past week:
- Made DH's birthday dinner from scratch saving the cost of eating at a restaurant. Baked a 15 lb ham that will gave us dinner, gave enough for a couple of meals for my son's family and will give us about 10 meals plus I will use the bone to make homemade bean soup.
- Bought some clothes for my grandchildren. I shopped when I could earn gymbucks from Gymboree and Kohl's cash to use for Christmas purchases.
- Deposited $ 92.50 in rebate checks in our savings account
- We have been living without A/C for 6 out of the 7 days. One day was just too humid for me.
- Washed the car in the driveway while it is still warm enough outside to do it.
- Redeemed two bags of deposit bottles at Fast Cash.
- Chatted with my sister for an hour or so with my free long distance.
- I am continuing to stockpile for the winter as you can see in the pictures above at sale prices and using coupons.
- Packed away the summer clothes and got out the winter. Washed them all in the HE's and determined that we don't need to buy anything for the winter. We have plenty so we can continue to save our budgeted clothing amount each month.
- Purchased 70 lbs. of Arm & Hammer Scoopable Cat Litter from their site on sale using a coupon code and got free shipping. Saved money and I didn't have to lift it a # of times to get it home from the store.
- Caught up all of my points programs to earn gift certificates.
- Joined the Green Mountain Coffee Campaign at BzzzAgent. I can't wait to see what comes in this package to try.
- Paid our school taxes from a special account marked just for taxes. We make sure that we set aside the amount needed each month so that the money is there when they are due each year.
- Mailed out two rebates.
- Our prescription co- pays are going up by $ 20.00 each tomorrow. So I ordered every prescription I could earlier in the week saving us $140.00.
- I now have all of the candy and gum that I need for Halloween and it was either free or very cheap.
- DH and I have been walking for exercise and using my kettle bells to build up muscle tone.
- Chopped up cheap celery and onions to freeze. I just freeze them on a cookie sheet and then bag them. It is so easy when we need to put some in a stew, casserole or omelet.
- Our total electric and natural gas bill was $ 120.55 for 33 days. I have been trying to take a closer look at them to see what the REAL Bill is. Of that $ 120.55, $ 9.11 was taxes and surcharges for our county and state. So the real bill without taxes is $111.44. Last years bill for the same period was about $20.00 less for the same # of days. Looking at what could account for the difference, I have determined that they had a rate increase on this bill for both electric and gas. We also used 330 KWH more this year than last but 4 CCF's of gas less. All of those things account for the $20.00 more. The only thing we did differently this year is run the A/C more because it was really hot and we have added a dehumidifier in the basement. We believe this may be a lot of the difference. We won't need to keep the dehumidifier on much longer. So I guess $ 20.00 is worth being comfortable and keeping the basement dry.
- I am continuing to work on making Christmas presents. I am hoping to really lower my Christmas budget by doing this.
- DH cut up another wood pallet to burn in the outdoor fireplace. I will take free wood anytime.
- I have decided to save the $35.00 that I would normally pay for the Entertainment Book. There is not much in it that we would use and our local papers have many coupons that we could use.
- Watched some Netflix movies. We find this cheaper than spending the gas to go the the DVD store or Redbox to get them or to the movie theater. We do watch a lot of movies in a month's period.
- Signed up for the Young Hearts Club at Top's. This will save me the first Tuesday of every month. So this coming week I will be shopping on Tuesday to save 6% on my entire order.
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DH and I have been stressed because the developer is in putting in the infrastructure for the new section for the builder. Besides all the noise and lack of sleep because of it, it came to our attention a couple of weeks ago that the developer had changed the plans for the drainage. What this meant to us is that they would be digging in the easement across our back property line. We were told by the survey crew that they would most likely have to dig up part of our beautiful garden out back and that our sprinkler system that we paid thousands of dollars for might get dug up. So yesterday we see the machine above coming. DH goes out and explains to the man( who turns out to be the owner of the property they are developing) about the sprinkler system. He tells DH he will do his best to avoid it and the landscaping. Look in the picture above how close he is. The yellow signs denote the sprinkler system. He did a beautiful job. The drainage is all in and the sprinkler system wasn't touched nor was our landscaping. This was a big relief to DH and I.
Both DH and I have colds so that is all we have done this week. We are going to try to lay low and get better this weekend. Next week I hope to talk with you about medical bills. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us what you have done this week to save money.
I made two quick stops yesterday while I was out paying my school taxes. This is what I purchased:
CVS:
1-36 ct. 81mg. St. Joseph's Aspirin - used raincheck for $ 2.00 - Used $1./1 MQ = $1.00 and I got a $2.00 ECB
1 Thermacare Wrap - $ 3.79 - Used $1./1 MQ = $ 2.79 and I got a $3.79 ECB
1 Schick Quattro Refill - $ 8.99 - Used $ 4./1 MQ = $ 4.99 and I got a $4.00 ECB
Total was $ 8.78+tax and I got a total of $ 9.79 in ECB's
Top's:
1 Lysol Dual Action Wipes - $3.49 and I will mail in the TMF Rebate
3 Heinz 20 oz. Ketchup - $ 1.99 -used (3) $ .50/1 MQD = $ .99 each
2 Gorton's Haddock Fillets - 25% off - $ 3.74 each - Used (2) $ .50/1 MQD = $ 2.74 each and I will get $1.00 from Saving Star
1 Bag of Diamond Walnuts - $ 7.49
4 Turkey Gravy Mix - 4 for $ 3.00
2 Balance Bars - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .55/1 MQD = Both Free
1 Florida's Natural Orange Juice - $ 2.49 with Top's Super Q
Total OOP was $ 24.92 + tax and I will get a $ 1.00 credit at Saving Star and a $ 3.49 Rebate.
Please feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us any great deals you got.
We are celebrating DH's birthday today. Just a little dinner party serving the ham below that I will be heating up this afternoon. I will also be covering the ham with pineapple, making from scratch scalloped potatoes, and cooking fresh spinach.
I also baked a carrot cake this morning. Birthday celebrations don't have to cost a lot of money. I can make just as nice a dinner at home as when we go out for dinner. DH made the menu and he will be very happy with this meal!
I did a whole lot of stockpile shopping today besides the drugstore shopping that I am posting about. However, I am so tired and need a nap before I go to babysit my grandson tonight. So today I will just do the drugstore shopping. Also I picked up a treat for DH for lunch at Subway. Since our Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots yesterday and put at least 20 points on the scoreboard, Subway put out a coupon only good today to get a Free 6 inch submarine with the purchase of a drink. So I got a turkey and bacon sub for DH and a small soda for me for the cost of just $ 2.04. Thanks to Amanda at Mom's coupon affair for the coupon link ( her blog link is on my right hand side bar).
I did two drugstores this morning. At Walgreens I used the in ad Q and picked up 4 cans of Butterball Chicken broth for $ .50 each for a total of $ 2.00.
At Rite Aid I did two orders. First order was the Doctor's Night Guard for $ 24.99. I used a $ 5.00 IPQ and $ 15. in UP Rewards to pay for it. So total OOP was $ 4.99+tax. But I earned a $ 20.00 UP reward. Second order was 2 Herbal Essence Shampoos on sale for $ 3.00 each. I used a $ 1./1 MQ on each. I also earned a $ 2.00 UP reward for buying 2. I purchased 6 bags of candy for Halloween on sale for $ 2.50 each = $ 15.00 and I recieved a $ 1.00 UP Reward. I also got 4 freezer bags at $ .80 each after my 20% wellness discount and 2 other plastic bags at $ .50 each. I used the $ 20.00 UP rewards from my prior order. Total OOP was $5.20+ tax and I recieved $3.00 in UP Rewards.
The Rite Aid shop was a really good one for me because DH's Nightguard broke so this deal happened at the right time. We only have a couple of bottles of shampoo in our stockpile and I had no quart size bags. The candy purchase finally gives me enough stash for Halloween.
Did you do some great shopping today? Feel free to share it with us by leaving a comment.
These were purchased at two different Top's so as to not clear shelves. I was so happy that I found so much reduced for quick sale meat today. This is what I purchased:
20 Crave Cat Treats - $ 1.00 each - Used (20) Free MQ's = Free ( Thanks to the wonderful readers who sent these to me. You know who you are and I am very appreciative.)
2 Funky Monkey Dried Fruit - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .75/1 IPQD = Free
2 Old El Paso Taco Seasonings - $ 1.09 each - Used $ .50 IPQD = $ .09 each or $ .18
1 Wholly Guacamole - $ 2.99 - Used $ 2./1 IPQ = $ .99
1.53 lbs. of Boneless Chicken Thighs Reduced for Quick Sale = $ 3.02
1.68 lbs. of Chicken Drumsticks Reduced for Quick Sale = $ 1.33
1.12 lbs. of Ground Sirloin Reduced for Quick Sale = $ 2.79
1.78 lbs. of Pork Niblets Reduced for Quick Sale = $ 3.37
Total OOP was $ 11.68+ tax on the cat treats.
This was my best buy of the morning. Fortunately, my grandaughter doesn't read my blog yet. I got this Leapster Explorer Game for Free with a coupon that I earned with my Toys R Us Rewards Card. I didn't even have to pay tax. This will be a gift for her that she will love.
Please feel free to share with all of us any great deals that you got today by leaving a comment.
My small chest freezer in the basement hasn't been defrosted since I purchased it in March of 2010. Since it is NOT self - defrosting, it was time to clean it. It had a little bit of ice built up but it wasn't really bad as you can see in the picture. However it needed to be done before I buy turkeys at Thanksgiving time and because I don't like the fact that it takes more energy to run an iced up freezer.
So I emptied the food that was in it into coolers after I unplugged it. Then I took my blowdryer running it on hot and defrosted the ice. As the ice came loose, I dumped it into a bucket. Then I took some old towels and dried the sides and bottom down. This took me all of an hour. Be careful if you use a blowdryer to do this that you don't drop it in the water and electrocute yourself. I have been using a blowdryer to do freezers since the late 1960's when we didn't have frost free freezers in our refrigerators. It makes this job so easy.
After plugging the freezer back in, I put all the food back. The drops you are seeing in the pictures are just reflections from the camera and flourescent lighting. Believe me when I say it is all clean and as dry as possible.
We have been eating from the freezer for a couple of months so it is only about half full at this point. We will continue to use up the food to make room for the Thanksgiving turkeys and other items.
Does your freezer need defrosting? Will you do it before Thanksgiving?
Since I babysat my grandson most of the day yesterday, my Sunday shopping got pushed off until Monday. I got most of it done today. At Wegmans, I picked up a bag of gala apples( pictured below) at $ .89 a lb.= $ 4.25, 2 roasting chickens at $ .88 a lb. totalling $10.00, 10 cans of solid white albacore tuna at $ .99 a can, 10 cans of niblet corn at $ .39 a can and 4 cans of coffee at $ 2.49 a can for a OOP total of $38.01.
At Aldi's I picked up 3 lbs. of yellow onions at $ .33 a lb for a total of $ .99. We were on our last bottle of Vitamin D and fish oil so the Rite Aid sale on Nature Made could not have come at a better time. The small bottle of Vitamin D and bottle of Fish Oil cost me $ 9.89 each minus 20% discount on each and a $1.00 MQ on each and a $1.50VVQ on the fish oil = $ 11.88. The larger bottle of Vitamin D was $21.99 minus 20% discount and a $ 1.00 MQ = $ 16.59. I paid a grand total of $ $28.47 and got an UP Reward for $ 15.00.
At Walgreens, I purchased 2 Iodized Salt and 2 Baking Soda with In Ad Q for $ .50 each, a Natural Dentist for $ 5.99 after $2.00 IPQ, 4 cans of mandarin oranges with In Ad Q for $ .50 each for a grand total of $ 9.99+tax.
At CVS I picked up 4 bags of candy for Halloween at 4 for $ 10.00 and used (2) $ 1./2 Peelie Q's = $ 8.00. I also purchased 6 Revlon lipsticks for $ 5.49 each after (6) $ 1./1 MQ's. My total OOP was $40.94 = tax. But I received a $ 4.00 ECB for the candy and $ 30.00 in ECB's for the lipsticks for a grand total of $ 34.00 in ECB's. The lipstick deal was perfect because it is what I use and I was down to the last bit in my last tube.
The last stop was at Top's where I purchased the following:
11 Boxes of Purina One Beyond - $ 2.99 each - used $ 2.00/1 MQ's = $ .99 each = $ 10.89
2 Medium Eggs - $ 1.00 each = $ 2.00
10 Cans of DelMonte Fruit - $ 1.00 each minus $ 2.00 off instantly for buying $10.00 worth = $ .80 a can or $ 8.00
4 Kleenex Hand Towels - $ 2.50 each - Used $ .75/1 MQD = $ 1.00 each = $ 4.00
1 Skintimate Shaving Gel - $ 2.50 - Used $ .75/1 IPQD = $ 1.00
4 Sun Bird Seasonings - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .50/2 IPQD = $ .50 each = $ 2.00
2 Ortega Taco Sauces - $ 1.50 each - Used $ 1./2 IPQ = $ 1.00 each =$2.00
2 Ortega Refried Beans - $ 1.00 each - Used $ 1./2 IPQ = $ .50 each or $ 1.00
2 Emerald 100 Calorie Packs - $ 2.50 each - Used $ 1.10/1 IPQ's = $1.40 each = $ 2.80
3 Ore-Ida Tater Tots - $ 3.00 each - on B2G1F - Used $ 1./3 MQ = $5.00 for all 3
6 Bounty Basic Paper Towels - $ 1.00 each - Used (1) $ 1./2 MQ and (4) $ .25/1 MQD = $ .50 each or $ 3.00
Total OOP was $ 41.69+tax.
Please feel free to leave a comment and share any good deals you got today.
Back to my thoughts on the coupons.... If I don't track what I am spending for inserts and what coupons I am actually using, I could be losing money and that is a big No No in this household. So if in the next few weeks, I find that they aren't worth the cost, they will be history.
A number of my readers have asked me recently what I am planning on stocking on this Fall that should be great prices. I am more than happy to oblige with a comprehensive list. Let's start with canned goods or, as I used to say in Arizona, case lot sales. I haven't really seen "case lot sales" here in New York but I can make my own by just buying 12 cans of certain items.
This morning I went to Save-A-Lot because they had the best price on canned items for my stockpile. I purchased a case (12 cans) of Green Giant Peas at $ .59 a can, a case of Green Giant Green Beans at $ .59 a can, a case of DelMonte Spaghetti Sauce with meat for $ .88 a can and a 64 oz. carton of 100% orange juice( not pictured) for $ 1.99. I used a Facebook coupon for $ 5./25. and paid OOP just $ 21.71. The peas and beans will be used in soups, stews, and casseroles over the winter. For health reasons, I drain the salty water off of the vegetables and then rinse them before I use them. The store also had cans of Green Giant niblet corn at $ .59 a can but I passed those up because I can get the same size cans of Wegman's for $ .39 a can until the end of the year. Wegman's also has green beans at $ .39 a can but we like the Green Giant better. I usually make my own spaghetti sauce but I like to have jarred or canned on the shelf to use in a pinch when I am out of homemade. I just throw a can in a pot, add a can of diced tomotoes, some garlic and many herbs spices and we are good to eat. So 12 cans should last a very long time. When you are buying cans, watch your expiration dates. Mine were all dated far into 2014.
Canned vegetables, fruits and soups are usually at their rock bottom prices during the Fall. If I can get the vegetables under $ .65 a can, I am happy. I noticed that next week at Top's, the DelMonte vegetables, if you buy 10, will be $ .80 a can. I was much happier to pay $ .39 a can at Wegmans or $ .59 a can at Save-A-Lot than $ .80. Now since they have DelMonte canned fruit if you buy 10 also on sale for that $ .80 a can next week, I might buy some. If they have pineapple included, $ .80 a can will be a great deal. I will be keeping my eyes open for a great price on canned tomatoes, sauce and paste. Also I am starting to see sale prices on canned chili if you use it. We prefer to make our own.
Most of the time, I use dried beans. However, I do like to have canned beans on the shelf, so I will be looking to stock different kinds at the lowest prices. If I can get them between $ .50 and $ .75 a can, I will be very happy.
Canned solid white albacore tuna fish is $ .99 a can at Wegmans and the chunk yellowfin tuna is $ .79 a can until the end of the year. We prefer the albacore so I will stock on that everytime I go to Wegmans.
Besides canned goods, right now and in the next few weeks, beef will be at rock bottom prices. I believe that because of the weather, the ranchers had to slaughter most of their cows. So this a great time to stock your freezer for a year. We don't eat a lot of beef in our household but I got the eye rounds the other day and will be keeping my eye on the prices on other cuts of beef. The roasting chickens at Wegmans are so meaty and tender and are on guaranteed price of $ .88 a lb. until the end of the year. I will be stockpiling some of these.
Celery, potatoes, and apples will be at their cheapest prices. I will be making and freezing pie fillings and freezing diced celery to use in soups and stews. I have an entire extra drawer in my fridge to stock on potatoes.
When the Halloween candy goes on sale at 75 -90% off, it is time to stock on chocolate and M&M's for Christmas cookie baking and for the rest of the year. Just throw it in the freezer and take it out the night before you need to use it.
Just before Thanksgiving, many prices will be at rock bottom. It is the cheapest time of the year to buy cream cooking soups(celery,mushroom and chicken), cranberry sauce and fresh cranberries to freeze, evaporated and condensed milks which I use in many main dishes, for baking and desserts. Also spices and most baking items will be on sale. White and brown sugars, powdered sugar, white, bread, and wheat flours, butter, semi sweet chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, Splenda and oil all come to mind. Canned pumpkin will be at it's cheapest price. When instant milk goes on sale, I like to buy a few boxes to use in cooking and baking.
Also canned chicken broth will be at rock bottom prices. Even though I usually make my own, I like to have some canned on the shelf for when I don't have any made. But I don't like to pay a premium for it.
Of course, the best deal for Thanksgiving is whole turkeys. They will be at their best prices of the year. I would love to be able to buy 12 of them; one for each month. But I don't really have the freezer space so I will get at least 3-4. Maybe more, if I decide to cook a few and just take the meat off and freeze it for future meals. The cooked meat should last 3 months or so. We use the turkey meat in all of our chicken recipes. At the same time, I will buy the herb stuffing mixes for the turkeys, since they will be on sale.
And then coming up to the Christmas holiday, both cream cheese and hams will be on sale. So I will pick up a few hams and enough cream cheese to take me through until the following Christmas.
So now you know that this is my plan to beat inflation over the next 6-12 months. I hope I have helped you with a pretty comprehensive list of what I think will be at the best prices over the next months. If you can think of anything that I have missed, please feel free to leave a comment and let us all know.
I don't know if you have noticed but I have been squirreling away the nuts for the winter. If the squirrels can do it, so can I. My reasoning is two fold. First and most important is the fact that the prices keep escalating. Second and almost as important is the fact that I really hate winter. The thought of going out in the cold, snow and ice to grocery shop turns me off completely.
Since all of you have shopped for groceries recently, you have seen the prices rise week after week. I see no end to this in the near future. So stockpiling at rock bottom prices makes the most sense to me. Since we are retired and on a fixed income, we have to be very cognizant of what we are paying for things. We have seen a great erosion of the buying power of our money over the past 18 months. Between the food prices, gasoline prices, energy costs and healthcare premiums going up, we have to be very careful with our money. The returns on our money don't even come close to the escalating inflation. We know what we have to live on and we know that there is no more coming in to make up for this inflation. Since DH's and my philosophy has always been to take care of ourselves without incurring any debt, we need to be really prudent.
Because winter is approaching much faster than I would like, I needed a plan that would accomplish both reasons. So I made a decision a number of weeks ago to ramp up my food storage. I have DH planning the shelving systems that I need. Meanwhile I am keeping an eye on prices so that I stock at the lowest possible. Keeping my pricebook has been the biggest help in reaching this goal. This way I know a great price when I see it.
I have also noticed over the past weeks that coupons don't really cut it like they used to. The manufacturers are cutting back on the value off a product. Many coupons are off of 3 or 4 items. I don't know about you but I am not buying 3 products when I only need 1 to get a few cents off those 3 or 4 products. The manufacturers keep raising the prices and cutting back the ounces in a product and hoping that we don't notice. Believe me when I say I NOTICE! Inflation and gasoline prices are pushing this trend. But the popularity of the show " Extreme Couponing" has also made the manufacturers and markets more aware of what not to put out there couponwise. A perfect example of this is my Top's supermarket. The free after coupon deals just aren't there anymore. It rarely happens. Matter of fact, over the past few flyers, there have been few deals even when we pay. I will continue to use coupons but only if I need the product and if it makes sense. Many times, the best price is at a non- coupon market like Aldi's. I find myself shopping there or at another market, produce market or farm stand, dollar store, etc., more and more often. Many times they have the better price even without coupons. So I find myself tracking how many coupons I am actually using out of an insert and what I am paying for those inserts to see if it is worth it.
This is getting long and I have to run an errand. Since I have much more to say on this topic, I will write more later. To be continued later today.........
Before I tell you about the shopping, have I ever told you what a great guy I am married to? This afternoon as I was finishing my shopping at Top's, I could tell my blood sugar was getting low and I also needed something to drink. I had been out for most of the morning. So I grabbed a 20 oz. Coke to drink in the van. I left Top's and was making a sharp turn to go home when the Coke bottle which was unopened in the drink holder went flying. All of the Coke emptied out onto the floor on the passenger side and the center console. It also splashed all over the door, console, etc. What a mess! All I could do was continue to drive home. I was so upset over it and parched. I came home and DH came out to help me bring the groceries in and I told and showed him what happened. While I was unpacking my groceries and getting a quick snack and glass of water, DH used the shop vac to get all the Coke up and then he got our carpet cleaner machine out and he cleaned the entire car himself. He does nice things like this for me all of the time. That's one of the reasons we have been married for 44+years.
Now onto the shopping I did. I went to Williamsville for all of my shopping today. My first stop was Aldi's. I purchased 6 jars of salsa at $1.19 each. DH and I love their salsa. I also got 2 pkgs. of mini marshmallows at $ .89 each, 2 bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips at $1.69 each and celery at $ .99. My total OOP was $ 13.29.
Next was a stop at Target where I purchased isopropyl alcohol, which I use to make my lens cleaner and automatic shower cleaner. It cost $2.19. I also purchased a package of Scotch Brite Stainless Scrubbers for $ 1.94 and a container of chicken broth for $ 1.79. Lastly I picked up some number molds and play dough for $ 5.79, a container of sidewalk chalk for $ .50 and a bucket with shovel for $ .50 from the dollar spot which was having 50% off. The chalk, bucket and shovel are for my grandson when he comes here to play. The playdough and molds is something to help keep him busy when I babysit him on Sunday for about 11 hours. My son and DIL are going to the home opener of the Buffalo Bills game with a whole group of people. They will be tailgating before and after the game from an RV. It should be tons of fun for them and a great day with my grandson for DH and I. The total at Target was $ 13.47.
Then I ran into Dollar Tree where I picked up a birthday card for $ .50 and a package of scrub sponges for $ 1.00. My total OOP was $ 1.63.
And lastly I stopped at Top's where I purchased a bag of Fresh Express Romaine lettuce for Free with Q, 2 boxes of barley for $ 1.99 each, 1 -20oz, Coke at $ 1.59, 2 bags of Mission Tortilla Chips for $ 2.50 each less a $ 1./1 IPQ on each and 4 Eye Round Roasts at $ 2.99 a lb. The roasts totalled $ 41.27. The total OOP was $ 49.99. I can never get eye round roasts this cheaply. The low price must be as a result of all the cows they had to slaughter because of the weather...heat and flooding. Two I will freeze for roast beef dinners and two I will cut up for stew beef.
BTW, I am now craving chocolate so I will be making fudge later today; hence the chocolate chips and marshmallows. :-)
I will be posting this week something that I am doing this Fall that I think you will be interested in. A number of people have been asking me questions about it. I just don't know when I will post it because I am busily Fall cleaning this week. So I will fit it in when I need a break.
Have you done any great shopping this week? If so please leave a comment and share your deals with all of us.
UPDATE:
The girl who I spoke about below is doing recovering well when I talked to her today. However I have received news today that another of our bloggers whose blog is actually one that I have been frequenting for years has also had a heart attack and is recovering. She was one of the originals from our Hounding group and her blog is one on my right hand list. My heart goes out to her also and I hope that she has a speedy recovery. Please keep both of these young girls in your prayers.
One of the girls who frequents my blog had a heart attack today. She was rushed to the hospital and had to have a stent put in. I don't have her permission to name her but you all know her from the frequent comments she leaves on my blog. I am in shock because she is so young. Please say a little prayer for her that she will recover quickly and be well again. Thanks to all!
Remember that 1/2 bushel of peaches that I showed you the other day. Well here it is. It took me five hours but we now have 30 jars of sugar free peach jam in our freezer and refrigerator( two are in the fridge and not pictured). Our grandson and his mommy and daddy came for a visit shortly after I was done. We put a little bit of jam on his apple slices for his snack and he kept asking for more. So I guess it is good! DH and I will be testing it tomorrow on either English muffins or bagels for breakfast.
I am so tired but it was worth it to have homemade jam for over the winter. I made enough that I will be giving some away some for hostess gifts and for our delivery men at Christmas.
Have you made any jam this year? Or done any canning? I would love to have you leave a comment and share with us what you have done.
Besides picking up peaches and the above pictured marked down bananas at $ .29 a lb. at Niagara Produce yesterday and stopping at Petsmart, I did some stockpile shopping at Wegmans. This is what I purchased:
2 Roasting Chickens at $ .88 a lb = $ 10.29
5 cans of Niblet Corn at $ .39 each = $ 1.95
10 cans of White Albacore Tuna at $ .99 a can = $ 9.90
4 cans of French Roast Coffee at $ 2.49 a can = $ 9.96
Total was $ 32.10
I absolutely hate winters here. So I want to build a stockpile for the fall and winter so that I do not have to drive in the ice and snow. Only driving on really dry days will be what I will be aiming for. It is soup season and I use the canned corn in soups so I need a good supply. Next time I am at Wegmans I will pick up more. Tuna rapidly disappears around here at lunchtime. I can never have enough and since it is dated summer of next year, I want a really good supply. Also, we can never have enough coffee at a great price.
BTW, my sister and her family are in the Binghamton, NY area where all the flooding from Lee has happened in the past couple of days. They have some flooding of a screened in porch and a garage but otherwise are okay. The power outages and roads and bridges being washed out is a bigger problem. As my sister said to me, we have not been out and we are glad we have a stockpile so we don't have to go out. Those stockpiles come in handy for so many reasons.
It has been a very busy day of shopping and movie watching. I have a few minutes while I have a chicken roasting in the oven for dinner.
I went to Petsmart and picked up 2 bags of Authority Cat Food, 1 bag of Science Diet, and 4 cans of Authority cat food in two separate transactions. That is because I had $ 5.00 off Petsmart IPQ's that said 1 per transaction. The dry bags of Authority food were $ 5.99 each, so I paid $ .99 per bag. They also had a tearpad of coupons in front of the products that gave you 2 cans of canned food ( $ .70 each - $ 1.40 for 2) free for each bag of dry food you bought. So I got 4 free. I also had a free Q for the Science Diet which was $10.99. The total of both transactions was $ 3.12 of which $ 1.14 was tax. My cat will have cheap food that is good for her for quite some time thanks to this deal.
Can you guess what I will be doing in the next couple of days? I just have to wait for the peaches to ripen enough. This was also part of the shopping today. More about all of that tomorrow.
With the economy in the toilet and food prices rising so rapidly, it is hard to make ends meet for many, many people. There are so many people out of work, people living hand to mouth, and so many senior citizens rapidly depleting their nest eggs. This is the time when you have to look at everything you do and find a better and cheaper way to do it so that you can hang onto as much of your hard earned money as possible. So let's start with simply making a homemade pizza instead of dining out or having one delivered.
My DIL, Michelle, made this delicious pizza one night last week. She said, "It was the best pizza ever made in this house. I knew I had a winner when my DH( my son) went back for thirds."
So of course, I wanted this recipe. She told me that she made the crust following a recipe in the book that came with her breadmaker. So dig out your breadmaker recipe books and see if you have a recipe for pizza dough. If you don't have that book, I am sure you can find many pizza dough recipes online or just throw together the ingredients for her crust below and knead it by hand. She said while the dough was mixing, she opened the breadmaker cover and added a few shakes of McCormick's basil and garlic mixture, some Italian seasoning mix and some garlic powder. She added a little water because it looked dry and then closed the cover and let it all mix. After the dough was done, she rolled it out onto the cookie sheet which I am sure she most likely oiled first.
Then she added Hunt's Garlic Spaghetti Sauce, cheese, onions, peppers and chopped up cooked chicken. She sprinkled it with garlic salt. As you can see in the picture she only put peppers on just 1/2 of the pizza to accommodate other tastes in the household. Then she baked it at 400-425 for about 18 to 20 minutes.
Here is the breakdown of what it cost her for this pizza, using the prices she paid for the ingredients:
- 2 cups of unbleached bread flour ( 5 lb. bag was $2.99) = $ .30
- 1 Tbsp. of canola oil ( 48 oz. bottle for $ 2.99) = $ .03
- 1 Tbsp. of sugar ( 5 lb. bag for $ 2.69) = $ .03
- 1 Tsp. of salt ( 26 oz. for $ 1.69) = $ .01
- 1 Tbsp. of dry milk ( 16 oz. for $ 7.29 ) = $ .23
- 1 Tsp. of Active Dry Yeast ( 4 oz. jar for $ 3.50) = $ .10
- 1 Tbsp. of Flaxseed Meal ( 2 lb. bag for $ 5.99) = $ . 05
- A couple of shakes of the Italian, Basil and Garlic seasonings, garlic powder for the crust and the garlic salt sprinkled on top - About $ .10 for all at the most
- About 8 oz.( I like lots of sauce) of the Hunts sauce ( 26.5 oz. can for $ 1.00 ) = $ .30
- 4 ounces of Pizza Blend Shredded Cheese ( $ 2.99 for 8 oz. bag )= $1.50
- 1/2 of a small onion diced ( 3 lbs. for $ 1.99 ) = $ .10
- 1/4 of a green pepper ( $ .60 for 1) = $ .15
- 1/3 cup of diced cooked chicken ( $ 1.99 a lb.) = $ .33
So the grand total to make this pizza was $ 3.23 plus a very minimal amount for electricity to bake it. A really cheap frozen pizza that is not as big as this pizza will cost you $ 3.50 on sale. Michelle's pizza will taste so much better and most likely be much healthier because it is fresh and does not have the additives and preservatives that are in the frozen pizza. For DH and I to go out to our favorite pizza restaurant, it would cost us $ 15.99 for the same size pizza with the same toppings. Of course we would be ordering drinks also. But even if we had water with it, it would cost us $ 12.76 more plus a tip and the gasoline to get there. If we have the same pizza delivered, we are looking at $ 19.99 plus a $3.00 delivery charge and tip. So that option for us is $ 19.76 more plus tip.
Make just one homemade pizza a month instead of going out and you have saved $ 153.12 plus tip and gasoline in one year. Skip the delivered one and you have saved $ 237.12 plus tip in one year. As you can see this one change in the way you do things adds up to quite a savings. You can bet I will be trying Michelle's pizza this week.
Remember that these are the prices she paid and your prices will vary depending on the prices in your area. For example, I bought the same size pizza cheese today for $ 1.00 so that would have cost me $ .50 instead of $ 1.50. You could make an even cheaper pizza by eliminating the flaxseed meal, chicken, pepper and onion and just using cheese. There are so many options.
I just want to get you thinking about how you can squeeze extra money out of your budget by doing it yourself with minimal effort. I know that I want to keep as much of my money as possible and I am sure you do too. So the next time that you are tempted to go out for pizza, think twice about how much money that is really costing you.
Do you make your own pizza? Would you be willing to share a recipe in the comments? If so feel free.
It was a pretty cold day here in WNY. So while a lot of you were cooking out, we had a wonderful dinner at our son and DIL's home. While our grandson was cooking with Grandpa's help, my DIL cooked us the delicious turkey dinner below:
This nice hot dinner tasted so good on such a cold, gloomy day. Thanks to my son and DIL for inviting us. Everything was just scrumptious!
After dinner, our grandson was standing in the dining room with his milk in one hand and his water in the other. My DIL said to him, "Put them in the refrigerator." Since our grandson is so good at following directions he did as pictured below:
How cute is he, putting them both in his refrigerator! Thanks for a wonderful dinner. And I hope all of you had just as wonderful a Labor Day Holiday as we did.
We had a huge neighborhood party to go to yesterday. My watermelon bowls with fresh fruit salad are almost done and so is the huge tossed salad that I made. Grab a couple of bottles of wine for the hostess and host and we will be good to go and enjoy ourselves.
However, I set my alarm and was up at 7 AM so that I could get my Sunday shopping done. This is what I purchased:
CVS:
2 Hershey's Air Delight Candy Bars - $ .99 each - Used B1G1FQ = $ .99 for two and I received a $ .99 ECB
1 Milky Way Candy Bar - $ 1.19 - Used Free CVS CRT Q = Free
1 Carefree Body Shape Pantiliners- $ 1.00 - Used $ .50 MQ = $ .50 and received a $ 1.00 ECB( $ .50 moneymaker)
2 - 14 Ct. Orbit Gum - On sale B1G1F - $ 1.49 - Used $ 1./1 CVS CRT Q = $ .49 for both
1 Skintimate Moisturing Shave Cream - $ 1.99 - Use $ 1./1 MQ and $1./1 CVS Q = Made $ .01
Used $ 1.00 ECB
Total was $ .97+ tax and I received $ 1.99 in ECB's.
Walgreens:
2 Lindsay Green Olives - $ .99 each with In Ad Q
Total was $ 1.98.
Top's:
4 Heluva Good Shredded Cheese - $ 2.00 each - Used $ .50/1 IPQD = $1.00 each or $ 4.00
2 Fruit2Day - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .45/1 IPQD = $ .10 each or a total of $ .20
1 Strawberries - $ 3.00
1 Blueberries - $ 3.00
1 Radishes - $ 1.50
16 cans of Fancy Feast - $ .60 each - Used B3G1FQ's( Thanks Beth!) = $ .45 a can or $ 7.20
4 Progresso Soup - $ 1.25 each - Used $ 1./4 MQ = $ 4.00 for 4
6 Hot Pocket Snackers - $ 1.00 each - Used $ 1./1 MQ = All Free
Total was $ 22.90 + $ .84 tax = $ 23.74.
Here is the finished product( minus the watermelon slices I added to the platter after I got to the cookout) showing the fruit bowls and platter. These got demolished pretty quickly by both the adults and kids. It was nice to see kids eating healthy.
Just wanted to let you all know that I am still around. It has been a crazy week. My son's home got hit by lightning during the storm the other night. They are fine and there was no fire. But it fried just about everything in the house including the furnace control, TV's, DVD players, alarm system, cable, and the list goes on and on. It was quiet a jolt in the night that woke them up.
Also, for all of you who e-mail me, my e-mail has been down for almost three days now and no one seems to be able to fix it. So for all of you who e-mailed me, I am not ignoring you, I just can't seem to send any mail out. Hopefully, it will get fixed soon. If not, I will be changing e-mails and I will let everyone know what I am using.
Lastly, I want to wish everyone a safe and fun Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the last real weekend of the summer. We will be partying in the neighborhood, so I will be back posting on Tuesday.
