Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Have you ever been to the library and noticed those people on the computer who are laughing out loud, or rocking out,or talking to the computer in public? Well I am that person tonight. My Internet service is down for a few days (Lord have mercy!) and I'm sitting here at the library giggling at all your funny comments and friends blog posts and I just can't help myself.

And I'm totally going to flake out and not do a recipe this week. I'm just going to let you all takeover from here.

PLEASE remember to link directly to your post, not your homepage.

PLEASE remember to provide a link in the body of your post back to the Grocery Cart Challenge OR your link may be deleted.

Ok....have fun!

Weekly Shopping Trip & Sour Milk Info

OK,I found a freakishly good deal this week. If you live in my area check Grocery Outlet's dairy case. I found 3 half gallons of 2% milk for a $1. The reason why they were marked down is because they had only 2 days left on the "sell by" date but milk, refrigerated properly, can last 7 days past this. Just try the good ole sniff test. And sour milk (milk that has become tart and thickened...not spoiled milk which is clumpy and rank) can be used. It's not going to make you sick. Yogurt and cheese are made with sour (fermented) milk. And, milk can also be frozen. Did you know that? It expands when you freeze it so you need to drain a bit out of the container. When you go to thaw it, just set it in the fridge for a few days and give it a good shake once it's a liquid again. The milk tends to separate when it freezes but you can mix it right back up.

4 loaves of bread and

1 bag of onion bagels $4.70

2 cans tomato sauce $.78

2 cans pineapple $1.58

2 cans of chili $1.18

double size can of spaghetti sauce $.69

double size can of tomato paste $.39

2 cans of mandarin oranges $1.38

1 can green beans $.39

6 bars of Dial soap $1.98

Starbucks Coffee $3.49

3 half gallons of 2% milk $1.00

5lbs ground beef $7.99

Cotton Swabs $1.99

Grated Cheddar $2.99

Cottage Cheese $1.99

4 double rolls of TP $2.99

3 lbs apples $2.10

3 lbs bananas $1.60

2 boxes margarine $1.78

5 dozen eggs $7.68

Broccoli Crowns $1.39

1/2 lb Bulk chicken soup base $1.51

3/4 lb Bulk powdered milk $2.00

3.5 lbs bulk granulated sugar $1.76

1/2 lb chocolate chips $1.24

Shredded mozzarella $2.76

margarine tub $.88

Grand Total $60.21

***Ooops, Sorry I forgot the linky.

Please remember to link directly to your post, not your homepage. Also provide a link back to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Plan Monday

I had a great time at my girly weekend. Thanks for all the well wishes. But back to reality now. You'll probably notice the lack of a thrilling Superbowl menu because #1 we don't have cable and #2 my guys just aren't really into it. It's just a regular old week for us.

Breakfasts

Toast and Fruit

German Pancakes

Apple and Oats Breakfast Pudding

Pancakes

Poached Eggs and Toast

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Leftover Frozen Pancakes

Dinners

Turkey Bean Soup (I'm making this one up as I go) and Peasant Bread

Basil Cheese Polenta Wedges with marinara sauce and steamed broccoli

Baked Potato Night with Salsa, Chili, Cheese, Sour Cream

Crockpot Lasagna, green beans, Peasant Bread

Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole, Fruit Salad

Spaghetti, green beans, Garlic Rolls

Leftovers

Go see what's cooking across the country HERE.

The Secret Revealed!

You guys are so sweet. In my teaser post you guessed all these amazing things that I was going to announce like…

I was going to go big like the Pioneer Woman

I was going to be on Oprah

I had signed a book deal

And those are all dreamy things but really, the surprise has nothing to do with me and everything to do with YOU.

One day I was sitting here thinking, “Hmmm, it would be really fun to have a giveaway.” But the more I thought about it I realized that I just don’t have the cash to pony up for a gift and I really wanted it to be something neat. Not just a gift card, or a book, but something that would really bless the socks off the frugal people who are reading this blog.

And then I got an idea. Why not ask if anyone was interested in providing the product for the giveaway. So I drafted up a proposal, picked some of my favorite companies, fired off some e-mails and waited.

And whaddya know? I got some responses. Dang, I was excited. And yep, I have something BIG to giveaway.

The generous people at Keurig decided that they thought it was a great idea and provided a product for the giveaway. And when they told me what they wanted to give you I went over to their site and checked it out. Now Keurig is the maker of this fancy single cup brewing coffee system. We used to have one in our business office for our clients to use, before we moved the office back into the house. It makes one of the BEST cups of coffee ever, as well as tea and hot chocolate. I used to volunteer at Chris’ office just so I could have a cup of Rain forest Vanilla Coffee everyday. (Yeah, I’m a cheap date too.)

But the Keurig company didn’t offer us just ANY coffee pot. It wasn’t one of their low end models. They were really generous and offered us their Platinum Brewer AND 4 boxes of K-cups (coffee pods) to go with it. We are talking a $250 dollar gift guys.

And just so you know, this isn’t some cleverly disguised advertising on my blog that I’m earning a big check for. I’m getting nothing here folks. This is from me, to you…via Keurig.

So here’s the low down to enter and win this amazing Platinum Brewer and 4 boxes of K-cups…

(This is open to U.S. residents only. Sorry to my friends out of the states.)

• Leave me a comment and make sure your e-mail address is in there so I can contact you if you are the winner.
• Then spread the word on your own blog. You are welcome to grab the cute little graphic that I made at the top of this post. (Just right-click on the graphic and choose "save pictures as" or copy and paste it into your own post.)
• Include a text link in your blog post too so people know how to get here and enter.
• Please only enter once.
• You don’t need to have a blog to enter.
• A winner will be randomly picked and announced on Monday, February 2nd.

Go visit their site and check out all the details on this Brewer. It’s a pretty amazing product.

And guess what? Bloggy Giveaways is having their big bash this week too. So go on over and find some more freebies.

Good luck and keep your eyes out for more Grocery Cart Challenge Giveaways in the future!

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Gosh I love Friday. It just seems like it's time to relax and take a break. Here's one of our favorite cocoa recipes. We like hot cocoa A LOT!

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking cocoa

1 cup water

1/4 cup powdered milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Mix it all in a mug and microwave until hot. For us that is one minute. Stir and enjoy.

Rules For Participating...

Please remember to link directly to your recipe post, not your homepage.

Please include a link in the body of your post back to the Grocery Cart Challenge otherwise YOUR LINK MAY BE DELETED. I hate doing that but that's how it works.

I can't wait to see what you've got cooking this week.

FAQ's - Do Your Kids Really Eat This Stuff?

When you have a tight grocery budget there is very little room for convenience foods which seem to be the first choice among anyone between the diaper stage and the I-can-vote stage. Our diet consists mostly of home cooked meals which rely heavily on beans, rice, pasta, veggies, fruit, dairy products and small amounts of meat. There are no frozen pizzas or burritos in my freezer unless I’ve made them myself and stuck them in there. And I’m often asked…

“How do you get your kids to eat this stuff?”

So I thought I’d share some of the house rules.

The first is that there are no complaints about the food set before them. We are one of the few countries that make eating a recreational sport. No wonder we have such a high obesity rate. We eat purely out of desire rather than to feed our bodies and we are training our kids the same way. I know, I do it too. In most of the rest of the world eating is to fuel their bodies and they are grateful to have it no matter what it is. I need a little bit more of that perspective in my life. So no one is allowed to say “Oh yuck” at our table or “I’m not eating this” or any form of “What is THAT?” asked with disgust in their tone. We practice being grateful for what we have. Sometimes we practice a lot.

Second, They must try everything set before them by taking one bite. A lot of times they judge it by how it looks but as soon as I instituted this rule they realized that at least half of what they thought looked yucky was really actually pretty darn good. I really don’t make anything disgusting like cow tongue or fried grubs. Most of what I make is nutritious, good for their bodies in some way and tasty. And I don’t feed them anything I wouldn’t eat myself. Plus I don’t set them up for failure or for waste either. If it’s something they might not like I give them a bite size serving. If they want more after that they are welcome to it.

Third, If they choose not to eat it that’s fine by me. As long as they give it a try and don’t waste (see #2) and aren’t rude about it (see #1) then I’m not going to force them to eat it. They just aren’t allowed to replace the rejected food with snacks. They can eat again at the next meal. That usually gives a little extra incentive to look at their food with a better attitude. And again, I’m not feeding them anything disgusting or that I wouldn’t eat myself. If they are choosing not to eat it, it’s purely out of preference. Although there have been times that they have still chosen to skip it but it doesn’t happen very often.

And Fourth, Chris and I follow these rules ourselves. I really can’t expect them to try strange foods and not complain unless I’m doing the same thing. So Chris and I have resolved to have a good attitude and be grateful for what we have too.

But all this made me wonder what the kids thought about some of my meals. So I temporarily removed the no complaining rule and asked them this question….

“Is there anything I’ve made that you thought was totally disgusting?”

They had no hesitation in reminding me of a few culinary disasters. And of course I have a house full of boys (and one girl ) so they tried to top each other in their gross assessments.

“The tofu soup thing you made once tasted like toe jam dug out of a belly button” (Yeah, I didn’t really care for that one either.)

“That polenta thing tasted like puke” (Hmmm, I really liked that one.)

“Even I didn’t like the pumpkin oatmeal, Mom” (From my kid who will eat anything.)

“Remember the time you were out of milk and you used mayonnaise to make waffles? Now THAT was gross. ” (Ok, not my most shining moment.)

So there you have it. The food rules of the house and the true thoughts from my kids. All wrapped up in one tidy blog post. You can’t get much more real than that.

Common Cents Article

Hey, if you get a chance go HERE and see this weeks article in The Daily News. The online version always gets the snot edited out of it but you'll still get the gist. I recommended several books so if you're looking for them, you can find them in my left sidebar.

Have a great day, my frugal friends.

OOOH, I've Got A Secret...

I'm just not very good at keeping secrets. Tell me something in confidence and my lips are sealed. But if I've got a great surprise in store, then it's about all I can do to hold it in and not spill the beans.

But I would like to say a big Thank You to everyone who reads this blog and actually gets something useful from it. I had no idea that our financial dilemma would turn into something that would be helpful to anybody else. I was really just trying to survive. But I've heard back from so many of you and you've touched me with your stories and great ideas and encouragement and it's been pretty amazing. And because you've shared this site with others and contributed to the buzz about this blog, it's created a few opportunities that will end up benefiting you pretty soon.

And I think that's probably all I should say at this point.

Well...OK...I will tell you this.

In the next few months you'll want to pay close attention because there will be a few announcements that you won't want to miss. And they are not at all for my gain but for yours.

And maybe you should really play close attention on, say, January 26th.

And then you might want to pay attention sometime in the month of February.

And then keep spreading the word and telling your friends because then that might cause some more things to happen and you might want to pay even MORE attention in March and April.

And that's all I can say right now.

See, I'm not very good at this secret thing.

Weekly Shopping Trip

It's the little things that excite me. Like the fact that I found a giant can of dill pickles for $.99. Look at the size of that thing in my pictures. I felt like I was taking a chance by buying it. I was afraid they wouldn't be good quality, maybe mushy or not a good dill flavor so it was the first thing I opened when I got home. They were great and I was tempted to go back and buy the other four cans I found on the shelf. We like pickles for snacks and the elk ruined my pickle patch this year so I didn't get to can my own. I also found chocolate soymilk as a treat for my lactose intolerant-chocolate luvin husband at $.49 a carton.

Those were the two bargains that made my day.

I had to buy easy to fix, convenient type food for the weekend since I won't be here to prepare meals for anybody and I'm just not feeling organized enough to put together meals and directions and lists for everyone.

Bad mommy.

So here's how it went...

5 loaves of bread $4.70

Giant can of dill pickles $.99

2 cans pineapple $1.58

2 cans pears $1.38

2 cans mandarin oranges $1.38

Large can of spaghetti sauce $.69

Starbucks whole bean coffee $3.49

2 cans chili $1.18

2 cartons of chocolate soy milk $.98

4 boxes mac & cheese $1.00

Penne pasta $.99

3 lbs apples $2.99

Smoked Sausage $3.99

Pepporoni $1.79

Cottage Cheese $1.69

Tater Tots $1.29

Toilet Paper $2.99

Solid Chunk of Parmesan $2.15

Gallon milk $2.48

2 cartons of Vanilla Soy Milk $2.16

5 dozen eggs $7.68

1.3 lbs Bulk Crispy Rice Cereal $1.97

4 lbs bananas $2.08

3/4 lb powdered milk $2.25

2 onions $.53

Shredded Mozzarella $1.86

1 lb cheddar $3.43

5 lbs sugar $1.95

2 lbs carrotts $.98

5 lb potatoes $1.68

Roma Tomatoes $.79

3 zuchinni $1.75

Grand Total $66.84

To see what I'll be cooking with this stuff go Here. How did your shopping trip go?

Please remember to link directly with your post (not your homepage) and provide a link in the body of your post back to the Grocery Cart Challenge. Otherwise your link may be deleted.

Menu Plan Monday

Well, I'm skipping town for the weekend. Some friends and I are renting a cabin in the middle of nowhere for some quality girl time. I'm trying to tell myself that I WILL be able to live without the Internet for a few days.

In the meantime my family will be left to fend for themselves for a few days. A couple of mornings they are going to eat cold cereal. (They are going to be so excited when I tell them.) And of course every bachelors standby is hot dogs and frozen tater tots. That's gourmet for a bachelor, isn't it?

And the few days leading up to my departure will be full of veggies and lentils and rice. I'm hoping to fill them full of healthy stuff before the mac and cheese madness begins.

Breakfasts

Oatmeal with brown sugar and pecans
Pumpkin Bread and fruit
Waffles
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Poached eggs and toast
Cold Cereal
Cold Cereal

Dinners

Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole, green beans
Turkey and Rice Soup, buttery bread machine rolls
Ziti Pepperoni Casserole, Steamed Veggies
Briami over brown rice, Crusty Homemade Bread
Crockpot Lentil and Sausage Soup, Peasant Bread
Hot Dogs and Tater Tots
Leftovers

Head on over to Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's blog and see what's cooking around the country.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

It was Roast Turkey night. (burp). We pigged out and it tasted even better when I reminded my husband that the original price tag was $18.89 and I ended up getting it for something like $4.14. I rarely find deals that are so good. I'm sucking every ounce of pleasure out of it that I can.

When I was a teenager I used to work at a gourmet deli. That's where I learned how to cook and I ended up with lots of great recipes like Apple Dumplings with Lemon Cream, Buttery Shortbread Cookies and Fudge Frosted Peanut Butter Bars. But my total weakness was French Silk Pie. In the two decades since then, I seem to have lost some of my favorite recipes including the one for the pie. So when I came across the Exact Same Recipe on Recipezaar I was thrilled. And that's the pie we had as dessert with our roast turkey.

French Silk Pie has the BEST chocolate flavor. It's really like a firm chocolate mouse and not at all like those chocolate pudding pies that you normally get when you order a chocolate pie. I like to put it in a shortbread cookie dough crust, top it with real whipped cream and make chocolate curls to sprinkle all over the top. It looks like something from the bakery. And the cost...around $3. It takes me about 5 minutes to whip it together and a few hours to chill.

You can find the recipe HERE.

If you'd like to participate in the recipe swap please link directly to your recipe post (not your home page) and include a link back here from your post.

Have a great time finding goodies for next weeks meals.

FAQ's - Grocery Outlet Stores

One of the most frequently asked questions that arrives in my inbox is some form of...

"How do I find a Grocery Liquidator/Salvage/Surplus/Outlet store in my area?"

Without one of these stores to shop at I wouldn't be able to get the bargains that I do, stick to my budget, or avoid the need to spend countless hours clipping and researching coupons. These types of stores save my hiney when it comes to shopping.

Just in case you don't know what these are, these are stores that sell off products sent back to the grocery warehouse by a store OR excess inventory sold to a liquidator by a manufacturer. It can range from items that are close to the sell-by date, cans that have been dented during transport or display, seasonal items that didn't sell in time and need to be cleared off the regular retail shelves, new products that didn't sell well in the mass market, or items with labels that have misprints. There are untold treasures to be found.

These stores are also regulated and inspected by the USDA. So if you are concerned that you might be purchasing items that have gone bad or could be harmful you aren't at any more risk than if you were buying from your local chain store.

Another point of note is that Best If Used By dates are the date that the manufacturer would like their item kept on display but many items are good well past this date. It is not the date that the item becomes rotten or inedible. Even milk is still good days after the Sell By date. The only foods required to have an actual expiration date are baby foods and formulas.

Some times these types of stores are well organized and clean and other times they are grubby and the items are piled in bins. But don't let that determine whether you shop there or not. One of the cheapest stores I shop at feels like I need to apply hand sanitizer when I leave but it's also the place where I find cans of tomatoes and veggies for 39 cents each...sometimes 3 or 4 for a dollar.

Another thing to keep in mind is that these stores don't always have the same items available. If you see something, grab it. It might sell out by next week and be replaced by a completely different item. The store owners are never quite sure what will be on their shelves each month.

So if you are interested in adding one of these stores to your shopping routine, I have a few web sites that may be able to help you locate one in your neck of the woods.

Grocery Outlet's website has locations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Nevada

United Grocery Outlet has locations in Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia

gnivas.com has a list of stores all across the U.S. as well as hours and websites.

Anderson Country Market has a directory also.

None of these lists are exhaustive. Several of my local stores were missing but it's a great place to start.

GCC Shopping Round Up

I just want to remind myself (and anyone else out there) that this budget wasn't just a fun project. This crazy $60 a week budget is simply what I have to feed my family right now. It has a purpose. There's a goal to be reached. No pity party here. We chose to start a business. We knew it was going to take some sacrifice and creativity. We were committed that I stay home to run the house and teach the kids. (It's growing well by the way. Every quarter is better than the last)

I say all that as a reminder to myself because It's such a temptation to overspend. A lot of times I stand at an aisle and look at the shelf and justify, "Well, it would be cheaper to buy the bigger size." But if I fell for that every time my budget just wouldn't stay at $60. It would grow and grow and grow. So my goal is to fit all that I need JUST FOR THE WEEK into my $60 budget. Sometimes that means buying ONLY the smaller carton of whipping cream that is a little bit more expensive than the pint because that is the only way I can make the puzzle pieces of my grocery budget fit together to equal $60 and still get everything else on my list. And sometimes I still go slightly over. (It would be so nice to be perfect, wouldn't it?)

Ok. I'm done with my personal pep talk. So here's how it went...




3 loaves of bread $2.82
2 bags of bagels $1.88

3 cans pineapple chunks $2.37
3 cans mandarin oranges $1.67
3 cans tomatoes $1.17
Cranberry Sauce $.49
Men's Deodorant $.99

4 double rolls TP $2.99
Garbage Bags $.99
Conditioner $.99
Shampoo $3.49
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil $3.99
Peanut Butter $1.69
32 oz Frozen Strawberries $2.98
Feta $1.59
Shredded Parmesan $1.99

5lb Potatoes $1.68
2.4 lbs Bananas $1.39
Dozen Eggs $1.59
Frozen Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrot Mix $1.48
Graham Pie Crust $1.12
Green Pepper $.58
1/2 lb bulk rolled oats $.18
1/2 lb bulk Johny's Seasoning Salt $.84
Shredded Mozzarella $1.91
1/2 lb bulk powdered milk $1.57
1/4 lb bulk Crispy Rice Cereal $.43
1.75 lbs bulk Quick Oats $.75
1/3 lb Bulk Baking Cocoa $1.04
Margarine Tub $.89
Unsalted butter sticks $1.98
2 lbs cheddar $5.48
1/2 lb dried pineapple mango
Margarine sticks $.86
2 lbs plain yogurt $1.78
Whipping Cream $1.58
Emergen-C (fights off colds)$9.98

Grand Total $69.79

To see what's cooking at our house this week with all these ingredients, go HERE.

If you'd like to link up please remember to link directly to your post (not your home page) and include a link back here. I look forward to seeing how everyone did this week.

I Heart My Bread Machine

Someone asked what Bread Machine I use. My first machine was a wedding present over 14 years ago and I used it to death. I was sad that I was going to have to take my chances and buy another one but I really lucked out. I got a regular old Sunbeam bread machine. It was the cheapest one that I could find at Wal-mart and the only bread machine on the shelf. I was desperate and grabbed it, hoping I didn't just waste all that money. Come to find out I love the thing. I really like the shape of the bread pan, plus it has a gazillion different settings and makes JAM!

Hello!

So if you're shopping for one I've got a link on the left sidebar to Amazon where you can get it cheaper than I paid for it at Wal-mart. It also received great reviews from over 300 people. I love reading through those.

P.S. Nobody is paying me to say this. I just heart my bread machine THAT much.

Menu Plan Monday

Well it's time to pull out the big guns. Remember that giant turkey I got for $4 in November? It's coming out this week.

I also found out that my bread machine has a jam setting so I'll be trying some homemade jam for Sunday mornings breakfast.

And....for any of you that are making the homemade yogurt, I've refined my recipe a bit. I add about 1/4 cup more of powdered milk (makes it thicker like store bought) and I incubate it by setting a heating pad on my counter to low, setting my jar of yogurt mix on top of the heating pad and then putting a large pot over the top to make a mini heater. That way I don't tie up my oven for hours. It works perfectly and took exactly four hours. When I used the oven light and less powdered milk it took at least 8 hours to set up.

Breakfasts

Oatmeal

Poached Eggs and Toast

No Bake Granola Bars

Pancakes

Apple and Oats Breakfast Pudding

Lemon Yogurt Muffins

Jam on Toast, Bananas

Dinners

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Date Night with Hubs (woohoo)

Baked Feta & Tomato Polenta, steamed veggies

Roast Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, Buttery Bread Machine Rolls, Scalloped Cabbage Casserole, French Silk Pie

Thanksgiving Memories Casserole

Leftovers

Creamy Turkey Soup, Peasant Bread

Check back tomorrow to see how the shopping trip went and to link up your own trip. It's so much fun to see what you all are buying each week.

Reality Bites

It was a surprise week for us. Flooding gave us a few extra mouths to feed. Plus my clumsiness ruined one of our dinners. This is what's left of our Nacho Casserole....


So I had to make an extra trip to the store

Here's what I added to my original shopping trip this week.


25 lb bag of flour $7.98
3 lbs apples $2.47
Bulk Powdered Milk $2.10
Lemon Juice $1.58
4 lbs bananas $2.04
3 lbs grapes $2.13


Total $18.30 + Mondays Total = $71.90


I just wanted you to see that sometimes even I have to go back to the store.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

So if any of you have seen the news about the Pacific Northwest and all the flooding....I live smack dab in the middle of that mess. My house has fared well but friends around me haven't been so lucky. It's so weird how one house is fine and 2 miles away people are being evacuated while their homes are filled with water. So please keep the people in this area in your prayers.

This weeks recipe is one of our favorite fall meals called Tortellini Soup. We like it with fresh rolls. I normally leave out the spinach and used dried tortellini from the bulk bins. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

You can find the recipe HERE.

If you'd like to participate in this weeks recipe swap please link directly to your post on your own blog (not your home page) and then PLEASE include a link back here from your post.

Have fun getting ideas for next weeks menu.

Wrapping Up The Questions

What would be the best place to start as far getting a handle on budgeting? To me it seems to be one of those things that is so overwhelming I don't know where to start.

If you are looking for help planning a complete family budget than there is no better book that I can recommend than Larry Burketts The Financial Planning Workbook. It's an easy to use, in depth guide on how to set up a budget and includes all kinds of worksheets and advice to work it all out. If you look in my left sidebar I've got a link to Amazon where you can get these for a discount. If you are asking specifically about where to get started concerning just your grocery budget you can check out my section on "Just How Do I Do This" in the right sidebar and that should give you a good start.

I was also wondering about the homemade laundry detergent. Is it easy to make, and is it safe for use on baby clothes? I'm expecting my second baby and want to make sure anything I use is safe for the kids. My husband looked at me like I had lost my mind when I mentioned making laundry detergent.

The laundry detergent is VERY easy to make. It probably takes me 15 minutes to make a double batch. It is very safe and works well on people with sensitive skin. All the ingredients are non-toxic except for the Borax which is a still a natural occurring compound but the amount in each recipe is minimal.

Do you have any frugal secrets for your homeschool?

THERE IS NO NEED TO BUY BOXED CURRICULUM SETS! Gosh I wish I would have understood that in the early years. I spent hundreds of dollars on stale boring curriculum that we hated. I pull from several different resources for my curriculum and my most frugal sources are e-bay, Rainbow Resource (offers a huge selection at discount) and good ole Paperback Swap for our reading material. (if you decided to sign up please use my e-mail: gaylebryant6@hotmail.com as your referral. )

Have you ever done a post on whether or not you CVS?

I don't CVS or use coupons. I'm not opposed to either and maybe at some point I'll find the time to invest in this. A lot of you out there are getting some amazing deals. But I've noticed several things. One is that I'm not willing to buy 5 car air fresheners just to get a good deal on toilet paper. I don't need car air fresheners so this really isn't a deal for me. Plus if I were to crunch the numbers I could just buy the TP at one of the liquidators at a cheaper price and not have to pay for the other items that I don't really want. And Second, most coupons out there are for brand name items or convenience foods that I don't normally buy. I can get the same things for good prices if I just buy generic or again, hit the grocery liquidators. When they start making coupons for flour, sugar, eggs, milk, or the basics I'll be all over it. And I sure wouldn't pass up a coupon if I knew I could get it cheaper than my regular shopping. But right now I'm not willing to invest the time to learn the system and track down all the sale ads and double coupons and e-coupons. Maybe someday.

Don't forget that Friday is our big recipe swap. I'll be posting Mr. Linky again if you all want to join in.

More Questions Answered

Next week I will be cutting my food/paper budget down from $125 a week to $75, this did however include oddball items such as gifts and household items such as a new shower curtain. My question is, do you do this as well? I looked over your site and noticed no mention of pet food, deodorant or even pads/tampons. Just looking for some pointers.



My grocery budget does include paper products, light bulbs, and hygiene stuff too. But I probably approach it in a little bit different way than the norm. For example a few months ago a bathroom light bulb burnt out and it took a couple of weeks before I could find a sufficient gap in my budget to fit it in. We all survived in the dimmer than normal bathroom but I was just fine waiting until I could afford it. For tampons, I make sure I'm prepared for the next time so that I don't have to make any emergency budget blowing trips to the store. I figure I have at least 3 weeks between the time they run out and the time I'm going to need them again and surely I can fit it in during that time frame. I also use sites like Start Sampling and Walmart Samples to get free samples of items that tide me over. I'm constantly getting free tampons, pads, Advil, sample size boxes of cereals, lotions, shampoo and things of that nature. I stuff those away to supplement my stash. Plus I've been building up my supply of pads for when my daughter needs them. I have a huge stash. And the question about pets...we just don't have them right now. My first priority is feeding the people. When times are better, we might add a pet to the mix.



I noticed that on one of your shopping lists, that you included Delsym cough medicine, so my question is, "Do you include all of your families medicines in your grocery budget?"



We are a pretty healthy bunch. We get a seasonal cold here and there and seasonal allergies but I don't think I've taken a kid to the doctor for a few years. (I hope I didn't just jinx myself) Only one of us is on a regular full time prescription and I don't count that into my grocery budget. But to treat allergies, the occasional headache, fever, cramp or cough I keep my medicine shelf ready and on standby. And yes, the money for that comes out of the grocery budget. What I found from working at a pediatric office for several years is that medicines are just like food in the sense that you pay more for a brand name than you do for it's equivalent generic form. I usually buy generic medicines and they last us a long time because we only use them when we are miserable. I'm not a big pill-popper. I'm more of a rest and let your body take care of itself kind of person.



I received a new bread maker for Christmas (my old one fell apart after a zillion moves and little use) and I finally got a great loaf of bread from it, but how do you store it? And how do you slice it so that if makes a reasonable size sandwich that does not have too much bread?



I mainly use my bread machines dough cycle and then shape it myself and cook it. Every once in a while I'll let the machine run it's course but I don't like the size of the bread that comes out. To store it I keep it in a Gallon size Ziploc storage bag. (I seldom buy these. I just wash and re-use the good quality ones and they last at least a year.) I slice it only as I need it to keep it from drying out too fast. And they freeze really great as long as you cool them completely before you seal them up. I hate slicing them up though. They always crumble or cave in when I slice them with my serrated knife. I found a bread slicer guide at a thrift store though and that thing is amazing. It holds your bread for you and has slots on the side to line up your knife and cut uniform pieces. You might be able to find a cheap one on E-bay. It looks like the one below only mine was made of plastic not wood.





Still more questions tomorrow.

Your Questions Answered

For the record, I LOVE getting your questions. They make me think harder about what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, and if it's really worth it. So never be worried about asking something.
I also had lots of questions about buying from the bulk bins which just happened to be the topic of the newspaper article I wrote this week. You can see it here.

If you had your choice, would you prefer to shop every week or every two weeks?

I've tried shopping every week, every two weeks, and once a month and the one that works best for me is once a week. My first reason is that if I stretch my shopping out then inevitably some unplanned event comes up that I need to prepare food for and I've already spent all my money. Second, if there is more in the house we consume more. We don't pace ourselves and can eat through two weeks of food in one week easily. With the bellyache to prove it. And third, when I shop only once or twice a month I STILL have to make trips to the store to stock back up on milk and produce so I'm at the grocery store even more.

Is there anything that you will splurge on? I know most people have certain items that they feel they HAVE to have. Whats yours?

The list of things that I thought I HAD to have has grown smaller over the years. When we first started our business and our new budget my list had things like bottles of flavored water, $15 bottles of brand name hair gel, Lysol sanitizing wipes, boneless skinless chicken breasts, and huge bags of shredded cheese. I thought I couldn't live without some of that stuff. But now my list has very few "must have" splurges on it. Aussie sprunch spray for my curly hair is a splurge but I can find it at one of my outlet stores marked down to $1.99 which fits into my budget. I'm still not sure if I could live without it. And sometimes if the budget allows I'll by Top Ramen, Mac & cheese or a bag of chips as a treat for the family.

If you've asked a question and you don't see it here don't worry. I've got a file full of questions that I'll be trying to get to in the next few days.

GCC Shopping Round Up

40 count Tampons $3.99

2 salad dressings $.49

2 cans green beans $.78

4 cans fruit $2.37

Starbucks Whole Bean Coffee $3.49

Corn Chips $2.99

2 lbs bacon $3.99

2 cups shredded cheese $2.29

4 boxes Mac & Cheese $1.00

2 pack toothbrushes $.99

Swiss Cheese $3.64

5 dozen eggs $7.68

3 lbs Bulk Brown Sugar $1.45

1 head green cabbage $1.02

3/4 lb Bulk Navy Beans $.73

3 lbs apples $2.38

2 lbs Bulk Popcorn $1.64

3/4 Bulk Vanilla Granola $1.10

2 lbs Bulk Chocolate Chips $4.67

Margarine sticks $.89

Margarine tub $1.08

Vanilla Yogurt $1.78

3.5 lbs Bananas $1.92

4 lbs Unbleached Flour $1.24

Grand Total $53.60

So If you'd like to participate in the Shopping Round Up here are the steps:

1. Take a picture of your groceries and post it on your blog (prices make it more fun)


2. Grab the address at the top of the page by highlighting it, right click and copy


3. Go to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this page and in the top box enter your name


4. In the bottom box right click and paste your address


5. Then hit "enter" or "submit" or whatever the linky says.

Your done!

PLEASE!!!!! Make sure to let your readers know where you are linked up at by providing a link back to this post in the post you've written on your own blog. It's only fair that if I'm spreading the linky love than you do too. If you skip this step you might catch me on a grumpy day and I just might delete your link. And if you are a spammer mis-using this linky....be prepared to automatically be deleted. I hope that wasn't too snarky but YES, even the grocery cart challenge lady has pet peeves. And if you've already been doing this THANK YOU!

Menu Plan Monday

Sounds like the vote is for Mr. Linky so Tuesday's shopping post will have a Link at the end so everyone can join in. It looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. (I usually put it up late Monday night PST for any of you early birds)

So, I get lots of questions about the sodium content in the recipes I link to as well as calorie and fat contents. I'm going to let you in on a little secret...I don't follow recipes exactly. I make lots of substitutions when I cook so that I can maintain my weight and my family's health. Although I'm not opposed to an occasional indulgence.

Here are just a few off the top of my head...

• When a baking recipe calls for oil I sub it with home canned sugar free applesauce
• I sub sour cream with plain yogurt
• I sub whipping cream/whole milk/buttermilk with low fat reconstituted powdered milk
• I leave out a lot of the salt called for
• When a recipe calls for onion, green pepper, green chilies, spinach, zucchini or some other vegetable that the kids might balk at I puree it and then throw it in. Out of sight, out of mind.
• Even if a recipe DOESN'T call for a veggie I either grate or puree one and throw it in anyway. A lot of my sweet muffins have hidden carrot, pumpkin, or zucchini in them. The kids have no idea.
• In baking I sub an egg for 1 Tbs soy flour and 2 Tbs water
• I can't afford to shop for low fat, organic ingredients but if I catch it on sale I always choose them over the regular stuff.

So here's the plan for the week....keep in mind all the substitutions that can be used.

Breakfast

Amish Baked Oatmeal

Buttermilk Doughnuts with chocolate glaze and banana smoothies

Poached eggs and toast

Apple and Oats Breakfast Pudding

Yogurt, Granola and Fruit Parfaits

Overnight Carmel Strata

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Dinners

Homemade Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Peasant Bread

BBQ Chicken Legs, Cornbread, Green Salad

Rosemary White Beans, Steamed Broccoli

Nacho Casserole

Runza and sliced fruit

Leftovers

Quiche Lorraine and sliced fruit

Your Vote Counts

So.....I had a request to do a Mr. Linky on my grocery shopping posts every week and I want to know if anybody else out there is interested. It's the post where I take the picture of what I shop for and then break it all down for my grand total. A Mr. Linky could be put up at the end and anybody else who wants to participate can join in...just like Friday's recipe swap. So I'm taking a vote. Here's your chance to be heard.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to some good recipes this week. And my contribution is what to do with your leftover Halloween or Thanksgiving Pumpkins that might still be sitting on your counter.


Roasted Pumpkin

1 pumpkin....any kind...large or small

Cut pumpkin in half. Scoop out pulp and seeds and set aside (don't throw away) This doesn't need to be perfect. If some strings are left it will all get pureed and there is nothing wrong with it. Place pumpkin cut side down on a cookie sheet or roasting pan. Bake @ 450 for 30 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. When pumpkin is cool scoop meat into a food processor and process with a little bit of water until it is thick and creamy. Store in freezer containers (I use freezer bags that can stack flat) in 1 cup amounts. Can be thawed and used later for muffins, pies, cakes or even soups.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Separate the pumpkins seeds from the stringy pulp. (great for the kids cuz it's really slimy) Rinse and dry the seeds and place on a cookie sheet (I don't use oil) Sprinkle with spices. (Johny's Seasoning Salt...Powdered Ranch Dressing...plain salt...taco seasoning) Bake @ 300 for 45 minutes or until golden.

If you'd like to participate in the recipe swap please provide a link directly to your recipe post...not your home page. Also include a link back to this site.