Shaws- Catalina Craziness!

Paul was home for the day (although it turns out they called him in for OT, and he missed the call). So, coupons in hand, I headed out to pick up a few things. Shaw's Catalina deals usually work off of presale prices (PSP)- and this time was no different!

Here's what I got, in two transactions at Shaws:

#1-

4 boxes Golden Grahams, PSP $3.69, on sale 2/$4
2 boxes Trix, PSP $3.29, on sale 2/$4
4 boxes Suddenly Salad, PSP 2.69, on sale 3/$4

PSP 32.10, Sale price, 17.38
used 3 $1/2 GM cereals coupons. coupons.com and pillsbury.com
used 4 40¢ off SS coupons (all doubled), coupons.com and pillsbury.com
used $10 catalina from Saturday's trip

Paid 1.14 out of pocket, got $10 catalina and $1.50/3 GM cereals catalina


#2

Wishbone Spray Dressing, PSP 2/$5, sale $2
2 boxes Fruit Rollups, PSP 3.19, sale 2/$5
2 bags Chex Mix, PSP 2.69, on sale $1.67
2 boxes Chexbars, PSP 3.79, on sale $3
2 boxes Fruit Rollup 'stickers', PSP 2.99, on sale 2/$5

PSP total- 27.82, sale price 21.34

Used 2 60¢ off Chex mix (coupons.com and pillsbury.com) doubled
2- 50¢ off two fruit rollup, doubled
2- 50¢ off Chex bars, doubled
$10 catalina from previous order

total after sales and coupons, 4.94 out of pocket. Got another $10 OYNO catalina!


While out, I also grabbed a package of Pampers- and the cashier took my printout from CVS.com, pretended it was a coupon, and rang it in as such. So it worked out to $2.99OOP for the diapers, rather than getting ECBs.

All in all, I spent $9.07 out of my envelope, didn't spend any ECBs and still have a $10 catalina for Shaws.

When I got home, I opened all the boxes of cereal and fruit rollups, and got a total of $10 in cash cards from the boxes! Which means, I "made" 93¢ for leaving the house today!

Crockpot Chicken Pozole

Hominy is a great variation on the same old corn. It tastes like a combination of corn and potatoes, with a texture more towards the potato. I usually use dried hominy, and soak and rehydrate myself- but this recipe is based off of the canned version. Serve over rice.

Serves 4

3 chicken breasts, cubed
2 cans hominy, drained
1 can chicken stock
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
2 Tbsp dried onions

Cook on low in crockpot for 8 hours. Add in the following about 15 minutes before serving:

1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 bag frozen pepper strips (if using fresh, add at beginning. frozen are a LOT softer!)
Check for seasonings- you probably won't need more salt, but pepper is probably needed at this point.

This recipe is VERY forgiving!

Ninja shopping, W/E 6-6

I call my shopping method "ninja" because I aim to hit 5 stores in rapid fire succession. I'm fortunate to live in an area where this is possible- I made it to 5 stores and was home before an hour had passed! Here's what I got done:



Shaws: 2 day sale Fri and Sat


Coke 2L- 88¢ plus 5¢ deposit, limit 8 (bought 8, so came out to 7.44)

BOGO blueberries (3.99)

And the Catalina deal that I'm working:
2/$4 Golden Grahams (x3, used 1.50 off catalina coupon, 4.50 for 3)
4/$5 Fuze drinks (x12, used 6 BOGO coupons from CVS tearpads, so 7.50 for 12)
4/$5 Vitamin water (x2, used 2 50¢ off coupons from 7-11 tearpads, doubled, 50¢ for 2)
3/$5 Chex mix (used 50¢ coupons.com coupon, doubled, 67¢)

Total paid, $24.60. Received a BOGO catalina for Sobe Lifewater and a $10 OYNO catalina.


Walgreens: 3 separate transactions, 2 stores

Ecotrin- $2 (used $2 coupon from recent insert) free
Bayer Contour Meter, $10 (used "up to $30" coupon from 3/22 insert) free
paid 60¢ (tax on the free stuff) received 12.00 in RRs (did this 2x)

Revlon hair dryer- $12.99
Similac liquid formula, clearanced to $3.19
Used RRs from previous transaction, paid 4.99, received $10 in RRs

So I still have $22 in RRs to play with next week- sweet!

CVS-

2pks Pampers 8.99, used $1.50/1 coupon (cheerios box) and $2/1 coupon (home mailer)
1pk Huggies 8.99, used $2/1 coupon (printable from coupons.com)
paid with $10, $5, and $4.99 ECB. Paid 68¢ in cash, got back $10 in ECBs

Price Chopper-
3 Mama Lucia boxed meatballs, (on sale buy one get 2 free 4.99)
total came to 4.99. That's all I got there!

So, grand total of my shopping trip: $36.46, $22 in RR, $10 OYNO at Shaws, $10 ECBs. I 'made' more than I spent- which means that next week will start out with the usual $40 in cash, plus $7 leftover from the last few weeks, and $58 ($42 from this week alone!) in various rewards coupons. I also have a total of $20 in Target GCs, $10 in Shaw's GCs, 4- $5 GCs from Cheerio boxes. Grand total of available cash, store credits, and GCs- $155.

Shephards' Pie

I'm a huge fan of making classic recipes in a healthier way. Shephards' Pie is one of those down-home comfort foods that I love- and my family agrees! Here's how I make my healthifed version:

Meat layer:
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup lentils, pre cooked
2 cups beef stock, low sodium
1 tsp grill seasoning
flour
Worcestershire or A-1

Preheat oven to 350. Brown beef with grill seasoning, drain off most of the fat. Add in lentils, then sprinkle with flour and let it cook off. Deglaze with the beef stock, then add a couple of shakes of Worcestershire or A1 sauce. Adjust seasonings now.

Meanwhile, heat up a bag of frozen mixed vegetables (I use Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers) and potatoes- you can use either leftover homemade or boxed (Potato flakes have come a LONG way! I promise! We like Betty Crocker Garlic mashed, but I skimp a bit on the water when I'm making a double batch).

Place meat layer in the bottom of a well greased casserole, then top with veggies and finally, potatoes. Sprinkle top of potatoes with paprika and parsley, bake for 10 minutes (you're just browning the tops of the potatoes a bit).

What I won't do in the name of Frugality

This topic came up in a chatroom I was in recently. I thought I'd blog a bit about it, because I'm rather surprised with the initial round of reactions I've gotten.

I won't buy regular pasta. There, I said it. I'll only buy the Ronzoni SmartTaste pastas, even if they are regular price of $2 per lb. Walmart has it for $1.50, and with a $1/1 coupon, that means it is 50¢ per box. It is the only brand of protein and fiber enriched pasta that I can get past Paul.

I won't buy commercial yogurt. Well, I will, but only the Fage brand Greek yogurt, and only when my own yogurt needs a new starter. I'd rather make my own, where I know exactly what went into it. The yogurt I make at home has the live cultures, more protein and calcium than regular milk (I add milk powder to it), and no added sugar. Plus, there's the distinct benefit of not having to pay $4 per quart of whole milk yogurt~ the kind that Everett eats.

I won't choose the dollar menu over the healthy option. When I hit the drive-thru, which is more frequent than I care to admit, I'll pick the more expensive yet more healthful option. My two current favorites are the McDonald's Grilled Chicken Club (no mayo) and the Dunkin Donuts Turkey Bacon Cheddar Flatbread. Both are about 400 calories, and they're both pretty good!

What won't you do in the name of frugality?

Old Navy- What I got with my coupon!

I stayed up WAY too late Sunday night. I was in TheThriftyMama's chat room (I swear, I can still hear the popping!) with 250 others , waiting for the site update from oldnavyweekly.com to post. At 11:59, the site went live and the big value coupons were gone super super fast. I was one of the lucky ones- I ended up with a $75 off purchase of $100 or more!

So, of course, with the coupon burning a hole in my pocket, I begged DH to take me to ON (not a trip I could handle with the kids!). Alas, his job called him in early, only about 5 minutes after I convinced him to go. So, I had to wait until he got home from work.

My patience was rewarded! DH got home at 7, and we made it to Old Navy by 8. I had a list of stuff I wanted to get- pants for DH, shirts for Abby, a hat for Everett, a warm weather outfit for Everett. But once we hit the door, DH insisted he didn't need pants- he wanted me to pick stuff out for myself and the kids.

I have to say, I'm not a fan of the current trend of very loose tops and unfitted dresses- they all make me look pregnant! So it wasn't exactly easy to find shirts that were inexpensive and flattering, yet not too trendy. I did end up getting 5 shirts for myself, 4 shirts for Abby, Everett's hat, a bathing suit top (I prefer tankinis, but my old top is a bit too revealing for my tastes!), a skirt, and a ball for the kids. Total spent? $12.54. Yeah, I rocked it! (I'll post a picture later!)

Best of all, the staff at my local Old Navy was SUPERB! Super friendly, super helpful, and the cashiers were excited for me when my total started falling!

Another great thing- all of the shirts can be worn with the skirt, which hits right at the knee so it is also very flattering. Double bonus for the fact that the skirt is a medium- haven't been able to buy a medium skirt in years! Most of the shirts are larges- not the typical XL I've been in for years!

Photos to come- got to find the camera!

Menu Planning Monday!

This week is a bit of a wild one for us! DH's work schedule is all kinds of wonky this week, so I'm on my own for the majority of the week. I'm hoping to take the kids out Tuesday, Wednesday is my night out, and DH is off Thursday. Makes for a hectic week!

So here's the plan:

Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs with Italian-style frozen veggies

Tuesday: Dinner on the go for kids and I, leftover Shephard's pie for DH.

Wednesday: Homemade Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Ham

Thursday: Enchilada Lasagna

Friday: Hawaiian Pizza

Saturday- leftovers

The only thing I actually had to go out and get was the meatballs- on sale at Price Chopper for B1G2 Free. Spent $4.99, have meatballs for 3 meals!

The ham was $2.50 at Walmart for a 1lb package of prediced ham. That 1lb will stretch across 4 meals, I'll use 1/2 lb in the mac and cheese (and freeze 1/2 of that for crazy weeks), and 2 pizzas. That's 63¢ per meal! The key with this is small dices. A lot of little pieces of ham means you get some in every bite, and the flavor goes all through the meal!