Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Sledding Spots in the Hudson Valley


I came across this article in Hudson Valley Mercantile and thought it entirely appropriate given the recent snowfall and 
the frugal nature of sledding! 






Friday, December 17, 2010

Hurry back over to Shoprite for 99c Mozzarella (thru Saturday 12/18)




There is a great new $1/1 IP that makes for some cheap mozzarella with the sale ending tomorrow(12/18/10) at Shoprite.

99c- Polly-O Mozzarella $1.99- $1/1 IP
$1.99- Polly-O Ricotta $2.99 - $1/1 IP

Pair this with the cheap/free Ronzoni pasta and some inexpensive Al Fresco Chicken Sausage(next week) for a great, frugal meal!

Free-Ronzoni Quick Cook 88c- 50c/1 IP
Free-Ronzoni Garden Pasta 3/$4 - (3) 75c/1 IPs (multiple computers) 
or 
$1/3-Ronzoni Garden Pasta 3/$4 - (2) 75c/1 IPs (one computer)

Week of 12/19-12/25
$1.49-Al Fresco Chicken Sausage $3.49- $2/1 IP

Shopping Wk ending 12/17/2010---Catalinas Pay Off Big Time!

I knew the catalina deals from earlier in the month would pay off 
and here's the proof!

Aldi: $4.38
Adams: $5.08
Shoprite: $0.00
Shoprite: $0.55
Shoprite: $2.32


Total Spending = $12.33
Total Savings = $169.58 or 93%

December Spending Weeks 1 thru 3 = $115.98

I'm feeling pretty happy with the deals and my stockpile and am pleased to know I'll end the year in a great way!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Wednesday Tip Day---- Save by saving time

Save time by avoiding shopping during the peak hours.
You will most likely be less stressed and less likely to make an impulse purchase.  You'll also be likely to save gas since you'll be avoiding the traffic on the road that is associated with the traffic in the stores.
Plan accordingly whenever possible :)

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Shoprite Printable Only Match-Ups 12/12-12/18

It's not a bad week for printables at Shoprite!
Here are some match-ups to get you started.  
I'll add more as I find them.

Free-Fisher Boy Fish Sticks 99c-75c/1 IP
Free- CoffeMate Creamer $1.24 - 75c/1 IP when you register
Free- Breakstone's Sour Cream 99c - 55c/1 IP
49c- Heluva Good Cheese $1.49- 50c/1 IP

Catalina Deal:
Pillsbury Refrigerated Buy 6 Get $3 ONYO
Buy 6 Grands @ 99c (make sure to get 2 varieties)
$5.94 total before Qs
Use (3) 30c/2 IPs here, here or here
$4.14 OOP, Receive $3 ONYO
Final Cost = $1.14/6 or 19c each

Friday, December 10, 2010

A slow week was good for me :)

 I did shop a little more than this, but I didn't have the energy for pictures.
I needed to grab some fixings for salad and couldn't resist stocking up on a little more $1.29/lb chicken breast at Adams.  I also made one last run to Shoprite Saturday night to get in on some more of the hot deals from last week.  Aside from that, my husband ran to Shoprite on Sunday when I was hit with a mighty cold.  He took advantage of the Theraflu catalina there. I made a quick stop at Shoprite today for a few freebies and some things we needed, namely eggs!  All in all my total spending for the week was $34.52!

Total Spending = $34.52
Total Savings = $99.55 or 74%

Wish me luck for next week.  I'll be finishing up my Holiday shopping and though I may or may not post it here and don't include it in my household $40/week budget, I will need some energy to get this done!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Wednesday Tip Day-- A bow that's pretty, thrifty and no so bad for the environment!

In the midst of the Holidays, I thought a post on creative and frugal solutions to gift wrapping would be appropriate!


This cute bow is featured in an article over here on how to make bows out of recycled paper!

Need an alternative for your children's artwork.  Use it as wrapping paper!
We can't possibly save everything they create and this is a great way to let others enjoy it.

One of the more obvious and simple ways we save money on holiday wrapping is to buy it on clearance at the end of the year.  We can usually find rolls for 90% off and use it the next year!

And in case you need more ideas, you can visit the Seventh Generation site!

What are your creative and frugal ways to wrap gifts???

this is a repost from last year with an update

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Great New Coupon at Redplum makes for cheap (possibly free) items at Shoprite


Head on over to Redplum and print this 75c/2 Goya Coconut items.
Goya makes coconut cookies and sodas that are priced around 49c-79c.
That makes for some free goodies.
If you need coconut milk:
Buy 2 @ $1.25/each = $2.50
Use 75c/2 IP doubled = $1 for two or 50c each!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Shopping Week of 11-27 thru 12-3, 2010

Well, I spent a good deal this week, but I got back lots of Catalinas, so the next few weeks will be lower OOP to make up for this week!  I found 2 receipts from last week that hadn't been accounted for, so I'm adding them in here.  My grand total for the week was $69.13 + $11.35 from last week = $80.48.


Total Spending = $69.13
Total Savings = $255.38 or 79%

How was the first week in December for you?

Year End Goal!...52 weeks @ $40/wk = $2080 for the year

Wow!  I'm evaluating my "unspoken" goal of an average budget of $40/week or $2080/year and realizing that leaves me $394.11 for the month of December (November 27- December 31).  I'm pleased to realize I have that much room in my budget and also pleased because it is highly unlikely I'll spend that much!
Check back soon for my shopping trips from the 1st week of December!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Adams Farms $1.29/lb chicken breast


Sales for 12/3- 12/6, 2010

$1.29/lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
59c/lb sweet onions
59c/1lb golden yams

For the full ad visit Adams website!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

A New Favorite Recipe!---Lemony Bean Duo

We tried this recipe in place of the go-to green bean casserole for Thanksgiving Dinner and I just had to share it!!!  It was delicious warm right after it was prepared and it was so delicious cold the next day that no one else in my house got leftover green beans.
I made it without the wax beans since they are not available this time of year.



Ingredients

* 1/2 cup(s) packed fresh mint leaves

* 1 1/2 pound(s) green beans, trimmed

* 1 1/2 pound(s) wax beans, trimmed

* Salt

* Pepper

* 2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil

* 1 lemon



Directions

1. Heat 7- to 8-quart covered saucepot of water to boiling on high. Meanwhile, finely chop half of mint.

2. To saucepot, add beans and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 7 to 8 minutes or until just crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Drain well.

3. While beans are still warm, in large bowl, toss with oil, chopped mint, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large shallow serving bowl. Grate lemon peel directly over beans, then tear remaining mint leaves and scatter over beans.