Publix Trip 9/30/10

I spent $6.80 for $48.22 worth of groceries, saving $41.42 or 86%!

See my original list HERE.

Added:

(1) Old El Paso Seasoning 4/$3

   -Free wyb 2 Old El Paso Products

Deleted:

Nothing!

Coupon Changes, Prices, and Price Changes:

Cinnamon Toast Crunch BOGO $4.89 not $4.99.

Country Crock BOGO $1.95 not $1.89

*Edit* I forgot to mention I used a Dollar General $5/$25 Purchase Coupon as well.

Good Trip! I was going to pick up the Free pledge and Sundown Vitamins, but both of them were cleared out by time I got there at 10am!  I'm sure the vitamins have been gone for a few days, but the Pledge? I suspect shelf-clearing on that one because honestly it's not something people go "OMG it's on BOGO" and buy. But yeah, who knows. I'll try another Publix.

Frugal Tips for Halloween

Believe it or not, Halloween is right around the corner! Halloween can cost a pretty penny with costumes, candy, decorations, and parties! Here are some tips to cut down on all of the costs!

Candy

• The obvious one is to buy it on sale (and with a coupon)! Halloween sales are already starting, which means BOGO candy and coupons from manufacturer's.
• Consider a mix of the "good" candy with some cheaper candy. We all know that kids want the chocolate candy (we're talking Reese's, Twix, etc.) not Tootsie Rolls and Twizzlers. Mix them together for a lot more candy.
• Consider not doing candy at all. I know I would have been kind of disappointed as a kid, but consider looking into fun toys and prizes instead of candy. A good site is Oriental Trading Company.
• For older kids, consider forgoing trick or treating, and buy each kid a bag of their favorite candy.

Costumes

• If possible, buy ahead. Buy costumes on clearance after Halloween for future years. This is especially good for babies and toddlers.
• Shop consignment. Consignment shops often have a section of Halloween costumes. 
• Make your own costume. I've seen some really creative costumes out there that were simple and cost next to nothing, and usually they were a bigger hit than the box costume

Decorations

• Buy on clearance. You'd be amazed what you can find the day after Halloween, and you can always reuse it.
• Check Goodwill, Craiglist, etc. You may find some great stuff there.
• Make your own. This can be really fun for kids. Yarn can be a spider web. Foam, felt, and construction paper make bats spiders and all kinds of spooky stuff. There are tons of things you can do with a little imagination (or googling homemade Halloween decorations).
• Keep in mind the cost of electricity and batteries for fancy interactive decorations (which often cost a ton just to purchase), and if you do buy one, buy only one. 20 decorations that make noise, light-up etc. can be overwhelming.

Parties

• Keep it simple. Parties don't need to be filled with fancy everything. Choose to spend for one thing and cut back on others. If you want a nice meal, do less for decorations and entertainment.
• Use an online music station for Halloween music. 
• Plan now for a menu, and buy things as they go on sale. (Check out this month's All You for lot's of creative menu items).
• Consider skipping the party and going to a community and/or church event.

Remember, it's not worth going into debt to impress anyone or have your kids think you are the best Mom or Dad ever. Halloween is about fun, so if you plan ahead and budget you won't have any worries!

Shopping List for 9/30/10

Blue= Manufacturer's Coupon
Green= Publix
Red= Competitor's Coupon 


(2)Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 24.9, BOGO $4.99
   -$1/2 General Mills Cereal Walgreens 
   -$1/1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the Better at Home Booklet

(2)Crystal Light BOGO $4.69
   -(2)$1/1 Tearpad
   -(2)$1.50/1 Crystal Light 12 qt Cooking With Kraft No Longer Available

(2) Pace  Salsa BOGO $2.79

(2)Country Crock BOGO $1.89

   -(2)55¢/1 Blinkie

(2)Mission Soft Taco Flour Tortillas BOGO $2.59 (maybe? I'm not sure yet...)

(2)Kraft Cheese 2/$4
   -(2)$1/1 2% Printable (not sure where from) 

   -(2)$1/1 from Cooking with Kraft no longer available.
(2)Old El Paso Refried Beans  4/$5

  -$0.50/1 Old El Paso Product
Red or Golden Delicious Apples 3 lb bag $1.99
Cucumbers 2/$1 

There's also a few items I'm still deciding on, but I will update once I gather all my coupons.

How Do I Use it? Rice Part II: Types and Uses

Last week we talked about the benefits of rice and why it should be in our food storage, this week we will look at some of the different varieties of rice and what they are used for.

• Basmati- long-grain, can be white or brown- generally used for Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine
• Brown Rice- medium- good as a side dish
• Brown Rice- short- good for sushi, puddings, and side dishes
• Brown Rice- long- good for pilafs, stir-fries, paella, etc
• Jasmine Rice- long-grain, can be white or brown- Thai dishes, stir-fry
• Texmati- long-grain, white- uses similar to Basmati or regular rice
• Texmati- long-grain, brown- plain, curried
• Wehani Rice- long-grain, red rice- great for salads, tastes sweet
• Wild Rice- long-grain, seed of aquatic grass- great alone, in pilaf, as a side dish, or mixed with other grains.
• White Rice- can be used in the same way as it's brown rice cousin.

These are just a few of the many types of rice out there, each with it's own tastes and uses. Most of the time in food storage it's going to be either white or brown rice.

New Uses for Ripe Bananas

I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I hate over ripe bananas. Once they get all dark (and super sugary!) I just will not eat them. So if you are like me, here is a list of things you can do with those over ripe bananas.

• I often make banana bread. There are tons of recipes out there for this, so I recommend looking for one that meets your fancy. 
• Banana pancakes!
• Make a banana smoothie.
• Banana Nut Muffins
• Frozen Banana Pops! Stick a popsicle stick in it, coat with melted chocolate, wrap in plastic wrap and then freeze.
• Banana Soup (haven't personally tried it, but could be good)
• Use them as a fertilizer.
• Baked or fried bananas.
• Make banana chips.
• Banana pudding
• Ok so really the recipes are endless

I should mention as an added tip, that generally I only end up with one banana that has hit that point that I won't eat it, but one banana is hardly enough for most of these recipes, so I just stick them in the freezer and use as I need them. 

Publix Ad

Michelle over at iheartpublix has this week's ad up, check it out HERE.

As I post this, it is only just the BOGO's, so I can't say if it's a good ad just yet. I'm excited to see the rest.

Monday Money Sense- How Are You Doing?

It's been awhile, so I thought I would take a break and ask, "how are you doing?"

1. Have you gotten out of debt? Or started climbing out of debt?
2. If you are out of debt, are you actively working to stay out of debt?
3. Have you established an emergency fund?
4. Have you looked into your credit report and scores?
5. Are you making sure to keep your information safe?
6. Have you thought about what you are willing to splurge on?

So how are you doing? How are these economic times treating you? Please share below!

Friday Favorites- Recipe

So this weeks recipe comes from a recipe that my family has been making for a long time. It's called cheeseburger loaves, and they are really yummy. Their basically little meatloafs. Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Loaves
Ingredients
2 Cups Corn Flakes
1 Egg
1-8oz can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 lb ground beef or turkey
3 american cheese slices

Directions
1. Preheat over to 350 F.
2. Crush Corn Flakes.
3. In a large bowl, mix egg tomatoes (break apart big pieces), salt, pepper, and corn flakes.
4. Add ground beef, mix only until combined.
5. Form into 6 loaves and place onto a baking sheet.
6. Bake for 30 min.
7. Top each loaf with 1/2 a cheese slice and bake until cheese melts (approx 10 min).

Update: I recently tried this by using a food processor for the corn flakes, spices, eggs, and tomatoes, and it turned out even better than the original. For a healthier take, use ground turkey.

Publix Trip 9/23/10

I spent $37.21 for $88.21 worth of groceries, saving $51 or 58%. But I will submit for a $5 G/C bringing it up to 63%.

You can see my original list HERE.

Added:
Publix Egg Noodles $1.47
Vanilla Extract $10.87 (I do a lot of baking...)
Beef for Stir Fry $2.85
   -$1 off wyb 1 A.1.
   -$1 off Winn-Dixie Catalina

Deleted:
Nothing!

Prices, Price Changes, and Coupon Changes:
A.1. BOGO $4.29 not $4.24 (but a MM after coupons)
Wishbone Dressing BOGO $2.89 not $2.65
Rosetto BOGO $3.99 not $2.39
(4)Gerber Snacks @ $2.99 ea
(2)Lil Entrees 2/$4
(10) Graduate Pick-ups 10/$10
(1)Graduates Meal 10/$10

Not my best trip ever, but still good especially with the $10 of vanilla extract. I wrestled with myself on buying the Gerber food, but in the end I decided to do it for a few reasons 1)my daughter likes them, 2) they make for an easy meal for her when it's a busy night, she won't eat what we're eating, or she is in a picky mood (which is surprisingly rare), and 3) they make for a good little food storage for her. In the end with the coupons, W/D catalina, and g/c it works out to be about $7 for all of it, so not bad.

Is "Green" Worth It?

"Green" is such a big word right now. You see it in various forms. Maybe the item says "green," "natural," "earth-friendly," or some other variant, but is it really worth it? Here's some handy tips to figuring it out. (I should note that I am talking about non-food items here).

• Sometimes the company just wants to fool you into buying their product. Sad, but true. Be especially afraid of the label "natural." Just because something is natural doesn't mean it is safe. Think about it, arsenic is found naturally. 
• Look for a list of what is in the product. Most companies that don't have anything to hide list their ingredients, if they don't list it be worried.
• Cost. This is a big one to me. I understand why some items cost more when they are green, but wonder to yourself if there is another alternative. Perhaps you can make your own cleaner that truly is green, but costs a ton less. Always figure out if the cost is worth it. (For example, if you live in NYC you probably don't need a hybrid).
• Why are you buying it? Are you buying it just because it says the word "green" and that's in right now or because you are worried about your health? If it's the first one, don't buy it. If it's the second one, make sure you know what you are buying.
• Do some research. I recommend  Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices. I checked it out from the library, and I really enjoyed how it explained what the different labels mean, and how some of them are complete fabrications. 

So why do I bring this one up? Because many people fall for buzz words. There are those companies who always made green things and those that slap some label on their products to get the fad followers, so be aware. I applaud people making greener choices in their life, but make sure it's actually green and worth it!