Back to Blogging!

I am back from my longer than expected blogging hiatus. The longer I kept from writing, the harder it was to return. I found myself uninspired. So, for the sake of my readers and for the sake of keeping myself motivated in my frugal lifestyle, I am back in action!


Right now, we're in the process of selling my beloved Honda Element. I bought it brand new a few years ago and have the premium payments to prove it! We hope to save a few hundred dollars a month by getting rid of this vehicle and acquiring a used small truck. I'll share our progress as it occurs, but in the meantime I am really dreading saying goodbye to my Element. Below is my beautiful (yet ugly... a true paradox, shaped as a box... I like the rhyme!) car in the Shenendoah Mountains in Virginia.


This is the weekend that we're hosting a garage sale so I am in the process of pricing items and getting things organized. It'll be nice to get the pile of "junk" out of the house!


Wednesday of last week James and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. We honored the occasion by spending some quality time together kayaking on Saturday. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better gift. We saw a (dead) loggerhead turtle, nesting pelicans and had several exciting dolphin sightings. One brave dolphin was only a few feet away from the kayak, and since little Brian went with us this time he was in awe all of the beautiful dolphins. (We know this because he made a point to stand up using my shoulders to get a better look at the arching fins of the dolphins--he was fascinated!)


In other great news, I now have a pantry and freezer that is so well-stocked that the only grocery shopping I did this week was at the produce stand! It feels good to know that because of shopping smartly I was able to spend only $18 this week on groceries. Yes!


Now you're up-to-date and I am back in action!

Eek!

To my handful of readers:

Sorry I have missed several days of posting! I am taking a small (1 week) break from my blog. My hope is to get caught up on some other things and to return with a menu this Saturday.

"See you" on Saturday!

Free Literature- Delivered through your e-mail or RSS Feed

Ahh, the best things in life are free. On the super-cool website Life Hacker, I found a link to a wonderful service that will deliver chunks of classic literature to you for free! The site is called Daily Lit, and you can receive literature daily (as the name suggests) through your e-mail or RSS Feed. There are some books that you must pay for, but all of the classics that are public domain are absolutely free.

Pros:

1. No late fees. (Good news for me!)
2. Did I mention it's free?!
3. Keeps you on track.
4. Delivered right to your computer-how convenient!

Cons:

1. You have to wait for more reading material--even if you'd like to read on! (But seriously, did I mention it's free and there are no late fees?!)

Isn't the internet just the greatest?

Cost Analysis: Spaghetti Squash with Spaghetti Sauce

As promised, here is a price breakdown of a meal from this week's menu.

• 2 cups mozarella cheese $2.52
• 1/2 lb. ground beef $1.30
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce (bought on a BOGO offer) $1.29
• About 2.5 lbs spaghetti squash $1.58

Total: $6.69

There are 4 servings for this recipe, so for each portion it will cost you:

$1.67!

I didn't stick to the menu exactly, so James and I had corn with this meal rather than a salad like I had intended. The cost of the corn (because I bought it on sale WITH a coupon) was only 30 cents. So, I am adding fifteen cents per serving, rounding each meal out at a cost of $1.82!

Trying to use coupons?

I know I have been focusing a lot on coupons these past few weeks, but trust me when I tell you there is good reason! Obviously, it's the money saved. I know from experience that starting out with coupons can be a daunting task, and I found a wonderful tool called Grocery Guide. It scans the ads of your local grocery stores so that you can match up your coupons.

If you're just learning to save on your grocery budget with coupons, Grocery Guide can be a great tool for you!

Spartan Monday

"We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs."

-Gloria Steinem

I did my weekly grocery shopping tonight since I was unable to do it this weekend. James went with me and we had a great time together, and we had some GREAT savings! Let me preface my savings by reminding you that we only purchased things that we use and need.

Tonight we spent $36.26...

and SAVED $65.73!

• We spent $. 97/box on Lucky Charms that normally costs $4.79.

• We spent $1.74/16 oz. bottle on Olive oil that normally costs $5.49.

• We spent $. 99/Lysol Mold & Mildew bathroom cleaner that normally costs $3.49.

• We spent $. 98/50 count Advil that normally costs $6.49.

• We spent $. 99/bottle of Pert Plus that normally costs $3.39. (There's also a mail-in rebate I will send in!)

• We spent $ .45/bottle of A1 Steak Sauce marinade.

• We spent $ .29 on Cover Girl nail polish that normally costs $3.29.

All of these great deals were combinations of coupons and BOGO sales, except for the nail polish.

See what you can accomplish with a little work each week?

I sure hope you're inspired! Please share your great deals... I'd love to hear about them!

Sunday Savings: Blast from the Past

I am sharing a post that I wrote on 1/22 of this year, when I had just discovered the art of clipping coupons. It's the perfect reminder as to why we spend time cutting out these little money savers!

"This week, I once again spent about an hour clipping coupons and researching
the Publix sales ad. I went grocery shopping and bought sixteen items that I
needed. Now, some of these items were staple items that there are not coupons for, generally speaking. Milk and eggs, for instance, you rarely get a break on.

Anyhow, This week I spent $16.44 on $38.67 worth of groceries! That's a savings of $22.23 (thankfully, this is broken down on my receipt!) and I ended up saving more money than I actually spent. I actually got 2 huge boxes of delicious and healthy Total Raisin Bran for only $1.34 per box--the regular price of these is $4.79. It's kind of exciting to save so much money."

Now tell me that isn't crazy exciting! To spend more than you save on groceries (something you have to buy anyway) is wonderful--and once you realize the money you can save it's something you'll be excited to keep up with.

So, have you bought your newspaper today? Get those scissors out and get clippin'!

Next Week's Menu

It's the time of the week to start planning for next week's meals. SO much money can be saved by choosing to eat at home and by shopping for the specific meals that you plan.

This week, we'll be enjoying:

Sunday: Belgian Waffles (I'll be using a mix-I won't lie!) and strawberries
Monday: Grilled Chicken & Pinto Bean Burritos & Fresh fruit
Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches & Fresh fruit
Wednesday: Layered Spaghetti Squash with Spaghetti Sauce and Salad
Thursday: Cashew Chicken in lettuce cups with brown rice
Friday: Leftovers, I'm sure!

Monday's burritos don't get much easier; for the two of us, I slice a grilled chicken breast and mix it with some pinto beans, and add the rest of the necessities like lettuce, salsa, cheese and sour cream onto a tortilla and wrap it up. Simple and delicioso! (If you follow my menus, just pop those leftover tortillas in the freezer because we'll be making chicken enchiladas next week!)

The buffalo chicken sandwiches are just a grilled piece of chicken dipped in Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce, sandwiched on a keiser roll with a piece of lettuce and a tablespoon of ranch dressing. It's quick and oh-so-satisfying! (I know, I know, it's awesome when the chicken is fried, but for health reasons the grilling is a better alternative!)

The layered spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce is something that my mother-in-law makes that I adore. You start by halving a spaghetti squash. Drizzle each half with a little olive oil and liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roast the squash cut sides down (375 for 30-45 minutes or until easily pierced by a knife).
While the squash is roasting, make a batch of your favorite spaghetti sauce. You'll need to yield about 3 cups (one jar of sauce will suffice, and I like to add about 1/2 lb. ground beef).
When the squash has cooled for about 15-20 minutes, use a fork to pull the "spaghetti" strands away from the hard outer skin. Divide into two equal portions.
Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with a non-stick spray. Place half of the squash down in the dish, covering the bottom. Cover with about 1.5 cups of spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella (or get fresh mozzarella and slice it and place the slices all over the sauce.) Top with remaining squash then add another layer of sauce and cheese. Bake (covered) at 375 for 25-30 minutes. What a yummy meal!

I will try to do another cost analysis of a meal this week as I did with last week's pork chop meal. It's important to know how much we are spending/saving in order to make the best financial choices. Analyzing the cost of a meal is an encouraging reason to eat at home and prepare your own food.

Frugal Friday: Free music!

Internet radio is not new, but I'd like to share one of my favorite internet music sites. It's Pandora! They feature what is called the Music Genome Project, where you create a station that is lead by your musical likes and dislikes.

Simply start with a favorite song, artist or composer and mark each song with a thumb-up or thumb-down to specify your preferences. After a few songs, you'll be blessed with a personalized music channel Best of all? It's free!

Thought I'd include my favorites:

• Nat King Cole
• James Taylor
• System of a Down
• Frank Sinatra
• Counting Crows
• Harry Connick, Jr.
• The Steve Miller Band
• Billy Joel
• Foo Fighters
• Jack Johnson
• Michael Buble
• Jimmy Buffett

Eeek... I realized that list utterly left out anyone with ovaries. Let me think for a sec...

How about:

• Bonnie Raitt
• No Doubt (the old stuff w/Gwen Stefani on lead vocals when she still kept it "ska". I mean seriously, what's with her new stuff?!)
• Diana Krall
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Allison Krauss (and Union Station)

Go make your own free station- or several. There's no limit!

Monday Night's Meal in Pics and Dollar Breakdown

If you recall, Monday night's dinner was Center cut pork chops with fruit salsa, Spanish rice and grilled asparagus. I thought it would be interesting to do a cost analysis of this delicious meal for two.

2 Boneless pork chops $2.50 ($1.25 each; I bought a pack of 12 pork chops for about $15)
Strawberries, 1 cup $ .64
1 Mango $. 99
Asparagus $1.32 (This is the cost of 2/3 lb @ $1.99/lb--I reserved the remaining 1/3 lb for another meal)
Mahatma Spanish rice mix, 5 oz. size $ .69

Total cost: $6.14

Cost per meal: $3.07

Can you get a dinner combo at a fast food drive-thru for $3.07? Can you name any restaurant where you can get such a healthy and quality meal for $3.07?



Cooking at home can be delightful if you keep it simple. Bonus: from start to finish, this meal was less than 25 minutes (cough, cough, eat that Rachael Ray)!