Shopping at Albertsons

Here is most of my stash from Albertsons today. I spent $56.68 and saved $87.49!
Ground beef, chicken and pork roasts are good deals this week. I cook it all up at once and freeze in meal size portions. It makes it so much easier when I am cooking dinner.
I took my coupons to walmart and spent less than .75 on these kotex and wet ones.....
Albertson's isn't going to let me take their Sunday papers on Monday anymore.... Does anyone know of any cleaver ways of collecting the coupons from the Sunday papers? I am going to ask the ladies in bible study to save them for me and my new good frugal friend.

The Couponizer Giveaway

The Common Sense with Money blog is giving away a Couponizer! Neat! There is nothing worse when shopping than being disorganized! Go there now and sign up for a chance to get it! http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/

Menu Planning Monday

This is my first try at Menu Planning Monday. Hopefully this will help me "find" more time in the day by not having to think about what is for dinner during the week.

Monday: Crockpot Chili with cornbread muffins

Tueday: Spanish Noodle Skillet with homemade bread

Wednesday: Vietnam Fried Rice with homemade bread

Thursday: Mandarin Rice Bake with cornbread muffins

Friday: Spaghetti with garlic biscuits and cucumber slices with buttermilk dip

Martha Stewart can show us how!

Martha Stewart wants to show us all how to blog. I am going to dive into her blog to get as many tips as I can. If you ever wanted to start a blog, you have a very good place to start learning how. Go to http://www.themarthablog.com/2008/09/how-to-create-your-own-blog-let-us-show-you.html to learn more.

Frugal Friday

I just finished putting together my children's play room. I must say that I did buy the train table at the Goodwill for $15. Otherwise I accumulated all of the other big pieces for free. I got the shelving from freecycle, my aunt just gave me the table and 2 chairs (which inspired me to create this room for them), just about everything else, including the toys, have been gifts over the years or hand me downs. Now I just have to hang original "Art" on the walls. Maybe it is time to use some of that end roll paper we got free from the local newspaper and the bucket of markers we got from freecycle last year...... You don't have to spend much money if any to have a nice place for your kids to play and learn.

Works for Me Wednesday

I have set up my coupon/price book folder. I have used things that I already had at home. There is a section for non-food coupons, food coupons, rebates, receipts and my price book. I will soon add the formulas that will let me know how much it costs to make things from scratch. Then I can compare prices at the store(sales and coupons) with what it costs to make it. Right now, I know that it costs me $.32 a serving to make my cream soup from scratch. So if I can get cans of it for less than that, it is a good deal. If not, make it from scratch...... So I need to get out my measuring cups and spoons to figure out all of the other things I make from scratch. So this is my binder..... WORKS FOR ME!

Here is the recipe for cream soup mix:

2 cups powdered milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup chicken bouillon

1 tsp. onion pwd.

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp pepper

Combine and store in an airtight container. To use for any recipe calling for a can of cream soup, mix 1/3 cup mix and 1 1/4 cup water. Boil for a few minutes, stirring often.

This recipe is from the Miserly Moms book.

The Grocery Game

I have been introduced to a new way of shopping! I am now a member of the game of couponing. My goal (that is quite achievable) is to obtain as many grocery and toiletry items as I can for free or better. I went to Walgreens last week and used coupons for some granola bars. I paid $3 for 6 boxes and will be getting a $5 rebate in the mail. So, they will pay me $2 for trying these granola bars. www.moneysavingmom.com and www.couponworld.com are the places I have been frequenting for great information..... HAVE FUN!

Homemade Window Cleaner

I made window cleaner this morning, washed the windows with it and really like it. There aren't any streaks, just really clean windows. I mixed 2 cups water, 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/2 tsp liquid dish soap. Then I put it in my new spray bottle and labelled it. Viola! I even used my rag that used to be Kevin's T shirt. How frugal am I??? :)

For more frugal tips, visit Frugal Friday.