Saving Families Money Since 2007
I stopped by Aldi yesterday when I was out running errands and here’s what I picked up:
Aldi Shopping Trip
- 2 lbs of strawberries — $0.99 each
- 4 Avocados — $0.25 each
- 7.13 lbs. of bananas — $0.29 per lb. = $1.31
- 1 bag of chicken breasts — $6.29
- 4 containers of Greek yogurt — $0.85 each = $3.40
- Total with tax: $15 even
Our health food store has a little outdoor Farmer’s Market on Tuesday afternoons and so they always have special produce prices on Tuesdays.
I ran in to see what they had available — and I’m so glad I did because I was thrilled to find the colored peppers priced at 3 for $0.99! Plus, I had earned enough points on my shopper card to get a $5 discount — making my total just $0.52!
Here’s what I got:
Health Food Store Shopping Trip
- 4-lb. bag of onions — on sale for $0.99
- 2.2 lb. Gala apples — on sale for $0.99/lb. = $2.18
- 2 bags of colored peppers — on sale for $0.99 each
- Used $5 off shopper’s credit = Total with tax: $0.52!
Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?
I took the girls out this afternoon for a Girls’ Afternoon Out together, so I didn’t get around to my clutter-busting until later today. But we had such a fun time together, so it was totally worth being a little behind on my to-do list!
I cleaned out the bookshelves and pantry in the basement today, as well as the junk drawer in the kitchen. I worked ahead since I’ll be in Pennsylvania the next two days. So you’ll have to wait to see what all I found to get rid of in my posts tomorrow and Friday. 🙂
Today’s things I got rid of:
How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!
Today’s question is from Amy:
We recently moved in to a new neighborhood and have lots of kids who come over to play often, which I love! However, I need some inexpensive snack ideas for when lots of kids are playing outside and all seem to need a quick snack.
I enjoy having them all here, and don’t want to send them home every time they need a snack, but I need more ideas for summer that won’t break the bank. Thanks! -Amy
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
I stopped by Dillon’s yesterday while I was out running some errands. They had sent me some free coupons (it’s been so long since I’ve gotten coupons from them — I was pretty excited!), so I thought I’d see if there were any other great deals, too. Here’s what I got:
Note from Crystal: Just for fun, my sister (Gretchen) is going to start sharing some of her shopping trips here for you all, too. She’s a young mom on a tight budget and she loves to get great deals.
She’s also the one who coordinates and formats all the store deals for the store deals section of MoneySavingMom.com (check it out here, if you haven’t already!). So she often knows about the best deals before I do — and she finds lots of great unadvertised deals, too!
Since their family eats different things than our family does, I thought it would be fun for you to see what deals she finds. And don’t worry, I’ll still be sharing my shopping trips, too!
1 Colgate Toothpaste – on sale for $1, used $0.50/1 coupon from the 4/28 SmartSource insert (doubled) – Free after coupon
4 Clif Kid Zone bars – Manager’s special reduced to $0.25 each
12 Candy Bars (3 Musketeers, Dove Chocolate, M&M’s) – $0.89 each, on sale Buy 2 Get 1 Free, used 6 $0.50/2 printables – $0.09 each after coupons
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
1 Mission Tortillas – $1.50 (Our Aldi raised the price of their tortillas to $1.49 so I just buy them at Dillon’s now)
2 Broccoli Crowns – $0.98 total
5 Tomatoes – $1.06 total
1 Green Giant Veggie Chips – on sale for $1, used $0.50/1 printable AND $0.50/1 SavingStar.com rebate – Free plus overage after coupon and rebate
1 dozen Dillon’s Eggs – Manager’s special reduced to $0.89
1 Kroger Cheese – $1.67
1 Kroger Frozen Apple Juice – $1.39
2 Dillon’s half gallon Milk – Manager’s special reduced to $1 each
4 Totino’s Frozen Pizzas – on sale for $1.33 each, used 4 $0.40/1 printables, received $2 catalina for buying 4 – $0.03 each after coupons and catalina
1 Kroger Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (3 lbs) – $5.67 ($1.89/lb – a good price for frozen, boneless chicken breasts that we don’t see here too often)
1 Kroger Butter – $2.59
1 Pineapple – $0.99
1 Laura’s Lean Ground Beef (1 lb) – Manager’s special reduced to $4.39 (I know this is might seem expensive, but our family prefers this brand so it was a great price for me!)
1 Folgers Instant Coffee – $1.19, used $1.50/1 printable (deducted down to $1.19) – Free after coupon
Items from the P&G sale (Buy 4, Save $4 instantly):
1 Herbal Essence Hair Mousse – on sale for $1.79 after instant savings, used $1/1 coupon from recent mailer – $0.79 after coupon
4 Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner – on sale for $2.09 after instant savings, used $3/2 e-coupon and $3/2 coupon from the 4/28 P&G insert – $0.59 each after coupons
2 Old Spice Deodorant – on sale for $1.15 after instant savings, used $1/2 coupon from the 4/28 P&G insert – $0.65 each after coupons
2 Gillette Deodorant – on sale for $1.29 after instant savings, used $1/2 e-coupon – $0.79 each after coupons
3 Gillette Shave Gel – on sale for $1 after instant savings, used $0.55/1 coupon from the 4/7 SmartSource insert (doubled) – $0.67 each after coupon (I only had one coupon for these otherwise they would have been free)
Total before coupons and sales: $91. Total after coupons + tax: $39.96, used $7 catalinas from last week’s shopping trip
Paid $32.96 out of pocket, Received $2 catalina (for buying 4 Totino’s Pizzas)
Every week in 2013, I’m sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
I’m going to be stepping on some toes here today… but I guess since I recently temporarily stopped drinking coffee and stopped eating gluten and sugar, I can commiserate with those of you who are addicted to soda pop (or pop, or soda, or carbonated beverage, or whatever it is that you call it in your part of the country!)?
Drinking soda pop is addictive and expensive. If you drink one pop per day and you get it on sale with a coupon, that’s still close to $100 spent per year for one person. If you pay for drinks from a restaurant or vending machine and you drink one pop per day, it’s going to be closer to $150 to $250 or more spent in a year for your soda pop habit.
There is almost no redeeming value in soda pop, except that maybe it tastes good and makes you feel good. {Though it does neither for me, but I also basically never drink it — because I’m weird like that! :)} The calories in non-diet drinks can wreak havoc on your weight and the chemicals in the diet drinks can wreak havoc on your health.
So, all that to say, I’d heartily encourage you to consider cutting back on the soda habit — or maybe even get brave and ditch it altogether? Here are a few ideas:
Drinks are one of the most price-inflated purchases at restaurants. Learn to order water with lemon and you’ll cut calories and costs. Not to mention that water is one of the most healthful things you can drink.
Flavored water from The Yummy Life
There are many fun ways to flavor water that are quick & easy, frugal, delicious, and all natural. Check out this tutorial on How to Make Homemade Flavored Water over on The Yummy Life.
Challenge yourself to replace 20% of your usual soda intake with water. Then, gradually work up to 50% and beyond. I can almost guarantee you that you’ll feel more energetic and have more zest for life by drinking more water and less soda. I dare you to at least try. 🙂
If you’re turning to caffeinated beverages for your afternoon pick-me-up, there’s a good chance you’re not getting enough sleep at night.
Make yourself go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier each night for a week. If you’re still tired in the afternoons, add another 15-30 minutes for a week. Keep extending your sleep like this until you find the amount of sleep you need to get to feel rested and refreshed all day long.
If you’re a mom who is getting up a lot at night with a baby or child or you work crazy shifts, this might not be an option for you, but most of us could get to bed at least a little earlier if we made some changes to our evening routine, shut the electronics down earlier, and/or just got more disciplined about it.
Have you cut back or ditched the soda habit? What has helped you?
photo from Big Stock
Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?
I was pretty excited that I decided to clean out one of my office cubby drawers today because I found a sack with items from a previous couponing class I’d taught. In it were some visual aids I was using for the class — like magazines, coupons, and so forth. But at the top of the sack was an example of our grocery cash envelope and in it was $40!!
I had completely forgotten that I’d put that sack in that drawer months ago so I was pretty excited to have my clutter-busting efforts rewarded with $40 in cash today. I can buy quite a few groceries with that. 🙂
Today’s things I got rid of:
How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!
We finally got a CVS in our town — oh happy day! It’s quite far from where I usually do my shopping, but I’m hoping to get over there soon. In the mean time, my sister, Gretchen, stopped by yesterday and got the following:
CVS Shopping Trip
1 Nivea Shave Gel – $4.19
1 Nivea Shave Gel – $4.59
Used $3/2 printable1 Physicians Formula Concealer – $6.49
Save $6 automatically at checkout1 Brookside Dark Chocolate – on sale for $3
Used $2.50/1 CVS coupon (no longer available)Total with tax – $7.67, Used $5 gift card from Viggle
Paid $2.67 out of pocket, Received $5 ECBs for buying two Nivea products
See the full list of deals at CVS here.
Lisa emailed in the following tip:
eBook bundles are everywhere! I bought the Ultimate Homemaker’s eBook Bundle last week, but I know I’ll never read all 97 eBooks — not because they aren’t great, but some just don’t fit my season of life.
So before I make a plan for reading these eBooks I am going to decide which ones to give away.
Did you know you can giveaway eBooks?
You can, BUT you can’t read them and then give them away. The eBook purchase is for ONE user; however, I’m not even going to open the eBooks in my bundle about homeschooling, pregnancy, or babies. That means I’ll be gifting 28 eBooks in my bundle.
All I have to do is attach the eBook files to an email and gift away!
I get to save money buying great eBook bundles, bless others, and de-clutter my own stash of eBooks. That’s a win-win!
Lisa is the author of 10 Steps to Organized Paper. She is a professional organizer in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lisa blogs about organization and branding your home based businesses at Organize 365.
Last week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. 
read 3 chapters of Life With Lily with Kaitlynn, read a few picture books with Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
Personal Goals
3. Review Romans 1:1-12.
4. Exercise five times.
5. Finish reading: A Lady in Waiting, 24/6, Start, and When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box. {I made some progress on almost all of these books, but I didn’t finish any of them. Hoping to remedy that on my flights this weekend!}
6. Get at least 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
Homemaking Goals
7. Finish the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge; Start the Clutter-Busting Challenge.
8. Work on my embroidery project for at least 30 minutes.
Business Goals
9. Finish editing the last five chapters for the second round of edits on my manuscript & turn into my editor.
10. Finish outlines for my talks for the Pennsylvania Homeschool Conference next week.
This week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
Personal Goals
3. Memorize Romans 1:13
4. Exercise five times.
5. Finish reading: A Lady in Waiting, 24/6, Start, and When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box.
6. Get at least 8-9 hours of sleep every night.
Homemaking Goals
7. Continue on with the Clutter-Busting Challenge.
8. Work on my embroidery project for at least 30 minutes.
Business Goals
9. Create slides, practice talks, and speak at the Pennsylvania Homeschool Conference this weekend.
10. Finish magazine article.
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!
You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
%20%20%20%20%20%C2%BD%20cup%20sunflower%20seeds%20(or%20ground%20flax%20seed)%20%20%20%20%20%C2%BD%20cup%20dried%20cranberries%2C%20cherries%2C%20or%20raisins%20(you%20can%20also%20use%20chocolate%20chips%20if%20you%E2%80%99re%20not%20off%20sugar%20like%20I%20am!)%20%20%20%20%201%20teaspoon%20vanilla%20%20Combine%20all%20ingredients%20and%20pat%20firmly%20into%20a%20greased%208%C3%978%20pan%20(or%20roll%20into%20balls).%20Chill.)
I saw this recipe for Easy Energy Bars and immediately knew I wanted to try it. I subbed a few things to use what I had on hand and also to make the recipe sugar-free.
I was really happy with the final recipe — it’s so easily adaptable, too. My husband even agreed with me that these bars were pretty good, so that’s saying a lot. 🙂
{Yes, I mixed the ingredients up in the pan — because I’m lazy efficient like that! :)}
Combine all ingredients and pat firmly into a greased 8×8 pan (or roll into balls). Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Cut into bars and serve. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Note: The bars are a little crumbly.
Recipe adapted from Brooke McGlothlin
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
I’ve survived a week without gluten and two full weeks without coffee or sugar! Surprisingly, I actually didn’t miss it all as much as I thought I would. And I’m sleeping better than I have in months — maybe years?
I’m honestly having fun finding new recipes that are gluten-free and sweetened with honey… and I’m also loving the incentive to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and lean protein. 🙂
I don’t know what I’m going to do longterm, but I’m really happy with the results I’ve seen from this short stint of diet changes.
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit
Lunches
{I’ll be eating a salad with chicken/tuna, etc. on it every day}
Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 3Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Boiled eggs
Banana Peanut Butter PancakesFreezer Cooking {I’ll share how this goes later this week!}
Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Grain-Free MuffinsDinners
Steak on the grill, veggies, fruit
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole, Fruit, Tossed Salad, Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Waffles, scrambled eggs, fruit
Simple Beef & Veggie Casserole, fruit
Dinner out
Dinner with extended family x 2What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.
Just for fun (and because some of you have asked for more video blogs!), I’m kicking off a new Q&A video blog series this week!
These video blogs will just be me taking a few minutes each week to answer your questions candidly on camera. I’m hoping it will be sort of like you’re sitting in my living room or at my kitchen table chatting with me.
The floor is open! Have a question you’d love for me to answer? Leave it in the comments — and I’ll pick one to answer next week. Your question can be about any subject or topic and I’ll aim to post one Q&A blog per week.
Here are the free samples I’ve gotten over the past week (the baby ones I’m planning to donate — I had just signed up for them to make sure the free sample worked before I posted here!)
What freebies have arrived in your mailbox this week?
By the way, if you want to start getting great freebies in your mailbox, just start signing up for the freebies I post every day that interest you. Within 4-6 weeks, your mailbox will start filling up with great freebies!