Wow...I am SUPER emotional these days. I was just sitting here reading a blog about educating your child prior to them starting school (I Can Teach My Child) and felt that hot, bubbly feeling in my throat I get every time I'm about to cry. I guess the reason it happened is because I saw a picture of a mother and baby immediately after birth, and saw "that face" that every mommy gets when she sees her child for the first time. It's definitely the most amazing thing in the world. In retrospect, I guess I lament the fact that I didn't have that moment. I hardly even remember seeing Ellie that first time when she was 4 days old. I remember holding her (for what felt like a second) while I was wearing that stupid oxygen mustache-looking thing, and everything's blurry because I was still recovering from being on magnesium, which is supposed to help prevent seizures and lower blood pressure. It's on video, and sometimes I'll watch the video just so I can try to remember that moment. Unfortunately, it's not that "wow-this-is-my-baby!" moment, but really I was just thinking, "Wow. I blacked out...then I woke up and there was a baby. What now?" When they asked me if I was ready to hold her, I said, "I guess." What the heck?! What mother in her right mind would say that? It just demonstrates how out of my mind I was at that point.
Earlier today, I was cleaning Ellie's room and putting her Willow Tree figures back on her bookshelf. I am slightly obsessive when it comes to organization and the way things look (although you couldn't tell it from the way my house looks!), so I was organizing the different figures chronologically, from the pregnant figure to the mother holding the toddler (not there yet!). Looking at those little figures made me cry! So dumb, especially considering that I've seen just about every Willow Tree figure out there from working at LifeWay in high school and college. Anyway, I was just thinking about being pregnant, and how I had no idea the way things would end up going for the birth. So dumb, I know. I have a beautiful, healthy daughter who is just fine. I should count my blessings that neither of us have lasting problems, or even worse, had died. But I still deal with what happened every day.
Some days, it's just a fleeting thought about being in the hospital, or how Ellie was so tiny when she was born. Other days, like today, I relive the whole thing all over again, and remember awful things like how depressed I was, or the pain of pneumonia. I know it doesn't make sense, nor is it logical. But regardless of all that, our experience is a part of me for the rest of my life. I think that's expected. The part I can't get over yet is how emotional it makes me feel, and how I have so many regrets and questions.
What if I had followed my instincts and gone to the doctor, even though the nurse told me that I just needed to rest at home?
What if we hadn't gone to the hospital when we did?
Would I still be breastfeeding if I had just asked for help?
Would my baby not have reflux and spit up problems if I had continued to breastfeed?
These questions, along with so many others, will stay with me forever, I have no doubt about that. I can try to let go of them and count my blessings, but I think they'll always linger in my mind. Don't get me wrong; I thank God every day for the miracle He performed in our lives that week. He saved my life, and Ellie's life. He gave us a healthy daughter despite all the circumstances. He gave me a full recovery from a wide variety of problems, including hypertension, pneumonia, oxygen deprivation to my brain, blood loss, and central serous retinopathy. However, I just don't think I'll ever let go of the emotional pain I still experience over that whole experience.
I am comforted by the fact that so many moms experience the crazy emotions after having a baby, even those who had a normal pregnancy and birth. It's just a part of motherhood. I really thought it was over after the first couple of months, and my hormones were back to normal. I've had a resurgence of all these emotions recently. I get emotional over the dumbest things, like thinking about how Ellie is going to get married someday, and what am I going to do when my baby is all grown up?! It's hard for me to explain these feelings to my husband, I guess because men just don't experience life the same way women do. Yes, he loves our daughter, and no, he doesn't want to think about her growing up yet, but it just doesn't affect him the same way.
Anyway, I'm now rambling and going down random rabbit trails...this is my mind now. I'm not nearly as organized as I used to be (before Ellie), and I'm way more emotional. I'm having a hard time coping with all of that...maybe it's because Ellie was sick this week, and it's been hard on everyone? I'd like to think that there's a reason for all this craziness in my brain, but who knows.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Midweek Update
I feel like I've gotten behind in my blogging. I totally intended to make a post last week about my shopping, but I just got busy and before I knew it, the week was over. A quick recap of last week:
I had some fun at Kroger with a few freebies and cheap items, like free Ronzoni pasta, paper towels, frozen veggies, fruit snacks, and alfredo sauce. Gotta love it when Kroger does free giveaways! In the last giveaway, I was able to get coupons for free Bounty, Buitoni, Betty Crocker fruit snacks, and Green Giant Steamers. It got a little stressful trying to login at the right moment to get the coupon for the day, and by the end of it there were so many people participating that it was impossible to login (for me, anyway). However, I was super excited to get what I did, and thankful that Kroger runs these promotions every now and then. They have a new one going on right now (March to Savings), which is more like a lottery type of thing, but I've already gotten a free coupon for Pillsbury Savorings (some kind of pastry appetizer thing). I'll take what I can get!
This week, I repeated some of my deals from last week, since the Mega Event usually goes on for two weeks. I got 4 boxes of free Ronzoni again this week (we are now stocked up on pasta!), free ice cream, free eggs, plus more butter and cheese. Now that I'm making bread at home a lot, I use way more butter than I used to, so thankfully I was able to stock up with the Mega Event this week.
I also went to Walmart and Walgreens last week. At Walmart, I got a bottle of Similac for $1.84 (gotta use those coupons before they expire!) and the sponges for 34 cents each. At Walgreens, I got both of the Right Guard deodorants for free, and the Irish Spring deodorant for $4 total, plus got $4 back in Register Rewards. Billy laughs at me every time I come home with deodorant...he's got a nice stockpile in the closet now. I have to limit myself when I get to a point with certain items...for example, I stocked up on toilet paper about a month ago, so even if there's a great deal on toilet paper, I've promised myself that I wouldn't buy it. Same with fabric softener, toothpaste, and now deodorant.
I forgot to take pictures this week, but I used the $4 in Register Rewards from last week on these items: Almay eyeliner, Always pads, two toothbrushes, and two packs of gum. With coupons and the $4 in RR, I spent $1.08. I got back $7 in Register Rewards for next time!
Ellie and I went to Target last night (where we saw the lovely Jen Jensen!) and bought a bottle of Soft Scrub bathroom cleaner, a pack of pads, and a pair of baby socks...all for 21 cents! I am convinced that God provides deals when I need them...it seems like every time I'm about to run out of something, God has provided a way for me to get the item for much cheaper than usual (either with sales, coupons, or both). We are running low on bathroom cleaner and I was in need of some more, and just happened to check a couple of the blogs and found the deal on Soft Scrub. Looking back, I don't think one of my coupons technically covered the bathroom cleaner (it said all purpose cleaner), but Target was out of that so I tried the bathroom cleaner...I think my cashier didn't really care very much, so she just entered the coupon in and gave me the deal.
I've found that coupons can be hit or miss at Target. Sometimes, a person can use a coupon and get a great deal, and then you try the same coupon and item, and a cashier won't take it. I've read about many people having different experiences with the same coupon, and you would think that every store would accept the same coupons, but it just doesn't work out that way. For example, a while back there was a Target coupon for $1 off ibuprofen; they had a 24 count package priced at 97 cents, making it free with the coupon. I had no trouble with this deal, but I read about a lot of people who had issues because their cashier said that the 24 pack was travel sized, even though it wasn't at the time. It sounds awful, but I have a strategy for this: when checking out, pick either 1) a man or 2) a teenager. I'm not trying to swindle or hoodwink them, but it saves a lot of hassle. Half the time, I end up explaining to the cashier why the coupon works for that item, but they get caught up in "coupon vocabulary." If the coupon says one coupon per purchase, that means per item, not transaction. But I still get cashiers who don't differentiate between the two, and then we both end up frustrated. I've had much more success with getting through the checkout line quickly when I use my cashier strategy. Makes my life easier, and I don't hold up other people, as well.
In other news, Ellie has been a huge grump for about a week now. She had a cold all last week, and this week she's been very fussy and agitated. The mornings are the worst; she cries no matter what I do. I'll try holding her and comforting her, but it doesn't help at all; sometimes it just makes it worse. I lay her down....still crying. I got to the point yesterday where I just broke down because I was so overwhelmed. I know that as she gets older, she'll be harder to please (food and snuggles just won't do it every time anymore), but this was beyond her being annoyed; I felt like she was in pain. I decided to call the doctor and made an appointment for this afternoon.
This will be our last sick visit with a co-pay; after this, we'll have to start paying for the sick visits in full...which means at least $100 every time she goes. That's how it was on our old insurance...we paid every time she went to the doctor, even for the regular checkups. I'm thankful for the new insurance, but we've blown through her 3 sick visits with a co-pay, and it's only March. Billy and I still have our 3 co-pay visits, but we probably won't use them. We avoid going to the doctor if at all possible. Especially after last year, I want to stay away from every doctor's office and hospital. We drove past Virginia Baptist the other day, and I actually started to feel nauseous thinking about being there last year. I'm glad that by the time we have our next child, we won't be living in Lynchburg anymore. I don't know if I could handle the feeling of being in that hospital again.
On a different subject, I tried buying bone-in split chicken breasts last week. I have NEVER bought anything with bones in it, other than a whole chicken, which we put in the rotisserie oven. I've always bought boneless, skinless chicken breasts because it's convenient...and honestly, I never knew what to do with a bone-in chicken breast. I read a tutorial about how to get the most from bone-in chicken breasts, titled Prepping Five Meals from Five Chicken Breasts. The author includes some helpful pictures and recipes to make the chicken stretch. I tried one recipe so far (Mexican Chicken Frittata)....it was okay, but not my favorite. I think if I put potatoes on the bottom of the casserole instead of bread, I would like it better. I don't like anything mushy or soggy, and the bread was very mushy after pouring 6 eggs and salsa over it.
Anyway, so I followed her instructions on how to prep bone in chicken breasts. I bought 7 lbs. of chicken breasts from Kroger last week that were 99 cents per pound (definitely cheaper than boneless, skinless chicken!). I trimmed the skin off, cut the meat off the bone (looks like a perfect chicken breast), boiled the bones and meat left over, and ended up with 7 whole chicken breasts, plus 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (from the bones).
This was my end product, as far as getting the chicken breasts trimmed and everything. Looks like they came straight from the package!
This is what was leftover...bones and chicken stuck to the bones. I boiled these on high for 20 minutes and ended up with this...
I picked the usable meat off the bones and ended up with 3 cups of shredded chicken.
I know this is gross, but this is all the skin and fat I trimmed off the chicken. Whenever I trim chicken breasts, I always put the leftovers in a pan and bake them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, then give them to Shelley. It's about the only people food Shelley gets, and we mix it in with some dog food for her dinner. She's super excited about it, and it means we have very little waste...plus, I don't have to worry about the trash can stinking later!
So that's what I've been up to recently...thanks for reading! Now I'm going to go and read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince...yes, I'm still working on finishing the series. It's slow going when you can only read when both babies are sleeping, which is right now!
~Kristen
This week, I repeated some of my deals from last week, since the Mega Event usually goes on for two weeks. I got 4 boxes of free Ronzoni again this week (we are now stocked up on pasta!), free ice cream, free eggs, plus more butter and cheese. Now that I'm making bread at home a lot, I use way more butter than I used to, so thankfully I was able to stock up with the Mega Event this week.
I forgot to take pictures this week, but I used the $4 in Register Rewards from last week on these items: Almay eyeliner, Always pads, two toothbrushes, and two packs of gum. With coupons and the $4 in RR, I spent $1.08. I got back $7 in Register Rewards for next time!
Ellie and I went to Target last night (where we saw the lovely Jen Jensen!) and bought a bottle of Soft Scrub bathroom cleaner, a pack of pads, and a pair of baby socks...all for 21 cents! I am convinced that God provides deals when I need them...it seems like every time I'm about to run out of something, God has provided a way for me to get the item for much cheaper than usual (either with sales, coupons, or both). We are running low on bathroom cleaner and I was in need of some more, and just happened to check a couple of the blogs and found the deal on Soft Scrub. Looking back, I don't think one of my coupons technically covered the bathroom cleaner (it said all purpose cleaner), but Target was out of that so I tried the bathroom cleaner...I think my cashier didn't really care very much, so she just entered the coupon in and gave me the deal.
I've found that coupons can be hit or miss at Target. Sometimes, a person can use a coupon and get a great deal, and then you try the same coupon and item, and a cashier won't take it. I've read about many people having different experiences with the same coupon, and you would think that every store would accept the same coupons, but it just doesn't work out that way. For example, a while back there was a Target coupon for $1 off ibuprofen; they had a 24 count package priced at 97 cents, making it free with the coupon. I had no trouble with this deal, but I read about a lot of people who had issues because their cashier said that the 24 pack was travel sized, even though it wasn't at the time. It sounds awful, but I have a strategy for this: when checking out, pick either 1) a man or 2) a teenager. I'm not trying to swindle or hoodwink them, but it saves a lot of hassle. Half the time, I end up explaining to the cashier why the coupon works for that item, but they get caught up in "coupon vocabulary." If the coupon says one coupon per purchase, that means per item, not transaction. But I still get cashiers who don't differentiate between the two, and then we both end up frustrated. I've had much more success with getting through the checkout line quickly when I use my cashier strategy. Makes my life easier, and I don't hold up other people, as well.
In other news, Ellie has been a huge grump for about a week now. She had a cold all last week, and this week she's been very fussy and agitated. The mornings are the worst; she cries no matter what I do. I'll try holding her and comforting her, but it doesn't help at all; sometimes it just makes it worse. I lay her down....still crying. I got to the point yesterday where I just broke down because I was so overwhelmed. I know that as she gets older, she'll be harder to please (food and snuggles just won't do it every time anymore), but this was beyond her being annoyed; I felt like she was in pain. I decided to call the doctor and made an appointment for this afternoon.
This will be our last sick visit with a co-pay; after this, we'll have to start paying for the sick visits in full...which means at least $100 every time she goes. That's how it was on our old insurance...we paid every time she went to the doctor, even for the regular checkups. I'm thankful for the new insurance, but we've blown through her 3 sick visits with a co-pay, and it's only March. Billy and I still have our 3 co-pay visits, but we probably won't use them. We avoid going to the doctor if at all possible. Especially after last year, I want to stay away from every doctor's office and hospital. We drove past Virginia Baptist the other day, and I actually started to feel nauseous thinking about being there last year. I'm glad that by the time we have our next child, we won't be living in Lynchburg anymore. I don't know if I could handle the feeling of being in that hospital again.
On a different subject, I tried buying bone-in split chicken breasts last week. I have NEVER bought anything with bones in it, other than a whole chicken, which we put in the rotisserie oven. I've always bought boneless, skinless chicken breasts because it's convenient...and honestly, I never knew what to do with a bone-in chicken breast. I read a tutorial about how to get the most from bone-in chicken breasts, titled Prepping Five Meals from Five Chicken Breasts. The author includes some helpful pictures and recipes to make the chicken stretch. I tried one recipe so far (Mexican Chicken Frittata)....it was okay, but not my favorite. I think if I put potatoes on the bottom of the casserole instead of bread, I would like it better. I don't like anything mushy or soggy, and the bread was very mushy after pouring 6 eggs and salsa over it.
Anyway, so I followed her instructions on how to prep bone in chicken breasts. I bought 7 lbs. of chicken breasts from Kroger last week that were 99 cents per pound (definitely cheaper than boneless, skinless chicken!). I trimmed the skin off, cut the meat off the bone (looks like a perfect chicken breast), boiled the bones and meat left over, and ended up with 7 whole chicken breasts, plus 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (from the bones).
So that's what I've been up to recently...thanks for reading! Now I'm going to go and read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince...yes, I'm still working on finishing the series. It's slow going when you can only read when both babies are sleeping, which is right now!
~Kristen
Friday, March 11, 2011
Finding Joy in the Little Things
It's been a while since my last post. I haven't encountered any amazingly good deals this week, so I just got what I needed to get us through the week. I did use a few great coupons on Similac ready to feed quarts this week, so I was able to get four bottles for about $1 each. I also found some good deals at Target with coupons, but nothing noteworthy.
I wanted to dedicate this blog post to finding joy in simple things. No breakdowns of shopping trips...I just want to talk about the things that matter.
We started Ellie on solid foods a few weeks ago. Initially, it gave her horrible gas and I was worried that she'd never get over it. We used Mylicon drops like they were going out of style, and finally she got over that hurdle. Now that she's tried several types of food, she's gotten into her stride with eating. Thank goodness we can finally cut back on the formula!
I fed Ellie her breakfast this morning (oatmeal and applesauce mixed together...even makes it seem tasty to me!). It brought me so much joy to see this...
This little rascal snatched her spoon and tried to feed herself. Or at least that's what I tell myself she's doing. Really, she just sees something interesting and sticks it in her mouth. Regardless of the reason, I let her go for it. Sure, it makes a HUGE mess (the spoon was full of oatmeal-applesauce mixture...which didn't make it into her mouth), but it's worth it to let her become more independent and let her explore the art of eating. I try to let her hold the spoon, if she wants to, and guide it into her mouth. But sometimes, she's wants to do it by herself. =)
I know I've got to cherish these moments, because they'll be gone before I know it, and she'll be walking and talking very soon. There are moments when I worry, "Is she developing fast enough? Is it bad that she's not sitting on her own yet? Am I a bad mother because she's not ahead of everyone else?" I want to make sure I'm aware of what I need to teach Ellie, but at the same time I'm afraid that I'm rushing her into growing up. It's days like this when I realize this: she's happy, she's healthy, and she'll grow up when it's time. I'm going to cherish the oatmeal covered smile, and just enjoy today.
Another moment that brings a smile to my face is this....
I love seeing Billy interact with Ellie. He's definitely the fun parent...I'm the one who does the dirty work and sometimes makes Ellie cry, but he's the one who can always make her smile!
In this photo, he was letting Ellie stand on the floor so she could get a better look at Shelley. Ellie is madly in love with Shelley...she laughs and smiles at her almost as much as she does with Billy. She loves to "pet" Shelley...every time Shelley walks past her, she reaches her little hands out to touch her. So sweet. Anyway, Ellie was laughing at Shelley because she yawned...apparently that was very amusing.
I love my little family. We don't have much, and we live in a very small house, but we're comfortable and content. I've got a great husband who manages our finances so that we can survive for a whole year without him working, plus he does everything he can to make Ellie and I happy. He loves our daughter so much...can't ask for a better man! Ellie, of course, is my joy...I can't imagine life without her now. I look back at everything I did before having a baby...and not much of it matters to me now. And I can't forget Shelley. She's my first baby...even though she can get annoying occasionally, she makes it up with her sweet face and her gentleness with Ellie.
Another, not so sentimental, joy I've discovered recently is using my bread machine...
(Sorry the photo is lame and from the website, but I'm too lazy to go take a picture of mine, which looks exactly like this...)
I have found that I love to make bread! It's cheaper than buying fancy bread from the store, and I can make whatever I want. So far, I've made rolls, cinnamon swirl bread, and french bread...all from scratch and using my bread machine. I had to make the initial purchase of yeast, but everything else I always have on hand (flour, milk, eggs, sugar, salt...etc.). I love when Billy thanks me for making homemade bread....it really motivates me to keep doing it. And it's not like it's really time consuming...the bread machine makes the dough for me, I just have to put the ingredients in. Then all it takes is letting the bread sit for a while, popping it in the oven, and then it's done!
I wonder why it's so hard for us to treasure the simple things in life...our families...making bread....sitting down with a good book. You would think that we would realize in the moment that these things are worthwhile and edifying, or just make us happy...but I know I usually take these things for granted. I get so caught up in everything else, like trying to clean my house, or going to the store, or using every media device available (cell phone, computer, TV, iPod, etc.) that I sometimes miss out on the simple moments that are the most enjoyable. Billy and I decided last week that we want to cut down on the time we spend watching TV. Now, we only watch the shows we actually want to see, instead of just turning on the TV when it's too quiet in the house. Thank goodness this is working for us, because I've noticed just in the past week how much easier it is to go to bed at 9:00, and how I feel like we've spent time together as a family. I just don't want to waste my life away spending time with electronics and cleaning products and miss out on the time I could spend with my family, or in quiet solitude enjoying a book, or the time I could spend in the kitchen making something for my family. Does anyone else feel this way? I just want to use my time wisely, on the things that really matter in my life. And I want to pass that on to Ellie, instead of raising her to be a texting-addicted TV junkie. I swear, some days I really would love to move out into the middle of nowhere, with no Internet connection or cell phone service, and just live in peace without all the noise!
Kristen
I wanted to dedicate this blog post to finding joy in simple things. No breakdowns of shopping trips...I just want to talk about the things that matter.
We started Ellie on solid foods a few weeks ago. Initially, it gave her horrible gas and I was worried that she'd never get over it. We used Mylicon drops like they were going out of style, and finally she got over that hurdle. Now that she's tried several types of food, she's gotten into her stride with eating. Thank goodness we can finally cut back on the formula!
I fed Ellie her breakfast this morning (oatmeal and applesauce mixed together...even makes it seem tasty to me!). It brought me so much joy to see this...
This little rascal snatched her spoon and tried to feed herself. Or at least that's what I tell myself she's doing. Really, she just sees something interesting and sticks it in her mouth. Regardless of the reason, I let her go for it. Sure, it makes a HUGE mess (the spoon was full of oatmeal-applesauce mixture...which didn't make it into her mouth), but it's worth it to let her become more independent and let her explore the art of eating. I try to let her hold the spoon, if she wants to, and guide it into her mouth. But sometimes, she's wants to do it by herself. =)
I know I've got to cherish these moments, because they'll be gone before I know it, and she'll be walking and talking very soon. There are moments when I worry, "Is she developing fast enough? Is it bad that she's not sitting on her own yet? Am I a bad mother because she's not ahead of everyone else?" I want to make sure I'm aware of what I need to teach Ellie, but at the same time I'm afraid that I'm rushing her into growing up. It's days like this when I realize this: she's happy, she's healthy, and she'll grow up when it's time. I'm going to cherish the oatmeal covered smile, and just enjoy today.
Another moment that brings a smile to my face is this....
In this photo, he was letting Ellie stand on the floor so she could get a better look at Shelley. Ellie is madly in love with Shelley...she laughs and smiles at her almost as much as she does with Billy. She loves to "pet" Shelley...every time Shelley walks past her, she reaches her little hands out to touch her. So sweet. Anyway, Ellie was laughing at Shelley because she yawned...apparently that was very amusing.
I love my little family. We don't have much, and we live in a very small house, but we're comfortable and content. I've got a great husband who manages our finances so that we can survive for a whole year without him working, plus he does everything he can to make Ellie and I happy. He loves our daughter so much...can't ask for a better man! Ellie, of course, is my joy...I can't imagine life without her now. I look back at everything I did before having a baby...and not much of it matters to me now. And I can't forget Shelley. She's my first baby...even though she can get annoying occasionally, she makes it up with her sweet face and her gentleness with Ellie.
Another, not so sentimental, joy I've discovered recently is using my bread machine...
I have found that I love to make bread! It's cheaper than buying fancy bread from the store, and I can make whatever I want. So far, I've made rolls, cinnamon swirl bread, and french bread...all from scratch and using my bread machine. I had to make the initial purchase of yeast, but everything else I always have on hand (flour, milk, eggs, sugar, salt...etc.). I love when Billy thanks me for making homemade bread....it really motivates me to keep doing it. And it's not like it's really time consuming...the bread machine makes the dough for me, I just have to put the ingredients in. Then all it takes is letting the bread sit for a while, popping it in the oven, and then it's done!
I wonder why it's so hard for us to treasure the simple things in life...our families...making bread....sitting down with a good book. You would think that we would realize in the moment that these things are worthwhile and edifying, or just make us happy...but I know I usually take these things for granted. I get so caught up in everything else, like trying to clean my house, or going to the store, or using every media device available (cell phone, computer, TV, iPod, etc.) that I sometimes miss out on the simple moments that are the most enjoyable. Billy and I decided last week that we want to cut down on the time we spend watching TV. Now, we only watch the shows we actually want to see, instead of just turning on the TV when it's too quiet in the house. Thank goodness this is working for us, because I've noticed just in the past week how much easier it is to go to bed at 9:00, and how I feel like we've spent time together as a family. I just don't want to waste my life away spending time with electronics and cleaning products and miss out on the time I could spend with my family, or in quiet solitude enjoying a book, or the time I could spend in the kitchen making something for my family. Does anyone else feel this way? I just want to use my time wisely, on the things that really matter in my life. And I want to pass that on to Ellie, instead of raising her to be a texting-addicted TV junkie. I swear, some days I really would love to move out into the middle of nowhere, with no Internet connection or cell phone service, and just live in peace without all the noise!
Kristen
Monday, February 28, 2011
Crazy Coupon Lady CVS Shopping Spree
Sunday morning, I got up at 4:15 am. I was on the schedule to tutor from 5-6 am, so I thought I would get up extra early and go ahead and shower before my shift. I then tutored until 6, then I got ready and headed out the door at 6:30 am to do my shopping for the week. Crazy, I know. My thought process behind that was that I could get my shopping out of the way for the week so I wouldn't have to worry about it later.
So I drove my sleepy self down to Walgreen's, picked up my newspaper (and got a free pair of small, child-safe scissors--to keep with my coupons--with my $2 Register Rewards from last week!), and started clipping coupons in my car. It's pathetic, I know, but I was eager to do my shopping super early. I clipped a bunch of coupons from the P&G coupon booklet, then headed over to CVS for what I call my "Crazy Coupon Lady CVS Shopping Spree." I previewed the CVS weekly ad on their website on Saturday night, plus used another of my favorite blogs, Southern Savers, to plan my shopping trip. There are a lot of good ECB deals this week that can be easily paired with coupons to get good savings, so I did my first ever major shopping trip at CVS (with multiple transactions!). Everything pictured below cost me 95 cents each, out of pocket, plus I got $10 in ECBs to use on my next purchase!
(My wonderful husband is very gifted with displays, so I let him create my shopping spree pictures for the blog!) =)
This is a complicated explanation (it makes my head hurt just trying to think it through), but it yielded some great savings for me!
1st Transaction:
2nd Transaction:
I was at CVS way longer than I should have been due to some mistakes made by the cashier, but I was patient as she redid my transaction three times so that I could get all of the savings. I think she accidentally gave me an extra $1.75 back on my card, but I'm just now realizing this.
After my fun time at CVS, I went over to Kroger. There wasn't much on sale as far as food is concerned. Thankfully, we've got a ton of food stocked up for a while, so I actually only needed bread and mayo from the grocery department. I used the rest of the money in my budget to stock up on household items.
I got 3 bottles of Downy fabric softener for $3.99 each, 4 bottles of Gillette body wash for 75 cents each, and 16 rolls of Charmin toilet paper for $2.99. I ended up spending $23.70 total. This is everything I bought yesterday from Kroger and CVS, which cost $40.72..
I also ordered 1,224 Pampers wipes from Amazon for $1.51 shipped (normally this would cost at least $30 without shipping). I bought one box of 504 wipes and another of 720. There is a Pampers Amazon deal going on right now for 10% off when you use the code MOMWIPES. Also, I'm an Amazon Mom member (which is free and gives 15% off baby items). I also used the Subscribe and Save option, which gave me another 15% off my order. I used 2 $10 off codes to the Amazon baby store...so I only spent $1.51 total!
My total for the week is $42.23.
It might seem silly, but I'm thanking God every day for the savings we have found using coupons...it's a fun hobby for me, and I feel like I'm contributing to our household by saving a lot of money on things we need.
-Kristen
So I drove my sleepy self down to Walgreen's, picked up my newspaper (and got a free pair of small, child-safe scissors--to keep with my coupons--with my $2 Register Rewards from last week!), and started clipping coupons in my car. It's pathetic, I know, but I was eager to do my shopping super early. I clipped a bunch of coupons from the P&G coupon booklet, then headed over to CVS for what I call my "Crazy Coupon Lady CVS Shopping Spree." I previewed the CVS weekly ad on their website on Saturday night, plus used another of my favorite blogs, Southern Savers, to plan my shopping trip. There are a lot of good ECB deals this week that can be easily paired with coupons to get good savings, so I did my first ever major shopping trip at CVS (with multiple transactions!). Everything pictured below cost me 95 cents each, out of pocket, plus I got $10 in ECBs to use on my next purchase!
This is a complicated explanation (it makes my head hurt just trying to think it through), but it yielded some great savings for me!
1st Transaction:
- 2 Crest Pro-Health toothpastes at $3.29 each
- used $1.75 in coupons = $4.83 total
- got $6.51 back in ECBs ($3.29 for each toothpaste)
- 4 bottles of Excedrin (two at $5.79 each, one at $4.69, and one at $4.99)
- used 2 Free Excedrin coupons on the $5.79 bottles = 2 for FREE
- used another $3.50 in coupons = 1 bottle at $2.49, another at $3.69
- got $10 back in ECBs because I had $20 worth of Excedrin
2nd Transaction:
- 5 boxes of Puffs tissues at $1 each
- used a 50 cents off 2 coupon = 80 cents each or $4 total
- 2 bottles of Tide (50 oz.) at $5.94 each
- used two 35 cents off coupons = $5.59 each or $11.18 total
- 3 bottles of Dawn dish liquid at 94 cents each
- used $1.50 in coupons = 44 cents each or $1.32 total
- 12 rolls of Charmin toilet paper at $4.99
- used $1 off coupon = $3.99
- Covergirl mascara at $5.99
- used $2.50 in coupons = $3.49
I was at CVS way longer than I should have been due to some mistakes made by the cashier, but I was patient as she redid my transaction three times so that I could get all of the savings. I think she accidentally gave me an extra $1.75 back on my card, but I'm just now realizing this.
After my fun time at CVS, I went over to Kroger. There wasn't much on sale as far as food is concerned. Thankfully, we've got a ton of food stocked up for a while, so I actually only needed bread and mayo from the grocery department. I used the rest of the money in my budget to stock up on household items.
I got 3 bottles of Downy fabric softener for $3.99 each, 4 bottles of Gillette body wash for 75 cents each, and 16 rolls of Charmin toilet paper for $2.99. I ended up spending $23.70 total. This is everything I bought yesterday from Kroger and CVS, which cost $40.72..
My total for the week is $42.23.
It might seem silly, but I'm thanking God every day for the savings we have found using coupons...it's a fun hobby for me, and I feel like I'm contributing to our household by saving a lot of money on things we need.
-Kristen
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Rough Week
I have had a rough week so far. Ellie had her 6 month checkup last Friday and the doctor found that she has an ear infection. I kinda suspected that she did, because she kept pulling on her ear, but otherwise she acted normal (no fever, no pain). He prescribed an antibiotic, so I figured it wasn't that big of a deal. Over the weekend, she was very fussy and wanted to be held a lot, which isn't like her. I felt like the weekend wasn't relaxing at all....and I was worried about Ellie the whole time. She still didn't have a fever, but she was just acting weird. It got worse on Monday, so I talked to the "phone nurse" at Ellie's doctor's office, and she said that she should be doing better by now, but to call the next day if it seemed worse. So yesterday, we had the same scenario of crying, fussing, and a general lack of happiness. We went back to the doctor so he could check her ears again, and he said that it's starting to look better, so she's just recovering very slowly. He prescribed us some ear drops that are supposed to relieve pain, and they do seem to be working. She had a better night last night, and I'm really hoping she feels better today.
In other Ellie news, we also started solids this weekend. Her doctor suggested we delay solids until 6 months because of being premature, small, and having reflux. I've been giving her rice cereal (up until yesterday), and she seems to enjoy the experience. So far she's not really swallowing a lot of it, but she does occasionally! She's doing as well as I can expect with it...it's so fun to feed her something on a spoon, I just like the change from bottle feedings and formula (that stuff is so gross). I think the cereal gives her bad gas, though...she's been stinking up our house quite frequently since starting cereal.
Other than that, not much is going on in my life. I'm still tutoring, which is going well, except that I wish I could do better hours...I just can't find the right balance yet. It seems like I either tutor really late at night, or really early in the morning, both of which interrupt my sleep. I don't know about you, but I need my sleep. I'm one of those people who isn't a morning or a night person...if I could, I would just sleep 24/7. There's probably something wrong with me....
I also start babysitting next week. I'm nervous about it, since it will be such a huge adjustment for everyone involved, but I've been praying that it will be a smooth transition and everything will work out well. God has His hand in it, and I know that things will get easier with time.
My mom is coming up to visit today, which I'm really looking forward to. I haven't seen her in a while, so it will be nice to hang out for a while today. I really hope Ellie will be feeling better. Plus, she's already started going through stranger anxiety. She'll be fine and smiling one minute, and then if someone other than me or Billy gets too close to her, she'll stick out that bottom lip, pout for a second, and then just have a meltdown. It's so sad, and I don't know what to do about it. I know I need to be sensitive to her anxiety, because she's a baby and she can't understand social norms yet, but at the same time I get embarrassed when it happens. I think the general public expects all babies to be sweet and happy, so they just get right up in their faces and start talking in a weird voice...that would probably scare me, too. It does bother me a little when she does it to family, but I guess she doesn't know the difference between family members and strangers yet, since Billy and I are the only people she's with consistently. One thing I absolutely love and could never get tired of is that she adores Billy. He's like her knight in shining armor...he walks through the door, and she lights up and gives him a huge grin, then buries her face in my shoulder like she's being all bashful. She laughs so easily at him (I don't blame her, I do too!) and she can't take her eyes off him. It's the sweetest thing in the world, and I love it!
As far as my grocery shopping this week, I did almost all of it on Sunday afternoon so I could get it out of the way. I think that will have to be my new norm, since I'll be babysitting from now until the end of May and won't have time during the day to go grocery shopping (with two babies...can you imagine?!). I shopped at Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, and Petsmart on Sunday, then went to Target on Monday. I got a few really good deals, and stayed under my $50 weekly budget (including diapers, dog food, paper towels, cleaning supplies....who would have thought?!).
Pictured below is my Sunday shopping trip. I spent $34.09 on everything pictured.
At Kroger, I got paper towels for $5.99 (used $1 coupon), the Simply Juices for $1.68 each ($1 off coupons for each), BBQ sauce for 69 cents, and Gatorade for 69 cents each. I used the $3 off coupon from last week's event, plus got another one to use next week. I spent a total of $24.70 at Kroger. We didn't need a whole lot this week, because we've had random things going on this month and haven't stuck to the meal calendar. In a way, it's a blessing, because then I have everything I need to make dinner, and I don't necessarily need to go to the store. We've got a freezer full of meat, plus lots of canned goods in the cabinets, so we've got enough food to last for at least 2 weeks without going to the store. Anyway, that's why I didn't spend much at Kroger this week.
At Walgreens, I bought a jumbo pack of Pampers diapers, which were on sale for $8.99. I used $3 in coupons, so I paid $6.44 out of pocket (includes tax) and got $2 back in Register Rewards.
At CVS, I bought another jumbo pack of Pampers diapers, which were on sale for the same price as Walgreens. I used a $1 coupon, bringing the price down to $7.99. I had $7.58 in ExtraCare Bucks from last week, so I ended up only paying $2.70 (also purchased a Sunday paper). I also got $2 back in ECBs!
I also went to Petsmart this week...I never usually go there, but they had a sale on the 5 lb bags of Science Diet Light Dog Food for $5, and there was a $5 coupon in an old Sunday ad, so I ended up paying just the tax for the dog food....25 cents!
On Monday, I went out to Target while Ellie was napping (and Billy graciously stayed home with her). I didn't take a picture (I was exhausted and just wanted to clean up and go to bed), so use your imagination! I bought dish soap for 69 cents, 2 3-packs of Dentyne gum for 4 cents each, ibuprofen for free, pantiliners for 14 cents, pasta for 79 cents each, and shredded cheese for $1.44 each. Total spent was $7.18. I got all of the coupon matchups from Money Saving Mom.
My total this week came to $41.27, and I saved $43.08. I'm so thankful for the learning experience couponing has been for me so far. God has taught me so much about being frugal....this time last year, I was spending $100 a week on groceries...so awful. I'm so glad that there are opportunities like couponing, which ends up saving us so much money...and I'm also very thankful for all those other frugal shoppers out there...I feel like we have our own little community and culture going on.
I wanted to write a short thing about a devotional book I'm reading right now, but I'll have to save that for another day. It's 7:15 am, and I need to eat breakfast, shower, and get ready to care for my little one!
-Kristen
In other Ellie news, we also started solids this weekend. Her doctor suggested we delay solids until 6 months because of being premature, small, and having reflux. I've been giving her rice cereal (up until yesterday), and she seems to enjoy the experience. So far she's not really swallowing a lot of it, but she does occasionally! She's doing as well as I can expect with it...it's so fun to feed her something on a spoon, I just like the change from bottle feedings and formula (that stuff is so gross). I think the cereal gives her bad gas, though...she's been stinking up our house quite frequently since starting cereal.
Other than that, not much is going on in my life. I'm still tutoring, which is going well, except that I wish I could do better hours...I just can't find the right balance yet. It seems like I either tutor really late at night, or really early in the morning, both of which interrupt my sleep. I don't know about you, but I need my sleep. I'm one of those people who isn't a morning or a night person...if I could, I would just sleep 24/7. There's probably something wrong with me....
I also start babysitting next week. I'm nervous about it, since it will be such a huge adjustment for everyone involved, but I've been praying that it will be a smooth transition and everything will work out well. God has His hand in it, and I know that things will get easier with time.
My mom is coming up to visit today, which I'm really looking forward to. I haven't seen her in a while, so it will be nice to hang out for a while today. I really hope Ellie will be feeling better. Plus, she's already started going through stranger anxiety. She'll be fine and smiling one minute, and then if someone other than me or Billy gets too close to her, she'll stick out that bottom lip, pout for a second, and then just have a meltdown. It's so sad, and I don't know what to do about it. I know I need to be sensitive to her anxiety, because she's a baby and she can't understand social norms yet, but at the same time I get embarrassed when it happens. I think the general public expects all babies to be sweet and happy, so they just get right up in their faces and start talking in a weird voice...that would probably scare me, too. It does bother me a little when she does it to family, but I guess she doesn't know the difference between family members and strangers yet, since Billy and I are the only people she's with consistently. One thing I absolutely love and could never get tired of is that she adores Billy. He's like her knight in shining armor...he walks through the door, and she lights up and gives him a huge grin, then buries her face in my shoulder like she's being all bashful. She laughs so easily at him (I don't blame her, I do too!) and she can't take her eyes off him. It's the sweetest thing in the world, and I love it!
As far as my grocery shopping this week, I did almost all of it on Sunday afternoon so I could get it out of the way. I think that will have to be my new norm, since I'll be babysitting from now until the end of May and won't have time during the day to go grocery shopping (with two babies...can you imagine?!). I shopped at Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, and Petsmart on Sunday, then went to Target on Monday. I got a few really good deals, and stayed under my $50 weekly budget (including diapers, dog food, paper towels, cleaning supplies....who would have thought?!).
Pictured below is my Sunday shopping trip. I spent $34.09 on everything pictured.
At Kroger, I got paper towels for $5.99 (used $1 coupon), the Simply Juices for $1.68 each ($1 off coupons for each), BBQ sauce for 69 cents, and Gatorade for 69 cents each. I used the $3 off coupon from last week's event, plus got another one to use next week. I spent a total of $24.70 at Kroger. We didn't need a whole lot this week, because we've had random things going on this month and haven't stuck to the meal calendar. In a way, it's a blessing, because then I have everything I need to make dinner, and I don't necessarily need to go to the store. We've got a freezer full of meat, plus lots of canned goods in the cabinets, so we've got enough food to last for at least 2 weeks without going to the store. Anyway, that's why I didn't spend much at Kroger this week.
At Walgreens, I bought a jumbo pack of Pampers diapers, which were on sale for $8.99. I used $3 in coupons, so I paid $6.44 out of pocket (includes tax) and got $2 back in Register Rewards.
At CVS, I bought another jumbo pack of Pampers diapers, which were on sale for the same price as Walgreens. I used a $1 coupon, bringing the price down to $7.99. I had $7.58 in ExtraCare Bucks from last week, so I ended up only paying $2.70 (also purchased a Sunday paper). I also got $2 back in ECBs!
I also went to Petsmart this week...I never usually go there, but they had a sale on the 5 lb bags of Science Diet Light Dog Food for $5, and there was a $5 coupon in an old Sunday ad, so I ended up paying just the tax for the dog food....25 cents!
On Monday, I went out to Target while Ellie was napping (and Billy graciously stayed home with her). I didn't take a picture (I was exhausted and just wanted to clean up and go to bed), so use your imagination! I bought dish soap for 69 cents, 2 3-packs of Dentyne gum for 4 cents each, ibuprofen for free, pantiliners for 14 cents, pasta for 79 cents each, and shredded cheese for $1.44 each. Total spent was $7.18. I got all of the coupon matchups from Money Saving Mom.
My total this week came to $41.27, and I saved $43.08. I'm so thankful for the learning experience couponing has been for me so far. God has taught me so much about being frugal....this time last year, I was spending $100 a week on groceries...so awful. I'm so glad that there are opportunities like couponing, which ends up saving us so much money...and I'm also very thankful for all those other frugal shoppers out there...I feel like we have our own little community and culture going on.
I wanted to write a short thing about a devotional book I'm reading right now, but I'll have to save that for another day. It's 7:15 am, and I need to eat breakfast, shower, and get ready to care for my little one!
-Kristen
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
New Adventures
I feel like the past few days have been filled with new things for me. Like I mentioned in a previous post, Billy and I are looking at getting new carpet and vinyl for our house. Anyone who's done any home renovating knows how stressful it can be (especially for those do-it-yourselfers out there...). Working with a carpet store has been SO easy. Well, once we found the right store, it's been easy. We got our first estimate from Carpet Land, which wasn't so bad. They were marginally helpful, but we tried to set up a measurement appointment and the girl never called me. I'm not about to call her to remind her to do her job! We also got an estimate from Home Depot...NEVER AGAIN. They weren't helpful one bit, and they didn't even seem to care whether they got our business or not. The place we are going with is Michael's Carpet World...they have been so helpful from the beginning and I feel like they really try to answer all of my questions and meet my needs. They came out Monday to measure our house, and that evening we picked a few samples to try to decide what carpet we want (vinyl was a piece of cake). We have our estimate, which isn't nearly as bad as we initially thought it would be, and they'll fix the floor in the kitchen where Shelley decided that vinyl and sub-flooring looked super tasty. We've already got our appointments set up, so by mid-March all of the flooring will be done....YAY!!! So that's been adventure #1.
Adventure #2 has been tutoring for Tutor.com. I started pursuing this back in December, and the application process is really long so it took a few weeks before I could finally have my interview. After they accepted me as a tutor, my life has been a little busy with various things going on, and so I didn't start tutoring until this week. I'm one of those people who likes a schedule, but since I'm a probationary tutor, most of the hours are already taken up by the time I'm able to access the schedule. I was finally able to pick up a few hours this week from people dropping the time slots they've already scheduled. The first time I tutored was Monday morning from 12 AM - 1 AM.....I was soooo sleepy, but I spent 80% of the hour tutoring, so that kept me awake. I also tutored Monday morning from 5-6 AM, which was very early for me, but I'm motivated to earn some money. I tutored last night from 11-12:45 AM, and I tutor again tonight from 7-8 PM. I tutor in English and Essay Writing for elementary through college age students. I thought I wouldn't like it, since it's like chatting online, but so far it's gone really well and I'm so happy about it. The only thing that's a bit annoying is that since I can't schedule many hours, I have to "float" in order to move up to the next tutoring status. Basically, I just sit in front of the computer until someone needs tutoring, but I don't get paid for the waiting time if I'm floating. Anyway, I'm kinda excited that this is working out so far, because I'm using my teaching skills, earning money, and I don't have to leave my house to do it!
I also tried disc golf yesterday with Billy...I thought I was going to hate it, but it wasn't too bad. I guess it's a good way for me to get out of the house, and Billy really likes it, so it gives us something to do together. I had to wear Ellie in the carrier, and after 18 disc golf holes, I was dying to get her off! Even though she's little, she kills my back when I wear her in that thing...I think she had fun though. She likes to be able to see what's going on, and she didn't fuss at all the whole time. She did get sleepy toward the end because she kept drooping forward and falling asleep, but then every time I threw the disc she would wake up again.
I guess another new thing this week is that I tried asparagus for the first time....totally tastes like steamed green beans. I wasn't sure how to make asparagus, so I used the Cake Boss' recipe for Roasted Asparagus, which was pretty good.
I did my grocery shopping on Sunday so that Billy could watch Ellie for me, and it took forever, but at least I got it out of the way.
At Target, I got a three-pack of Suave for Men shampoo for $3.75 ($1.25 per bottle, typically $1.90 ish, I think).
At CVS, I got two tubes of Colgate Sensitive toothpaste for $2.79 each or $5.96 total (originally $3.79, used 2 $1 off coupons), and got $7.58 back in CVS Extra Care Bucks (so I got more back than what I actually paid)!
At Walmart, I got an 80 count pack of Gain dryer sheets for 28 cents! I used the $3 off coupon in Sunday's paper.
At Kroger, a few of my good deals were two free Colgate toothpastes (so now we're REALLY stocked up on toothpaste...if anyone needs some, we've got about 6 tubes in the linen closet!), 5 bottles of Gatorade for 49 cents each (bought as part of the Daytona Event, then used $1 off 5 coupon), 3 jars of Ragu for $1.45 each, and a sirloin tip roast on sale. At checkout, I got a $3 off coupon for my next trip to Kroger as part of the Daytona Event.
For the whole week, including all the toiletries and household items, my grocery bill totaled $48.06! My savings were $20.93, plus I got the $3 coupon toward Kroger and $7.58 in ECBs to CVS. I'm so excited that I stayed under $50 including toiletries and household items...it's been a secret goal of mine the past couple of weeks to start lowering my grocery bill goal. Initially, I set our goal for $50 a week only on groceries and didn't include any other items in that goal. I think it's realistic for me to lower our food grocery goal to $40 a week and set the $10 aside from the initial goal to go toward toiletries or other things like baby food, diapers, whatever.
I think that's all from me, so now I'm going to go finish prepping for dinner (Farfalle Festival tonight!) and then read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban until Ellie wakes up!
Adventure #2 has been tutoring for Tutor.com. I started pursuing this back in December, and the application process is really long so it took a few weeks before I could finally have my interview. After they accepted me as a tutor, my life has been a little busy with various things going on, and so I didn't start tutoring until this week. I'm one of those people who likes a schedule, but since I'm a probationary tutor, most of the hours are already taken up by the time I'm able to access the schedule. I was finally able to pick up a few hours this week from people dropping the time slots they've already scheduled. The first time I tutored was Monday morning from 12 AM - 1 AM.....I was soooo sleepy, but I spent 80% of the hour tutoring, so that kept me awake. I also tutored Monday morning from 5-6 AM, which was very early for me, but I'm motivated to earn some money. I tutored last night from 11-12:45 AM, and I tutor again tonight from 7-8 PM. I tutor in English and Essay Writing for elementary through college age students. I thought I wouldn't like it, since it's like chatting online, but so far it's gone really well and I'm so happy about it. The only thing that's a bit annoying is that since I can't schedule many hours, I have to "float" in order to move up to the next tutoring status. Basically, I just sit in front of the computer until someone needs tutoring, but I don't get paid for the waiting time if I'm floating. Anyway, I'm kinda excited that this is working out so far, because I'm using my teaching skills, earning money, and I don't have to leave my house to do it!
I also tried disc golf yesterday with Billy...I thought I was going to hate it, but it wasn't too bad. I guess it's a good way for me to get out of the house, and Billy really likes it, so it gives us something to do together. I had to wear Ellie in the carrier, and after 18 disc golf holes, I was dying to get her off! Even though she's little, she kills my back when I wear her in that thing...I think she had fun though. She likes to be able to see what's going on, and she didn't fuss at all the whole time. She did get sleepy toward the end because she kept drooping forward and falling asleep, but then every time I threw the disc she would wake up again.
I guess another new thing this week is that I tried asparagus for the first time....totally tastes like steamed green beans. I wasn't sure how to make asparagus, so I used the Cake Boss' recipe for Roasted Asparagus, which was pretty good.
I did my grocery shopping on Sunday so that Billy could watch Ellie for me, and it took forever, but at least I got it out of the way.
At Target, I got a three-pack of Suave for Men shampoo for $3.75 ($1.25 per bottle, typically $1.90 ish, I think).
At CVS, I got two tubes of Colgate Sensitive toothpaste for $2.79 each or $5.96 total (originally $3.79, used 2 $1 off coupons), and got $7.58 back in CVS Extra Care Bucks (so I got more back than what I actually paid)!
At Walmart, I got an 80 count pack of Gain dryer sheets for 28 cents! I used the $3 off coupon in Sunday's paper.
At Kroger, a few of my good deals were two free Colgate toothpastes (so now we're REALLY stocked up on toothpaste...if anyone needs some, we've got about 6 tubes in the linen closet!), 5 bottles of Gatorade for 49 cents each (bought as part of the Daytona Event, then used $1 off 5 coupon), 3 jars of Ragu for $1.45 each, and a sirloin tip roast on sale. At checkout, I got a $3 off coupon for my next trip to Kroger as part of the Daytona Event.
For the whole week, including all the toiletries and household items, my grocery bill totaled $48.06! My savings were $20.93, plus I got the $3 coupon toward Kroger and $7.58 in ECBs to CVS. I'm so excited that I stayed under $50 including toiletries and household items...it's been a secret goal of mine the past couple of weeks to start lowering my grocery bill goal. Initially, I set our goal for $50 a week only on groceries and didn't include any other items in that goal. I think it's realistic for me to lower our food grocery goal to $40 a week and set the $10 aside from the initial goal to go toward toiletries or other things like baby food, diapers, whatever.
I think that's all from me, so now I'm going to go finish prepping for dinner (Farfalle Festival tonight!) and then read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban until Ellie wakes up!
Friday, February 11, 2011
New Recipes......Success!
So I tried out a few new recipes this week, and I'm happy to report that they were successful, despite my clumsiness and lack of know-how in the kitchen!
First, I made Bacon-Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken in the crock-pot (recipe found on Money Saving Mom's recipe link). I was very unsure about this one, but Billy liked it and I thought it was pretty good, too.
Ingredients:
2. Place chicken in crockpot and pour BBQ sauce mixture over chicken.
3. Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each chicken breast.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours.
The only thing I might change about it is add more BBQ sauce....I loooove sauce, and I didn't think it was enough.
The next recipe I tried was a No Boiling, No Meat Lasagna from Ragu.
Ingredients:
1. Combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, and eggs.
2. Spread 1 cup sauce in 9x13 dish.
3. Layer 4 uncooked noodles, 1 cup sauce, and 1/2 ricotta mixture; repeat.
4. Top with remaining noodles and 2 cups of sauce.
5. Bake covered at 375 for 1 hour.
5. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 10 minutes.
It came out really well, and I like that it doesn't require meat, so it saves us some money. It tasted kind of sweet, but I'm not sure if that's due to the whole wheat pasta or the pizza sauce (maybe both). Regardless, it was very good and we'll definitely be making it again. No more frozen lasagna for this household!
With the lasagna, I made homemade french bread. I got the recipe from Finding Joy in My Kitchen, which gives a step by step explanation (with pictures!) for people like me (a.k.a. not kitchen-savvy). I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I didn't even have to prepare by going to Kroger!
You can laugh at my ugly looking french loaf, but I worked hard for this! I was overly concerned about it rising enough (because I sadly didn't know what it meant to "cover and let the bread rise" until a few days ago!). I thought, "Cover it with what? Paper towels....?" Fortunately, Google helped me out on that one =). Anyway, so I worried and fretted over letting the dough rise, checking on it every few minutes to see if it looked different, and then it was finally time to put it in the oven. I opened the oven door, picked up the baking sheet to put it in, and dropped the baking sheet face down (with the bread on it) onto the hot oven door. My beautiful (better-shaped) loaf stuck to the oven door....it got a little crispy and misshapen, but Billy came to my rescue and saved the bread from imminent death.
It still came out very yummy, despite it's ugliness. This recipe is a keeper!
Finally, I got a sweet tooth and made Puppy Chow. Again, I had all the ingredients on hand, so I didn't have to go buy anything. I think most people know how to make this one, but this was the first time I made it by myself and I had to follow the recipe (on the back of the cereal box).
Ingredients:
2. Combine choclate chips and peanut butter in small bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute; stir. If not completely melted, microwave another 15-30 seconds, and stir again until smooth.
3. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal mixture; stir until all pieces are evenly coated.
4. Pour powdered sugar into large resealable plastic bag; add cereal mixture. Shake in sealed bag until all pieces are well coated.
This stuff is evilly addictive, so I have to limit myself to a very small portion in a very small bowl. It definitely satisfied my cravings last night, and I enjoyed snacking while watching The Office.
It has been an interesting week of trying new recipes...I'm learning a lot about cooking, and also realizing that mistakes happen and things don't always turn out great, but it's just a learning experience. I have this tendency to feel like a failure if I try something new and it doesn't work out, but I'm slowly learning that it's okay to make mistakes....the point is to put yourself out there and try something new. I'm very grateful to all the blogs out there dedicated to cooking, because I'm like a Kindergartner....I need pictures in order to follow directions correctly!
Now I'm going to go and relax for a few minutes before Ellie wakes up.....maybe snack on some Puppy Chow and read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the tenth time. (Yes, I'm working my way through the series again...I just can't help myself).
Blessings.....Kristen
First, I made Bacon-Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken in the crock-pot (recipe found on Money Saving Mom's recipe link). I was very unsure about this one, but Billy liked it and I thought it was pretty good, too.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1-2 apples, peeled and grated
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 6 slices bacon
2. Place chicken in crockpot and pour BBQ sauce mixture over chicken.
3. Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each chicken breast.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours.
The only thing I might change about it is add more BBQ sauce....I loooove sauce, and I didn't think it was enough.
The next recipe I tried was a No Boiling, No Meat Lasagna from Ragu.
Ingredients:
- 30 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup parmesan
- 2 eggs
- 2 jars pasta sauce
- 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1. Combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, and eggs.
2. Spread 1 cup sauce in 9x13 dish.
3. Layer 4 uncooked noodles, 1 cup sauce, and 1/2 ricotta mixture; repeat.
4. Top with remaining noodles and 2 cups of sauce.
5. Bake covered at 375 for 1 hour.
5. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 10 minutes.
With the lasagna, I made homemade french bread. I got the recipe from Finding Joy in My Kitchen, which gives a step by step explanation (with pictures!) for people like me (a.k.a. not kitchen-savvy). I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I didn't even have to prepare by going to Kroger!
It still came out very yummy, despite it's ugliness. This recipe is a keeper!
Finally, I got a sweet tooth and made Puppy Chow. Again, I had all the ingredients on hand, so I didn't have to go buy anything. I think most people know how to make this one, but this was the first time I made it by myself and I had to follow the recipe (on the back of the cereal box).
Ingredients:
- 8 cups Chex cereal
- 1/3 cup peanuts
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2. Combine choclate chips and peanut butter in small bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute; stir. If not completely melted, microwave another 15-30 seconds, and stir again until smooth.
3. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal mixture; stir until all pieces are evenly coated.
4. Pour powdered sugar into large resealable plastic bag; add cereal mixture. Shake in sealed bag until all pieces are well coated.
It has been an interesting week of trying new recipes...I'm learning a lot about cooking, and also realizing that mistakes happen and things don't always turn out great, but it's just a learning experience. I have this tendency to feel like a failure if I try something new and it doesn't work out, but I'm slowly learning that it's okay to make mistakes....the point is to put yourself out there and try something new. I'm very grateful to all the blogs out there dedicated to cooking, because I'm like a Kindergartner....I need pictures in order to follow directions correctly!
Now I'm going to go and relax for a few minutes before Ellie wakes up.....maybe snack on some Puppy Chow and read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the tenth time. (Yes, I'm working my way through the series again...I just can't help myself).
Blessings.....Kristen
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