Frugal and Loving it

Consignment Sale Pics!!

2011-03-27T21:45:00.003-04:00

Here are some of the great outfits I bought for my daughters. All together I got 19 outfits, 3 pair of capris, and 3 pair of shoes. They were so happy that they put on a fashion show for everyone at home.

Consignment Sale Today!!!!

2011-03-26T07:28:00.002-04:00

I am up early and so very excited. I am going to a consignment sale today to get Spring/Summer clothes for my children. I just absolutely LOVE this time of year. And I am child free to top it all off. My wonderful Husband is keeping all 3 so I can shop in peace......Heaven on Earth!!! LOL :)

I'll take pics when I get back. Wish me luck!!!

Its been a LONG time!!!

2011-03-25T20:43:00.001-04:00

I know I haven't been keeping up my blog lately, but a LOT has happened since the last time that I wrote. I hopefully will be able to update my blog at least once a week to start off now. I am settled again and everything seems to be getting back on track. Plus I miss posting my deals and getting responses from everyone.

So I guess I will start working on my blogging skills......LOL

CVS Trip 5/21

2010-05-21T16:11:00.003-04:00

Today I went to CVS and bought:

1 pk of Carefree Pantyliners $3.99
1 bottle of Dawn dish detergent $.83
1 Johnson Baby Powder $1.99
1 caramel candy $.33

Total Before Coupons: $7.14
Total After Coupons: $.21

Coupons used:
$1/1 Carefree
$1/1 Johnson product
$.50 dawn detergent
$4.99 ECB (Extra Care buck)

CVS Trip

2010-04-11T14:42:00.003-04:00

1-Dove Conditioner 4.49
4-CVS Single Roll Tissue .50

Total after coupons and CRTs: 3.49
ECBs Received: $4.49

Walgreens Trip 4/11

2010-04-11T14:39:00.002-04:00

3-ban deodorant 3.99
1-schick shave gel 2.99

used:
3-.75/1 Ban coupons
1- Wags coupon for $.99 X 3

Total: 4.17 after coupons
Received: $3 RR

Saturday Shopping 4/10

2010-04-10T22:17:00.015-04:00

Walgreens Trip

3-Dawn 1.99
1-Stride Gum 1.29
1-M&M .89
3-Oral B Toothbrushes 3/$9
3-Highlighters 1.19 (rebate of $4.50 for buying 3)

Total before coupons: $20.72
Total after paying with coupons, rebate and RRs: -$2.91

Kmart Trip

I had my Aunt with me and she used her card too!! LOL

2-All Detergent 4.00
2-Oral B Toothbrushes 3.97
2-Stayfree maxi pads 3.97
2-Halls Refresh 1.99
2-Dove Deodorant 3.97

Total before coupons: $35.80
Total after coupons: $1.74

Food Lion Trip

4-Snuggle Liquid 2.99
6-Snuggle Dryer sheets 2.99

Total before coupons: $29.99
Total after coupons: $2.29

CVS Trip

12-Dove Detergent .96
1-Contour Meter 14.99
3-Stride Gum .99
1-Colgate 2.99

Total before coupons: $30.49
Total after paying with coupons and ECBs: $1.67

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS: $117.00
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS, RRs, REBATE AND ECBs: $2.79

Freezer Cooking Results...

2010-04-02T20:33:00.009-04:00

I have completed a lot in the last two days. I didn't do everything that I had planned, but I added some things to make up for that.

This was a major challenge...But I really enjoyed it.

I didn't cook enough for the month. I only cooked about 2 weeks worth of food. I didn't take many pics, but this is some of it...

All together I cooked:
-hot wings
-chicken and broccoli casserole
-cheese muffins
-cheese and sausage muffins
-mini meatloaf
-barbecued pork chops
-waffles

My Stockpile

2010-04-01T16:32:00.006-04:00

This is my new stockpile. I have been couponing since June of 2008. But I have since used or given away all of my previous stockpile so I felt it was time to start a new one. This is it.

What do you think?

I will be adding more in the future....

Freezer Cooking -update #1

2010-04-01T14:16:00.003-04:00

This is my progress so far. It is 2:16pm and I started at 11:00am. It is taking a lot longer than I would like because I am constantly stopping to do something else and play with my new little man!!

I have given myself 2-3 days so I am not too bummed out.

So far I have my chicken and broccoli casserole, hot wings, and chicken nuggets done.

I will do more tonight or tomorrow...

Freezer Cooking Day 4/1

2010-04-01T10:16:00.013-04:00

I am actually going to do a freezer cooking day today, unlike last time when it didn't quite happen.

I have already gone shopping this morning. I already had most of the ingredients that I needed. I only needed about 5 or so ingredients. This is a very exciting day for me. Just bear with me on getting everything posted.

My plan for the next 2-3 days is:

-Mini apple pies
-baked ziti
-waffles
-breakfast cookies
-chicken and broccoli casserole
-hot wings
-mini meatloaf
-taco meat
-banana crumb muffins

This list is going to take me a while because this is my first time actually completing this.

Wish me luck!!! LOL I will update as I go......

Harris teeter trip: 3/29

2010-03-29T21:14:00.003-04:00

This is one of my trips to Harris Teeter today.

Total before coupons $100.23
Total after coupons $6.62

Week 1: Making a Meal Plan and sticking to it Update

2010-03-24T08:45:00.001-04:00

Well everyone, I had a bad start to my week. I am gong to give it to the Lord because that is the only One who can help me through this. I have been unable to begin my Meal Plan. By next week I should be able to start and stick to it.

Week 1: Making a Meal Plan and sticking to it

2010-03-20T21:23:00.004-04:00

Okay so this is going to be the official start to my meal planning. I have gone through my pantry and my freezer and planned meals around what we have already. This way I can stick to a budget in the beginning and not get overwhelmed about this whole thing. So here is my dinner plan for the week, we are just going to wing it for breakfast and lunch this week since we usually have waffles, pancakes or muffins for breakfast and leftovers for lunch.

Sunday: fried fish, macaroni and cheese, cabbage

Monday: hamburger with gravy, rice, corn on the cob

Tuesday: chicken, cheese and broccoli casserole

Wednesday: homemade pizza, chips

Thursday: baked ham, string beans, mashed potatoes

Friday: tacos with lettuce, tomato and cheese

Saturday: grilled chicken and hot dogs with potato salad and baked beans

Now....I just have to stick to this.

Wish me luck!!! I will update with pics BEFORE we eat :)

My new house: New Beginnings...

2010-03-17T20:01:00.003-04:00

This is my new house. We moved in last week. Being able to live here with my family is an amazing experience. We have only lived in small apartments. Now all the kids have their own rooms and that is the best part of all.

One of the next things that I want to tackle is decorating. When I was younger, I used to hate the home section of ALL stores. I thought it was the most boring part of the store, but now that is the first section that I go to so I can look at what that particular store has to offer.

I can't wait to have our first housewarming party and invite family and our close friends. We are all so excited. This is our new beginning....

Grocery Trip 3-17-10

2010-03-17T19:41:00.008-04:00

I have finally decided to start budgeting how much I spend on groceries.

I recently moved to a smaller city and there aren't as many stores as I am used to shopping at. There are basically two stores. They are Piggly Wiggly and Food Lion, neither of which I normally shop at so this is going to be a big adjustment. I made my meal plan out for the week and decided to try out the new stores.

I made my meals for the week based around what I already had in the kitchen and freezer. After making my list I wrote a shopping list of what I needed. That list turned out to only be produce and a couple of small items. I went to Piggly Wiggly and went shopping for my produce. I picked up bananas for $.49/lb and tomatoes for $.99/lb. I thought that was pretty cheap, but I was wrong. In front of me was a reduced produce rack that was the motherload. On it was everything I needed...tomatoes, bananas, green onions, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, corn on the cob, potatoes and carrots. I bought just enough for the meals that I needed so that I wouldnt waste it because these items wouldn't last as long as the fresh items. I also picked up a head of lettuce and some frozen broccoli that wasn't reduced.

I walked around the store and surveyed my new surroundings just in case i needed to come back for a quick run.

My total was $13.27

It felt so good to get such a great deal.

Learning to budget....

2010-03-10T09:27:00.003-05:00

This is an amazing series. It is so inspirational. Check it out!!!!
I have always wanted to start budgeting but I never had the time to start, or at least I thought I didn't. By reading this series I now have the tools to begin my journey to financial freedom.

Learning to love cooking

2010-02-28T21:20:00.000-05:00

This is my first post on my blog. I have recently fallen in love with reading blogs, so I decided to start my own.

Cooking is a new passion of mine. My mom couldn't have paid me to watch her cook when I was younger. I guess having a family changed me. I love the joy that I get from seeing their smiling faces when I cook something wonderful for dinner. My children are not picky eaters and neither is my Husband so that makes it even more enjoyable.

Tomorrow MoneySavingMom is having a Freezer Cooking Day. I want to join in, but I am a little scared to tackle such a big task. I will do my own small cooking day. Well I can always join in with that. I think I will. So here is what I am planning to do...

Preparation List:

-chicken fingers (about 30)
-french toast sticks (about 50)
-waffles (about 30)
-marinate snack wings in hotsauce and freeze (about 40)
-marinate chicken leg quarters in italian dressing and freeze (1-4lb pack)
-cook a whole chicken, shred, and freeze in smaller portions
-freeze the broth in ice cube trays for later use

Well that is my plan....I hope I can complete that. I feel it is better to start off with simple foods that I have done before. Well it is nice to finally start my blog. I will let everyone know how I did after the cooking is done.