Family & Consumer Fossy

A little more on coupons...

2011-11-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

Ah, Sunday afternoon! Deer season has begun and the boyfriend and kiddos are sitting out in the woods. So, what do I get on this peaceful afternoon? Coupon clipping time!

I usually try to check Sunday Coupon Preview on Friday or Saturday to decide how many papers I want to buy. That's another thing I wanted to note: Remember how I said in The Magic of Coupons that life isn't like it is on television? I do NOT take newspapers from houses that are for sale, I don't dumpster dive for them (okay, in all honesty, if there were a recycling facility around here I probably would) and I do NOT pay for one paper and then take 10 (because that's STEALING!). Those people are just plain nuts. However, I do occasionally buy more than one Sunday paper. For instance, if there will be a Procter & Gamble insert I usually buy 4-8 Sunday papers because I absolutely love the P&G inserts!

Something else, I'm not going broke buying papers. A Sunday paper in my area is $2.00. My grocery trip a few weeks ago that I posted saved me enough money to pay for 28 Sunday papers.

Today, there happened to be a General Mills insert with the usual RedPlum and SmartSource coupons, so I purchased 2 Sunday papers. I guess what I am trying to say is: I need to get clipping!

Monster Dog

2011-11-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

Ah, the joy of having my own blog. Although I do try to stick to the Family & Consumer side of things, occasionally I think, 'I bet my readers would love to hear about my personal life!'

Okay, maybe I don't REALLY think that, but sometimes when I'm brainstorming about what to write for you all, personal stuff keeps popping into my head. For example: I want new towels in the bathroom, I should buy hooks for the broom and mop and make my broom closet more organized (yeah, I guess that would kind of fit in under F&CS huh? Maybe another day...), would anybody like a free kitten because there are still 2 looking for a good home? And then....then it happened. I decided to write about

MONSTER DOG

Now, when I say monster dog you have to understand that I'm not referring to anything from Pet Sematary. Also, nothing comparable to the show It's Me or the Dog. Monster dog is Jagger.

I love Jagger! He's one of the sweetest puppies I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Mind you, I'm not really what you would call a dog person. No, in fact, I am definitely a cat person. I understand cats better, and it's almost like they understand me (and use that knowledge to terrorize me)! Something just happened when our eyes met Jagger's that day in the pet store. Okay, in all honesty, something happened when I saw my boyfriend's eyes meet Jagger's. It's like he was meant to be OUR dog! He's always so happy and so excited to see us, he wraps his lead around landscape timbers JUST so we will come spend MORE time with him. We trained him to sit, shake and heel in a matter of days and he's extremely protective of the boys, my boyfriend and me.

So, why monster dog you ask? Maybe because he's only 4 months old and weighs a whopping 34 lbs, maybe because his paw is bigger than the palm of my hand, or it could even be the fact that he's a pro at shredding...EVERYTHING! Regardless, he's one of those monster's like Sully on Monster's Inc. He may look (and think) like he's big and bad but he's just a giant love bug!

Oh, and for those of you still hung up on the "...free kitten because there are still 2 looking for a good home?" that wasn't a joke. I have a black "Ninja" and a smoky "Grey" kitten available! :-) **Hint...Hint...Hint**

The Magic of Coupons

2011-11-07T10:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay...so I didn't get around to posting my blog about coupons yesterday. That's because I didn't actually go shopping like I had intended. I DID, however, go shopping this morning...so, let me enlighten you on the magic of coupons!

See all of this stuff....?

The retail price of all of this stuff was $118.84!!! It's no wonder America is in the middle of a depression...er, recession...I MEAN we are out of the recession....*raises eyebrows* Would you be interested in knowing how much I paid for this selection? In 2 stores and 4 transactions I paid $62.36. For those of you who aren't that great at math (don't feel bad, I spent 15 minutes figuring this out AND am looking at my notes as I type) that means that I SAVED $56.48 or roughly 48%.

I'm actually a little aggravated because I bought a 20 lb bag of dog food (NOT pictured) at full price so that messed up my savings a little bit. BUT, the massive puppy (4 months, 34 lbs!) has got to eat, too.

Life isn't like the Extreme Couponing shows that you see on television. TRUST me, there are limits and people who use coupons despise people who clear the shelves. Coupons are one of those things though that can really help to stretch your budget and do NOT involve that much time. I will admit that the first week I organized my coupon binder and went through all of the "deals" in the Sunday ads I spent quite a bit of time on it. Now, it's second nature. Sure I ONLY saved $56.48 today, but if you can learn to save like that every time you go grocery shopping you will be saving at least $100.00 each month. *If you only go grocery shopping once a month then you obviously don't have children...*

And now, for all of you who keep scrolling up and squinting at the picture I will give you a breakdown. If you don't want the breakdown, then you should PROBABLY stop reading right about.....here!

Kroger Transaction #1

5 cans Swanson Beef Broth
5 cans Swanson Chicken Broth

Used 2 "$0.50 off 5 cans" coupons (which doubles to $1.00 at Kroger)
+ Kroger's $5 off 10 participating items EVENT

Retail: $12.63 Paid: $3.03

Kroger Transaction #2

6 Boxes Kleenex Tissue
2 Boxes Annie's All Natural Mac & Cheese
2 cans Hormel Chili with Beans (I won't eat that but I know the kiddos and boyfriend will!)

Used 2 "$0.50 off 3 boxes Kleenex" (each doubled to $1.00), 1 "$0.75 off 2 Mac & Cheese", and 1 "$0.55 off 2 cans Hormel Chili"

Retail: $21.28 Paid: $5.67

Kroger Transaction #3

2 boxes Cascadian Farm Organic Cereal
4 bottles of Dawn Dish Detergent
2 bottles of Suave Kids Shampoo
5 cans of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
5 cans of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 gallon of milk

I used 2 "$0.75 of 1 Cascadian Farm", 4 "$0.50 off one Dawn", 1 "$0.75 off 2 Suave", and 2 "$1.00 off 5 cans"

Retail: $35.36 Paid: $17.66 (no coupon for the milk :-( )

Walmart Transaction #1 (and only)

1 box saltine crackers (no coupon :-( )
20 lbs Iams Puppy Chow (no coupon :-( )
4 Halloween Card Kits (reg. $0.97...I paid $0.24 ea)
1 Red Bull Energy drink

Couponed items begin here:
3 Carefree Pantiliners
6 cans Dole Pineapple
3 Hormel ComplEATs
6 Colgate Toothpaste
5 Colgate KIDS toothpaste

Retail: $49.57 Paid: $36.00

Used 3 "$0.50 off any Carefree", 3 "$0.50 off any 2 Dole", 3 "$0.55 off one ComplEAT", 6 "$0.50 off any Colgate" and 5 "$0.50 off any KIDS Colgate"

Whew...that made my head hurt to type it all out like that! Anyway, if I get some positive feedback on this post I will continue to keep you all informed of my future couponing endeavors.

Until next time....

My Poor Neglected Blog...

2011-11-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

As much as I hate to admit it, I've sorely neglected my little blog project the past few months. There have just been so many events taking place that I barely find the time to check my text messages, much less my BLOG! But, here is my promise to my devoted reader(s): I WILL start posting a blog at least every other week. I know you all have been completely lost without listening to my rants about about new and improved cookware and the amazing recipes I try! Not to worry, because all of that is about to change...beginning tomorrow with a little post about how much I love coupons!!! I could write it tonight, but I'm soooo sleepy and I definitely don't want to miss out on that extra hour. In case you forgot, Daylight Savings Time ENDS, so go fall back and fall asleep.

Love,

Fossy

The Italian Meringue Buttercream Project

2011-07-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

I have been baking for quite some time. I can remember making a cherry pie for my mom and dad's birthday one year with my Memaw. I don't remember how old I was, or when I started baking by myself, but I do know that I have always heard about the wonderful, light and fluffy Italian Meringue Buttercream. I also know that I've always been way too much of a chicken to attempt making it because of the difficulty involved.

Saturday night I decided to use some of the fresh peaches I had acquired to make Peaches 'n' Cream Cupcakes. I also knew, without a doubt that the only frosting worthy of a Peaches 'n' Cream Cupcake would be the much dreaded Italian Meringue Buttercream.

I read at least a dozen articles of tips and tricks and watched three different videos about the process. Then sucked it up and WENT FOR IT!

The result? If heaven could be in a frosting, well, I found the recipe. The best part? Italian Meringue Buttercream is not nearly as hard as I had anticipated it would be! It could have possibly helped that I had my boyfriend watching the egg whites for me (I don't think he had the slightest clue what he was watching for) while I cooked the sugar which made me feel a lot more confident about what I was doing.

And now, the Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting (next time I will take pictures, PROMISE)

Italian Meringue Buttercream

2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. water

8 large egg whites

4 c. unsalted butter, softened (i.e. 8 sticks!!!)

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Place the 8 egg whites into your electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip egg whites on medium until they reach the soft-peak stage.

In a saucepan combine 1 1/2 c. sugar with 1/2 c. water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring until sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved stop stirring and monitor your candy thermometer until the temperature of the sugar/syrup reaches soft ball stage or 240 degrees.

When the sugar/syrup has reached approximately 230 degrees, empty the remaining 1/2 c. of sugar into the egg whites. Turn up your mixer so the egg whites come to medium peaks.

As soon as the sugar/syrup reaches 240 degrees pour it (careful, this stuff is HOT) into a heat proof measuring cup (allows better control!) and then stream it into the mixer. As soon as all of the syrup has been poured turn your mixer on high and leave it there until the mixing bowl has returned to a cool temperature.

Gradually add softened butter a few tablespoons at a time. If your Italian Meringue Buttercream looks kind of funny, don't worry, mine did too. Just keep your mixer on medium-high and whip for several more minutes and it will start to smooth out.

Once your concoction appears smooth add the vanilla and continue mixing until fully incorporated. If you wanted to use a flavor other than vanilla you would also add it at this time. I've heard lemon is exceptionally delicious!

Yield: 7 CUPS (I DID half this recipe and it was enough for 36 cupcakes...fair warning)
This may be stored in your refrigerator for up to a week. If you store it in the fridge and want to take it out later and use it you will need to let it come close to room temperature and then re-whip it.

Now...go try it! :-)

Potato Salad...YUM!

2011-07-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

If you are anything like me (let's face it, I'm a little crazy and you probably don't want to compare yourself to me!) then when it is hot outside- food, for the most part, just doesn't sound good. A salad, maybe, but when I am hot the thought of anything cooked repulses me.

Solution? Cold food! As in, today's potato salad. I never realized how many people dislike potato salad, but I think I have a winner with this recipe. The boyfriend and kids will eat it, so I must be doing something decent!

Fossy's Potato Salad

4 cups boiled potatoes, cubed

2 Tbsp of onion, finely chopped

2 boiled eggs, sliced

2-3 Tbsp of sweet relish (OR you can chop up some pickles, relish is just quicker)

2/3 cup of mayonnaise

A squirt or two of mustard (this really depends on how much you like mustard!)

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine your diced potatoes, onion and sliced eggs. As you can see, it doesn't have to look perfect!

Add in your sweet relish or chopped pickles, then stir.

Add your mayonnaise, but don't stir yet!

Squirt the mustard on top of the mayonnaise and stir those two together before mixing it into the salad.

After everything is mixed up good add salt and pepper to taste, then stick it in the fridge until you're ready to eat! This is sure to go over well with the family ;-)

Potato salad is a cheap and easy summer side to prepare and THAT makes sew much cents!

Oneida Commercial Bakeware

2011-07-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

Oneida commercial bakeware...anybody heard of it?

This is a preliminary report on my latest purchase. I haven't had the chance to use it as of yet, however it did attract my penny-pinching attention last night at our local "supercenter" which is a hard thing to do! I convinced my wonderful boyfriend to purchase $40 worth of bakeware (I had fully intended on buying it with my own hard earned money but, he said he would) because it was better than any I had ever seen in my life, as well as a reasonable price.

The Oneida "Commercial" line is a commercial weight pan. They aren't kidding either! These suckers weigh about 3 times as much as their competitors. This really caught my attention because one of the biggest problems I have when it comes to baking is that my pans warp! Not to mention, this stuff has a Lifetime Warranty. It's difficult to find any kind of kitchen utensil with a LIFETIME warranty because companies know that people who cook/bake a lot are going to wear it out.

So, for the low low price of $29.95 I bought the Oneida Commercial Bakeware Set which includes: (1) 12-cup muffin tin, (1) 10"x15" Cookie Sheet, (1) 8"x8" Square Cake Pan and (2) 9" Round Cake Pans. I also purchased a 24-cup muffin tin for $10.95.

I suppose I really should have waited until I tested these out to post about it, but I'm super excited about the possibilities. You had better believe that when I do get to have my trial run (you know, after I've completed the other 300,000 things on my list for today) that I will posting to let you know how well they worked.

Now, on to my potato salad!!!

Glass Top Stoves

2011-07-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

Glass top stoves...are they worth it? It seems like everyone wants a glass top stove, but after they get one you never hear about it again. Sure, they look pretty but, I want to let you in on something that makes sew much cents!

Glass top stoves are not worth the money. What most kitchen renovators don't understand is that not only will they be purchasing a sleek beautiful glass top stove, they will also be purchasing all new pots and pans because I can almost guarantee you that their existing pots and pans will not function properly. Unless you own pots and pans with extremely thick bottoms be forewarned that your trusty old kitchenware will warp on the glass top stove and you will never be able to get a pot of water to boil again.

Another problem with glass top stoves is that they are seemingly impossible to clean. Trust me, I think I've purchased every glass/ceramic top stove cleaning product that is offered. I often end up (as I was just moments before sitting down to type this) with a razor blade, a bottle of all-purpose cleaner and a magic eraser just to get tiny little spots off my glass top stove. The best part? After an hour of scrubbing there are still marks on my stove that absolutely refuse to come off. Might I mention at this point that I am not one of the people who longs for the sleek glass cook top? It was here when I arrived. I prefer a good old fashioned gas range.

All in all, I suppose if you NEVER cook and just want a pretty surface in your kitchen then maybe these modern cook tops are for you. If you are seriously considering installing one in your new home or if you are renovating your kitchen and actually enjoy cooking, then forget about it. In my humble opinion, glass top stoves are more trouble than they are worth.

Cucumber Water

2011-07-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

If you have planted cucumbers in your garden this year, or are lucky enough to have a bounty of them from the neighbors, then you know that after a while they seem to be a little overwhelming. What does a person do with 8 lbs of cucumbers....each day?

My solution: I've started making cucumber water on a daily basis. It's delicious and much more refreshing that plain water on a hot summer day. Plus, it's a lot easier to make than some fancy "cool" drinks.

All you need is:

1 cucumber, cut into medium-thick slices
2 tbsp of sugar (or, if you are a sugar-free household like us you can use Truvia)
Ice
Water
Tea Pitcher

Simply place your sliced cucumber in the tea pitcher and top with your sweetener of choice. Then, fill the pitcher about halfway with ice and the rest of the way with water. After about 3 hours you will have a whole pitcher of delicious and refreshing cucumber water to help keep you cool.

Cucumbers originated in Asia and many women drink cucumber water daily for its benefits. It is said that drinking cucumber water will help to purify the skin as well as remove waste from the body. Either way, it is a definite pick me up during the dog days of summer.

Welcome

2011-07-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sew Much Cents, I'm glad you could stop by! This blog will be used as a method for me to express my creativity as a homemaker. I am currently a college student studying to be a Family & Consumer Science teacher. If you don't know what that is, it's a really fancy way of saying "Home Ec Teacher."

So what do I do other than go to school? I take care of my boyfriend and his two amazing boys. I cook, I keep the house clean, I sew, garden, knit, coupon, write, do laundry....picture a housewife from the '50s and you will get a pretty good idea of what I do most of the time.

Why a blog? Why not? Surely there is somebody on the world wide web who wants to read about what I do. If not, I'm not forcing you to keep reading...