Family Finances
Book: “Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell
The girls are super excited to read their new book with Daddy “Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell. The book is part of the “Treasury of Illustrated Classics” book set which we are reading to the girls. They recently started this book and are already hooked. On one of our recent road trips they watched a mini series DVD on “Black Beauty” so they have been very excited to read the book. One chapter at night is not enough for them, they keep begging Daddy to read more! This book is about a spirited horse named “Beauty” who has had a challenging life as a horse. The book teaches about empathy and kindness towards animals.
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
I took time this week to spend reading, playing and hanging out with my girls. They will be going back to school soon so I wanted to spend more time with them. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from the Sav Mor Sidewalk Box Sale! Sav Mor Box Sale Groceries – spent $14.00 at Sav More Sidewalk Box Sale
- 4 Kettle Krinkle Cut Chips Salt & Pepper (14 oz each)
- 2 General Mills Corn Chex Cereal (14 oz each)
- 2 Enviro Kids Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs
- 1 Laura Lynn Deluxe Moist Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 Fantastic Vegetarian Chili
- 1 Milton’s Corn Bread Crackers
- 3 Milton’s Everything Multi Grain Crackers
- 2 Milton’s Whole Wheat Graham Crackers
- 5 Laura Lynn Deep Dish Pizza Crust (each package had 2 pizza at 11.3 oz each)
- 1 Laura Lynn Thin Pizza Crust (each package had 2 pizza at 7.4 oz each)
- 2 Kettle Krinkle Cut Chips Buffalo Bleu (9 oz each)
- 1 Kettle Krinkle Cut Chips Sweet Onion (9 oz each)
- 1 Fiber One Complete Pancake Mix
- 1 Hefty Gallon Bags (13 count)
- 6 Knorr Pesto Sauce Mix
- 1 Kraft Mac & Cheese Family Size (14.5 oz)
- 1 Annie’s Organic Rotini Pasta with 4 Cheese Sauce
- 1 Late July Organic Bite Size Cheddar Cheese Crackers
- 1 Sorbee Sugar Free Eat Rite Be Fit Chocolate Syrup (18 oz)
- 1 Starkist Chunk Light Tuna (5 oz)
- 1 Bremner Waffer Crackers (4 oz)
- 1 Thai Kitchen Roasted Garlic and Chili with Jasmine Rice
- 7 Knorr Four Cheese Sauce Mix
- 1 Kind Nut Delight Bar
- 1 Knorr Roasted Pork Gravy
- 1 Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard (12 oz)
- 3 Wish Bone House Italian Dressing
- 1 Glutino Gluten Free Organic Chocolate & Peanut Bars (16 oz)
- 1 Organic Ville Sun Dried Tomato
- 1 Kellogg’s Special K Double Chocolate Bar
- 1 Crosset Blackwell Cocktail Crackers
- 1 Duncan Hines Creamy Lemon Supreme Frostings
- 1 Kool Aid Fun Fizz Partyin Punch
- 2 Quaker Oatmeal to Go Maple Breakfast Bars
- 1 Jiffy Golden Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 Stewart Peppermint Candies (5 oz)
- 5 Little Hugs Drinks
- 4 McCormick Seafood Garlic Butter Steamers and Steam Bags
- 1 pack Cupcake Liners
- 1 Laura Lynn Straws (50 Count)
- 1 Jello Vanilla Pudding
- 1 Solo Mint Mania Bar
- 4 boxes Band Aids plus Antibiotic (20 count each)
- 2 SoyJoy Berry Bars
- 3 boxes Band Aids Assorted Sizes
- 1 box Russell Stover Fine Chocolates
- 2 Nestle Juicy Juice Apple Raspberry Juice (64 oz each)
- 1 Duncan Hines Double Fudge Brownies
- 5 Fiber One Chocolate Bars
- 24 Slim Fast Chew Chocolate Crisp Bars
For more information on the Sav More Sidewalk Box Sale check out my post about the details on the sale.
Groceries from Ingles! Ingles Groceries:
- $25.84 at Ingles for 1 container diced Yellow Onions, 5 bags Sugar Snap Peas, 1 bag Pepperoni, 8 bags Shredded Cheese, 1 container Zuchinni and Summer Squash, 1 bag Potatoes, 1 bag Bananas and 4 packs of Activia Yogurt. (all the items were marked down on clearance or on sale except the pepperoni)
This week I spent $39.84 on groceries. Even though I barely squeaked under my budgeted amount again for the week I was able to do it and stock up on several items on clearance. I hope to have an even better week for my next update since it has been hard going under budget as we stock up for upcoming events with family in town for several days. Thankful for an opportunity to stay within the budget for my family. I hope that next week is an even better week and we can come way under budget for the week. We had a gallon of frozen milk in the freezer we used up this week so that helped save us a little bit too.
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Recipe: Creamy Cucumbers
The fresh Green & Yellow cucumbers from our garden are now Creamy Cucumbers. Growing up my Mom and Grandma made this delicious creamy cucumber recipe from the fresh garden cucumbers. I always looked forward to eating it every summer. Now that we have a garden of our own we enjoy making this for our family and sharing it with others. If you need to use up some of those garden cucumbers and are looking to try a sweet, creamy and refreshing recipe try this one!
Creamy Cucumbers:
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Vinegar (white or apple)
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 4 cups sliced Cucumbers
In a bowl combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Add cucumbers and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
I will often make a half of recipe and it is still plenty for our family. It is a great cool side dish for summer meals!
Travel & Vacation: 40 Plus Hour Road Trip Together
Our family recently went on a forty plus hour road trip together. A lot of fun memories were created on our road trip up to New England including time spent with several extended family members. Here are a few pictures of our journey in the van:
Sleeping beauties in the van! Thankful to have girls who enjoy a long road trip. I had to smile when I looked back and saw them fast asleep with their toys on their laps.
Seriously, who needs a pillow when you have your sisters head to sleep against! This was a popular sight on our 40+ hour road trip. The girls would be quiet so we would look back and see them sleeping soundly with their heads together. A sister comes in handy for a pillow in a pinch!
Look out Boston here we come!!! We had a blast staying with family in the Boston area. Thankful for our time together with extended family!
Going through the "Big Dig" in Boston The girls thought it was neat going through the long tunnel under the city!
The girls enjoying one of their DVDs with head phones. We have a DVD player we can set up in the van which we use for long road trips. Our policy is if the road trip is longer than 5 hours we will put in the DVD player. The girls were VERY excited to go on a long road trip because they got to watch a couple movies.
Beautiful day and amazing scenery. We enjoyed the beautiful landscape on our drive up north. The green trees, puffy white clouds and Vermont Mountains in the distance. One of these years we need to head up to New England during the Fall, I bet it is breathtaking when all the trees are turning.
Little goodies and toys kept the girls entertained throughout the trip. Karlie watching a video while Brina plays with her remote control car. They had a blast playing in the car and exploring when we stopped.
Connecticul Welcomes Us! Yay! Even though we went through a lot of different states on our journey I was only able to capture a few state “Welcome” signs. It was hard to time the pictures and at night none of them turned out well. We made a brief stop in CT after trying three exits to find gas and a working restroom for the kiddos (I didn’t realize how many Mom/Pop gas stations didn’t have working restrooms).
Downtown Hartford We only spent a few hours in Hartford, CT on our trip. The girls said next trip they want to explore it more!
Welcome to Pennsylvania! The traffic in Pennsylvania was less but the roads were much rougher. We saw some beautiful scenery throughout the mountains of Pennsylvania!
So busy painting they completely ignored my request for a picture! These books were a big hit, obviously! The girls are always game for crafts and had been begging to “paint”. I found the solution at Big Lots in their clearance section, paint books that use water pens to paint. Less of a mess for us and more fun for the girls. All we had to do was fill up their pens a couple times along the way.
Beautiful river at sunset We were blessed to see a lot of wonderful scenery on the way.
Our girls resting in the van! Despite the many hours on the road the girls were such troopers. They did not complain at all even though they spent a lot of hours in the van. It was neat to see them have fun, entertain themselves, and get excited about exploring the different areas we stopped. Thankful for their sweet adventuresome spirit. They even slept a good 5 to 7 hours as we were driving through the night! Needless to say they were rested when we got home (Mommy and Daddy were exhausted). For tips on flying with the kids check out Tips on Flying with Kids.
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of August 10 – 16, 2011
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Save A Lot has continued their sale so it is a great time to stock up on several items (no coupons necessary to get the Save A Lot Today prices). Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Oscar Mayer Wieners or Bologna (16 oz or 12 oz) – $0.99
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 6/19 Smart Source (Expires 8/14/11)
$0.49 each after couponBeef Eye of Round Roast – $2.99 per lb
Eckrich Smoked or Skinless Turkey Sausage (14 oz) – $1.99
Use $0.55/1 coupon from insert 6/26 Smart Source (Expires 8/27/11)
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 6/26 Smart Source (Expires 8/27/11)
As low as $1.44 each after couponBoneless Chicken Breast – $1.49 per lb
Ground Beef 73% Lean (3 lb or 5 lb packages) – $1.99 per lb
Fresh Half Boneless Pork Loin – $1.99 per lb
Fresh Pork Tenderloin – $3.49 per lb
Shaner’s Boneless Chicken Breast – $5.99
Holten Quarter Pound Beef Patties (32 oz) – $3.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Coburn Farm Eggs (1 dozen)- $0.19*
*Valid with $10 minimum purchase.
Limit one purchase customer. Must present coupon at time of purchase.
Valid at local store (states the address of our local store)
Expires August 13, 2011Kraft American Singles (12 oz) – $1.88
Use $0.55/1 coupon from Kraft Food & Family Booklet (found at Bi-Lo & Food Lion)
$1.33 each after couponFerratto’s Fully Loaded Pizza (21.5 to 24.4 oz) – $4.99
Coburn Farms Mozarella String Cheese (10 0z) – $2.99
Take & Bake Pepperoni & Supreme Pizza – $5.99
Reser’s Potato and Macaroni Salad – $2.99
Produce
Black, Red and White Grapes – $0.99 per lb
Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines – $0.79 per lb
Strawberries (1 lb package) – $2.00
Cucumbers – $0.33 each
Peppers – $0.33 each
Summer and Zucchini Squash – $0.49 each
Cantaloupe – $1.49 each
Grocery
Ideal Bread (20 or 24 oz) – $0.19*
*Valid with $10 minimum purchase.
Limit one purchase customer. Must present coupon at time of purchase.
Valid at local store (states the address of our local store)
Expires August 13, 2011General Mills Cereal (20.5 to 21.5 oz) – $2.49
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 7/10 Smart Source (Expires 8/20/11)
$1.99 each after couponKellogg’s PopTarts (14 to 14.7 oz) – $1.66
Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 7/24 Red Plum (Expires 9/18/11)
$1.33 each after couponHi-C Juice Drink Boxes (10 Count) – $1.79
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (4.5 to 5.4 oz) – $1.88
Use $1.00/3 coupon from 7/17 Smart Source (Expires 9/10/11)
Use $0.50/2 printable coupon from Betty Crocker
As low as $1.55 each after couponSplash Out Juice Drink Pouches Fruit Punch (10 pack) – $1.79
Mantia’s Tri Color Rotini – $0.89
Tipton Grove Apple Juice – $1.69
Panner Peanut Butter – $1.59
Bramley’s Concord Grape Jelly (32 oz) – $1.8
Fairfield Farms Mini Raisin Boxes – $1.49
Nature Trails Chewy Granola Bars – $1.99
J Higg’s Potato Chips – $1.19
J Higg’s Cheezie Puffs or Crunchy – $1.39
Portmann’s Salad Dressings – $1.39
Crisp Lemonade – $0.99
Summerset Green Citrus Tea (6 pack) – $2.89
Albany Bakery Creme Sandwich Cookies – $1.99
Vitner Multi Pack Snacks – $4.99
Mrs Freshley’s Buddy Bars or Oatmeal Creme – $1.00
Chef’s Finest Croutons – $0.99
Tree Ripe Lemonade – $1.99
Bakery
Fresh Apple or Cherry Pie – $2.99
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
A whole week at home, yay! It has literally been weeks since we have had an entire week at home together. I enjoyed having the opportunity return to a somewhat “normal” schedule although the traveling has been a lot of fun! Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Walgreens, Rite Aid | Save A Lot, and Aldi's Walgreens Groceries:
- $2.95 at Walgreens for 1 bottle Coffee Mate French Vanilla, 1 bottle Coffee Mate Hazelnut, and 3 cans Mandarin Oranges.
Rite Aid | Save A Lot Groceries:
- $2.38 at Rite Aid | Save A Lot for 1 package Cinnamon Raisin Bagels (on clearance) and 3 packages English Muffins (on clearance).
Aldi’s Groceries:
- $29.65 at Aldi’s for 1 can Cooking Spray, 1 package fresh Spinach, 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup, 3 cans sliced Mushrooms, 2 packages Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 4 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, 2 cans sliced Olives, 1 bottle Ranch Dressing, 4 cans Refried Beans, 1 box Raisins, 2 cans Black Beans, and 1 bag All Purpose Flour.
Groceries from Ingles Ingles Groceries:
- $4.95 at Ingle’s for 1 container Blackberries, 1 container Strawberries, 1 container diced Yellow Onions, 1 container Carrots and Celery, and 1 container Baby Romaine. (all the items were marked down on clearance to $0.99)
This week I spent $39.93 on groceries. Even though I barely squeaked under my budgeted amount for the week I was able to do it and stock up on several items on clearance. I hope to have an even better week for my next update since it has been hard going under budget. Several of our local stores have raised their prices A LOT over the last several weeks making it even more of a challenge to purchase groceries within the budget. I am happy to stock up again and look forward to a fresh start next week. Part of our groceries went towards making a meal for a friend who was in the hospital this week as well as hosting, thankful for the ability to share what we have been given with others.
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Family Recipe: Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw
The red and green cabbage fresh from our garden is now ready to be turned into coleslaw! During the summers when I was a kid I always enjoyed going to visit my Grandparents. Many summers I would spend a couple weeks helping Grandma Willa make meals while the guys were harvesting wheat. Grandma made the BEST coleslaw. It was one of my favorite side dishes she would make throughout the summer. I recently harvested a couple cabbages out of our garden so I had the opportunity to make Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw for guests.
Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw:
- 1 package Coleslaw Mix or 1/2 medium head of Cabbage, shredded (or part of a green cabbage and part of a red)
- 1 small Green Onion (yellow onion will work too)
- 1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
- 1/2 cup Almond Slivers
- 1 package Ramon Chicken Flavored Noodles (uncooked), noodles broken in pieces (beef flavor will work as well)
Dressing:
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/3 cup Vinegar (white or apple vinegar)
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Oil
Mix the coleslaw (or cabbage) and onion together. Measure and place in a separate bowl the Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, and Ramon Noodles. Mix the dressing and add chicken ramon flavor packets to the dressing. Pour the dressing over salad and mix well. Before serving add the mixture of Sunflower Seeds, Almonds and Noodles (adding before serving makes sure they are crunchy when you eat the salad). Serve and enjoy!
You can also add a lot of other great items to make the coleslaw more colorful and tasty:
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1/2 cup sliced Apples
- 1/2 cup shredded Carrots
- 1/2 cup shredded Broccoli Steams
I always add the raisins to the coleslaw and sometimes the carrots & apples depending on what I have in the kitchen.
Summer Recipe: Cucumber Water
Fresh Garden Cucumber in a Pitcher of Water You probably have had a glass of water with a lemon wedge in it for extra zest, but have you tried Cucumber Water? Instead of adding a lemon to your glass of water today try adding a couple slices of cucumbers. During the summer months when we have fresh garden cucumbers we like to slice them up and add them to a pitcher of water for extra flavor. It is a great drink variation you can bring to the dinner table. It’s especially fun to serve when you have guests. If your family enjoys cucumbers this is a refreshing drink to try. Add a few slices to your pitcher of water today.
- 1 sliced Cucumber
- Water
Slice up the cucumber and add it to a pitcher of water. Allow the cucumber to remain the water about an hour before serving for extra flavor.
Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points
Receive another 5 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!This code is different from the previous codes I have given.
Use Code: BABYISDUEANYDAY
The code didn’t have an expiration date but they usually expire in a few days so be sure to add it to your account soon!
You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!
For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!
Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – Cabbage, Okra, Green Beans, Cucumbers, Purple Beans,Tomatoes, Peppers and More!
We are enjoying the fresh vegetables from our garden! We didn’t have to travel this week so we had the opportunity to enjoy the veggies even more. Our garden is slowing down a little with all the heat. I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of all the vegetables because a couple neighbors came over to get some produce.
Here are some of the fresh veggies we were able to eat and share this week:
Green Cabbage and Purple Cabbage from our garden We made green and red coleslaw out of our two cabbages.
Red and green cabbage heads ready to be sliced for coleslaw! The cabbage made great coleslaw!
Fresh Garden Produce Fresh vegetables and fruit from the garden – Big Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Purple Beans, Okra, Banana Peppers, and Strawberries.
We have had a lot of great tomatoes the last couple of weeks. We had a friend made some delicious salsa from our tomatoes and peppers. It has been neat seeing and hearing what others have been able to make with our vegetables.
What are you eating out of your garden this week?
