Family Finances
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of July 13 – 19, 2011
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Save A Lot is introducing their “Save A Lot Today” brand products and have several at great stock up prices (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
Fairgrounds Meat Hot Dogs (12 oz) – $0.69
Fresh Chicken Wings – $1.49 per lb
Gwaltney Pork Sausage (12 oz) – $1.00
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
Popsicle or Fudgsicles – $1.00
American Basics American Cheese Slices – $1.00
Save A Lot Today Orange Juice – $1.99
Save A Lot Today Party Pizza – $0.99
Save A Lot Today Pizza Rolls – $0.99
Save A Lot Today Imitation Shreds – $1.00
Household
Save A Lot Today Bath Tissue – $0.89
Save A Lot Today Laundry Detergent – $1.99
Produce
Cherries – $1.99 per lb
Salad Mix (12 oz) – $0.99
Idaho Potatoes (5 lb bag) – $1.49
Grocery
Budget Gourmet Fettuccine Alfredo or Mac N Cheese – $0.69
Campbell’s Original O’s (26 oz) – $0.97
Kool Aid – $0.10
Use B2G1F coupon from the July All You Magazine (Expires 12/31/11)
Use $0.50/5 coupons from Kool Aid Facebook Page
As low as $0.00 each after couponDoritos, Cheetos, Fritos Scoops – $1.00
Nabisco Cheese Nips Snack Crackers – $1.00
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 6/19 Smart Source (Expires 7/30/11)
$0.50 each after couponSplash Out Gallon Drink (128 oz) – $1.00
Hungry Jack Mashed Potatoes – $1.00
Sundia Fruit Cups – $1.00
Save A Lot Today BBQ Sauce – $0.79
Save A Lot Today Ranch Dressing – $0.89
Save A Lot Today Apple Juice – $1.19
Save A Lot Today Toaster Pastries – $0.99
Save A Lot Today Pancake Mix – $0.49
Save A Lot Today Pancake Syrup – $0.99
Save A Lot Today Mashed Potatoes – $0.79
Save A Lot Today Biscuit Mix – $0.79
Save A Lot Today Brownie Mix – $0.99
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.
Book: “A Dog’s Life: Autobiography of a Stray” by Ann Martin
Since we have been traveling a good bit this summer we have been able to check out a few audiobooks for the family to listen to on the road trips. One of the recent audio books we listened to was “A Dog’s Life: Autobiography of a Stray” by Ann Martin. The book follows a young dog named, by her mother in the traditional way of naming a pup, after the most important things in her life. Her name is “Squirrel” and her brother’s name is “Bone”. It is full of touching stories as well as the adventures and perils of being a stray. The book is simple enough for children to follow yet engaging for the adults to enjoy as well.
Family Recipe: Grandma’s Six in One Oatmeal Cookies
Grandma Willa makes a delicious oatmeal cookie. She calls it her Six in One Oatmeal Cookies because they are loaded with amazing ingredients and you can make 6 different types of cookies (or more) with the base cookie mix. It has been nice having cookies to take with us on our various road trips. The girls have enjoyed the sweet snack and it has been neat sharing the recipes with others along the way (although not all of the cookies made it to each destination).Six in One Oatmeal Cookie Recipe:
- 1 cup Shortening
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 cup sifted Flour
- 3 cups Quick Cooking Oats
Add in 1 or more of the Following Ingredient Options to the Cookies
- 1/2 cup chopped Nuts
- 1 package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 2 tablespoons grated Orange Peel
- 1 cup Raisins
- 1 cup cut up Gum Drops
- 1 cup cut up Dates
Cream shortening and sugar thoroughly, add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Sift together flour salt and soda. Add to creamed mixture and blend well. Add oats and one or two of the choices above. If desired divide dough into several portions adding something different to each one. Form dough into small and drop from teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 35o for 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from cookie sheet and place on wire rack to cool. For a special treat, try adding both nuts and chocolate pieces. Or combine dates and orange peel. For a crackly glaze dip balls of dough first into milk then in sugar prior to baking on cookie sheet, bake sugar side up.
More Ingredient Options you can add to the Cookies (these are variations we have tried in our family):
- 1 cup M&M’s
- 1 cup Cranberries
- 1 cup Butterscotch Chips
- 1 cup White Chocolate Chips
- Add another one of your favorite cookie ingredients!
Makes 6 dozen.
Photo by Lara604
Teaching Our Children: Encouraging the Kids to Read During Summer Vacation
Our reading tree! I was trying to come up with a visual prompt in our home that encourages our children to read this summer. The girls LOVE it when they are read to and could do it for hours but since they are starting to read on their own I wanted to find something that would help motivate them to read a little more. I came up with the idea “Spring into Reading” since we technically started it in the Spring and I wanted to boost the girls reading skills.
My Mom graciously made the tree for me and my Sister in Law Becky helped cut out a bunch of the leaves. The purpose of the tree is simple find a visual way for the girls to see their reading progress. Each member of our family gets a different color of leaf. When that member reads a book to the girls or they read a book on their own they get to put up their leaf.
We have started to fill out our tree with leaves and hope to get an after summer break picture up for you to see what we accomplished. If all goes well I hope to see more and more of the girls leaves going up throughout the summer as their reading skills increase.
Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – Zucchini, Green Beans, Squash, Lettuce, Cucumber, Strawberries, Purple Beans, and Tomatoes!
We are loving the fresh vegetables from our garden! This week I only took one picture from the garden because we were traveling. The good news is we were able to take some of our goodies from the garden to share with family along the way. Also, while we are gone my brother and his family get to pick any of the produce that is ready for themselves or to give away so I didn’t get pictures of the items they picked while we were out of town.
Here are some of the fresh veggies we were able to eat and share this week:
Fresh Garden Produce! We were able to pick this all in one day fresh from the garden. Fresh Zucchini, Green Beans, Summer Squash, Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Whole Size Tomatoes, Fresh Leafy Green Lettuce, Purple Beans, a handful of Strawberries that made it in the picture and a Banana Pepper (not pictured because it was ate by the kiddos). Some of these items we delivered to a good friend since we were traveling and we wanted to make sure they were eaten while they were still fresh.
We were able to share some of the veggies this week with family and friends! Thankful for a garden that we can share!
What are you eating out of your garden this week?
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of July 6 – 12, 2011
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. There are a lot of great deals that are continued this week at Save A Lot. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Fresh Ground Beef – $1.99 per lb
Pork Spare Ribs – $1.88 per lb
Chicken Leg Quarters – $0.59 per lb
Sugardale Jumbo Hotdogs (3 lbs) – $2.99
Holten Beef Patties (32 oz) – $3.99
Sugardale Smoked Polish or Hot Sausage (40 oz to 48 oz) – $2.99
Johnsonville Bratwurst and Italian Sausage – $3.79
Use $0.75/1 coupon from magazine 4/20 Kroger’s My Way Magazine (Expires 7/31/11)
Use $0.55/1 coupon from insert 4/17 Smart Source (Expires 6/30/11)
As low as $3.04 after each couponSchooner Tilipia, Whiting, Pollock Fillets (32 oz) – $5.99
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
Buyer’s Best Crinkle Cut French Fries (5 lbs) – $1.99
Minute Maid Orange Juice (64 oz) – $1.99
Use $1.00/1 peelie coupon found on package (Expires 3/30/12)
$0.99 each after couponWorld’s Fair Ice Cream (56 oz) – $1.99
World’s Fair Red, White & Blue Pops – $0.99
Jungle Jammers Twin Pops – $1.99
World’s Fair Sundae Cups – $2.49
World’s Fair Ice Cream (4 quart) – $3.99
Reser’s Potato or Macaroni Salad – $2.99
Use $1.00/1 printable coupon from Coupon
$1.99 each after couponJungle Jammers Freezer Pops (24 Count) – $1.99
Morning Delight Jumbo Biscuits – $1.39
Morning Delight Frozen Buttermilk Waffles – $1.49
Snack-A-Tizers Potato Skins – $1.99
Mantia’s Pepperoni French Bread Pizza – $1.99
Country Crock Spread – $2.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from May All You Magazine (Expires 7/15/11)
$1.99 each after couponHousehold
Charmin Basic Bath Tissue (12 rolls) – $4.99
Use $0.25/1 coupon from insert 6/5 Proctor & Gamble (Expires 7/31/11)
$4.74 after each couponWrightware Napkins (250 Count) – $1.55
Wrightware Foam Plates (40 count) – $1.19
Solo Plastic Cups (20 count) – $0.99
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 6/19 Smart Source (Expires 8/31/11)
$0.49 each after couponRoyal Oak Charcoal – $2.99
Wisk Liquid Laundry Detergent (50 oz)- $3.99
Use $2.00/1 coupon from insert 6/26 Red Plum (Expires 7/31/11)
Use $2.00/1 coupon from insert 6/26 Red Plum (Expires 8/7/11)
Use $1.00/1 printable coupon from Wisk Facebook Page
As low as $1.99 each after couponProduce
Fresh Peaches, Plums and Nectarine – $0.89 per lb
Seedless Watermelons – $3.49
Hot House Tomatoes – $0.99 per lb
Grocery
Bubba Cola or Crisp Orange Soda (24 pack) – $3.99
Herr’s Potato Chips – $1.67
Use $1.00/1 printable coupon from Smart Source
$0.67 each after couponCap’n Crunch Cereal – $1.59
Use $0.50/1 coupon insert from 4/17 Red Plum (Expires 8/31/11)
$1.09 each after couponDomino Granulated Sugar (4 lb) – $2.39
Use $0.50/1 coupon insert from 5/22 Red Plum (Expires 7/31/11)
Use $0.50/1 coupon insert from 6/26 Red Plum (Expires 9/30/11)
$1.89 each after couponKraft Miracle Whip Dressing (30 oz) – $2.49
Use $1.00/1 coupon insert from 6/19 Smart Source (Expires 7/17/11)
Use $0.75/1 coupon insert from 6/19 Smart Source (Expires 7/17/11)
Use $1.00/2 coupon insert from 6/19 Smart Source (Expires 7/17/11)
As low as $1.49 each after couponWorld’s Fair Chocolate Syrup (24 oz) – $1.79
Mrs. Richardson’s Hot Fudge Topping (16 oz)- $2.29
World’s Fair Ice Cream Cones (24 count) – $1.59
Maraschino Cherries – $1.29
BBQ Sauce – $1.19
Crystal Bottle Water (24 Pack) – $2.49
Summerset Ice Tea Mix – $2.29
McDaniel’s Classic Coffee (11.5 oz) – $2.69
Morning Delight Syrup (24 oz) – $1.49
Sunkist Solid White Tuna – $1.39
Bay Mist Tropical or Berry Blend Splash (64 oz) – $1.79
Spice Time Salt / Pepper Shaker Combo Pack– $1.59
Ginger Evans Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix – $0.79
Nature’s Grain Cinnamon Raisin Swirl – $2.49
Nabisco Oreo Cookies – $2.99
Cowboy Billy’s Baked Beans – $1.29
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.
Mailbox Goodies: Free Reusable Bag, Vitamins, Ice Cream, Coupons, Magazines & More!
Mailbox Goodies! One of the best parts about getting the mail is when the mailbox full of goodies, especially when they are free! We got some great coupons, free samples, magazines and more stuff in the mail. Some of these deals are still available so if you haven’t had a chance to sign up go ahead and do it now. I will try to keep you posted of some of the new ones coming up as well.
Here are some items we received in the mail:
- Free Udi’s Gluten Free Foods ReUsuable Bag – Udi’s (great for shopping and several stores give you discounts for bringing your own bags)
- Free Information Week Magazine – been getting this one for years
- Free Martha Stewart Whole Living Magazine – Rewards Gold
- Free Practical Horseman Magazine –Freebiz Magazines
- Free Organic Gardening Magazine
- Free Flying Magazine – Mercury Magazines
- Free Sams Club Coupons, including a Free Ice Cream Float – Sign up at your local Sams club
- Free Nature’s Bounty Fish Oil Sample and Coupon (7 Count) – Nature’s Bounty
- Free Organize In Style Coupons (over $35 in Savings) – Homemade Simple(still available)
- Free Newsweek Magazine – Rewards Gold
- Free Better Homes & Gardens Magazine – SheSpeaks
- Free Household, Health, Kid and Beauty Coupon Booklet
- And more free magazines and local coupons!
If you are like me it is nice when you get a mailbox with free coupons and samples in it. The bills will come as well but when you get a mailbox full of free items it helps make the day a little more enjoyable. Plus the coupons and samples are a great way to stretch your budget and share with others!
Book: “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” by Siegfried Engelmann
School is out for the summer but that does not mean the learning time is over for the kids. Actually in many ways the pressure is on for Moms and Dads to continue teaching our children so they don’t forget everything they learned over the school year. Our girls are starting to read and since I want to help them over the summer I asked around about great books to help them learn how to read even better. This book “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” by Siegfried Engelmann was recommended to me by several of my homeschool Mom friends. We just started this book in June and have already seen some of the benefits. It is not the most exciting book for parents to teach from because it has a lot of repetition, however, that’s a big advantage when your child is first learning to read. It has been hard for me to stay consistent with all the traveling we are doing this summer but when we do the book the girls seem to enjoy it and it helps build their reading confidence. The first few lessons were pretty “easy” for the girls since they just finished kindergarten but I anticipate it getting a little harder and challenging as we go.
Have you used this book with your child?
Do you recommend it or have any other teaching materials for recommend to young readers?
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
Another week of doing Groceries $40 for 4. I was able to stock up on some items but with unexpected events with family and friends I was not able to take the time I needed to shop the deals and stay within our budget. We are trying to eat up our perishables this week from the garden. A lot of the items we picked up will be great for the upcoming road trips we have this summer! Although I went over budget on the groceries this week I was still able to spend only the money in our grocery wallet because I had several weeks earlier this month I was way under budget. I am rejoicing in the fact that I was able to pay for everything in cash. We bought groceries for this week, upcoming road trips, and for making meals for family and friends who have recently been in the hospital. Below are my grocery shopping adventures for the week!
Groceries from Bargain Foods, Dollar Tree, and Big Lots! Dollar Tree Groceries:
- $4.00 at Dollar Tree for Fruit Snacks, Cheesy Whales, Ginger Snaps (we have a little one that has been known to get car sick and these help) and Ranch Flavored Sunflower Seeds (a favorite snack of my husbands for road trips).
Big Lots Groceries:
- $1.00 at Big Lots for Smore’s Chex Mix (one of my FAVORITES and was on clearance but not expired, it is only sold around the Christmas Holidays).
Bargain Food Groceries:
- $94.87 at Bargain Foods for 6 pack Lunchables, 2 boxes of Pepridge Farms Farm Colors Goldfish, 2 boxes of Twizzlers, 2 boxes of Oscar Mayer Ready Cook Bacon, 1 bag of Tator Tots, 1 bag of Hamburger Buns, 1 box of Keebler Grip (14 count), 1 box of Fruit Gushers (6 pack), 1 package Kroger Bacon, 1 box Hytop Dinosaur (6 count), 1 box of Variety Snacks (12 pack), 1 box of Chewy Granolas, 4 bags of Planters Cashews, 2 box of Annies Bunny Graham Crackers, 1 box of Annies Whole Wheat Crackers, 1 bag Ocean Spray Craisins, 2 bags of Jack Link Beef Jerky, 2 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta (16 oz each), Keebler Associate Snacks, 2 cans of Hytop Black Beans, 2 cans of Corn, 2 packs of Sunmaid Yogurt Raisins (6 count each), 4 boxes of Crisps, 4 pack of can Pears, 1 bag of Dried Approciots, 2 boxes of Kraft Mac N Cheese, 1 container Kraft Parmesian Cheese, 1 bottle Bertolli Olive Oil, 1 can Italian Cut Green Beans, 1 jar of Fred’s Pickles, 1 bag of Sugar (5 lbs), 2 mini boxes of Milk Duds, 3 Del Monte Spaghetti Sauce, 1 jar Hytop Salsa Medium, 1 bag of Cheese Cubes, 2 Toast ’em Poptarts (6 count each), 2 bottles of Apple Juice (64 oz each), 1 Applesauce (6 pack), 1 box of General Mill big Breakfast, 1 box Vista Duplex Cream, 1 loaf Golden Baked Wheat Bread, 1 box Hytop Lasagna, 1 bottle Strawberry Jelly, 1 can Good & Fruity Fruit, 1 bag sunkist butter toffee Salad Almonds, 1 bag Chex Mix, 2 bags of Rice, 1 can Dubon Petite Peas, 1 can Fruit Cocktail, 1 can Hytop Refried Beans, 1 can Hytop Mushrooms, 1 bag Calidads Tortillas, 1 bag Flour Tortillas, 1 bag Flour Tortillas, 1 Hyptop Graham Cracker Pie Crust, 2 boxes of Quaker Granola Bites, 1 bottle Frys Blended Oil, 1 can Harvest Cooking Spray, 1 box Motts Applesauce (6 pack), 2 sets of Hytop Fruit Punch Drink, 1 Capri Sun (10 pack), 1 Cascadian Farms (6 pack), 1 Cascadian Farms (5 count), 1 box Hytop Instant Rice.
*A good number of items are not in the picture above because some items were used to make meals for friends or put away (thanks to the help of my sweet husband and two daughters) before I was able to take the picture.
This week I spent $99.87 on groceries. Even though I went way over the $40 budget I was able to pay with the extra cash I had saved from previous shopping weeks. Thankfully I was able to keep the amount within reason although I would like to see a little extra left over instead of doubling my weekly budget. I am glad I didn’t go over the $100 mark even though I was VERY close! Plus I hope to have more time soon to do more regular grocery shopping, but with unexpected events we were a little stretch for time. I am hoping that I will be back to my normal grocery shopping routine before too long. This food should come in handy for our summer road trips and other fun adventures we have coming up!
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.
Free Audio Book: “The Millennials” by Thom S. Rainer & Jess Rainer
FREE Audio Book Download
For the month of July Christian Audio is offering a free download of their audio book “The Millennial” by Thom S. Rainer and Jess Rainer. This audio book “presents the first major investigative work on Millennials from a Christian worldview perspective”. If you want to read the book then this is a great opportunity to listen to the book for free when you download it from Christian Audio in July. Make sure to submit your order by July 31, 2011 to get your free audio book. Thanks Christian Audio!
