Save A Lot: Deals for the week of March 9 – 15, 2011
The Save A Lot deals are continued from last week so if you haven’t had an opportunity to stock up on these items you have another week to do it. Here are this weeks deals 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
Pork Picnic Roast – $0.99 lb
Frozen Boneless Chicken Breast – $1.49 per lb
Ground Beef (73% lean) – $1.99 per lb
Schooner Fish Fillets (2 lbs) – $4.99
Port Side Battered or Breaded Fish Fillets – $2.99
Port Side Cooked Shrimp – $3.99
Port Side Popcorn Shrimp – $2.17
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
Banquet Fruit or Pot Pies – $0.50
Totino’s Party Pizzas – $1.19
Use $1/5 coupon from insert 2/13 General Mills (Expires 5/7/11)
Use $0.50/3 coupon from insert 2/13 General Mills (Expires 5/7/11)
Use $1.25/4 coupon from insert 1/30 Smart Source (Expires 4/23/11)
Use $0.50/1 coupon from insert 1/23 Red Plum (Expires 4/16/11)
As low as $0.69 each after coupon
Michelina Pizza Rolls – $1.99
Coburn Farms Shredded Cheese – $2.59
Haas Cheesecake – $3.49
Household
Trend Laundry Detergent – $1.88
Triumph Big Roll Papers Towels – $1.29
Solutions Glass Cleaner – $0.99
Glo Classic Dish Liquid – $0.99
Angel Soft Bath Tissue – $2.49
Produce
Idaho Potatoes (10 lbs) – $2.49
Navel Oranges (3 lbs) – $1.49
Whole Watermelons (select locations) – $3.99 each
Grocery
Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail Juice – $.188
General Mills Cereal (24 to 25.2 oz) – $2.49
Use $1/3 coupon from insert 2/13 General Mills (Expires 3/26/11)
$2.16 each after coupon
Prego Spaghetti Sauce (24 oz) $1.50
Use $0.35/2 coupon from insert 1/2 Smart Source (Expires 3/31/11)
Use $0.60/3 coupon from insert 1/2 Smart Source (Expires 3/31/11)
As low as $1.20 each after coupon
So Cheezy Shells & Cheddar or Deluxe Mac & Cheese – $1.00
Del Pino’s Beef or Mini Beef Ravioli – $1.50
Portmann’s Tartar Sauce – $1.39
Portmann’s Seafood Cocktail Sauce – $1.29
J Higg’s Potato Chips – $0.99
Save-A-Lot Soda – $0.69
Crystal Drinking Water (24 package) – $2.49
Kaskey’s Onion Soup Mix – $0.79
Portmann’s Real Mayonnaise – $1.99
Panner Peanut Butter – $1.47
Bramler’s Grape Jelly – $1.49
J Higg’s Saltine Crackers – $0.89
Kaskey’s Chunky Soup – $1.49
Mantia’s Spaghetti – $0.79
Mantia’s Grated Parmesan Cheese – $2.49
Crisco Vegetable or Canola Oil – $2.49
Green Giant Vegetables – $0.59
T.G.I. Friday’s Cheddar Bacon Potato Skins – $0.99
Hunt’s Snack Pack Pudding – $0.99
Bakery
Country Treats Donut Holes – $2.29
JJ’s Chocolate Pie – $0.44
Bakery Fresh Cherry or Apple Pie – $2.99
Theodoro Mini Bagels – $1.49
Lofthouse Pink Frosted Sugar Cookies – $2.49
Guiseppe’s Garlic Bread – $1.79
Baby
Tickles Diapers – $5.99
Pet
Trooper Dog Food – $5.99
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
Now that I completed 9 weeks of my No Grocery Shopping challenge I want to share what is next on my agenda as far as grocery shopping is concerned. I would LOVE to live off my pantry and freezer for the entire year, however, it is getting lower and I need to start shopping for some additional items. I learned a lot from the recent challenge and want to keep my family fed while staying within our budget.Explanation: For the first time ever I am going on a strictly cash system for our groceries. It is my desire to spend no more than $40 per week for my family of 4. I am sticking to just grocery and food related items at this time since I have a separate budget for household, health & beauty. If I find that I still have extra consistently I may decide to roll the other items into this as well. As an additional bonus if I have more than a half of week of “extra” money remaining at the end of the month I want to contribute that money towards my Creative Cash. Although I know I will have days and weeks with hiccups like with any challenge it is my desire to be more accountable with what I have been given. I perceive this budget change to have many benefits over the past systems I have used for example it will allow me the opportunity to buy items on sale but not over do it plus makes me more responsible with the money we have been given, and helps control the spontaneous purchases. Only time will tell how well it works for our family.
Every family is different so you need to decide what is best for your specific family and situation. I am starting this endeavor after several months of thought and prayer regarding our family finances. On a side note I do want to let you know that just because the title says Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4 that does not mean we will never host guests in our home or take a meal to someone in need. Our guests and meal deliveries throughout the month are also included in this budget so the actual number will vary from month to month regarding how many people we feed but for simplicity sake it is Groceries $40 for 4 due to our family size and budgeting.
I hope 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. I hope by taking the extra time to watch my grocery spending it will allow us to feed our family, enjoy life, 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.
Photo by MoneyBlogNewz
Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (Meals)
A couple questions we have been asked several times over the last month regarding my No Grocery Shopping challenge are – What have we been eating? Do we have any recipes? I am thrilled that we were able extend this challenge into February! The quick answer is the meals have been “simple”. Thankfully my family does not have any food allergies so we can be a little more flexible on what we eat.Here are a few ways we made our pantry stretch:
- Always Eat Leftovers
- Keep it Simple
- Make Meals with Few Ingredients
- Cook 1 Main Meal a Day
- Cut back on Snacks
- Make Meatless Meals
On typical day we eat toast, cereal, eggs, oatmeal or something we have on hand for breakfast. The girls have lunch at school so they are covered for that meal. Jake and I eat left overs for lunch (the left overs are usually from dinner the night before). For dinner I fix a simple, few ingredients main dish to feed our family of four then add fruits, veggies and other sides to compliment the main dish.
The first place I noticed a dip in the pantry was with the snacks. When the kids get home form school they are HUNGRY (they eat their school lunch at 10:30 AM) and are always ready for a snack. If it has been a busy day for me a lot of times they will grab an item from our “snack basket” on the kitchen counter which contains items such as granola bars, pretzels, crackers, etc…. We have noticed a dip in our dairy products too. The girls will often have a cheese stick or yogurt for a snack after school so those have been being utilized. Another snack they enjoy after school is a half of peanut butter & jelly sandwich or peanut butter with honey and veggies which gives them an extra boost of protein.
One of the neat parts about doing this challenge is I have started noticing trends in our family. I have seen what we eat more of as well as the items that get left behind more frequently. It is important to me that we all continue to get healthy meals and snacks, however, I want to eliminate wastefulness.
Along with the main meals we have a fruit and vegetable. We still have chicken and beef weekly as well as fish every couple of weeks. I will be adding the recipes for these items in the next day or two. It is our plan to continue this challenge yet another week!
I will continue to share with you the challenges, successes and what I have purchased so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating and sharing your story. I am thrilled that we can extend this goal and continue to use up the items we already have in our home!
Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others. Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff” and if you are like us we just have too much. I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives. When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of January 12-18, 2011
Here are this weeks deals at Save A Lot. The deals are continuing from last week if you haven’t had a chance to take advantage of these deals. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – $1.49 per lb
Ground Beef (73% Lean) – $1.79 per lb
Fairgrounds All Meat Hot Dogs – $0.75
Banquet Brown n’ Serve Sausage Links (40 count) – $2.99
Carolina Ground Turkey (16 oz) – $1
Shaner’s Chicken Breast – $5.79
Fairgrounds Lunchmeat – $2.99
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
Take & Bake Pizza (Pepperoni or Sausage) – $5.99
Armour Lunch Makers – $1.99
Wylwood Broccoli – $1.29
Coburn Farms EggsZactly – $1.49
Coburn Farms Low Fat or Light Yogurt – $0.50
Tony’s Crispy Crust Pizza – $0.8
Use $1/2 printable coupon from Tony’s
$0.39 each after couponHousehold
Xtra Laundry Detergent – $1.99
Charmin Basic Double Roll Bath Tissue (12 rolls) – $5.00
Use $0.25/1 coupon from 12/26 Proctor & Gamble (Expires 1/31/11)
$4.75 each after couponFacial Tissues – $0.99
Produce
Iceberg Lettuce – $0.89
Fresh Pineapple – $1.50
Yellow Onions – $0.99 each
Grocery
Malt O Meal Frosted Mini Spooners or Berry Colossal Crunch (42 to 50 oz) – $2.99
$0.75/1 printable coupon from Malt O Meal
$2.24 each after couponJJ’s Apple or Cherry Pies – $0.33
Krunchers Kettle Cooked Potato Chips (Assorted Varieties) – $2.00
Mantia’s Grated Parmesan Cheese – $2.55
Save-A-Lot Soda – $0.69
J. Higgs Potato Chips – $0.99
Caskey’s Chunky Soup – $1.49
J. Higgs Crackers – $0.79
Del Pino’s Canned Pasta – $0.69
O’Days Mac & Cheese – $0.33
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix – $0.39
Mantia’s Spaghetti – $0.79
Sundia True Fruit Cups – $0.89
Instant Oatmeal – $1.49
Del Monte Spaghetti Sauce – $0.79
Kool Aid Bursts – $0.99
Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce – $0.99
Hargis House Vienna Sausage – $0.37
Hargis House Chicken Vienna Sausage – $0.37
Hargis House Chili with Beans – $0.99
Hargis House Beef Stew – $1.79
Hargis House Corned Beef Hash – $1.49
Hargis House Chili without 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.
Recipe: Beary Cute Cookies
We were not able to make these on our Christmas Baking Day, however, the girls were excited to do them so we decided it would be a neat recipe to do with the girls. I have had their recipe for a long time, you can either use this Sugar Cookie recipe or following the one below. The basic idea is the same and the bear shape is a huge hit with adults and kids alike. The following recipe is from Quick Cooking.Beary Cute Cookies
- 3/4 cup Shortening
- 1/2 Sugar
- 1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- Additional Sugar
- 30 miniature Chocolate Kisses
- 60 miniature M&M Baking Bits
1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well (dough will be crumbly). Set aside 1/2 cup of dough for the ears. Shape remaining dough into 1 inch balls; roll in additional sugar.
3. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten to about 1/2 inch thickness. Roll reserved dough into 1/2 inch balls; roll in sugar. Place two smaller balls about 1 inch apart touching each flattened ball (do not flatten smaller balls).
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven, immediately press one kiss and two baking bits into each cookie for nose and eyes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 30 cookies.
Picture by Cooking
Recipe: Berry Shortbread Dreams
I made these after our Christmas Baking Day for another event. They are a super delicious treat for those looking for a fruity shortbread cookie to share this Holiday season. I got this recipe originally from 2002 Taste of Home Annual Recipes and have done it several times with different flavors of jams, all of the ones I have tried have been awesome. Chose a flavor that you enjoy for this recipe, we picked raspberry because it is one of our favorites.Berry Shortbread Dreams
- 1 cup Butter, softened
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup Seedless Raspberry Jam
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in extract; gradually add flour until dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
2. Preheat oven to 350° F.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center. Fill the center with jam.
4. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove and cool on wire racks. Spoon additional jam into the cookies if you want.
GLAZE
- 1 cup Confectioner’s Sugar
- 2 to 3 teaspoons of Water
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
Mix ingredients and drizzle over cookies slightly cooled cookies. This recipe makes about 40 cookies.
Photo by Taste of Home
Recipe: Oreo Truffles
I picked up all the ingredients to make this on our Christmas Baking day, however, I didn’t have enough time to make it on Saturday. Since I had all the ingredients made this for another Holiday event. I picked up this recipe by Kraft at the grocery store and it is delicious!Oreo Truffles
- 1 package (8 ounces) Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 package (approximately 1 pound) Oreo Cookies (or other chocolate sandwich cookie), finely crushed (about 4 1/4 cups)
- 2 – 8 ounce packages (8 squares each) Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted (you can use 1 Semi-Sweet and 1 White Chocolate if you prefer more variety)
1. Mix cream cheese and 3 cups of cookie crumbs until well blended.
2. Shape into 48 (1 inch) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
Photo courtesy of Kraft.
Family Recipe: Simple Potluck Corn
My husband had to make a side dish for a work event. The main course was BBQ so we wanted to come up with something that would compliment the main dish. The challenge was it couldn’t be something that required refrigeration or heating up right before the meal but had to make it four to five hours so they could eat it at lunch. Several years ago my Mom shared a recipe for corn that cooked in a crockpot it was simple, easy and delicious. Since Jake has a plug at his desk at work, I put together the corn recipe, stuck it in the crockpot and sent it with him to work. He stirred it a few times throughout the morning and it was ready just in time for the potluck lunch.Potluck Corn Recipe
- 32 ounces Frozen Corn
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1/2 stick Butter
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 6 tablespoons Water
- Salt
Cook on low in the crockpot for 4 hours.
The Potluck Corn recipe was a hit. Even though the crockpot went to work completely full it came home empty. Glad it was enjoyed by the Jake’s co-workers. It is always a joy to share with others.
Book: “Cooking for Kids, Kids’ Party Food”
My Mom gave me this book for Christmas 2005 Favorite Brand Name: Cooking for Kids, Kids’ Party Food. The girls were still small then but it has been a great book that all of us have enjoyed over the past few years. We love looking through it and have tried many of the recipes; several have become family favorites. It has creative recipes that the girls love helping me with and some they can do almost on their own with a little adult supervision. Once they start reading it will be even easier for them. There are are pictures along with creative ideas for cooking and parties. If you are looking for a great gift for a young child or Mom and they like to cook this may be an awesome book for them.
Recipe: Cinnamon Star Cookies
Recently, I spent a few hours on a Saturday doing a Christmas Baking Day with Ashley from Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life baking treats to give to family, friends, and neighbors. One of the recipes we made from Favorite Brand Name: Cooking for Kids, Kids’ Party Food was the Cinnamon Stars. We made Stars, Christmas Trees, Snowmen, Bells, and many more fun shapes with this delicious recipe. The recipe was easy to do and delicious! The girls helped with this one recipe by picking out the shapes and sprinkling the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top of the cookie cutouts.Cinnamon Stars
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 3/4 cup Butter or Margarine, softened
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe French Vanilla Cake Mix
1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine butter, egg yolks and vanilla extract in large bowl. Blend in cake mix gradually. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut with 2 1/2 inch star cookie cutter. We used a variety of cookie cutters when we made our cookies.
3. Sprinkle cookies with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake at 375° F for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely. Store in airtight container. We put separated ours out into Christmas bags to distribute to family, friends, and neighbors.
This is a quick and easy recipe you can do with little ones helping. The recipe makes about 3 to 3 1/2 dozen Star cookies at 2 1/2 inches, however, our recipe made closer to 3 dozen since we used a variety of shapes. We had plenty to divide out and give as gifts. If you are looking for an inexpensive and easy recipe for the Holidays you may want to try this one.
