Living on a Budget: How to Save on Fresh Meat & Produce
There are many ways you can save on groceries. I have had a lot of people ask me for recommendations for ways to save without using coupons or for stores that typically do not allow coupons. One of the complaints I have heard a number of times is that they find it hard to locate coupons for items that they purchase regularly like fruits, vegetables, bread, milk, and meat.
I have three easy and simple ways to help you save on groceries and it doesn’t matter where you shop, you can buy organic or not, and you don’t have to find, cut, or bring coupons to the store either! Are you ready to start saving?!
- Snap by Groupon – I learned about this way of savings on groceries from my friend Ashley at Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life just this week and have already saved over $3.00 in two grocery store trips. The money saved was for staple items that we needed in our house like milk, bread, fruit, and vegetables!!! How it works – Go to the Snap website and sign up or you can download the Snap app for your iPhone or Android device. You can either look through their current offers or go to the store and check their website or app when you are there or when you get home. I typically get what I need and then check to see if there are any additional savings for anything I purchased. Once you have purchased your items “snap” a picture of your receipt, pick the items with savings on the website, and you get cash put into your account. You will get an email immediately confirming that your receipt is being processed and in about 48 hours you get another email confirming that the money is in your account. After you get at least $20 in your account you get a check! Based on my experience this week it will not take long to get enough money in the account to get your check. Even though I have just started using Snap by Groupon it is very similar to a program I have been using for awhile now that works really well which I will share with you next!
- Checkout 51 – is one I have been using for awhile now. I have continued to purchase my normal groceries at all the stores I like to shop at and having been earning extra savings along the way. It really doesn’t take long at all to accumulate your $20 and the extra money back on items I am already purchasing is always nice! Right now I have am about halfway to getting my next check. I noticed that some of the items for both Checkout51 and Snap by Groupon are the same so I get extra money back from both sites on the same item which is makes it even better. How it works – Go to the Checkout 51 website and sign up or you can download the Checkout 51 app for your iPhone or Android device. Look at the current offers either before or after you go to the store. Upload your receipt using Checkout 51’s website or app, select the items you purchased, and you will get money added to your account. You will first receive an email stating they are processing your receipt and usually within a few minutes to hours the money you earned is credited to your account. Once your balance reaches $20 you cash out and get a check. The Checkout 51 deals run from 12:00 am Thursday (in each timezone) until the next Wednesday at 11:59 pm. This is an easy way to get extra money back on your groceries for items you already purchase no matter what store you go to and you don’t need to have any coupons with you, plus based on my experience it adds up pretty quickly.
- Shop the Clearance Racks for meat,produce, dairy, and other items – When I am in the store I always walk the outer aisle to check out the fresh produce, dairy, meat and more. A lot of times the stores will mark down perfectly good food that is near expiration date. Most of the time if you use it within the next few days or freeze the items they are fine. Make sure you look over the items and if they appear to be in good condition go ahead and try it!
Example of how I saved using these three methods on my most recent grocery trip to Aldi’s:
- 2 pomegranates – $0.49 each
- 1 Muller Greek Yogurt + Blackberry and Raspberry – $0.49 (was marked down on clearance)
- 1 Acorn Squash – $1.29
- 1 Loaf of Bread – $0.89 (Received $1.00 back from Snap by Groupon which is more than the price of the bread)
- 1 pound Sweet Mini Peppers – $2.29
- 8 Roma Tomatoes – $1.49 total (Received $0.25 back from Checkout 51)
- 2.43 pounds All Natural Ground Beef Sirloin (90% Lean) – $7.15 (was $11.15 and marked down $4.00 on clearance)
- 2.09 pounds Bananas – $0.92 (Received $0.25 back from Checkout 51)
- 2 pounds Carrots – $0.79 (Received $0.25 back from Checkout 51)
- 3 pounds Gala Apples – $1.98 (Received $0.50 back from Snap by Groupon)
- 2 pounds Bartlett Pears – $1.58
- 2 pounds Gold Russet Pears – $1.58
- 2 pounds Red Grapes – $1.98
On this shopping trip I spent $23.64 at Aldi’s and saved an additional $7.25 on this specific shopping trip on items already on my shopping list between Snap by Groupon, shopping for items on clearance, and Checkout 51.
Charleston: Historic Aiken-Rhett House
Ready to visit Charleston’s Historical Aiken Rhett House!
The Aiken Rhett House was the final house on our house tours through Charleston that day. We finished with this house last because it was the closest one to the parking garage and we made a full circle around downtown Charleston. It was a fun day of learning and exploring some amazing places in Charleston. We look forward to visiting other houses and historical sites in the Charleston area in the future. Who knows were we will be exploring the next time around. Thankful for some extra time with the girls.
The original owner of the Aiken-Rhett house was John Robinson who was a shipping merchant. A few years after the house was built John lost several ships at sea and had to sell the house due to financial hardship. William Aiken Sr. purchased the home from John Robinson in the late 1820’s. William Aiken was an Irish immigrant who was a Charleston merchant. Originally William and his wife, Henrietta Wyatt Aiken, used the house as a rental property. William Aiken died unexpectedly in a carriage accident leaving behind his wife Harriet and his only son William Aiken Jr.
When William Aiken Jr. married Harriet Lowndes they decided to make this house their main place of residence and started renovating the property. William Aiken Jr. was known as a prominent businessman, rice plantation owner, politician, and the Governor of South Carolina. When William and his wife made trips to Europe the would bring back beautiful pieces of art and furniture. William’s put his cousin, Joseph Daniel Aiken, in charge of overseeing the building of an Art Gallery to house these fine pieces. The Aiken’s more than 2000 volume library that they acquired on their travels throughout Europe is now in the care of the Charleston Library Society, the majority of the books were published in the 1800s. The back yard of the Aiken-Rhett house contained the kitchen, laundry, carriage and stable house, outbuildings, and slave quarters.
This house was unique to tour because they took a very different approach to preserving its history. They have done very little updating or restoration to house so it looks much older than some of the other ones we toured because it still had a lot of the old wall paper and items in the home. Instead of having a guide take us through the house they gave you an audio devise and headphones that took you through the house and yard. No pictures were allowed in the house, however, we were able to take a few pictures outside the house. Probably my favorite comment from the girls was “This is really neat seeing how the house looked so many years ago, I can even smell the history!”
This picture is taken in the backyard near the servants quarters. The yellow building is the house and the gray with green doors is the stable and carriage house.
Beautiful trees in the backyard. The girls thought this picture was cool because the sun shining through the tree looks like a star burst.
Brina and Karlie checking out all the buildings on the property. The one they are currently in was the original privy (yes, bathroom). Thankfully it was clean and no longer in use. They had two in opposite corners at the very end of the yard (one for the men and the other for the women).
Walking through the back yard while listening to the audio history facts. I got the thumbs up from Karlie.
A view from the stables side of the yard. This picture faces the back of the house (yellow building) and the kitchen and servants quarters.
Enjoying a breeze and a cool view of downtown Charleston from the Aiken Rhett balcony.
Listening to the audio history while joggling for a few minutes on the balcony.
Charleston’s Historical Aiken-Rhett House at 48 Elizabeth Street!
Charleston: Historic Joseph Manigault House
Visiting Charleston’s Historic Joseph Manigault House!
Another neat Historical house we visited one time when we were in Charleston was the Joseph Manigault’s House! This was one of the few houses they allowed pictures inside the house so we have a few extra to share with you. We arrived a few minutes before the tour of the house started so we got a chance to explore the gardens and area around the house. We learned a lot about this house during the tour.
Joseph Manigault a French Huguenot descendent was the original owner of the Joseph Manigault House. He had this house built during the antebellum period in the lowcountry. Manigault was a rice plantation owner, businessman, and politician. His wealth was inherited from his grandpa, who gave him several rice plantations and more than 200 slaves. Joseph Manigault first married Maria Henrietta Middleton. Maria’s father was Arthur Middleton who was signed the Declaration of Independence. His second wife was Charlotte Drayton. Joseph and Charlotte had eight kids who spent time in this home.
Like a lot of the other houses we visited in downtown Charleston this was his city house. Although, during his time this house was considered to be located in the country because it was outside of downtown Charleston. Now it is considered downtown Charleston. The house contains a beautiful spiral staircase in the entryway with a gorgeous chandelier. The furniture is not from the original family, however, they have acquired pieces that fit that time period and the decorations as well as the paint match the original colors from that time period.
Outside they had the kitchen, slave quarters, stables, privy, and a gate temple. The outdoor buildings (with exception of the Gate Temple) have been taken down, but foundations can still be seen with signs describing what was once in the various spots around the yard. It is a beautiful yard to walk through on a nice day or to sit and relax on the porch. One side the house faces the Charleston Museum and the other side faces downtown Charleston.
The girls enjoyed visiting the various houses in Charleston.
Exploring the gardens around the Joseph Manigault house.
Hanging out in the shade at Gate Temple.
Spiral staircase and chandelier in the foyer of the house.
One of the circular side balconies faces the street. The balconies were often open allowing a nice breeze to flow throughout the house.
Charleston’s Historical Joseph Manigault House located at 350 Meeting Street.
Charleston: The Charleston Museum
Standing beside the replica of the H. L. Hunley outside of the Charleston Museum!
The girls have been wanting to go to the Charleston Museum ever since they saw the replica of the Hunley sitting outside in front of it. On one of our recent trips we got a chance to explore the Charleston Museum. The girls were very excited to check out the museum. The Charleston Museum was America’s First Museum founded in 1773 with the purpose of preserve the culture and history of Charleston and the Lowcountry.
Checking out the Hunley replica before heading into the Charleston Museum.
Oh yes, they found a cannon!
Look above the girls! That’s a huge whale skeleton hanging from the foyer of the Charleston Museum. That whale was one that came into the Charleston Harbor many years ago.
Checking out the display!
Soaking in all the history!
Brina enjoyed going through the animal displays.
Goofy Karlie….
Hanging out with two Southern Belle’s!
Dressing up in some fun clothes!
The dresses are not the most perfect fit, but we had fun!
Brina having a grand time!
Charleston: Historic Edmonston-Alston House
Ready to tour the Historic Edmonston-Alston House in Charleston!
The next historic house we toured in Charleston was the Edmonston-Alston House. We arrived a few minutes before the house opened so we were able to grab a picture and relax a few minutes. On the side porch they have a place for you to sit, get a refreshing glass of water, and relax. We enjoyed a few minutes of relaxing and chatting before heading into the house. We were not allowed to take pictures in this house either so most of what you are pictures the exterior or porch.
We have passed the Edmonston-Alston House many times on the way to the Battery Park. It is only a short walk away from Battery Park and overlooks the Charleston Harbor. Several notable historical figures were present in this house. It was on the balcony (or piazza as they call it in Charleston) of the Edmonston-Alston House that General P.T. Beauregard saw the bombardment of Fort Sumter at the beginning of the Civil War. General Robert E. Lee used the Edmonston-Alston as a safe haven from Charleston’s 1861 fire.
The house was built by Charles Edmonston who was a shipping merchant, however, due to economic hardship in the mid 1800’s Charles Edmonston sold his house to Charles Alston. Charles Alston was a predominant rice planter. It was Alston who added the balcony on the third level of the house and his family’s coat of arms on the balcony along the roof. The house has been through many historical events in Charleston from the Civil War, Charleston Fire in 1861, Earthquake in 1886, Hurricanes, and more.
An heir from the Alston family still lives in the upper level of the house, but generously allows visitors to take tours. A lot of the furniture, silver, and other items in the house are actual the Alston family heirlooms which make this house more unique. It was really neat to see items that have been preserved and kept within the family for over 150 years. The Middleton Place Plantation actually manages the Edmonston-Alston House and if you are looking for a neat place to stay in Charleston you can stay at the Edmonston-Alston Bed and Breakfast.
The lady who led the tour for the Edmonston-Alston House was our favorite. She was very personable, was excited to see the kids, made the tour interesting, and great learning experience for all of us. She die an interactive scavenger hunt with the girls throughout the house and they got a little prize at the end too. The girls got to experience the joggling board for the first time at the Edmonston-Alston House. We have seen several, but they had never sat on one. They loved it! Such a fun experience!
The joggling board was first found during the Antebellum period in the South. It is a long board that is supported on each end by wooden stands that can rock back and forth. The board is springy and the people sitting on it can bounce up and down as well as rock back and forth on it. There are a couple stories behind the purpose of the joggling board.
One theory – it was developed because C. Kinloch’s sister, Benjamin Kinloch Huger, had rheumatism which made it impossible for her to go for horse and carriage rides. The joggling board was put outside on the porch for fresh air and exercise. It mimicked the motion of riding a horse or in a carriage. Soon the joggling board became a staple piece on many porches in the Lowcountry and was a great way to relax while sitting outside.
Another theory – was that the joggling boards were created as “courting benches” for young couples. Per the legend if you sit on a joggling board with a young suitor you were considered engaged. The man would start on one end of the joggling board and the women on the other side. As the couple joggled they would slowly move to the center of the joggling board. Once the young couple was in the middle of the joggling board they could briefly sit together and have a conversation.
I have heard the second theory several times, but the first one made more sense. You hear stories of the lady of the house or one of the maids rocking babies on the joggling board before putting them to bed too. The girls were ready to get one for our porch they thought it was so much fun.
Charleston’s Historic Edmonston-Alston House at 21 East Battery!
Charleston: Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry
Brina having fun at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry.
On one of our visits to Charleston I asked what the girls would like to do and they requested to go to the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry. We spent the morning playing, exploring, and being creative at the museum. This was our second time visiting the Charleston’s Children Museum. Some of the rooms and displays were the same, but several were new so that made it entertaining for the kids. Thankful for a fun rainy morning inside with the kids!
Karlie doing the climbing wall.
I see Brina Bee!
An airplane seesaw!
Brina walking the plank! She seems pretty happy to walk the plank!
Karlie having a blast in the water room!
The water works room is always a fun one!
Brina hanging out in the pirate boat!
Karlie the pirate!
Brina having a blast at the museum!
Look out they are driving the fire truck.
Brina painting her master piece at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry!
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
We have a busy week coming up as well as hosting some guests. I am going to try and keep the menu simple with all the school, work, and other activities that will be going on this week. Most of the meals will have to be prepped earlier in the day in order to make efficient use of our packed evenings, but I think we can make it happen. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef or Seafood Entree): Beef Minestrone Soup, Fresh Vegetables
- Tuesday (Kid’s Night to Cook): Spaghetti, Fresh Salad
- Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Special Event
- Thursday (Pasta or Pork Entree): Pork Loin, Steamed Vegetables
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or seafood entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
Charleston: Historic Nathaniel Russell House
Getting ready to tour the Nathaniel Russell House which is located near downtown Charleston. Nathaniel Russell moved to Charleston when he was in his 20’s and began his career as a shipping merchant. His exportation of items such as rice, cotton, tobacco, and indigo would go from Charleston to West Africa, New England, Asia, West Indies, England, Europe, South America and more. Around the time of the American Revolution he was also known to transport African slaves as well.
Nathaniel Russell married a Sarah Hopton who was the daughter of a wealthy merchant who was established before the American Revolution. They had two children, Alicia and Sarah. Later the house would owned by other people such as Governor Allston and once it was used as a school for the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy for over 30 years. When the Historic Charleston Foundation received the house they went to work restoring both it’s interior and architectural structure back to what it was like when Nathaniel Russell owned it.
The Nathaniel Russell house contained beautiful rooms. There were many layers of paint, wallpaper, and more on the interior that had to be carefully striped away and be restored. Some of the fireplaces we saw in the house had as many as thirty layers of paint and the details were barely noticeable until they started carefully striping away all layers. Fascinating! The house has a huge beautiful spiral staircase that goes up three floors. Although, the house was very large especially for that time the stairs actually take up about half of the house. Every section of the house was built in a different shape from a square, oval, circle, etc…. It was a gorgeous house meant for showing off wealth, not necessarily for the most effective use of space. They had beautiful gold and decorative wallpaper, mirrors, and more. The house had a pretty ballroom with a high ceiling and mirrors. It would have been amazing traveling back in time to see this house during it’s original glory. Most of the furniture pieces are not original, but are from that period of time. I am thankful for an opportunity to see a glimpse of this neat house.
Front of the Nathaniel Russell house. The picture was taken from the front sidewalk.
Part of the Nathaniel Russell gardens.
They do not allow pictures inside the house so here is a glimpse of the staircase, but it really doesn’t do it justice. Pretty amazing to see in person.
The side of the house near the gardens. This side you can see the circular shape, the second story with the balcony contains the beautiful mirrored ballroom.
If you look closely you can see the “NR” initials for Nathaniel Russell in the iron balcony.
Another house the girls and I toured in Charleston was the Nataniel Russell House.
Charleston: Historic Heyward-Washington House
The girls hanging out by the kitchen at the Heyward-Washington House. The kitchen house contained all the cooking, washing, and upstairs it has a servants quarters.
The girls and I visited The Heyward-Washington House when we were in Charleston recently. We got there a few moments before the tour so we were able to spend some time walking through the Heyward-Washington House kitchen and gardens. It was nice to take a walk through the gardens first thing in the morning. We were so excited to explore we didn’t get a picture of the front of the house.
Thomas Heyward, Jr was the owner of this house. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and was in the militia during the American Revolution. During President George Washington’s stay in Charleston he stayed at the Heyward-Washington House. In the late 1700’s the house sold to John F. Grimke. Grimke served in the Revolutionary War and the father of Sarah and Angeline Grimke. Sarah and Angeline were known for speaking out against slavery and were asked to leave Charleston. Earlier this year the Brina had done a research project on Angeline Grimke so that was really neat to find out her family lived in this house. It was Charleston’s first historic home that was turned into a museum.
Girls in the kitchen. It must have been a super busy kitchen many years ago.
Touring the gardens of the Heyward-Washington House.
Walking through the gardens checking out all the plants.
Brina in the garden. She is very concerned we are going to miss the tour because we are walking through the gardens! She was good about keeping track of our time!
Beautiful purple flowers in the garden.
Touring the Heyward-Washington House! The girls were the only kids and the tour guide had them do a scavenger hunt looking for various items throughout the house. It made the tour a little more of an adventure for the girls and they earned a free gift at the end!
A neat house to explore! The Heyward-Washington House part of Historic Charleston!
Travel & Vacation: Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum – U.S.S. Laffey & U.S.S. Clamagore
After exploring the U.S.S. Yorktown we toured the U.S.S. Laffey and U.S.S. Clamagore (the submarine). We packed a lot of learning, exploring, and fun into one day while we were at Charleston. Thankful for the opportunity to learn little pieces of our country’s history and share the experience with our kids. It was a muggy and rainy day, but we had a great time. Although it poured when we were going between the Laffey and the Clamagore we just splashed through the puddles laughing the whole way (luckily there was no lightening since we were in between large hunks of metal conductors).
The U.S.S. Laffey was used back in the 1940’s. One of it’s biggest battles was off the shores of Okinawa when over 20 Japanese bombers and kamikazes attacked it. They have an actual place you can go into and “experience” what it was like for the men on that day. It was a rainy day so we only had to wait a couple minutes to get into the Mount 53 experience, it was really neat activity to do if you are ever on the U.S.S. Laffey!
Walking through the U.S.S. Laffey!
Neat model of the U.S.S. Laffey. It was hard getting a good picture with the on and off rain storms that day!
Brina’s in charge!
Both girls in the captain’s chair!
Brina hanging out with her Dad!
U.S.S. Clamagore Submarine!
All of us were completely soaked by the time we reached the Clamagore, Karlie was the first one to arrive safely!
A little wet and slightly cool, but ready to explore the Clamagore Submarine!
It was a fun day in Charleston despite getting a little wet!
After dinner we were going to go to Books A Million, but it was closed already so the girls found another way to stay entertained. Brina having fun!
Karlie’s flying now! Look out!
