• Living on a Budget: How to Save on Fresh Meat & Produce

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    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?!

    1. 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!
    2. 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.
    3. 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.

    P1290388cHealthy & Easy Way to Wash Produce!

  • Red, White, & Blue Smoothie

    Are you ready for a smoothie now?  Here’s a picture of the one the girls call our “red, white, and blue” smoothie.  It is tasty, healthy, and easy to put together!  Perfect for the July 4th Holiday.

    Red, White & Blue Smoothie

    • 1/4 cup Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
    • 1 cup whole Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
    • 1 Banana
    • 1/4 cup Vanilla Yogurt
    • 1 cup Milk

    Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy.  You can add more or less of the fruit or dairy if you prefer.  This recipe is for a single serving so if you want it to serve more you will want to double or triple it.

  • The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy

     

    A few weeks ago I got a book from SheSpeaks called The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy.  Haylie Pomroy is a celebrity nutritionist and wellness consultant.  She has Grammy and Academy Awards winners to Super Bowl champions and Olympic athletic clients that she has helped, including Jennifer Lopez, Reese Witherspoon, Cher, Raquel Welch, Robert Downey Jr., and more.  Her nickname is the “metabolism whisperer” because she has helped numerous clients lose weight, enhance their health, and meet their personal goals.   She currently has integrative healthcare clinics in Beverly Hills, Burbank, Irvine, and Fort Collins.

    Food is not the enemy, it’s medicine needed to rev up sluggish, broken-down metabolisms and turn bodies into fat-burning machines! – Haylie Pamroy

    The  book came during a very busy time with our family so it took me a little longer to read the book and get prepared so I could start the plan.  After reading the book I wrote out my meal plans for the entire week and went shopping.  I have to admit the planning and shopping took me a lot longer, especially the first week.   I am about done with my first full week and the recipes overall have been really good.  I did find a couple here and there that were not my favorite so I picked another one to try out the next day and saved a few new ones for next week. I really like that she gives a lot of variety in her recipes.  She also does a great job explaining the science behind it in her book.

    A little more about the Fast Metabolism Diet:

    • It is four weeks (28 days) of fat-burning meal plans with more than fifty recipes (includes vegetarian, organic, and gluten-free options too).
    • No need to count a single calorie or fat gram.
    • Rotate what you’re eating to induce precise physiological changes that set your metabolism on fire.
    • Haylie Pomroy has over seventeen years experience helping people lose weight, improve fertility, overcome health challenges, and reach optimal health while still enjoying real food and not going hungry
    • Going through the plan you will lose weight and feel better, plus you may also see your cholesterol drop, your blood sugar stabilize, your sleep improve, and your stress level decrease as well
    • Eat a variety of real, delicious, and satisfying food.
    • Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day

    There are three phases you will go through every week.  She recommends you start on Monday, but you can do whatever day of the week works best for your schedule.

    • PHASE ONE (Monday-Tuesday): Lots of carbs and fruits (Phase 1 is for the carb lovers, fruits, pasta, rice, bread, crackers and pretzels, and includes a cardio workout).
    • PHASE TWO (Wednesday-Thursday): Lots of proteins and veggies (Phase 2 is focuses more on muscle building, giving you foods that include lean proteins and targeted vegetables and includes a weight lifting workout).
    • PHASE THREE (Friday-Saturday-Sunday): Some of the food from phases 1 & 2 plus healthy fats and oils (In phase 3 your your body is ready to enable the “thermogenic three – hormones, heart, and heat”  I like the the workout for this phase, it includes yoga or relaxing massage or deep breathing exercises)
    • Repeat for four weeks!

    The first week has been crazy busy, but I have managed to stay on track.  I have been prepping the breakfast, snacks, and lunch the night before so that it will help during the busy days.  So far on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have made dinner those nights and saved the leftovers for the next night to cut down on all the cooking.  Any leftovers for each phase I have been freezing for another night later in the month.

    I did have a small headache at the end of the first two days, but I am not sure if that was allergies or my body adjusting to the new foods.  I was really hoping that I would feel awesome with a ton of energy within the first a couple of days, instead I think I was actually a little more tired (but it was a really busy week with Jake out of town and starting a new meal plan).

    I have been keeping the book on the kitchen counter for reference to the recipes and made myself a little chart to remind me what food groups I need to eat on which days and what to pick for each meal and snack.  Also, the night before when I am prepping for the next day I will write what I am planning on eating for the next day on a sticky note as a quick reminder.  It has gone pretty smoothly and since I have been cooking the main meal for the entire family it has been neat to hear their reactions, they have enjoyed all the recipes (one night the girls had 2 bowls of soup)! 🙂

    Most of my shopping has been done at Trader Joe’s, Aldi’s and some at Whole Foods.  Finding some of the foods took awhile at first and I noticed a difference in prices from store to store, but it is worth it if it means I am healthy and have more energy in the long run.  At least for our area I found that Trader Joe’s and Aldi’s had the best prices (I think they are part of the same parent company too).

    I have already planned out my menu for next week, went shopping, and am looking forward to seeing what it brings.   Hopefully, I can stay on track and complete the full four week plan.  I already have several meals in the deep freezer for upcoming weeks so that should help with those busier days.  If I continue to plan ahead and prep the night before I think it could be very beneficial.  So far the food has been delicious and the bonus is its healthy for me too.

    More information about Haylie Pomroy:

    A special thanks to SheSpeaks and Haylie Pomroy for sponsoring this post!  Any specific product information was provided by Haylie Pomroy and SheSpeaks, however, the opinions expressed in this post are our own.  We received a complimentary copy of the book for sharing information and our family’s experience.

  • Fun Edible Snacks

    The girls love it when we put together a snack with a silly edible face.  Usually after Awana on Sunday evening while they are taking their baths I will get a small snack for them to eat before heading to bed.  I don’t want to give them something too heavy or unhealthy so there is usually a mix of fruits and veggies.  On this particular silly face they had:

    • Fresh Watermelon Slices
    • Fresh Honeydew Slices
    • Orange Pear Tomato
    • Two Ritz Crackers
    • Two Slices of Pepperoni
    • Two Whole Cashews

  • Grape & Blueberry Fruit Smoothie

    The warmer weather brings with it some great smoothies!  Our family enjoys smoothies especially throughout the Spring and Summer Seasons.  This is one we had recently. Most of our smoothies we make to order per person since all of us have a variety of tastes and preferences.

    Grape & Blueberry Fruit Smoothie

    • 1/4 cup fresh or frozen Blueberry
    • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen Purple and/or White Grapes
    • 1 cup Milk (dairy, soy, or coconut)
    • 1/4 cup Yogurt (plain or flavored)
    • 1 fresh or frozen Banana (optional)

    Put all the ingredients together and blend until it is smooth.  Enjoy!

  • A Side of Fresh Fruit

    Fresh fruit is always a hit at our house.  The girls love fruit and we try to have a variety in the fridge at all times.  When there’s fruit as a side dish at dinner table we have to make sure the girls eat the rest of their meal before digging into the fruit because they love it so much.

    Having a side of fresh fruit at the dinner table not only add color to the meal but a lot of great nutrition too.  The best part about having a variety a fruit is everyone can pick what they like.  I haven’t found a fruit that the girls didn’t like yet so they usually enjoy a little bit of each one.  My favorite way to serve it is fresh washed (and sliced if needed) without anything on it.  Although, we do have quite a few fruit salad recipes we enjoy too.  What is your favorite fruit to serve at dinner?

  • Fresh Vegetable & Pasta Soup

    Recently I put together a soup with some items I had already in the refrigerator.  We were going out of town and I needed to use up some of the fresh vegetables already in the fridge.  This was super easy and everyone enjoyed it.

    Fresh Vegetable & Pasta Soup

    • 1 carton Tomato Juice
    • 1 small Zucchini
    • 1 small Summer Squash
    • 2 medium Carrots
    • 1 cup sliced Mushrooms
    • 2 cups Elbow Noodles

    Add all the items to the crockpot.  Stir until it is mixed together and put the crockpot on low for 6 hours.

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    Groceries from Save A Lot | RiteAid

    It has a whirlwind of weeks this year from traveling, school, work, volunteering weekly, and so much more.  The first few weeks of the year I did the No Grocery Shopping Challenge in order to use up some of the items we had in stock in both our refrigerator, freezers, and pantry.   It really well and we made it a little over 7 weeks which I was thankful for since it was my goal to make it at least a month.  Now that we are starting to get lower on some items I decided it was time to start our regular weekly $40 for 4 grocery budget again.    I even remembered to take pictures this week so I could do the post for you! 🙂

    Jake has been in Charleston for some work meetings, so we are looking forward to spending time with him this weekend.  I did manage to get a lot of projects done (just not necessarily things that I planned to do).  Do you ever have weeks like that?  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:

    • $18.45 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 3 containers Fresh Strawberries (marked down), 1 container Fresh Mushrooms (marked down), 3 Mountain Dew 2 liters, 1 gallon of Milk, 1 box Pillsbury Fudge Brownie Mix, 1 can Canola Cooking Spray, 1 container Cool Whip, 1 bag Sandwich Bread, 1 bag Kiggins Cereal, 2 cans Sliced Pineapple. (Everything I purchased at Save A Lot | RiteAid was either on sale or marked down.  All the produce was marked down as low as 99 cents as you can see from the bright green and orange stickers.)

    Groceries from Ingles

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $24.66 at Ingles for 1 bag English Muffins, 1 container Yogurt (marked down), 1 container Chip Dip (marked down), 1 package Ground Beef (marked down), 1 package Pork (marked down), 1 bag Red Delicious Apples, 1 container Blue Cheese Crumbles, 1 bag Bananas (marked down), 27 packs Wylers Red Koolaide, and 1 bottle Pepsi Next 2 liter (free after coupon).  (Most items were either marked down or on sale with an exception of the blue cheese.  I got the Blue Cheese as a special treat for my man since he was away working all week, couldn’t help spoiling him a little bit! 🙂 )

    This week I spent $43.11  on groceries.   I went over on the budget this week, but thankfully it was over by only $3 dollars.   I was happy to get some produce deals and stock back up on a few items we were needing to replenish in our fridge and pantry.  Hopefully next week we can come under budget and March will be a good month for us!

    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.

  • What To Do With 25 Pounds of Fresh Organic Carrots

    A few months ago I found this 25 pound bag of Fresh Organic Carrots marked down to $2.99 at our local Ingles store.  Yippee!!!  I checked to make sure all the carrots looked fresh and good.  I was super excited because our family loves carrots, these looked great, and having a big bag could be beneficial for several recipes over the next few of months.  We counted the carrots and if I remember correctly there were 76 large (some very large) full size carrots in this bag.

    What did we do with all the carrots?

    • Eat It – we ate them raw, in salads, dishes, cooked, and a variety of other great ways (our kids love munching on raw carrots or really anything with carrots in it)
    • Share It – we gave several bags of carrots away to friends and family to use in their cooking too.
    • Feed It – since we have goats they enjoyed a lot of delicious carrot treats over the next few months.

    A bowl of fresh sliced carrots

    How did we store all the carrots?

    After scrubbing, washing, and drying the carrots we did a number of different things with them:

    • Dehydrated Carrots – we sliced up a dehydrator full of carrots to use in soups, stews, and as treats for the goats.  The goats LOVE crunchy dehydrated carrots as a snack!
    • Frozen Carrots – some of the carrots we sliced up or shredded then put into Ziploc bags in the deep freezer to use for future recipes.
    •  Fresh Carrots – we used some right away for various recipes, ate raw carrots, and stored them in the refrigerator.  We put the carrots in a drawer with other vegetables and our BluApple to help keep them fresh longer.

    Tray full of sliced carrots ready to be dehydrated

    Dehydrating 5 trays of sliced carrots – these are very good in soups and the goats love these as a special treat!

    The carrots were still really fresh and I didn’t have to throw any out.  These carrots lasted for several months frozen and dehydrated.  Even though it is a lot of work when you get a big bag (25 pounds) up front the benefits will last a long time so it can be really worth it.

  • Love It – BluApple

    I am very excited to share with you a little item that has saved me a lot of time, energy, and money over the past year while helping our family eat healthier! I have been asked many times how I can purchase marked down fresh vegetables and fruits without them going bad within a day or two…..well, I am going to share my little “secret” with all of you.  If you love to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, but wish they would stay fresh longer I have stumbled upon something that will really brighten your day! 🙂

    When I got the BluApples I was a little skeptical, to say the least.  How can these little blue apples really help extend the life of my fresh fruits and vegetables?!  Do they really work?  Is it worth the cost?  And many more similar questions.

    I waited for a few weeks and found an amazing deal on these little BluApples.  I was able to get these free (only had to pay $3 shipping).  Unfortunately, I haven’t seen that deal again otherwise I would stock up on some for my family and friends.  Either way these little apples have more than paid for themselves MANY TIMES OVER!

    Our family loves to garden, buy fresh fruits and vegetables, however, when our fridge is full of produce sometimes fruits and vegetables would go bad before we had a chance to eat everything.  The BluApples extend the life of our fruits and vegetables (even ones that I buy which are already on the “edge”) for weeks!  These BluApples really do preserve the produce and help the items last much longer!

    I used to clean out my fruit and vegetable drawers out about once a week.  Now I do it once a month and sometimes longer because the items in the drawer are staying fresh. Enough of my raving, here are some more facts about this neat apple:

    • 2 Bluapples – Last for 3 Months Each – Additional Absorber Refills Available Separately (Our BluApples lasted longer than 3 months, typically lasted 5 to 7 months)
    • Prolongs freshness and storage life of fruits & vegetables
    • Made In USA
    • Put in refrigerator crisper drawers
    • Place in the fruit bowl on the counter or anywhere you keep fruit
    • Pays for itself dozens of times over in the the first year alone
    • Extend storage life of your produce (up to 3 times longer)
    • Average household can save up to $600 per year

    How Do The BluApples Work?

    • Ethylene gas is given off naturally by fruits and vegetables as a signaling mechanism in order to coordinate uniform ripening. However, once concentrated in your refrigerator or other storage areas, the presence of ethylene gas continues to speed up ripening and hasten spoilage.
    • The BluApple is designed to provide effective ethylene gas absorption for three months in a typical home refrigerator produce bin or storage container.
    • The active ingredient does not “wear out”, but continues to absorb ethylene until it has reached its capacity.

    This would be a wonderful gift for any cook in your family.  It really does WORK (and BluApple is not paying me to say it either).  Your Mom, wife, sister, friend will probably come back to you in a couple months thanking you again for this gift.  Hey, they even make you a special meal out of some the fresh produce just to say thanks!

    You can pick up the BluApple Ethlylene Gas Absorbers – Starter Pack of 2 – Refrigerator Fruit & Vegetable Preserver on Amazon for around $9.95 with two packs of or many major retailers. If you have a Swagbuck Amazon Gift Cards you can even get this it for free!  You’ll love it!

    “Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love!  There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun.  I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list.  It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!