Halloween Mystery
The most disturbing item that had the girls perplexed over the Halloween Weekend was discovered in our refrigerator on Friday night. Today they got to see what was inside the blue gloves this afternoon. They were pleasantly surprised to find edible green jello monster hands!
Organized Chaos: Cleaning Out the Refrigerator
Time to be cleaned
Have you ever reached into the refrigerator for something specific and couldn’t find it because everything is a mess? I have. Every once in awhile our refrigerators need a good cleaning and scrub down. It is best if you do it on a regular basis. I try to do a quick clean and organizational update every week or two, but it still need a thorough cleaning about once a month.
We are usually pretty good about eating up leftovers and not letting them go to waste, but every once in awhile something gets tucked in behind another object or in the back until it starts growing extra crunchies on it. You pull it out thinking what’s this? When you open the lid and take a whiff you are instantly gagging. Yup, been there too many times. The good news is if you clean out your refrigerator regularly you will minimize these fun science experiments with growing mold, mush, and who knows what else. It really doesn’t take long to fully clean out the refrigerator if you take the time to maintain throughout the month.
When I do a thorough cleaning here are some steps I take to make sure it looks good and is organized:
- Start from the top of the refrigerator and work your way down that way any crumbs that fall down you can get on the next level.
- Do one shelf or drawer at a time.
- Take everything off the shelf or out of the drawer. Wipe down the shelf. Check all the items for expiration dates. If they have expired throw them away, if they have not expired wipe them off and put them back on the shelf only if it belongs on that specific shelf. If it doesn’t belong on that shelf wait until you come to the shelf where it belongs to put it away.
- Continue making your way through the refrigerator shelf by shelf until you are at the bottom and have cleaned and organized each shelf and drawer in the refrigerator.
- Do not forget to wipe down the top, sides, and bottom inside the refrigerator as well. These areas can get splattered with food, drinks, or contain finger prints.
- Your refrigerator should now look shining and organized. I LOVE looking into a sparkling clean refrigerator! 🙂 If only I could figure out a way to keep it that way for a longer period of time!
- If your refrigerator is clean, but seems to still have a smell to it (especially if there are no items that are causing it to smell) it may be time to change your air filter in the refrigerator. Also, putting an open box of baking soda inside the fridge will help absorb some of the extra odors.
Condiments need checked for expiration dates
Items facing every which way with some shelves or drawers over loaded while others are empty
Needs some cleaning and organization
All done and so much better! Everything facing the correct way and on the right shelves or drawers so we can easily find items. You need to organize your refrigerator in a way that best suites your family and your needs. Make sure the items you want most accessible are in front or easy to reach. Also, every refrigerator will be slightly different so do your best to make it look good, smell fresh, and organized. Enjoy your sparkly clean fridge!
Nice, shiny, and organized! Now I am ready to start cooking!
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.
How to Keep Fresh Garden Vegetables Separate & Accessible in a Refrigerator Drawer
Refrigerator drawer full of fresh garden vegetables
We love it when our vegetable drawer is crammed full of fresh garden vegetables! The problem is at times it can be difficult finding the vegetable you want in the middle of all the other goodies in the drawer. Now that Spring is here and people are planting gardens, going to farmers markets, and stocking up on some of the great fresh produce in the stores I thought it would be a good time to share how I have found an easy and inexpensive way to keep the garden vegetables separate yet accessible while in the refrigerator drawer.
Solution – recycled bread bags! It seems silly but it really works well! You probably already have them around plus you can usually fit more bags into the drawer. We tried doing containers but every week we had a different amount of vegetables or they were overflowing among other things that just didn’t make them work well. As I was throwing out a bread bag the thought came across my mind that it would make a good “holder” for the garden vegetables.
The bags can be packed as little or as much as needed (and can be adjusted accordingly) plus they keep the vegetables separate so I can easily reach in and grab whatever veggies I needed at the time. It also made it super easy for the kids to pack their own lunches or to grab a quick snack from the vegetable drawer.
Here’s how we did it:
French bread loaf bag, washed & dried so it can be filled with cherry tomatoes from the garden
Once the tomatoes are all in the bag roll the remaining bag down until it is even with the stack of tomatoes
Bag of tomatoes ready to be put into the fridge drawer
Fresh veggies organized and accessible for the next meal
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.
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
Groceries from Ingles & BiLo
It was a whirlwind of a week with the girls off two days from school, elections, and numerous unexpected activities. Despite the busyness I was determined to give you a grocery update this week (thanks for bearing with me). I even remembered to take pictures this week!
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.
Ingles Groceries:
- $13.04 at Ingles for 2 containers Fresh Strawberries (marked down), 1 bag Lenders Bagels (sale), 1 (5 pound) bag Fresh Grapefruit (sale), 1 bag Fresh Bananas (marked down), 1 container Fresh Potatoes (marked down), 2 loaves Laura Lynn Bread (sale), 1 bag Fresh Spinach (marked down). (Everything I purchased at Ingles was either on sale or marked down or I had a coupon. All the produce was marked down some as low as 99 cents as you can see from the bright green stickers.)
BiLo Groceries:
- $2.48 at BiLo for 1 container Southern Home Butter Spread (This was on sale and it is about the only reasonable priced butter that we have found that is made out of soy instead of dairy since we have a family member not eating dairy right now. I also received an additional 5 cent discount for bringing my own reusable bag.)
Groceries from KMart
KMart Groceries:
- $6.00 at KMart for 6 big bags Smart Sense Wavy Potato Chips (I cannot remember the last time I found plain potato chips on sale for $1.00 recently. With all the upcoming events and activities these will come in really handy! Actually, I purchased them on Thursday and that same evening I used up one bag when a group of friends came over at last minute.)
This week I spent $21.52 on groceries. I went under on the budget this week, YAY!!! 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 November will be a better 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.
