Casual Chic

I'm still fascinated by the newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  I can't get enough of all the media coverage, all the details of her dress, the wedding, the jewels, Pippa, Harry, the bridesmaids and pageboys, the crazy hats and fascinators (see here, so bizarre) - basically all of it!  I even purchased the Collector's Edition People magazine!  Did/does anyone else's mom have a drawer with important magazine covers?  To name a few, my mom had the Jackie Kennedy cover, the Challenger explosion cover, the Princess Diana cover.  Actually, as I type, I'm noticing that these are all really tragic news stories... All news worthy, sure, but kinda eery.  Maybe I'll start my own drawer, but I think I'll start with the fairy tale of these royal lovebirds :)  The magazine is on newstands now.

This week, it was "news" that the royal couple had returned to their normal lives, and that Kate was spotted grocery shopping at her local market.  This is all public knowledge, now, but I learned some fun new tidbits about her that I love.  Things of note:

• She wears a ponytail holder around her wrist - glad I'm not the only one!  And, I wonder if her mom gripes at her about it like mine does me.  It drives my mom crazy!
• She loaded her own groceries in her car, even though she had personal bodyguards with her - love that :)
• She not only does her own shopping, but she cooks!  Supposedly, The couple will not be employing chefs, butlers, valets or any other type of help beyond their security detail.
• They live in a 1500-square foot farmhouse!  Maybe my favorite detail.  In case you missed it, I hope to build my own farmhouse someday.

Here are some fun pictures of Kate on her grocery store run.  She looks sweet and happy.  As if I really know her...  :)



She is adorable.  Darling, and casually chic in her skinny jeans and ballet flats.  I wonder what was on her grocery list?!?  Maybe someday she'll author a cookbook - wouldn't that be awesome!

Couponing, Week 2: What I've learned

Little by little, I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this whole couponing thing.  In a post earlier this week, I mentioned my trip to Homeland.  I didn't have the camera handy at the time to include with that post, but I did actually snap a picture of my purchases.  I got all of this, including several packages of meat, baby food, tons of produce, plenty of snacks for the boys, lunch items, and laundry detergent...  for $116.  This will completely get us through all of this week and hopefully, at least through the middle of next week.  The only things we might have to stop for between now and then are milk and formula, which is pretty normal for us.  We drink a lot of milk, maybe 4-6 gallons per week!  Remember, though, Hiland milk is on sale at Walgreens through Saturday, May 7th, for $2.69/gallon! :)

So, what I've learned this week:

• It's important to begin establishing a stock pile.  If you don't cook often, it may take a bit longer to do this than those of us that cook regularly.  But, stick with it and gradually, you'll only have to buy a few extra items for your recipes.  
• Below are a few quick examples.  I do cook quite a bit, and these are a few items that I typically buy, or have, on hand:
• Large white onion (chop it up finely and freeze if you don't cook often, and you can pull it out when needed.  This is a great staple that adds some great flavor to many recipes)
• Medium red onion (great on burgers)
• A few ripe tomatoes (great for salads, BLT's, burgers, or even sandwiches)
• Lettuce (again, salad, burgers and BLT's)
• I always have butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cooking oil and vanilla on hand, for sweet treats!
• Plenty of salt and pepper
• I almost always have hamburger meat.  If you find a good price on meat, stock up and buy 3 or 4.  These freeze great, and are easy to pull out and whip up something for your family.  Same goes for chicken!
• Let's say you're hungry for hamburgers, but you're out of hamburger buns.  Save yourself a trip to the store and just grill the meat as you normally would, but instead, serve the hamburger patties without the bread.  Serve with macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, or some tater tots.  Add lots of mustard, and enjoy :)  Your kids are sure to enjoy it as well!
• Taking your lunch helps save money!  My kids are pretty picky, or I guess typical 4-year olds, when it comes to eating.  They like the really healthy stuff, like corn dogs, macaroni, chips, and cookies - things like that! :)  In a perfect world, I would make one family meal and everyone would eat it.  Unfortunately, that isn't the case in our house.  So, there is often quite a bit left over from dinner.  As I clean up the kitchen after dinner, I've been packing tomorrow's lunch using the extras from tonight's dinner.  This helps me because, 1) I don't have to rush around in the morning to get lunch ready, 2) it saves money, and 3) food doesn't go to waste.  Try it for a few days, it isn't so bad!
• When making your grocery list, consider what your meals might be for the week, if not longer.  Often, you'll see plenty of snack-type foods that are on special, but that won't feed your family for dinner.  I think it's okay to load up on snacks when the prices are good, but don't forget the healthy stuff, too!  Here are some links for chicken and beef products:
• Click HERE for a $1 off coupon for Pilgrim's Pride Chicken products (can be found at Homeland)
• Click HERE for $1 off Red River Angus beef products (can be found at Homeland)
• Click HERE for $1 off Smart Chicken coupon
• Click HERE for Birds Eye Steamfresh veggies
• If you've started following the various coupon blogs, you'll see that they often will share different success stories of their grocery trips.  But, one thing I'm noticing is that they seem to be smaller trips with only a few items at a time, not bulk trips like I did this week.  It may be that they've been doing this for so long, that they really only need a few items.  If that's the case, that is great!  But, personally, I just don't have enough time to make several small trips - I've got to knock it all out while I'm there, and hopefully, include as many good deals as I can in one trip.  They must have a bigger freezer than I.
• Slowly, but surely, my coupons are stacking up.  Remember to look each Sunday for the coupon inserts in the paper.  Also, check online for other coupons.  I listed some of my favorites from one of my earlier posts.  Click here for those suggestions.

Good luck to all of you that might also be starting this journey!  Feel free to share any tips and tricks that you've learned along the way :)

Regan

What I'm cooking this week, 5/2/11 - 5/6/11

I'm not exactly sure yet what I hope to accomplish with this blog, so thank you in advance as I continue testing the blogging waters!

Yesterday (Tuesday, May 3rd), I went to Homeland for groceries with all three kids in tow.  And, I survived, haha!  I made my list ahead of time, carefully selected items that I really 'needed' or would/could use around the house, and matched up as much as possible with my coupons.  I won't bore you with all the details, but when all was said and done, I saved $63 and some change off my total bill.  Woo hoo!!!  The main importance of this, is that two weeks ago, I would've probably bought close to these same items, without as much regard for the store specials, not to mention my lack of coupons.  I am so guilty of making impulsive trips to the store every month with the intention of grabbing only a few items, but come out with a $100 total, and hardly anything to show for it.  Hopefully, I'm working toward a different plan for my family.  I know there will be weeks ahead where those trips still come out of necessity, lack of time, or whatever the reason.  But, I'm here to tell you that I'm committed to trying - hopefully for the long haul!

I thought I might try to share a few of the meals I'm planning for this week.  My hope is that I can soon begin posting links to my recipes, because I love to cook and would love to share some of my favorite recipes.  I'm playing around with www.scribd.com website (a file sharing-type site), but I'm not completely comfortable with it yet.  Would anyone be interested in that if I added this to my blog?  Please let me know!  

I'm sorry to post this so late in the week, but this might give someone out there some inspiration for the remaining days this week, or even to help with planning in weeks to come!

• Monday, I had a late Junior League meeting so everyone ate different things.  It happens...
• Tuesday, Penne pasta with red meat sauce, small salad (see recipe below, it was yummy!)
• Wednesday, King Ranch Chicken Casserole.  See recipe here.  Yum!
• Thursday, probably leftovers
• Friday, sounds like a good night for hamburgers on the grill.  Good, easy, and cheap meal!

For weekends, I don't try to plan too much.  This Sunday is Mother's Day, so happy early Mother's Day to all the mommy's out there!  I hope it's a great and special day for you!  It also happens to be my husband's birthday, so I'll have to think of something to make to celebrate both occasions.  I think we'll probably do a 1:00 lunch, and right now, I think ham, a potato dish, baked beans and a great dessert might do the trick.  I'll post more as the week progresses!

Okay, I mentioned earlier that I would post the pasta sauce recipe from our dinner last night.  It's just a spaghetti-type red sauce, but it was especially good so I thought I would take mental notes as I was cooking, and would share.

Ingredients:

• 1-1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (or ground turkey would be good too)
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• About 4 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms (half of one of the small containers from the produce section.  Hopefully, you know what I'm describing!  If not, just guesstimate!)
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 2 heaping tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (I love fennel seeds in Italian meals!)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon onion salt
• 1 large can tomato sauce (I'm sorry, I don't know the ounces.  Form your hands in a circle.  It's about that size!  28-30 oz. maybe?)
• About 1 cup prepared/jar marinara (like Ragu or Prego, etc)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil slightly and add chopped onions, garlic, and mushrooms.  Saute until it smells delicious and onions start to get translucent.  Add meat, and cook until browned.  Add your seasonings (fennel, Italian seasonings, and onion salt).  I personally don't drain the excess fat, I think it gives it some added flavor, but if you do, be careful not to dump the veggies down the drain!  Add the tomato sauce and marinara, and add additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.  Heat until slightly bubbly, then cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes or so until dinnertime.  In the meantime, boil your pasta water, add a little olive oil and some salt to the water.  Cook pasta until al dente (any pasta works).  Drain water, add a nice heaping scoop of butter to the pasta to prevent sticking.  Serve sauce atop pasta, and voila!  Make a small green salad and it makes for an easy, yummy, crowd pleasing family dinner!  Perfect for leftovers, or the next day's lunch if you pack your lunch for work.

Enjoy!

What does everyone else typically cook during the week?  I'd love to hear!!

Regan

Getting organized

Over the weekend, I've been busy getting organized - or at least with my coupon strategy.  One thing I quickly found was that I had coupons laying around everywhere, and it was making me crazy.  I knew I needed to get organized and put everything in one location.  To do that, I put together a little filing system.  It looks nice and neat and is compact in a plastic tub.  See picture below!

I know there are similar versions that you can purchase through coupon experts, however, with some mailing envelopes, index cards, glue stick, scissors and a marker, I was able to create my own on the cheap!

For those interested in putting together something similar, this is how I did it:

1. First, you'll need a plastic tub to hold all of your coupons.  I bought mine at Walmart, for somewhere in the $3.50 range. 
2. Next, begin by cutting off the flap part of a letter-sized envelope, like this:

    3. Then, take an index card and, using a glue stick, add glue to the bottom 2/3rds of the card.  Adhere card to the envelope, alternating between left side/middle/right side.

  

   4. Label the cards using descriptions that will help organize your shopping trips.  Or, I came up with my own that I've listed below.  I got a little carried away and may reduce the categories as I become more experienced, but time will tell.  Coupon Closet lists her categories here.  She also provides some beginner categories, which can be found here.  As you find coupons for each category, just insert them into the appropriate envelope.

• Office supplies
• Outdoor (bug spray, charcoal, lighter fluid)
• Side dishes (pasta, rice mixes)
• Chips
• Mexican (tortillas, taco shells, enchilada sauce, jalapenos)
• Batteries
• Canned goods
• Cookies
• Candy
• Hair products
• Kitchen wrap (foil, saran wrap, etc.)
• Kitchen bags (trash bags, ziplocs, etc.)
• Makeup
• Pasta
• Seasonings and spices (taco seasoning, salt and pepper, etc)
• Dish soap
• Medical or First Aid
• Bread
• Toys and Games
• Dental
• Dairy
• Bath soap
• Sauces and dips
• Box dinners
• Baking (flour, sugar, etc.)
• Dessert mixes (brownies, cakes, muffin mixes)
• Household cleaners
• Baby
• Feminine
• Paper goods
• Meat
• Detergent
• Drinks
• Breakfast
• Boxed Snacks
• Vegetables
• Refrigerated
• Fast food
• Cheese (deserved it's own category, haha!)
• Coffee
• Frozen
• Toiletries

Then, based on what I've read from other blogs, I made separate envelopes (color coded in yellow) for the stores that have weekly specials:  CVS, Homeland, Target and Walgreens

Finally, I made two other envelopes (color coded in red) labeled Transaction #1 and Transaction #2.  Not exactly sure why, or how often the two transactions are necessary, but I guess you can get the best savings sometimes by using this method.  But, basically as you shop, if you put an item in your basket and you have a coupon, add the coupon for that particular item into either the Transaction #1 or Transaction #2 envelopes.  This way, when you go to checkout, your coupons are already in one place, and you can easily hand them to the cashier.  This should also help reduce dirty looks of impatient people in line behind you :)

Quick example where I actually did the two transactions thing at Target this week...  I bought three packages of diapers and the Target promotion was that if you buy 3, you get a $5 Target gift card.  I was there to purchase a gift, so once I checked out and received my $5 Target gift card, I turned around and applied it to my gift purchase.  This was just my example, but if anyone knows a better example, or the science behind this method, please share!

One final thing...  Michael wanted to get out this morning because we needed milk.  I told him, "Wait, milk is on sale this week at Walgreens for $2.69/gallon!"  Then, I said, "Let me make you a quick list and you can grab some other things while you're there."  At first, he gave me a "look", but he waited patiently while I went through my coupons, matching up with what was on sale this week at Walgreens.

Some quick items of note: 

• Comet is on sale 2/$1 - and I had a $.25 coupon - total price was 2/$.75.  Not bad!
• Lysol disinfectent spray is on sale for $3.49, plus you earn a $1 Register Reward (like the ECBs at CVS) at checkout.  I had a $1 off coupon, too.  So, when all is said and done, the Lysol was $1.49 if you include the RR.
• Dawn dish soap is on sale for $.99, and I had a $.25 coupon.  Small size, but still...
• Enfamil formula is on sale for $21.99 w/Walgreens store coupon that I found in the Sunday paper.  I also had a $5 off coupon, so formula was $16.99
• Pop tarts (small box of 8) are on sale for $1.99.  Payne eats these every morning, so although I didn't have additional coupons, this is a little cheaper than normal.
• Walgreens bleach is on sale for $1, or Buy One Get One free.  Normal price is $1.99.
• I mentioned the milk on sale earlier in this post, and we got two gallons at that $2.69 price.  Hiland, too, not a generic brand!

So, when all was said and done, the receipt showed that we saved $19.87.  Pretty proud moment - and Michael said it was actually pretty "solid" to have the coupons.  That was his word :)

Happy shopping, and couponing!

RMR