The money saved is adding up

okay, I realize that you few loyal readers may be sick and tired of all my posts about saving money. But really, right now, this is what is going on in our lives. We eat, breath, live saving money. And we will be this way until that emergency fund is in place and our debt snowball is rolling. So...just bear with me as I continue to post about money.

Okay, if you aren't a member of the grocery game, really you maybe should be. Today at Kroger, before the cashier scanned my kroger card and coupons, my total was 96.00. She then scanned the card and coupons, and my total went down to 46.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 96.00 worth of groceries for 46.00. IT IS CRAZY. Here is what I got...

3 packs of Cottonelle
2 bottles of Purex Laundry Detergent
Kroger Brand multi grain waffles
3 bottles of Herbal Essence Shampoo
3 bottles of Herbal Essence Conditioner
2 Smithfield Pork Tenderloins
2 tubes of Revlon Lip Gloss
4 cans of Kroger Brand Cream of Chicken Soup
2 boxes of Lean Pockets
1 box of Kroger Brand cereal
1 box of Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
1 case of Diet Pepsi
1/2 lb of Boars Head White American Cheese
Sister Schubert yeast rolls
4 pack Yo-Plus yogurt

Total coupon savings=47.94
Total money spent=46.88

moral of the story...I am LOVING the Grocery Game

Needless to say I walked out of Kroger with cash still in my wallet. And I was feeling good. So, Ada and I headed across the street, where I spent some of that cash on a long overdue Big Train iced vanilla chai. It's a good day, ya'll. Almost 50.00 saved and my stomach full of Big Train chai.

p.s. I already had much of what I needed for meals this week, so I used the grocery trip to stock up on things. I will be sharing the week's menu on Monday, as usual.

For more frugal tips, visit Frugal Friday.

Question--Needing Feedback

Does Pork Tenderloin freeze well?

It is on sell B1G1 at Kroger this week, and I would like to buy two, if they freeze well.

And while I'm getting feedback...I have never cooked Pork Tenderloin before. Any advice? Recipes?

What goes well with Pork Tenderloin?

It's a good night...

Tonight I am feeling very content.

I am tucked safely into my warm home. Comfy in my favorite Auburn hoodie and pajama pants. Ada is sleeping soundly upstairs, my hubby is on the couch doing his bible study, and life is good.

Other little things making me happy tonight.

A diet coke bought with a 5.00 dollar bill that Scott just handed to me. Said do what you want with it. We both knew what that money would be going toward:)

After examining the budget, this way and that, and figuring out a few places we can reduce costs this week, I am going to Target to buy these boots this weekend. They are slightly on sale, my freezer is stocked with chicken and vegetables so the grocery bill should be low, and we think we can swing it without adding any extra money to the budget. So exciting.

Plus...Ada has been sleeping until 7:30 lately. This gives me a few extra hours to play with at night, and tonight I plan to stay up, even after Scott goes to bed, to tackle some cleaning projects. I am looking forward to a quiet, lamp lit house, Gilmore Girls on in the background, and finally getting this house clean. I plan to feel very accomplished when I finally lay my head on that pillow.

Home Again

Scott and I pulled into McDonough this afternoon around 3:30 pm after a long weekend with Scott's parents in Crossville, AL. Despite getting lots of extra rest this weekend because of Scott's mother's generous offer to watch Ada in the mornings while Scott and I slept in, I am very tired this evening, so this will most likely be a very quick post.

Ada had a fabulous time at the grandparents' house, especially since there are cows right out the back door. If we had allowed it, Ada would have crawled right through the gate to join the cow. Obviously, we didn't allow it, which at times resulted in some rather loud screams from Ada. She was serious about wanting to be with that cow. She referred to the cow as "gog," her word for dog. This made us laugh because the cow made for such a large dog. She did learn to moo in response to the cow though. The cow would moo, then Ada would moo, then the cow would moo, and so on. They were speaking each other's language.

Ada also got to spend some time with her second cousin, Kendall. Kendall was born just a few days after Ada, and we thought that they would love playing together. However, they may still be too young. They mainly wanted to take toys from each other. Ada at times seemed to be the dominant toy taker, so I had to do some major refereeing. Which resulted in more screams. Lovely.

It was a very restful weekend, and we were thankful to get to sleep in and take afternoon naps while away. Plus we enjoyed seeing all of Scott's family. It was a long overdue visit, and we took lots of pictures with Scott's sister's camera. However, I came home with only these three. Enjoy.

Ada and her bff, the cow.Ada and Pop...being her funny selfThis is a classic Ada face. If we say, "Ada do you want some juice?" or, "Ada, dad will be home soon," or "Ada, do you want to watch Praise Baby?" we are greeted with this face. It can show up in the middle of tantrum if I ask the right question. I'm very happy to have it captured on film. (Kendall is in the background of this photo)

It's a good day, and it's only 9:20 am

I just filled up my car for 34.00!!!!!!!!!


And I found yet another coffee shop in McDonough that sales my beloved Big Train Chai.


It is a good day.

* One more thing to add to this completey random post.

If had this wonderful contraption, I would love to make my own baby food. Maybe we can work it into the budget before any other babies join our family....something to think about.

And while we're at it, I might as well get this too, right?

I'm Loving the Grocery Game

It's a good week for the Grocery Game and me. Last week I wasn't feeling it so much, and then I saw this week's list. And we are on again.

Here is a list of what I am getting for FREE!!! from Kroger....

2 bottles of Pert Plus shampoo (normally 3.39 each)
5 (yes, five!!!) packs of Cottonelle Toilet Paper
4 boxes of Celestial Seasonings Tea (normally 2.99 each)
3 boxes of Green Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables (normally 1.79 each)

so that's what, 23.00 worth of free merchandise, rounding down!!

That's my free list, and here is my drastically reduced prices list

2 Reach Toothbrushes=1.00 (normally 2.16 each)
6 Scotch Brite Sponges=3.00
Purdue Chicken Breasts= 1.99/lb (I am stocking up on this, so I plan to reserve about 10.00 worth of grocery budget for this) (normally 5.49/lb)
3 Boxes of Green Giant Healthy Weight Vegetables=1.50 (normally 1.79 each)
6 boxes of Green Giant Regular Vegetables(not sure what the difference is between these and the previous, but whatever)=3.00 (normally 1.79 each)
2 boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta=.66 (normally 1.89 each)

I am going in the morning because my coupon pile is a mile high, and I hate to be that girl holding up the grocery line. And I find that Kroger is quite empty at 8 am on a weekday morning. Plus, I am just so excited to see these savings in person.

And to top it all off, CVS has been good to me too. I had a rain check for a free box of Always Infinity Pads. I went to claim that free box today, and when the cashier rang it up (for free) out printed a dollar extra buck. Yes, they paid me a dollar to take the always pads. That is my kind of shopping. Tomorrow I am heading over there after Kroger to stock up on Huggies diapers. I plan to purchase 3 packs of Huggies diapers for less than 30.00, and I will receive 10.00 extra bucks!!! Woo-hoo...it is a good week for saving money.

An Easy Comfort Food Recipe

Back before I was couponing and meal planning and all of that, I was struggling to get into a routine of cooking meals each week. When Scott and I first got married we lived in a tiny apartment that contained a miniature kitchen. Really, it was miniature. So if I cooked a big meal (in my mini size oven) I often had to wash big dishes in the bath tub, which was disgusting to me, so we ate out a lot. Plus we had no central heat and air, so in the summer if we cooked anything, our entire apartment quickly felt like the inside of an oven. Again, we ate out a lot. This was during our two income life.

After we found out that Ada was on the way, we moved to a bigger apartment in Vinings, with a real sized kitchen that had a normal sized sink, and even, a dishwasher!!! Not to mention that we were trying to save every penny of my income that we could to prepare for Ada's arrival. So...I went on a quest to learn how to menu plan and to stop eating out. To get started, I joined a service called e-mealz. When using e-mealz, I was given a menu each week with a grocery list and a price break down. It didn't save me as much money as I hoped for, but it did establish a habit of menu planning and grocery shopping for the entire week, and I am so thankful for that habit now!! And it built my spice cabinet substantially. Plus, in the process, I found several recipes that are sure to be favorites for the rest of our lives.

One such recipe is Tender Beef Pot Pie. To me, this recipe is the ultimate comfort food. And with the weather turning cooler--the high in the 50s tomorrow!!--I am contemplating adding it to the menu next week. Here it is, super easy, super good.

1 lb stew meat--slow cooked
18 oz jar prepared beef gravy
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t dried basil
29 oz can mixed vegetables (or I am sure you could use frozen)
2 refrigerated pie crusts (or make your own, of course)

Mix meat, gravy, garlic, and basil in a baking dish. Cover and cook @ 200 for 6-8 hours.
Fold in veggies.
Line one pie plate with one pie crust
Pour mixture into pie crust
Top with other crust
Pinch crusts together
Cut vents and cover edges of crust with foil
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes

So easy. So good. So warm and comforting.

For more meat and potato type recipes, check out Life As Mom (one of my favorite blogs).