January's Grocery Budget- How Did We End Up?

I told you earlier about, how I fell of the wagon for a while with my grocery deals...

And how this month, I was asked by my hubby to start back doing 'the deals' again. I knew it was time. Our grocery budget was normally $70. or less per week for our family of 6. And at the end of this year, we were over $100. and more towards $130. on average weeks. And that was using some coupons, but not really trying hard to find the BEST deals.

Well, working at finding the best deals is worth it! In the end, my average per week for groceries, was $70. Which is where I was when I 'fell off the wagon' before. In the month of January, my first month back to 'deal shopping', I spent $284.71 for 284 items! That is $1 per item! Considering, each week I buy 6-7 gallons of milk ($2.29 ea), 3 gallons of Soy milk ($2.95 ea), and diapers ($8.99 on sale), I think my average is pretty decent!

And in fact, my goal for up coming months, is even LOWER. I had a high goal of $380. for January, which is a little higher than I wanted it to be, but I was getting back into the 'groove'. Heck, I still had over $95. to spend! :)

So, my goal for February is $285. I am hoping to get lower than that. My goal for March (as of right now) is $280. Then when Spring hits and I start being able to produce some garden vegetation, I am going to slowly start to lower my budget again. I am also planning on canning and freezing lots of garden veggies, so this will bring my grocery bill down even more!

On our small farm, we are going to be getting some meat chickens, a cow (for meat), more egg laying chickens, turkeys, and we will have goats for milk. We already have a freezer full of venison from my hubby this last Fall. I am hoping our budget can drop even more than I am planning. I am hoping at the end of the summer, I will only be spending $200. per month. So in August and September (5 shopping weeks) I will only have $40 to spend on my family of 6!

One thing that may help in that equation is that I am planning on having my littlest one potty trained... We shall see how THAT goes! :)

I am excited again, to be working on reducing our grocery budget. I am going lower than we have even gone before, and I am excited about it!

We have some other areas we are looking to apply that $$ to. We are hoping in a year from now to take our kids to Florida and go to Disney. We are of course doing this in the most economical way possible! More on THAT later! We are also starting the process of adoption. We would LOVE to add a little girl to our mostly masculine family. And unfortunately, to place a child in a good and loving home, is very expensive.

But, I think we can do this. So far, God is leading the way. And I pray that we continue to follow in His footsteps.

So, are you on a grocery budget? How did you do this month??? What changes are you planning on making for the future???

Being a Woman of Virtue... Doing!

I hold a few things in my life top priority. God is NUMBER 1. Most definitely. My husband, is also deservingly, number 2. Then of course my beautiful and energetic boys. And the rest of my family and my close church friends are next.

As I look to what God wants me to be, and what he requires of me. I am EVERY TIME taken back to Proverbs 31, to the Virtuous Woman. And each time, I am reminded of how important it is to hold the things that our grandmothers did, close to our hearts. I am constantly challenged by this. Things like making more food from scratch. Yeah, we have busy days, but even in those days, if I make sure I have a meal planned ahead of time, I can still make something fairly easy from scratch (or close to it). This isn't just a luxury anymore, this is almost a necessity if you want to eat healthy. Also things like learning to sew, even just simple sewing. I know MANY people who do not own a sewing machine. They just don't know how to sew. And that is probably most of you also. But I think sewing is a skill that we should have even if it is very basic! I bought my machine for $79 at Wal-Mart about 6 or 7 years ago, and I have used it in a small business and for simple things around my own house. I learned to sew in home ec. class in Middle school. Let me tell you, it was very basic! I NEVER again used that skill until I got my own machine ! So with about 15 years in between, I had to learn most things over. And I was able to do it, and sew curtains for my house! I didn't even have a pattern. I have slowly improved my "skills" to even make robes for the boys and other kids in our family this last Christmas. Saved a lot of money, and ended up being a lot nicer than what I would have been able to buy on our "budget". What about gardening? Or caring for animals, like chickens, who could produce a product your family could use? Are these skills going to be lost on our grandparents generation?

I want to encourage you, as I have before, to learn SOMETHING new. And keep doing it, even if you don't succeed the first time (or the second!). If your grandmothers are still alive, even better, learn something from THEM! My grandmother was able to teach me to crochet before she past away 2 years ago, and whenever I sit, relax and use that skill, I think of her.

Being a woman of Virtue includes DOING... She works with her HANDS... Be challenged by this today. Not only will you be able to pick up a valuable skill that you could someday pass on to your daughters, but you are carrying on a legacy. And SOMEDAY, you will be glad you learned your new skill!

I have been wanting to learn to Knit for the longest time. And I have a sweet neighbor woman who is willing to teach me! I am excited!

What new skill would you LOVE to learn?

Baking Day!

As I mentioned about a week and a half ago, I was planning on having some baking/ non-baking days. Well, I had them last week!

I wanted to get some pictures posted, so you could see what we are enjoying!

I also want to encourage you, if you say your not good at baking or whatever, if you have the desire, KEEP TRYING! No one does it all perfectly every time! In fact, I had a recipe for bread last week, and I made it 2 times and it NEVER came out! I have 2 days on a row of flat bread. But on the third day, I decide to try a different recipe so I could make sure I wasn't letting this recipe defeat me! SO I tried another recipe, and it worked wonderfully!

Here is the 2 loaves of bread I make and some rolls I also make with the remaining dough:

And here are some of the delightful noodles that myself, my mom and sister Katie made:

I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my dehydrator! I was able to dry them out a lot quicker in there! I am SO thankful for it! And the noodles are DELICIOUS!

Get in the kitchen and try something new~ You will be glad and your family will be amazed! =)

Non-Baking Day and a Baking Day

I haven't had a baking day in a while, and I definitely need to. Especially with the weather getting warm (finally!). Here are some reasons a baking day is a good idea:

• Get all baking done in one afternoon, and have baked goods ready to eat when needed over the next few weeks.


• Get all baking done in one afternoon, so your kitchen isn't hot day after day. You just have one afternoon to contend with. So make it a cooler day, start in the early morning!


• FRUGAL! Baking your own items is a lot cheaper then purchasing them in the store.


• HEALTHY! The items you make are most likely more healthy for your family also.

In the next few days, here are the items I want to make on a "Baking Day":

• muffins for breakfasts (this will cut down on the cereal consumption if I don't wake before the kids do).


• Tortillas for tacos


• Granola Bars (wonderful recipe coming soon!!!)

I also want to have a Non-baking day, where I make things that don't require the use of the oven. Here is what I hope to make:

• homemade noodles


• dehydrated peaches and apples (for snacking).

Do YOU have baking days? If not, you should try it out. Last time I did it, I had rolls that lasted in the freezer for about a month, and it was wonderful to pull them out last minute for an extra side to our meal.

Happy Baking!

How I Save Money on our Groceries

It's work. But, it fun work. I love knowing that I have saved our family over $120 a week on groceries. I love knowing that the money can go for something else just as important. So how do I do it?

I was recently asked by someone, how I save so much money on our groceries when I have to buy soy milk, etc. By the way, I enjoy your questions! Don't be afraid to ask!

I will try to give a few bullet points on how I save our family money on groceries:

• I know I am going to get 5-7 gallons of milk a week, PLUS 2-3 half gallons of soy milk each week. Our milk per gallon around here just went down to $1.98. And our soy milk is $3.19 at Meijer. So, I figure each week, milk is important to us, so we will almost always spend $24. on milk & soy milk. There aren't many circumstances that will change that total. Although I have been getting catalinas (coupons that print off as you purchase your groceries) for $1. off 3 Silk soymilks. So, I take advantage of that. Also, Meijer Mealbox has $1. off of 2 Silk Soymilks. Other then that $24 bucks for milk...
• We don't eat much junk food! I do purchase cake mixes, brownie mixes, very rarely potato chips, and hardly ever a 2L of soda. What do we snack on? Well, with boys, you definitely have to have food to snack on. But, here is what we do. We don't even do a lot of snacking! I make sure the boys get full at dinner time. If they complain an hour after dinner that they are hungry, I make them eat some more of what we had for dinner. Sometimes they decide they aren't that hungry (THAT is called boredom). We do need snack sometimes though. And we eat organic carrots (often on sale at Miejer for $1, like this week!), yogurt (also on sale & coupons- purchase when there is both!), pretzels (also a $1 on sale at Meijer), and fruit like apples or bananas (whatever is on sale that week).
• I make a Meal Plan each week according to the items that are currently in my cupboard. I make sure all ingredients are present in my house before I put the item on my Meal Plan. Along with that, I keep track of what I am going to need on a Grocery list that I hang on the fridge. That way I know what I am running out of, and I make sure I look for it to go on sale.
• Have 1-2 meatless meals a week. Or include a meal that has a can of tuna in it or canned chicken, this can be cheaper then having fresh meat.
• I buy meat when it is on sale or marked down. By marked down I mean meat that is 2-3 days from it's expiration. Then as soon as I get it home, I divide it up into meal size portions and freeze it. I will also label the meat with the date that I froze it on.
• I make almost everything from scratch. By this, I mean, I make biscuits, I make all dinners from scratch. No pre-packaged deals. I think those taste like they are high in sodium, and low in taste usually! If I say I am having Tuna Noodle Casserole this week, that means I will have a can of tuna, a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, some noodles (either homemade or store bought) and I will top it off with Parmesan Cheese. I don't need to buy a pre-packaged meal, especially because I don't know what is in it!
• If my kids don't like what is for dinner, they don't eat. Well, actually that never happens. They are hungry when dinner time comes around (because of NO SNACKS!), that they will EVENTUALLY eat their dinner. We don't make anything special to cater to a picky eater. Then eventually the child learns to either like the meal or at least tolerate it!
• And last, but not least, I shop sales with coupons, and stock up! I usually get multiple insert each week, and I try to keep all of the coupons organized. I then look for sales in our local paper or on the Internet. I combine the sales with coupons, and if it is a good deal, then I get several. I save this in my "Stockpile". This just means when one runs out, I am not going to have to run to the store to get another one and pay full price. I will already have several in my pantry. Then I try to keep that pantry stocked up. I make sure to add anything to my list that I have only one or two left in my cupboard. Then I can be watching for them to go on sale. For more on this, go HERE.

I hope this helped to show you how the show is run around here! And maybe encourage you to start saving more money on your groceries too. And enjoy it! It can be a challenge, but it can be fun too! I enjoy see how much I can get for as little money as I can! I am proud to be able to stretch our one income household a little further. You can do it!

Great Kroger Trip!

Just wanted to put a quick pic up of an extra trip I took to Kroger today. There are some very good sales this week at Kroger, so you may want to check yours out. You can go to Kroger.com to get their weekly ad on-line.





Here is what I got for $8.54:

All of the following were free with my Kroger doubling coupons: Rice Cakes, Suave Deodorant, Bird's Eye Frozen Veggies, and Softsoap. The tomatoes were $2.20. Not on sale but a need for tonight's tacos! The Always Infinity weren't on sale either, but I had a great Catalina coupon I wanted to use. And the milk/cereal deal is awesome! 3 boxes for $6, then when you buy 3, you get 4 half gallons of milk free! (Check to make sure this is the same in your area before you head to the store!) I also saved $33.38! Very nice!

So, check out Kroger this week!!!

CVS This Week

Here is my CVS trip this week, and it was a pretty decent week! So if you are looking to start shopping CVS for their deals, go HERE to find out how to start! CVS really is a great place to save lots of money, if you know how!

This week, I took advantage of the diaper deal, where if you buy $25. worth of specified products (including the diapers and wipes) then you get $10 back in ECBs (Extra Care Bucks, which are basically CVS money!). So packages of diapers were $10. each, the large wipes were $5. each. I got everything in the picture for $12. I usually don't like to pay any more then $2. BUT CVS has been having some off weeks, and I was just "using up " my ECBs.

I talk alot about being frugal on my blog, and CVS is one of the ways that I am able to save my family money. I hardly ever have to pay for personal hygiene items, and we even have some extra to be able to give to our local "Project Help". If you are committed, give CVS a try!

Moneysaving & Frugal Question

There are so many people missing out on saving money for their families. So many people spending too much, when they could have used a simple principle to save more money. Or some may not have any idea that they can actually do something else, more frugal, that would keep them from having to spend a lot of money on one thing or another.

So, here's the question. What moneysaving idea or frugal advise has really helped you save the most money?

Now, would you mind either telling us in the comments or linking to your site? And any of you who would love to learn how to save money for your family, check these out! Or if you have questions, ask them in the comments also. What kind of moneysaving idea or frugal advise would you like to see???

Please share your best moneysaving idea or frugal tip:

Homemade- Play dough

In sharing with you some of the things that my family (I should say my BOYS) enjoys to make for keeping and giving, is play dough. They will play with this stuff all day long. I give them a table cloth on the table and a plastic spoon and some cookie cutters and they are set! I don’t have to be afraid that if this falls on the floor that my baby will eat it. Because if it does end up on the floor, it will not hurt him. All ingredients are baking ingredients that won’t hurt him.

So here is the recipe. And don’t be afraid to let your kids help you!

Homemade Playdough

• 2 C. Water


• 1 C. Salt


• 4 tsp. cream of tartar


• 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil


• 2 C. flour

For coloring: use a packet of koolaid (this also smells really good!)

In a large pot, begin with water, koolaid, oil, salt and cream of tartar. When mixture is warm, add flour and mix well. This may be slightly lumpy- but keep stirring until it forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. Remove from pan and let cool.

This is fun to play with while it is warm too, especially on a cold day! Store in an airtight container. Will keep for a long time!

Like I said this is great to give as gifts to kids.

Here is a Spring Idea for you: Take the bags that you use to pump frosting on to decorate cakes with ( you know the cone shaped bags), and fill with some orange play dough. Tie off the top with a green piece of fabric or ribbon. Cut off access bag. This makes a very cute looking carrot!

Frugal Laundry

You all know how expensive laundry detergent is. Well, it's not THAT bad. You can usually find a sale on detergent for $1.99 for 35 loads. But did you realize that you will RARELY get 35 loads out of that? I fill my washer full and I fill the detergent in the cap up to the top line or almost the top line, and I will get way less out of it. SO if you are figuring the cost to be like $.05 a load or something, figure again. I started by marking my bottle with a marker every load of laundry I did.

My mom told me about making laundry soap and this recipe that she found. She has been using it a while and says it works! I am also going to be doing this very soon. So, here is the recipe:

• 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha soap
• 1/2 cup Borax powder
• 1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
• a bucket
• water

I have found all of these ingredients at my Kroger.

First, grate 1/3 of the soap and put it into a saucepan.

Add 6 cups of water and heat until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and borax, stirring until it is dissolved. Pour 4 cups hot tap water into your bucket. Add your soap mixture and stir it together. Add another 22 cups of water and stir to combine. Let the soap cool and set up for about 12-24 hours. The finished product jells up. It won't have a normal consistency. Part of it will be like jello and part will remain liquid. It's all the same thing and dissolves in the laundry tub. No need to try and break it up.
Each load takes about 1/2 cup of laundry soap.

I have also found the same recipe on The Grocery Cart Challenge, and she explains what each ingredient does:

• Borax cleans, deodorizes, disinfects and softens the water.
• Washing soda cuts grease and neutralizes odors.
• Fels Naptha is a stain remover.

On The Grocery Cart Challenge, she also has a recipe for Homemade dryer sheets, that I found. Here is her recipe:

Homemade Dryer Sheets

• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of vinegar
• 2/3 cups of any hair conditioner

I stirred mine together in an empty baby wipe container. Don’t shake, this will cause foaming. Soak a cloth rag (I used an old clean wash cloth) and ring it out until slightly damp. Then throw it into the dryer with your load of clothes.

This can also be used as a liquid fabric softener in the rinse cycle.

I have been using this for about a week now and it has worked great! I bought Suave conditioner from the Dollar Store, and used about 1/3 for this recipe. I had a ginormous bottle of vinegar, so that cost me pennies. So all in all, the recipe cost less then $.50 for about 20 loads (maybe more loads! I don't know exactly yet). It would be even less if I used some of the conditioner that I got for free from CVS.

SO, there you go. Frugal laundry! I can't wait to try the laundry soap. Supposedly it is about a penny a load! I love the idea of these also because I know EXACTLY what is in them.

Would YOU try these recipes?

Homemade- Rice Neck Warmer

A little background for you. I got my first job when I was a sophomore in high school, and then started the love of money. I didn't have any bills so I spent money on things like clothes, and well, more clothes... I had no concept of money at all. Now, 17 years later (oh my goodness!), I have a new respect for the green stuff. And I try not to waste a bit of it.

I have also always been pretty artistic, in fact I went to college for drawing. From there, I discovered the love of being able to "make" things. After I got married, it was my husband extremely cheap ways that made me morph into the person I am today. He would say, "well let's not spend our money on that because you could make THAT!". And usually he was right, if the desire was there, I could usually figure out how to make it.

So, today here I am writing in a blog for all of blogland to see, and I am writing on how to explore this "lost art" of making things by hand, instead of paying an arm and probably a leg, to buy it.

If you have any ideas or anything that you would like to know how to make easily, e-mail me or leave a comment here. I have lots of things we can talk about, but I can always use a challenge!

And today I am going to give you a little step-by-step on how to make a Rice Neck Warmer. These make GREAT gifts, and you would probably end up paying at least 4-5x's more then what it is going to cost you to make one.

Estimated cost of this depends. Fabric can be around a $1. Rice will be probably about $2-3.

So to start:

Get a plain cotton fabric for the inside bag (this will hold the rice, and will not be seen.). Then also get a softer cotton fabric for the outside (this will "house" the inside bag with the rice in it).

Here are the 2 I chose for this warmer:

I got the flower fabric for the outside and the plain fabric for the inside. From each of the fabrics you will need 1 (one) piece approx. 22'' long by 11'' wide, so one from the flower fabric and one from the plain.

Take your plain fabric, and fold it long ways. This does not have to be perfect! Notice, mine is definitely not!

You are going to start sewing (with a sewing machine~if you don't have one, borrow one! This is gonna be EASY!).

You are going to sew the long side first. Followed by one of the short sides, notice I said ONE of the short sides- NOT BOTH. This will sew the bag shut and defeat the whole purpose! =)

When you are done, it should look something like this. Notice, this is not perfect, and it does not have to be! As long as it will hold rice, that is all we care about!

Notice, the far end is unsewn!

Now turn your bag inside out (so the seam is on the inside).

Now, fill the bag with about 4 cups of rice, or your bag should be about 1/2 full. If you do any more then that it won't fit around your neck very well!

At this point you can add dried lavender or some other dried herbs, to make it smell good when heated.

Turn the open end of the bag in. So the edge of the bag goes inside.

Now, you will sew the top shut.

Now take the outside fabric, and turn one of the short edges down about an inch, and sew.

Take your fabric, and fold the fabric longways, just like the other bag. This time make sure the outside of the fabric is turned toward each other. You want the inside of the fabric on the outside, so we can sew it then turn it inside out.

Take this, and now sew along the long edge first (notice our turned down and sewn edge?). Then sew the other short edge.

It should look like this when you are finished. The far edge is sewn. The long edge is sewn, and the short edge closest to us is sewn over and OPEN!

Now, turn it inside out, and inspect your good work!

Now the fun part! Put the rice bag inside the outer bag!

And here it is! The final product! Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

And another way to reward yourself right now, is to heat this puppy up!

Stick your rice neck warmer in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Make sure you test this our before you give it to a child, to make sure it doesn't get too hot. After 2 minutes, pull your rice neck warmer out of the microwave. It will probably smell like rice, and that's OK! It will be less strong the more you use it. It also may be a little damp feeling the first time or two. This is normal also!

One nice feature of this is that if you need to wash the outside cover, you can just slip it off and throw it into the washer. When it's done, slip it back on and use it again! You can also use this as a cold pack.

I hope you try this out! You will be glad you did!

Coming Soon!

Planting Seeds

2 weeks ago, you may remember I planted (for the first time) some seeds for flowers, so I don't have to spend tons of money landscaping this spring. After only 5 day, there was some seedlings coming up.

Here are my seedlings today:

Pictured on the left are Coneflowers and on the right are Shasta Daisies! I also have Phlox and Lavender coming up. Today (hopefully) I will be planting my tomato plants!!! I also have some chives and Marigolds I need to plant soon. I am also going to get some more things to plant for the garden, like melon plants, but not until later. This has been so fun. I check on them (the seedlings) several times a day, still water them twice with warm water, and I have not brought the plastic up so it isn't sitting right on the top of them, but still keeping them warm.

Homemade Tortilla Shells

It's not like I NEED shells to make tacos with, but tonight's dinner was supposed to be Wet Burritos. Except, I had no soft Tortilla shells. I had come across a recipe, a few days ago, and decided to give it a try.



I revised the ingredients, to fit what I had (the ingredients were pretty minimal anyways), and I thought my tortillas turned out looking better then the ones that this person had pictured that she makes! I thought they were beautiful...



The next test, the boys. They were all like, "are these GOOD for us?", and "what do these TASTE like?". I told them YES, they ARE good for them, and they taste like taco shells...



Well, I didn't have the heart to spring a menu item that we haven't had in a long while on them. Plus, I couldn't bear hiding such a pretty tortilla! So, we made tacos.



Normally, with store bought tortillas, my boys will eat 3-4 tacos. With these homemade tortillas, they are SO filling and delicious, we all had one, well, except for Austin, he had 2. And they did love them. They kept talking about how good they were and how sorry daddy was going to be that he had to work and miss this meal!




So, here is the Soft Tortilla Recipe that we made:



3 C. white flour

1 C. warm water

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 C. oil



Mix all ingredients except the flour in a bowl. Then mix in the flour, you may need to turn the dough onto the counter to knead the dough. You may also need to add a little more flour, I didn't have to add much more. Form it into a ball, and let it sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, cut into 8-10 pieces, and make into balls. Let those sit for another 10 minutes. After that 10 minutes, roll into a circle with a rolling pin, until they are about 10 inches round. Bake them on a lightly greased griddle, until done. I let mine back about 30-45 seconds, and some of them has a little brownness on the bubbles that formed in the dough. Bake on both sides, then I put mine on a paper towel to get off any excess grease.



I don't know how well, these keep yet. But I will find out soon!

Check out more frugal recipes HERE.

Early Planting

I posted a few weeks ago (here) about my plan to plant some flower and garden veggie seeds to (hopefully) get plants cheaper then having to buy them from a greenhouse.


Well, last Friday, I planted some of my flower seeds. I got an organic starting mix, and used my egg cartons. I ended up putting a heating pad under them (thanks Danielle!), and I put some desk lights on them (for more heat), and covered them with a clear plastic (like a drop cloth). In the past week, I have learned a lot. I have been spraying the seeds/dirt with warm water. I also place the plastic directly on top of the dirt, because the dirt was drying out quickly. My heating pad will only stay on for an hour at a time, which does not help keep them warm overnight, hence the desk lights. I keep those on all night.


Here they are, after I planted them:


And this is what I discovered this morning!


I was so excited. I thanked God that He actually helped me make this work! I now pray that I can continue to take care of these little guys, and help them grow big enough to plant and therefore save money!!! Last count this afternoon, I saw 3 little seedlings trying to come out, in less then a weeks time! I will be planting some garden plants like this in about 2-3 weeks!

Menards This Week!

This was my Menards transaction.

I spent a rebate of $21, and $11 out of my pocket. After rebate I will get $24!

To see how to do transactions at Menards- go HERE.

PS- My hubby is now starting a shelf in the basement with all of HIS money saving transactions! =) He's so cute....

Are You "Un-Crafty"? What about Bartering?

I consider myself a "crafty" person. I like to make things with my own two hands. I love to create. I love to make pretty. I love to take nothing and turn into something.

But, there are some out there, that just-don't-have-the-craftin' skills... Is that YOU? Are you tired of us "crafty" people telling you to make your own gifts. "Just knit your family some scarves" or "make this lovely playhouse for your kids out of Popsicle sticks". OK- maybe my illustrations are a little out of hand. But I DO have a point!

What ARE you good at??? DO you have an "un-crafty" skill???

Do you love kids, and like to baby-sit? Do you do your own taxes every year and people are impressed? Are you a person that loves to clean or organize?

Ever thought of BARTERING???

Bartering is : To trade goods or services without the exchange of money.

Hmmm. Maybe you and that friend of yours that does a lot of sewing can trade services? You need a new curtain in your bathroom, and she was talking about trying to find somewhere that changes oil in cars for a reasonable price (there is no shame in ropin' the hubby in too!). Maybe you can trade services?

God has given each one of us gifts, and there is not one of us that He has given ALL the gifts. So, we need others who can help us out!

Start saving money by using what you are good at to trade! =)

Groceries This Week

I went shopping yesterday, and was a little behind (my) schedule. I had a baby that woke up very early, and then decided to take a nap really early too. So I left later in the day then I normally like to. But, it ended up really well!

Here is what I got:

For a Grand Total of:

$62.!!!

I did shopping at CVS, and spent $2.60 on the following, in 2 transactions:

I saved over $47.

Here is my Kroger shopping trip:

I spent $14.! I got the TP for free, the cough drops for free, the Starkist tuna for free, I got the Wacky Mac for $.16 the lotion for $.06, the organic milk for $.99 and the diapers for $3.99! I saved over $29.!

I also went to Meijer. I don not have a separate picture of Meijer, it is included in the picture at the top of the post. I bought formula & a new cup for the baby boy. I got a 2L of Dr Pepper for free (with a coupon I registered for in the mail), I got 3 cans of dog food for free (with coupons that were in the paper several weeks ago), I got Cascade dishwasher rinse agent for free, plus some other cheap things like the hand soap, the cat treats, the frozen veggies, the bread! I spent $45. at Meijer and saved over $47!

I think that is $123. saved, and $62. spent! With a budget of $70, that works for me!!! I spent about $.83 per item! That's good with diapers, formula, razors, soaps, pads and more!

How did YOU do this week???

Practical Tip Tuesday

I am going to be participating every Tuesday in Practical Tip Tuesday over HERE. Check it out if you would like to participate!


My practical tip is to start your own garden and flower plants inside! I have not yet done this. But this is going to be my first year!


You know when you go to a greenhouse in April or May, and want to buy a flat of flowers, you are gonna spend some money. And there are always some really neat ones that don't come in the flats and you have to buy it separate and spend MORE money.


Well, this year, I am going to buy seed, and plant them indoors, myself!

I don't have fancy equipment. But I have read that you can start with an egg carton, and some dirt!


You start planting your seeds inside 4-6 weeks before the last frost in your area. In my area, it was April 26th, last year. To look up your area, go here.


You need to pick out what you are going to plant. And you can either order from one of the hundreds of seed catalogs you get in the mail, or go to your local garden center. I usually get mine at Menard's!


So, you have your seed. Now you need dirt! Some places I have looked say any dirt is fine, some say it needs to be "good" dirt. So, I think I am going to get some that is specified as potting soil. I will take my egg carton(s), and fill the little cups with dirt. Then, plant my little seeds according to the direction on the package. You can also write on your egg carton what seeds you have planted in where, or when you planted, or whatever other info you need to remember for the plants.


For watering, I will probably get a spray bottle. They say not to drowned the seeds/plants, so taking a spray bottle with room temperature water, would work the best.


Location: set your egg carton in a sunny, warm location, like a south facing window.


A week before you want to plant your plants outside, set the carton outside during the day to "harden" the plants. Bring them in at night. Then after about a week, your plants should be ready to go in the ground or in planters!


I am excited to save a little money and get some different plants! Have fun! This would also be a great activity to do with your kids! Have them help!

Meals This Week

Another week! I hope everyone had a great weekend and a wonderful Valentine's Day! We were actually able to have a couple hours of peace, while grandma kept all but my baby. So we just hung out at home, and watched borrowed movies! (Yes, I DO follow my own advise!)

Monday, the boys have no school, thanks to President's Day. And I just may be at home pulling my hair out by 8:30 AM... I will post a pic if I do go bald. Also, Monday hubby and I are going to start and complete our taxes. Pray for our sanity all of Monday...

So, the meals. I had a baking day last week, but I may have to do another, because baked goods along with 4 boys & a hubby, don't last long. So, we may add some baked good on top of the menu...

Monday- Vegetable soup (with l.o. chicken from Sunday & veggies) & homemade bread

Tuesday- Baked Chicken Thighs, potatoes, corn

Wednesday- Cavatini & Homemade bread

Thursday- Tuna Noodle Casserole & frozen fruit

Friday- Pizza & Homemade Potato Chips

Saturday- Fellowship at Church with meal! Yeah!

Sunday- Tater tot casserole

All of my meals run between $2-4. And I am feeding 6 mouths!

What are YOU eating this week???

Go HERE to see more menu plans!