Here's my grocery deal of the day- my total was $ 47.75 with tax. I could have also had some Publix pasta sauce but I think it sucks so I abstained. The Mr. is sort of over my bargaining and chicken eating so notice the red meat ha ha.

I had a great weekend. I enjoyed seeing my in laws Saturday. Today is not only Memorial Day but also my FIL's 80th birthday. He is a Veteran and a great man. My daughter is so blessed to have him a grandfather. Happy Birthday, Pop!

Yay! I found a deal on my own!

So I have been really into bargaining and stockpiling lately. Much to the dismay of the man who used to refuse to eat frozen food (aka: The Mr.). Hmphttt. Be that as it may, I have been putting together deals I find off a number of sources, printing coupons, hoarding papers, etc. . . I've always had a pretty good memory for numbers so I recall that at Publix this week the Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal was buy one get one free. So that makes it $2 a box (or close to it).

With this coupon HERE - it can be free. Yay!

Go. Now.

If you buy $ 10 worth of stuff (before coupons), you can get the infamous Publix one cent item today. Yesterday it was Publix Potato Chips. Not my favorite. But sometimes if you go on Mondays they have run out and replace it with something really good. Like brownies.

I got some of this cereal on a tip when it was on sale at Walgreens. The Mr. liked it okay but I thought it kind've (yes I know that is not a word but I like it) sucked. You can go HERE for recipes to turn it into something tasty like muffins. Or share the couponing love and donate it. Or take it to work and leave it in the break room. I have a theory that people will eat just about anything out of a break room at work .

Macaroni and Cheese

I think I finally got it- here's my recipe:

Sam's Macaroni and Cheese

8 oz macaroni noodles

2 eggs beaten

1 cup ( 4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese (sharp or mild or a mix of whatever cheese you have)

2 cups cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream ( if you don't have soup cream, you can sub. milk that you need to use up!)

Paprika

Plus extra cheese to cover the top if you like.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Mix next 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add cooked macaroni. Put inn 2 quart casserole dish. Top with paprika and additional cheese if desired. Bake uncovered for 45 min at 350.

Frugal Sam

A Weaver friend of mine was asking for some of my money saving tips. I answered her questions and thought - hey - what a great blog, I've been neglecting... So in honor of the Great Recession - here it is. Bargains according to Sam :

Where are the deals?

You can find deals all over ; ) The number one way to get deals is by shopping around. If you do nothing else to save money, look at the grocery store ads that come each week. Plan your shopping trips around the ads and plan you meals around what is on sale. I am lucky enough to have a few choices that are in between home and work. I will get meat one place, veggies another. I usually make a trip to Aldi every 2 weeks. Just keep your eyes open.

What blogs do you visit?

www.moneysavingmom.com - I LOVE this one. Printable coupon links and links to other great blogs. Wow it is awesome.

www.hillbillyhousewife.com - also has a blog, interesting points.

www.afullcup.com - not a blog but great forums

These are local blogs, but they offer good info and links:

http://blog.al.com/saving-for-eight/ - she outlines the ad and links coupons for the store I shop at most often, Publix.

http://blog.al.com/centsible-living/

http://blog.al.com/bargain-mom/

What is your system?

I am very disorganized. I do have a great memory for numbers though so I just try to eyeball the ads, vs what we need, vs what we have room for. I have a little coupon wallet for stuff we regularly use.

Do you keep all of the ads or just the coupons?

I hang on to the grocery ads (mailed on Tuesdays here) and the store ads (Walgreens, CVS, Target- and any others that I see something I like in) I keep the coupons but I only clip what I know we need and will use. Sorry, no HFCS crap. I hang on to the rest of the coupons in case there is a really good deal on something I might not regularly use but could, like cereal, or a potential money maker. Yes, I should file them like I mentioned but I'll admit I am lazy and cluttered.

Help a Weaver out!

Sure - My tips-

- I do this in my head but I should come up with a spreadsheet or something ( Who's bored? Please?) For things you use all the time, start tracking the price. The price at Sam's or Costco, the regular price, the sale price, the really good sale price, etc.. . I'll use Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts as an example. These go on really good sale for $ 1.99 a pound. That is my target price. I think the regular price at Sam's is $ 2.38 per pound. That is okay. You never ever want to pay $ 3.99 a pound for them. Take cheese for example. I don't mind shredding it myself. Sometimes the 8 oz. blocks go on sale at the grocery store for $ 1.50 or so- that is rock bottom without a coupon. Yesterday they had them at Aldi for $ 1.29 per 8 oz block - that is a stock up price.

- Don't think you an do all this in one sitting. It is time consuming and can be overwhelming. Start with one thing. For groceries, I recommend the ad shopping first. Then some light couponing.

- For health and beauty, pick CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid and start with that. With all the websites that outline the deals you really have no excuse. Hello, we all need razors and lip gloss.

- I recently read a book called Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy and many of my ideas came from that. The information was dated, but I looked online and a new version is coming out April 1 : ) I am totally buying it, it will be worth the $ 10.
(Amazon Link )

Yeah, I am a slacker.

I just realized it had been forever since I blogged anything. Whoops. You aren't missing much. Poor Katherine is still teething and drooling a river. She climbs really well which leaves me on my toes. I'll try to think of something more exciting to write about ; ).

(((Hugs))) *Sniff Sniff*

I have been blessed in my life to have known a lot of great people. The past year I have grown particularly close to a really wonderful group of women. We got together and planned a not-so random act of kindness for a family in need. It feels really good to be able to help someone, even better to be able to share that feeling with your friends.

Merry Christmas, Weavers!

Ho Ho No!

Well I am pretty excited about Christmas, but we are not ready at all. My darling spouse asked me today if I could take off work tomorrow because he needed to shop for Christmas. In case you were wondering, the answer is no. I mean, I love the guy and all but I have decided to let him suffer from his own procrastination. Anyone in my position knows he won't suffer alone.

It has been a rough couple of days. I got into an accident earlier this month with KC in the car so that has left me a bit nervous about driving wih her in the car. So we have been somewhat limited in our activities. KC also seems to be sick with the ongoing funk that we have all had this month.

She is losing interest in the giant tangle of Christmas ribbon and grinding goldfish into the carpet so I gotta jet. Hopefully update with more Christmas recipes later.