Couponing in Critical Times

A few simple ways to help

2012-02-05T15:05:00.001-05:00

Today our pastor talked about giving to others, and it inspired me to write this post. Below you’ll find some very simple things you can do to help others. It is by no means all inclusive. Feel free to offer suggestions in the comments section as a way to inspire others.

Donations

Helping the schools

Peel off any Campbell’s soup labels and donate them to your child’s school. If you don’t have young children, consider giving them to a friend who is a teacher, someone with a school aged child, mailing them to the school you attended as a child, or dropping them by a school in your neighborhood.
The same goes for Box Tops for Education. These are small squares that can be found on a wide range of products (maxi pads and copy paper to yogurt and vegetables). The Box Tops are usually worth about 10cts each, and they have an expiration date.
Ask your local grocery store if you can link your loyalty card to benefit a school. Locally, Ingles offers this as an option.
Donate any extra school supplies you have to your child’s teachers. Ask them what needs they have in their classrooms and watch for deals and freebies that might coincide.

Nursing Homes

Many people do not realize that Medicaid and for that matter many other insurances does not cover basic toiletry products and incontinence pads. If you have freebies such as shampoos and a few samples of pads that you might have received for free, drop them by a nursing home in your area. I recommend that you give them to the activity director or social worker who will in turn make sure they get to a resident who may not have any family to bring him or her those items.
Have extra magazines and large print books? Drop them by the activity director’s office. Be sure to call first to make sure they need these, but most of the time they are very happy to have those donations.
Activity directors are also happy to receive craft supplies that you might have cleaned out of your home or scored for free with a coupon.
Have a wedding coming up? Years ago when we were married, I remember sending some of the arrangements from the reception to a nursing home that I had volunteered at during college. I took such delight in thinking about the residents enjoying those beautiful flowers! Random Acts of Flowers is a local organization that helps you do just that--they repurpose flowers from weddings, funerals, and other events and bring arrangements to residents of assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and patients in hospitals. Consider donating your flower arrangements to them and any vases you might have.

Shelters

When I was younger, I had an internship at an area domestic violence shelter. They were almost always in need of donations to help people make a new start. Donations of mattresses, beds, furniture, appliances, even toiletries and cleaning supplies helped a person get started in a new life.
Homeless shelters are often in need of twin sized bed linens, new pillows, toiletries, and clothing.

Children

Children’s hospitals often appreciate small games and new toys that they can give to patients.
Firefighters and first responders often collect small blankets and stuffed animals that they can give to children after a crisis.

Crisis

Look into becoming a Red Cross volunteer to help in times of crisis.
Donate blood, especially if you have a rare blood type.

Time

What is your area of talent? Use that to help others. If you sing or play a musical instrument, offer to play at a senior center or nursing home. Good at accounting, consider volunteering with the tax program at your local senior center. Were you a builder? Consider offering to help with mission projects.
Read. This is needed in so many areas. Local libraries often need helpers for their children’s programs. Schools with Accelerated Reader programs are usually happy to have parent volunteers to read with the children. Nursing home residents so enjoy someone coming to read to them, and I find that they really like it when I read from the Bible to them. Adult literacy and English as a second language programs need volunteers to help new readers hone their skills.
Spend some time volunteering to do grunt work. Mop the floors at the soup kitchen. Sort clothes at a donation center. Those are simple activities that most anyone can do, and yet they are some of the most needed and appreciated duties.
Alternative schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Big Brother and Big Sister programs are almost always in need of volunteers and mentors. Even something as simple as taking a few hours in a month to help teens with homework is very much appreciated and needed.
Offer to be a sub if your church or synagogue needs help as a class teacher.
Think about your favorite charities and charitable programs. Sign up for their newsletters and watch for ways you can help. Help spread the news when they have fundraisers or are in need of certain items to be donated.
Offer to give a ride to someone who wants to come to church but either doesn’t drive or doesn’t have a ride.
Get a workout and support a cause. Train for a 5K run or marathon in your area that supports your favorite charity. Get off the couch and get moving!
Look for other ways to show people you care. Make a meal for a young mother. Make a gift basket full of toiletries and goodies for a college student you know. Check on your elderly neighbors when there has been a power outage or inclement weather.

What other ideas do you have? What are your favorite ways to donate and give?

Meal Planning, Sweet Celebrations

2012-02-05T13:48:00.001-05:00

“Give us this day our daily bread...”~The Lord’s Prayer

This meal plan is for a family of 3. We often have at least one friend or family member over to share a meal with us during the week. Since I factor the cost of the meal when I first prepare it, leftovers will be marked as $0. When we dine out, it comes from a different part of the family budget and those expenses will also show $0.

This is the time of the year that I work on eating from our stores of food. I clean out the fridge, dry storage, freezer, and pantry as much as I can to make way for the growing season. Since we’re planning on purchasing even more beef this year than we did last, I’m also reserving a bit of our savings for that purpose.

This week we have a Valentine’s party for Kid Konnection, a Valentine’s Potluck at the church one evening, a birthday party, and a marshmallow roast at a friends. Don’t you just love celebrating? I sure do!

Kid Konnection Meal

One night a week, we help with the children’s program at church.

Heart shaped cheese quesadillas
Heart Shaped Fruit Pizza
Heart Shaped Cookies

Approximate cost—$0, from church budget

Ways I saved on this meal—Rather than celebrating Valentine’s Day with the kiddos a day late, I thought it would be fun to have our V-day party a day early. I’m still debating what we’ll have, but at this point, this is the tentative menu. If you have any ideas for fun Valentine’s food, please send them my way!

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Meal 2

Shrimp and Salad

Approximate cost--$3

Ways I saved on this meal—My dad surprised us with a shrimp dinner over the weekend, and this shrimp is some of the leftover that we didn’t eat. When my dad has a shrimp boil, he cooks enough for 10 people even if only 4 are attending. ;) The garden salad is a simple one with lettuce, leftover cherry tomatoes and carrot sticks from a meal last week, and a bit of celery. The salad dressing was 50cts a bottle with coupon and Mega Event sale last week at Kroger.

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Meal 3

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Approximate cost—$6 (this will make enough for at least two meals and then some to share with a friend)

Ways I saved on this meal—Soup is probably one of my favorite foods to make. There is something therapeutic about spending an hour lazily chopping vegetables and adding them a little at a time to a pot simmering on the stove. I have a friend who is slated for surgery in a couple of weeks, and I’ll be storing a big dish of this in the freezer to bring to her during that time. I’ll add some tomatoes, grated zucchini, and lima beans that I froze from our summer garden (free from the garden). I’ll have the base of the soup be some chicken that I caught on sale last week. The onions, a bit of kale, and some parsley will come from the garden (again essentially free). The rest of the ingredients were mostly bought on sale—celery, carrots, potatoes, various beans, peas, corn, and green beans.

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Meal 4

Second Chance Buffet

Approximate cost—$0

Ways I saved on this meal—At least one time a week I try to plan a meal based on leftovers. Hubby said that he saw online where a mom started calling this meal the Second Chance Buffet. I like that idea and have adopted the title.

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Meal 5

Breakfast for Supper

Breakfast burritos
Fruit

Approximate cost--$5

Ways I saved on this meal—Breakfast is some of the least expensive and easy to make food out there. On this day, I’ll use some leftover tortillas from a fajita meal last week and stuff them with eggs that I scramble with some vegetables and cheese. I’ll add a little fruit salad to the side with some canned mandarin oranges, pears, bananas, and berries from the freezer. The oranges and pears were bought on sale. I almost always buy bananas that are marked down (or not at all). The berries were some that we picked during the summer months and froze. The eggs were bought from a local farmer, the cheese on sale, and the vegetables will be from the garden and from what we froze from the summer garden.

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Meal 6

Potluck dinner at the church

I’ll bring mashed potatoes, cookies, and a few pots of tea.

Approximate cost--$6

Ways I saved on this meal—It always seems like we run out beverages at potluck dinners, and so I’ll make a few pots of tea to bring with us. Ever since I was pregnant with our daughter, I have been making pots of tea that were mostly decaf. I find that decaf Lipton tea lacks a little flavor, and so I mix some of the Stash brand Orange Spiced tea with it. People seem to really like it, and given that this is an evening meal, they appreciate that they won’t be up for much of the night. I buy Lipton tea when I catch a sale and have a coupon. I buy Stash tea from Frontier, and they have the best price I’ve found for it. I’m making mashed potatoes because the last few potlucks have run low on side dishes, and I figured this is a dish that most everyone likes. The potatoes and butter were on sale. The milk that I prefer is Cruze Dairy Farm milk, grown with organic means but priced lower than organic milk at the store. I’ll whip up some of these cookies, and I’ll double the recipe so that I have some extras to bring to a marshmallow roast at a friend’s house. The organic oats were bought in a 25 lb bag last year when on sale and split with a friend. The organic butter was on closeout sale. The chocolate chips were some I bought last fall with a sale and coupon. I almost always buy my organic raisins at Three Rivers Market. They have sales on them a few times a year, and I can score organic in bulk for lower than regular packaged at the store.

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Meal 7

Snack Supper

Boiled Eggs
Crudités and Dip
Leftover fruit salad

Approximate cost--$2

Ways I saved on this meal—Since I know that there is one day this weekend that we have both a friend birthday party and a marshmallow roast at a friend’s house, we’ll keep supper light on that evening. I’ll bring some of the cookies that I made for the potluck supper as a treat to share. The eggs are bought from a local farmer. The Helluva dip cost less than a dime after the 50ct printable coupon and Mega Sale last week at Kroger.

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Tena High Value Coupon

2012-01-30T17:57:00.001-05:00

Tena has just put out one of the highest coupons for their products that I’ve seen for incontinence briefs. Go here for a $6 off any Tena product coupon. If you do not use these products, this is a good coupon to share with someone who does. Thanks so much Sharon!!

If you haven’t already read it and know someone who uses incontinence briefs, be sure to check out my post on ways to save on these items.

Meal Planning, First week of February

2012-01-30T08:21:00.001-05:00

“Food is central to how we operate as a culture.”~Alice Waters

Kid Konnection Meal

One night a week, we help with the children’s program at church.

Sandwiches on whole wheat bread
Carrot sticks, tomatoes, and cucumbers
Grapes, Pears, or Bananas

Approximate cost—$0, from church budget

Ways I saved on this meal—I caught a fantastic deal on whole wheat bread (priced at $1.35 and then I had a 35ct coupon which was doubled). I’ll pick up some cheese and meat for the sandwiches. We have a child with food allergies or else I would plan on a PBJ. I’ll pick up some vegetables (BOGO at Kroger this week) and either pears, grapes or bananas for the kids.

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Meal 2

Cottage Pie

Approximate cost--$6 (this will make enough for two meals)

Ways I saved on this meal—Using ground beef instead of lamb turns shepherd’s pie into cottage pie. I bought the local, grassfed beef at Three Rivers during the member discount days, making a pound right at $4. The onions came from the garden. The organic carrots and celery, potatoes, organic butter, and peas were all bought on sale. Using a can of cream of mushroom soup (bought for around a quarter late last year with a coupon and sale) keeps things a tad easier than making my own white sauce. Though, really if you haven’t ever made your own white sauce/bechamel sauce, it isn’t hard. One should try it at least a few times as a good cooking skill to master.

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Meal 3

Leftover Cottage Pie
Leftover Salad

Approximate cost—$0

Ways I saved on this meal—Cook once, eat twice. Love that!

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Meal 4

Chicken Fajitas
Black Beans
Guacamole Salad

Approximate cost—$8

Ways I saved on this meal—Hubby saw that avocados were on sale and made a request for this meal. The chicken is on sale, and the ingredients to make the fajita sauce were free. The onions are from the garden, and the bell peppers were some that I froze from the garden. I’ll pick up some tortillas when at the store, and I’ve found that if I look for them in the refrigerated section they are usually less than if I look on the ethnic food aisle. I almost always make my beans from dried beans because they are SO MUCH CHEAPER than buying individual cans. Simply soak them for about 24 hours (less will do), discard the water and rinse. Then cover them with water and put them on the stove to cook. You can add salt and seasoning at the end and leave the pot uncovered if you don’t want them to become mushy and split. Also, you can add a bit of whey or baking soda to the soaking water (NOT cooking water!) if you like. I find that they taste a little better if you add a bit of bacon grease or olive oil to the pot. For the guacamole salad, I’ll keep it pretty simple with avocado mashed with lemon or lime and salt and pepper. I’ll serve it on top of some chopped lettuce.

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Meal 5

Pasta with broccoli

Approximate cost--$2

Ways I saved on this meal—The whole wheat pasta was free last year with a Mega Event and coupon. I bought broccoli crowns for $1/lb last week, and I still have a bit leftover. There is also a little in the garden that I’ll add to this. I’ll cook the pasta, reserving a bit of cooking water. At the last minute of cooking, I’ll throw in the chopped broccoli. I’ll drain, add some organic butter, a bit of the cooking water, and parmesan cheese. I bought the parmesan on sale with a coupon and have some leftover from when I made pumpkin pasta.

I usually try to plan at least one meal a week that is meatless. This helps reduce the cost per week that we spend on food.

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Meal 6

Date Night

Approximate cost--$0, from a different part of the budget

Ways I saved on this meal—I’m not sure where we are going, but we have a free movie ticket at Regal. I’ll look for coupons and group buying deals for reducing the cost of the meal.

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Meal 7

Super Bowl Food

Potato Skins
Crudités and Ranch
Deviled Eggs
Chips and Salsa
Buffalo Chicken

Approximate cost--$8

Ways I saved on this meal—I saw a pretty simple recipe for buffalo chicken in the last edition of All You, and I think I’ll try it. Hubby loves buffalo chicken, and so I’m hoping this is a good one. I tried to think of other finger foods that I already have on hand, hence the potato skins and deviled eggs. I have some sour cream that I bought on sale, and the Ranch dressing mix was free after coupon and sale. The salsa is locally made, and we buy it by the case (10% discount) at TRM. Whenever I am trying to make a special meal, I think about one stand out recipe (in this case the buffalo chicken) and then using sides that will go with it but are less expensive.

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Challenge for the week—Money Saving Mom’s Budget and Removing Clutter

2012-01-29T15:18:00.000-05:00

Update from last week--

A few weeks ago I started writing about how I set weekly goals for myself, and thus far, posting about the progress has been a great way for me to stay accountable and keep on track with my goals. Not sure if anyone else is getting anything out of this, but I hope so.

Last week, I wrote the goal to exercise using the 30 Day Shred DVD daily for a full week:

I started a new exercise regimen that is a lot more fast paced for me. Normally I do a little yoga here and there, some walking with jogging mixed in, and stay active in our yard. I’d been reading from other bloggers the progress that they had made with Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred, and I decided that it was worth trying. I started the daily DVD a week ago. The first exercise practice kicked my tushie. I have worked out with trainers before, and they have pushed me but never like this. I was so sore after the first day and then pulled a muscle the third day. If it hadn’t been for the support of my Hubby also using the DVD daily, I might not have lasted. I have stuck with it, and I’m starting to see some positive changes. My legs and arms are feeling stronger and more toned, and I notice that I have a little more energy.

I want to keep the momentum going because I know that if I stop for a day then one day will become three and eventually the DVD will have dust on it. As part of my goals for the week, I’m planning to:

1. Make sure that each day on my calendar includes “workout” listed on it as a priority. All too often I’ll plan a day packed full of activities, chores, and other priorities without ever thinking about exercise. If I don’t prioritize it, it won’t happen.

2. I want to workout using the DVD every day this week. Yep, every day—no days off. If I can find a way to adapt to the exercises after a pulled muscle then I can find a way to do them even when I have a packed day or am “too tired”. If I allow myself an excuse, guess what? I’ll use it.

How did I do? I did really well for a full week. I worked out daily, even when I didn’t feel like it. I was always happy when I completed the workout and felt better for having done it. Then, I caught a bout of bronchitis and that set me back for a bit. (Hence the lapse in my posts this last week). I was out 3 days, and when I started back, I wasn’t at full force. Coughing and not being able to breathe really well definitely impacts how well you can do cardio! Even though I’m still coughing a bit, I am finally feeling like I’m back to enjoying the workouts.

What did I learn from this? I think that the biggest challenge in any kind of goal work is what to do when you have an outside (or in this case very internal!) force that impedes your progress. Had I been working out alone, I’m not entirely sure if I would be back to my daily routine. Having my husband working out daily with me and someone to talk to about the progress and challenges has been inspiring. His encouragement helped me to jump back on the exercising train.

In a way, you readers have also been a sort of accountability partner for me. Even though I’m not entirely sure anyone is actually reading these posts, posting these goals and then writing the follow up helps me stick with the goals that I set.

Goals for this week--

I recently purchased the new book Money $aving Mom’s Budget by one of my favorite bloggers. I still remember the day that I heard Nancy Twigg, local author and savvy saver, on a local news station talking about Money Saving Mom. It was as if the sky had parted and angels were singing. I never even knew that coupon bloggers existed, and when I learned about these things called “matchups” I was hooked.

I’ve been reading her blog for years now, and I was thrilled when I learned about her new book. I purchased a copy, even earning a free Dayspring platter for doing so, and I’ve started reading it this week. Chapter 2 of the book focuses on reducing clutter in your home and life. She talks about how reducing clutter not only saves you time and energy, but it also saves you money. How true!

While our home isn’t terribly cluttered, I can definitely do better with organizing, and I’ve decided to focus my goal for this week on doing just that. I realized that even before I read this chapter, we have been in the mindset of cleaning out clutter for a few weeks. As I have said before, the first of the year tends to be the time when we do more spring cleaning in our home. I had decided to clean out our daughter’s closet, removing any clothes that she had outgrown. This began a cleaning frenzy, mostly initiated by her, in her room. When we finished, I looked at the piles of toys, games, and such and realized we might have enough to host a garage sale in the spring. That momentum kept rolling, and in the next few days I cleaned out my coupon files, a filing cabinet, the office shelves, and two of the bathroom drawers, adding even more to the pile. I want to keep up the progress in hopes that not only will I notice less clutter, but it will also help to streamline our lives a bit. When I’m not fighting with all of the lids in the pots and pans cabinet, the suppertime routine becomes easier and more enjoyable. When I have my closet better organized, it makes my morning routine easier—you get the picture.

This week, as part of organizing, adding to the yard sale stash, and de-cluttering our home, I will:

Go through all of the storage areas for dishes, silverware, pots and pans, and glasses.
Spend at least 30 minutes organizing the linens and removing any that we do not need. (Side note here—KARM is in need of twin sized blankets and sheets. I’ll be donating any that I find to them.)
Spend another 30 minutes going through the house and looking for items out of place. If they aren’t needed or wanted, I’ll find another home for them or add them to the yard sale pile.

If you haven’t yet picked up a copy of Money $aving Mom’s Budget, I recommend you give it a read. Because I’ve been couponing for a while, I wasn’t sure how much I would get out of it. Yet, as an inspirational tool alone, it has been well worth the purchase.

Little Red Hen Consignment Tagging Service—New Suggested Pricing Guide!

2012-01-18T09:20:00.001-05:00

I’ve told you about Little Red Hen Consignment Tagging Service previously, and how awesome Kristen is at making the consignment process so much easier for folks here in East TN. I was excited to recently hear about her new pricing guide resource from Family Friendly Knoxville:

This guide, specific to Knoxville, offers a comprehensive pricing guide and is being offered for free. Well organized and categorized, consignors will learn how to price items based on tiers such as Bargain, Basic, Better and Boutique, with suggested pricing ranges in each category. There are also helpful hints included in the guide.

Check out the full post for all of the scoop and be sure to visit the Little Red Hen Consignment Tagging Service website for more info on how Kristen can make your life a little easier (and profitable!). The spring consignment season is upon us—be sure to contact her soon to inquire about how her services can help you.

Meal Planning, Week of January 15th

2012-01-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

“Cooking gives you control over what you put into your body and it’s cheaper than eating out or taking in. Food you make yourself tastes better, and it’s better for the environment, for your body, for your family. It’s just plain better.”~Mark Bittman

Kid Konnection Meal

One night a week, we help with the children’s program at church.

Spaghetti O’s
Green Beans
Corn
Carrots and dip
Milk and juice to drink

Approximate cost—$0, from church budget

Ways I saved on this meal—This year, my goal is to feed the kiddos healthier meals. Right now I’m in the process of cleaning out the shelves and using up some of the more processed foods. Tonight I’ll counterbalance the Spaghetti O’s with vegetables, and milk and juice to drink. The green beans were donated from a church member who canned them from the veg she picked out of her garden. The last time I made these for the kids they were a huge hit! I’ll pick up some corn and carrot sticks to serve as well.

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Meal 2

One Skillet Dinner
Carrot sticks
Apple Slices

Approximate cost--$6 (this will make enough for two meals)

Ways I saved on this meal—I bought some local beef and organic apples when I was at Three Rivers Market last week, and I scored 10% off of my purchase as part of their membership appreciation days. The rice that I’ll use for the dish was also bought there a couple of weeks ago when it was on sale. The black beans were some leftover in the freezer and the other veggies were from the garden. The cheese and carrot sticks were bought on sale. The Ro*tel was on sale, and I used a coupon as part of a Mega Event sale last year around the Super Bowl.

This is one of those cook once eat twice kind of dishes. I’ll add it to the freezer or save it in the fridge for later in the week. The photo above is what a doubled recipe will make.

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Meal 3

Pumpkin Pasta

Approximate cost—$3

Ways I saved on this meal—I saw a recipe for pumpkin pasta recently, and I’ve been wanting to try it ever since. Because it is my first time to make it, I’ll use canned pumpkin, but if I like it, I’ll later experiment by using butternut squash from our garden. Instead of cream I’ll use whole milk, which will reduce the cost and calories (and maybe the taste, but we’ll see. I do love real cream!). The organic butter was bought on close out sale. It doesn’t expire for months, but it looked like the grocer wanted to make room for other products. Bonus for me! The canned pumpkin was bought on sale and with a coupon after the holidays two winters ago (January 2011). I always watch for those seasonal items to go on sale and then stock up. Canned pumpkin is a great addition to your food storage because it is versatile and full of vitamins. It gets a bad reputation because so many people add tons of sweeteners to it when baking, but that isn’t necessary. The pasta was free when bought as part of a Kroger Mega Event with coupons. The Parmesan that I’ll use for this was on closeout and I had a Sargeanto coupon for it, making it around $1 a bag. Normally I buy Parmesan in big blogs and grate it as needed, but I couldn’t resist this price.

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Meal 4

Leftovers

Approximate cost—$0

Ways I saved on this meal—At least one time a week I try to pull something out of the freezer or use up any leftovers that are in the fridge. This not only reduces waste but it makes mealtime a little easier on busy nights.

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Meal 5

Breakfast for dinner

Egg Scramble
Hash brown potatoes
Fruit salad
Either whole wheat toast or some kind of homemade bread (popovers, some sort of quick bread, biscuits, or whole wheat bread from the bread maker)

Approximate cost--$3-$4, depending on the type of bread

Ways I saved on this meal—I like to plan at least one of our weekly meals as a breakfast type of meal. This reduces cost, and the dishes are usually a cinch to make. I’ve been in the mood to bake lately, and I suspect that the bread for this meal will be a whole wheat loaf from the bread maker. Super simple, inexpensive and yum! The wheat is some that I’ll mill from grain that we bought a few years ago as a bulk purchase. The yeast is some that I need to use before it expires, and the honey was bought from Pratt’s Market. I get it by the quart and it is right at $10—the cheapest I’ve found local honey. The eggs are from a local farmer and the veg will be from the garden and from what we froze from the summer garden. I recently read the idea to use your waffle iron to make hash browns, and I’ve been tempted to try it. I almost always overcrowd the pan and the hash browns end up steaming instead of developing a nice golden brown crust. I’m hoping this cooking technique will help. The potatoes were bought on sale. The fruit will most likely be assorted berries from those we picked last summer and froze.

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Meal 6

Venison Tenderloin
Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
Peas

Approximate cost--$2.50

Ways I saved on this meal—The venison is some that my sister and brother-in-law gave us from a deer he took last year. I’ll top it with some dijon mustard (on sale with coupon), and onions and rosemary from the garden. To make full use of the oven heat, I’ll roast some potatoes (bought on sale) with a big of olive oil (organic, bought at TRM on sale with coupon) and rosemary (free from the garden). The peas are some that were bought in the freezer section for $1 a pack. How I look forward to fresh peas in just a few months!

I know game meats aren’t for everyone, and I know not all of us have access to them but they are a great money saver! See the link above (“venison”) for some of my game meat tips.

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Meal 7—Repeat from last week. My dad took us out for Asian food last week, and I never made this meal.

Arroz con pollo—note that I have a very Americanized version (or maybe I should say Gabrielleized version) of this recipe included in the link

Approximate cost--$4

Ways I saved on this meal—I bought the chicken on sale at Kroger and froze a few extra packs. I’ll cook the chicken in water at a very low heat (almost as if poaching it). This keeps the meat tender. Normally one would poach in a flavorful cooking liquid, but since I want to reserve the broth and freeze it to add to other dishes, I’ll keep the cooking liquid as water with a little salt and pepper. Once cooked, I’ll debone the chicken and cook the rest of the recipe as noted in the link above. The organic brown rice was bought recently at Three Rivers for just under $1.50/lb. The onions are free from the garden, and the bell peppers were some from the garden that I froze last year. The peas and carrots were on sale at Kroger. The garlic was free from my dad. The coconut oil was bought in bulk for a deep discount at Mountain Rose Herbs. I’ll top it with a bit of the sour cream and salsa I mentioned above in the baked potato meal, and some of the jalapenos I put up last year from our garden.

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Challenge for the Week—Exercise, exercise, exercise

2012-01-15T14:48:00.001-05:00

Update from last week--

Last week, I wrote the goal to start a weekly practice for our family of learning Bible verses:

I was inspired to start a tradition in our family of having a Bible verse of the week. I’ll write out a Bible verse each week and will keep it at the dinner table. Whenever we sit for meals (which is pretty often in our household), we’ll read over the verse together and learn it by heart. This week’s verse will be from Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This is one of my favorite verses from the Bible.

How did I do? I am so glad we started doing this! Thus far we’ve memorized two verses—Philipians 4:13 and Romans 8:28 (two of my favorites). Hubby has picked the verse for this week, and we’ll start practicing it tonight. As part of introducing the verse, we talk as a family about what it means and how it relates to the Bible as a whole and other Biblical stories. Then, at each meal, we practice the verse together. We will most definitely continue this as part of our meal time conversation for weeks to come.

Goals for this week--

This week’s goal doesn’t really relate to anything I’ve been reading. I’ve become increasingly aware lately about what a gift of love it is for those you care for to take care of your health. Eating right and exercising always were a self centered activity for me up until the point when we became pregnant. (Note that when I say “self centered” I’m not referring to narcissistic. I’m referring to how we perceive our own health—it is for the good of self). Then all of the sudden someone else was dependant upon me to take care of myself. What I put into my body and how I cared for it mattered to someone else, and I paid attention to every little part of that. Then after our daughter weaned, I became a little more lax. I still tried to eat healthy and exercise because she was watching me, but it was easier to slack.

Because I work with older adults and because I help to care for my dad, I have a reminder of how important it is to take care of your health. It wasn’t until I my dad started to have some problems with his health and I was taking a more active role in his care that it hit me that one day our daughter might be in the same role. I realized that it is an act of love to her, to my husband, to my friends and family to take care of myself. The longer I stay strong and healthy, the longer I’m able to be there for them.

I started a new exercise regimen that is a lot more fast paced for me. Normally I do a little yoga here and there, some walking with jogging mixed in, and stay active in our yard. I’d been reading from other bloggers the progress that they had made with Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred, and I decided that it was worth trying. I started the daily DVD a week ago. The first exercise practice kicked my tushie. I have worked out with trainers before, and they have pushed me but never like this. I was so sore after the first day and then pulled a muscle the third day. If it hadn’t been for the support of my Hubby also using the DVD daily, I might not have lasted. I have stuck with it, and I’m starting to see some positive changes. My legs and arms are feeling stronger and more toned, and I notice that I have a little more energy.

I want to keep the momentum going because I know that if I stop for a day then one day will become three and eventually the DVD will have dust on it. As part of my goals for the week, I’m planning to:

1. Make sure that each day on my calendar includes “workout” listed on it as a priority. All too often I’ll plan a day packed full of activities, chores, and other priorities without ever thinking about exercise. If I don’t prioritize it, it won’t happen.

2. I want to workout using the DVD every day this week. Yep, every day—no days off. If I can find a way to adapt to the exercises after a pulled muscle then I can find a way to do them even when I have a packed day or am “too tired”. If I allow myself an excuse, guess what? I’ll use it.

Did any of you start a new exercise program as part of your New Year Resolutions? If so, how is it going? Have any of you used the DVD I mentioned above?

Independence Days Update, December through January

2012-01-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don’t know, these posts are inspired by the work of Sharon Astyk. They have become a sort of garden/sustainability/living simply journal for our family.

Since I last wrote in December, we’ve had a few snows here in East TN. The first was just a few snowflakes and then it was gone, and the second was enough to delay schools for an hour and then by around 10am had mostly disappeared. With the winter weather, we’ve been enjoying warm evenings by the fireplace with occasional roasted marshmallows as a nightcap.

I put the garden to rest—FINALLY—and feel much better when I look outside the window. I still need to buy a little more straw to add to the large garden bed, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if I didn’t add it. It isn’t too much longer until I’ll be planting the first wave of peas (I usually plant them as a succession crop, beginning the last week in January if I can manage it). And speaking of waves, waves and waves of seed catalogs are arriving in the post each day and are making me feel as happy as I did as a kid when the big Sears toy catalog would arrive around Christmas.

This time of the year is usually a break for our family. While we’ve been a little busier than we normally are in January with a more active work schedule, school resuming, and caring for my dad, we’ve enjoyed the sense of stillness that January brings. There is something peaceful about this month—the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, there are fewer household responsibilities with the garden and yard, and our calendars are a little less packed with activities. We have a sweet excitement about what this year will bring and what goals we have set to accomplish.

This is the season for sipping on a pot of tea and relaxing with a good book. This is the season that I plan and make lists—where will I put rhubarb this year? How can we open up more space for more fruit trees? When can we start the big bathroom renovation project? Normal people purge, organize and deep clean in the spring, but January and early February is the time of the year that I do those tasks. This is the time for fresh starts, snuggling with loved ones, staying in your pjs until your good and ready to get dressed, and taking a lovely, decadent break. January, how I love thee!

The notes below are based on the last few months--

What did I plant?—Nada, zilch, zip.

What did I harvest?— You’ll see the photo of carrots above. This is the first year that I’ve had a fairly successful crop of carrots, and I’ll definitely be planting more and a few varieties next year. I had no idea that they would last throughout the heat of summer into winter and still be tender and juicy and sweet. Who knew!? I’ve also picked a bit of kale that rejuvenated itself, some broccoli that decided to flower, lots of green onions, and a few herbs.

What did I preserve?—Other than soup and freezing some extra green onions, I haven’t preserved much.

How did I work to reduce waste and live more simply?— Friends have passed a few more bags of clothes to our daughter,which is so nice! We’ve been composting more regularly. I’ve found that it works best for me to keep a dish with a lid on the counter for about a week and then dump the contents in the composter. We’ve added some basic staples to the stockpile. I added about a 6 month supply of organic US brown rice from Three Rivers Market and a few varieties of beans.

How did I work at building and strengthening community food systems?— I am so proud of the way that the food pantry at church looks with the new Shelf Reliance cansolidators. A friend kindly donated another 2 to the pantry, giving us a total of 7 of them. Boy has it made a difference! A church friend and I spent a couple of hours getting everything sorted by date and food type and making up boxes for the next month. The pantry is so much better organized. The consolidation of the cans in a more compact space gives us more room to store other items. I can’t tell you how many people I have dragged into the pantry to see how beautiful it is. I will try to post a photo here so you can see, too.

Did I try any new recipes or were there any special meals at our table?— Tis the season for soup! I’ve enjoyed making a few different types of soup, using foods that we added to storage from our summer garden. My favorite by far has been seeing the fat, big as your spoon, Christmas lima beans in the broth with the other vegetables. Yum! For recipes, you can look under the “recipe” label on the left hand column. The beauty of soup is that you do a little work, have a huge pot full of goodness, and then you have extras in the freezer when you want an easy supper or have a friend who is sick or could use a little comfort.

Meal Planning, Getting Back to School

2012-01-08T17:29:00.001-05:00

“If we had some eggs we could have eggs and ham, if we had some ham.”--Groucho Marx

Kid Konnection Meal

One night a week, we help with the children’s program at church.

Pizzas
Cucumbers
Carrot sticks

Approximate cost—$0, from church budget

Ways I saved on this meal—I bought the cucumbers and carrots at Kroger. They were “on sale” at $1.25 for a bag of carrots and 59cts each for the cukes. I am making an effort to give the kiddos at Kid Konnection more fruits and veggies this year, and since I didn’t want to make a separate trip elsewhere, I decided that price was good enough. The pizzas are from Little Cesar’s with our tax free status, and per pizza this is the best price we’ve seen ($5 each). We’ve made them in the church kitchen before, but since we feed to many kids and only have one oven, buying out makes more sense.

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Meal 2

Sausage
Sautéed Spinach
Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Approximate cost--$5

Ways I saved on this meal—I bought sausage at Kroger when they were running their last Carolina Pride BOGO sale. With coupons, they were around $1 for a pack. In truth, I’m trying to clear this out of the fridge as I’m a little over it. I bought a bunch of sweet potatoes at Kroger right before Christmas when they were 50cts/lb. This isn’t nearly as good as the price last year (right at 30cts a pound if I remember correctly), but it was the best price I’d seen in a while. Whenever I see a discount like that,I buy as many as I can store and can spare in the budget. I bought a very large pack of organic spinach on sale, and we used it for salads and added to sandwiches for half of a week. When it gets near its expiration, I through it into a pan with a little olive oil (organic, bought with coupon and sale at Three Rivers Market) and garlic (free, given to me by my dad) just until it wilts. Then I add a little lemon juice (bottled, as I don’t have any fresh).

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Meal 3

Pasta and Sauce

Approximate cost—$1.25

Ways I saved on this meal—Since this week will be pretty packed, and we’ll be accustoming ourselves back into the school schedule, I planned a few easy meals this week. This is one of the easiest. I still have a few boxes of whole wheat pasta from Ronzoni that we picked up as part of a Mega Sale at Kroger with coupons for free. I’ll add to that some sauce that I bought on sale with coupon for less than $1. We’ll top it with just a bit of parmesan cheese that I bought on clear out with a coupon at Kroger. Sometimes I’ll add a few veggies to the mix—sautéed green onions and fresh parsley from the garden, a few handfuls of shredded zucchini that I froze from the garden this summer, and maybe a few frozen peas.

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Meal 4

Leftover soup and either sandwiches or crackers

Approximate cost—$3

Ways I saved on this meal—Another one of the easy meals for this week. I made a large pot of soup this weekend, and I had plenty leftover to freeze. I’ll defrost it and add a few crackers and slices of cheese to the side, or if the family prefers, we can do some grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches.

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Meal 5

Baked potatoes with all of the fixings

Approximate cost--$3

Ways I saved on this meal—Again, a super simple meal. I’ll set up a little bar with cheeses, sour cream, butter, slices of meat, steamed broccoli, green onions and salsa. We’ll add any leftover soup from the container that I defrosted the previous night in cups on the side. The green onions are free from the garden. The salsa is locally made and was bought in bulk from Three Rivers (10% case discount for being a member). The organic butter was marked down, and I had a coupon (love that!). The cheeses and sour cream were on sale, and I had coupons. The broccoli, potatoes, and meat were on sale. Notice a theme? I rarely buy items that I don’t get some sort of discount on.

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Meal 6

Lamb Roast
Irish soda bread?

Approximate cost--$9

Ways I saved on this meal—I have a small lamb roast in the freezer bought from a local farmer when I last purchased lamb. I am trying to clean out the freezer and do not want such a delicacy to go to waste! I’ll cook it in my Dutch oven, seared in olive oil then reduced down to super low heat for most of a day. I’ll add onions, potatoes, and carrots to the pot. Near the end, I’ll thicken the drippings with a blond roux to make a gravy. If I get really industrious, I’ll make a bit of Irish soda bread to go with it. Notice the price of this meal is significantly more than other meals? One of the reasons I enjoy couponing is because it allows me to buy more of our foods from local sources. I can save from our budget by purchasing something for free, say pasta, and then can use that money for other foods that we enjoy like lamb.

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Meal 7

Arroz con pollo—note that I have a very Americanized version (or maybe I should say Gabrielleized version) of this recipe included in the link

Approximate cost--$4

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Locked out of Facebook

2012-01-04T19:39:00.001-05:00

Please excuse my absence from Facebook for the last few days. I’ve been locked out of my account, and I’m trying to get it reset. Normally, this wouldn’t be such a big deal, but since Facebook wants to send me a text, and I do not receive texts, I’m stuck. They have a prompt that they will send me a code as a phone call, but unfortunately, I keep getting a message that says that they are busy and unable to send the code at this time. If you have any ideas for me, I welcome them. Until then, you can e-mail me if you have any questions or need to reach me. Thanks for understanding!

Challenge for the week—Memorizing Bible Verses

2012-01-04T19:31:00.000-05:00

Update from last week--

Last week, I wrote goals that related to a book I recently read, The Question Behind the Question.

This week I want to work on asking myself how I can positively impact situations rather than becoming frustrated when something negative happens. The book talks about how important it is to be accountable for yourself—you can’t change others and many times you can’t change situations, but you can control how you choose to interact and respond. You can control what YOU DO. I read the book in about an hour, and while it wasn’t brand new information, it was a great reinforcement of what I already know through using cognitive behavioral therapy as a social worker—change the way you think about a situation, and you change the way you feel about it. Those little changes add up and effect your relationships, your work, your life.

Since this goal is a little hard to measure, I’m going to break it up into smaller goals that I can check off. I’ll sign up for the QBQ e-newsletter so that I have little reminders as they arrive in my inbox. When I notice myself becoming frustrated in a situation, I’ll stop and ask myself, “What can I do?” Hopefully that use of self talk will spur me to positive action. I’ll also make a few notes about the QBQ concepts and post them around the house. We’ll see how it goes.

How did I do? Pretty well. I think that this is going to be something that I need to continuously remind myself to improve upon. I found the intentional action of asking myself, “What can I do differently?” was helpful when I found myself frustrated or in a situation that I would normally see as negative. For example, I used the QBQ today at the Kroger pharmacy. I’m not a huge fan of their pharmacy, but my dad needed a medication filled and I was the gal for the job. The clerk acted as if she was frustrated over having to help me when I asked her to make sure his insurance was properly processed. When I noticed her storming around the pharmacy and acting frustrated, I reminded myself that I had a choice. If first thought to myself that I wasn’t sure how her day had gone and this might be a hard one for her. When she returned, I said, “I’m sorry that was so difficult. Thank you for doing that for me.” It changed the dynamic between us and her attitude towards helping me for the better.

Last week when I wrote the post about reading the QBQ book, the author left a comment and asked for me to email him. I was absolutely thrilled and even more so when he offered to send me a free copy of his follow up book to QBQ called Flipping the Switch! I plan to read it next week and am very much looking forward to it. I’ll keep you posted on what I learn.

Goals for this week--

I’m reading the book Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin. I haven’t made it too far into the book yet, but I’m learning a lot. At different points in the book, Rabbi Lapin talks about how important the oral tradition of telling the stories of the Torah are in the Jewish faith. I realized that while we teach our daughter about the Bible, read from it to her, etc, we aren’t yet encouraging her to memorize verses. While somewhat unrelated to the purpose of the book, I was inspired to start a tradition in our family of having a Bible verse of the week. I’ll write out a Bible verse each week and will keep it at the dinner table. Whenever we sit for meals (which is pretty often in our household), we’ll read over the verse together and learn it by heart. This week’s verse will be from Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This is one of my favorite verses from the Bible.

As for the book, it is a longer read than some others I’ve tackled recently, though I’m finding it intriguing. If you haven’t yet read it, I highly recommend you check it out of the library or order a copy. Part of my family is Jewish, and it has helped me to better understand some of the differences and likenesses between cultures and faiths. I’ve had quite a few “ah-ha” moments and have gained a new insights into approaches I can use in business and life in general.

How many of you set New Year’s Resolutions for 2012? How are you doing with them thus far?

Three Rivers Market, Matchups and Discount Days

2012-01-04T18:53:00.001-05:00

Discount Days Ahead

For those who lucked out and received a Three Rivers Market Membership Interest from a friend or family member during the recent flurry of holiday gift-giving, congratulations! You'll be thanking them all over again when TRM Member Discount Days happen January 12th-15th.

The four day event includes loads of in-store demonstrations, product samples, family-friendly events and (wait for it...) TRM Members can pick a day to get 10% off their entire transaction. Don't forget, TRM Members get 10% off cases, which can add up to some super savings. Just be sure to place volume orders at least a week in advance to make sure they arrive in time.

If you didn't get that Membership Interest for Christmas, don't fret, become a member now!

Our family has been very pleased with our membership and the many discounts and benefits it has brought us. I’ve found it well worth the money, and if you are a TRM shopper, want to eat healthier this year, have food allergies, or like to support local stores, be sure to ask a store employee how to sign up.

There are some great deals happening this sales period. For all of the matchups, be sure to check out Money Saving Maine-iac’s post here and here.

Produce Specials: January 4 - 17

• Organic Green Cabbage - 99¢ lb. (reg. 1.19 save 20¢)
This nutritional powerhouse is insanely versatile! Eat it raw, cooked, fermented (kimchi anyone?) Possibly the healthiest green vegetable for your food dollar. A snap to prepare, just heat a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil in a sauté pan, toss in a teaspoon or two of whole cumin seed, then add 3-6 cups of chopped cabbage and sauté until it softens. Finish with soy sauce, Bragg's liquid amino, or a pinch of salt. C'est yummy!

• Organic lemons - 5/$3 (reg. 79¢ ea. save 19¢) If one of your resolutions (see above) includes a cleanse, you should stock up now. If your resolution includes making more guacamole, or seviche, ditto. (I’ll be making some lemon curd this month!!)

• Organic Orlando Tangelo - 99¢ lb. (reg. $1.49 save 50¢) A great organic juicing citrus. Members receive a 10% discount on the 20 lb. case, stop by the Customer Service Desk to fill out a special order form.

Smart Toys and Books—Huge After Christmas Sale, Knoxville

2012-01-04T18:32:00.000-05:00

I was in Smart Toys and Books today with our daughter shopping, and they have a TON of things marked down as part of an after Christmas sale. Their Christmas items are 50% off, and they have a book table and back room with items marked down from 40% off to 75% off. I noticed other sale prices marked throughout the store on various items. I spent a little less than $20 but have books and toys for 2 separate birthday gifts and more books to give as gifts next Christmas. Love that! If you happen to be on that side of town, you might want to check it out for yourself.

Easy Cobbler and the kind words of a soldier

2011-12-28T14:22:00.000-05:00

Today I had the honor of preparing a meal for a family in our church who just lost a loved one. I decided to make green bean casserole and my easy cobbler recipe with blueberries. At the meal was a soldier, the grandson of the deceased, who is serving overseas. At the end, all of the ladies were in the kitchen cleaning up, and he came in and gave me one of the best compliments I’d ever received. He asked for another spoon to get another bite of the cobbler, mentioning that it tasted like home and that his grandmother had made it for him when he was younger. Instead of a spoon I gave him a bowl and encouraged him to take all that he wanted. When he left the room, I could do nothing but smile. The thought of giving someone serving our country a taste of home when he was experiencing something as difficult as a loss made me feel like I’d done something useful and purposeful.

A long time ago, I read a short story from Southern Living magazine that talked about how Southerners give love through cooking. When we know someone is having a baby, what do we do? Make meal. When someone is sick? A pot of soup. When someone is grieving? Something that tastes comforting, warm and hearty. I was reminded of that story today and how all of us there helping with the meal were trying in some small way to show we cared. Many of the recipes on the table were the specialties of each woman—Miss Jeanette’s meatloaf, Miss Pat’s dumplings, Miss Marcella’s fried okra. Each bite represented a prayer sent up, a warm thought, a demonstration of how we mourn with them and are here for them.

What are your special recipes that you make to show others you care? Do you have a signature recipe that you make for potlucks and other functions? If so, I’d love it if you shared a recipe or link here.

Christmas 2012—A few shop ahead tips

2011-12-27T18:32:00.001-05:00

Now is a good time to take stock of your holiday gear. What do you need for next Christmas? Now is an excellent time to buy ahead as most stores have their holiday items at least 50% off.

Buy tissue paper and wrapping materials that are all red for Valentine’s or all green for St. Pat’s. The basic colors usually go first, but if you happen to find any, scoop them up now.
Don’t forget to compare prices. Kroger had their tissue paper for half off. A packet of it would be $1 with the discount, but it was only a few sheets. I know I can purchase a large pack of it at the dollar store year round.
Now is the time to buy your greeting cards. If they don’t all match, so what? Who other than you will ever know? If you are really concerned about it, you can send like cards to categories of people on your Christmas card list. One style might go for work friends, another for relatives, another for church friends…
Many stores are running super-duper discounts on their seasonal products and gift sets. Bath & Body Works is running their semi-annual sale, and gift baskets are deeply discounted. A friend of mine always purchases some extra ones and takes them apart to give the individual pieces as gifts and reuses the basket. She said that she always gets them for less than purchasing each piece. Stores like JCPenney have their Christmas dishes and cooking tools on sale, and now might be a good time to buy a snowflake Bundt pan for great Aunt Martha, who loves to cook, for next year’s Christmas.
Have a friend who is getting married or having a baby? Start shopping seasonal items now. A friend at a shower turned me on to the idea of giving a little extra gift of seasonal kitchen towels to a bride so that she has something festive for different holidays. She buys a few after each holiday and divides them up for whenever she needs to give a bridal gift. They are always a huge hit! For a friend who is having a baby, you might do the same with bibs or burping cloths.
Don’t forget to double up on your savings by using coupons. Many chocolate and candy companies issue manufacturer coupons that are still valid. Stores like Bath & Body and JC Penney have printable coupons on their websites. If possible, use your store loyalty cards to earn extra bonuses. I like the store Eddie Bauer, and yesterday they were running a half off sale. I had received some Christmas money, and I purchased a new pair of slacks. Not only did I score a sweet discount, but I also earned points towards a future FREE gift certificate.

What about you? What are your favorite items to buy ahead for next year’s holiday season?

Challenge for the Week—Asking the Question behind the Question

2011-12-27T15:58:00.001-05:00

Update from last week--

Last week I started writing about how I set weekly goals for myself, and how I’m trying to be more intentional with expressing appreciation and gratitude towards others.

First off, I want to write a note to my Hubby as part of his Christmas gift thanking him for the many ways that he provides for us and gives to us each and every day. Next, I want to make a point at least one time a day to talk to our daughter about something she did that I appreciated or something that I noticed she did that I thought was awesome. Since we eat suppers together as a family almost every night together, I thought that I might do so in front of her Daddy (and whatever other family members or friends are there). Last, I want to make a point to write at least 3 letters of appreciation to others this week. I might write more, but given that it is a week until Christmas, I’m thinking that 3 is more doable.

I accomplished these goals. I wrote a letter to Hubby and could have written a novel. He does so much for us that it was hard to write anything all inclusive. While I didn’t always note positives to our daughter at mealtime, I did make a point to do so in front of Hubby or another relative at least one time a day. I think it helped to bring out more of the positive behaviors through reinforcement. I also sent letters of appreciation, but instead of 3, I wrote 5. Today I spoke to someone who had received one of them in the mail. She said that she had an awful day just before receiving it and that it meant a lot—knowing that something so simple can make such an impact makes me want to do much more of this kind of thing.

Goals for this week--

On the Friday before Christmas, I read the book The Question Behind the Question. This week I want to work on asking myself how I can positively impact situations rather than becoming frustrated when something negative happens. The book talks about how important it is to be accountable for yourself—you can’t change others and many times you can’t change situations, but you can control how you choose to interact and respond. You can control what YOU DO. I read the book in about an hour, and while it wasn’t brand new information, it was a great reinforcement of what I already know through using cognitive behavioral therapy as a social worker—change the way you think about a situation, and you change the way you feel about it. Those little changes add up and effect your relationships, your work, your life.

Since this goal is a little hard to measure, I’m going to break it up into smaller goals that I can check off. I’ll sign up for the QBQ e-newsletter so that I have little reminders as they arrive in my inbox. When I notice myself becoming frustrated in a situation, I’ll stop and ask myself, “What can I do?” Hopefully that use of self talk will spur me to positive action. I’ll also make a few notes about the QBQ concepts and post them around the house. We’ll see how it goes.

The QBQ book is about more than just self talk and making changes in yourself. If you haven’t yet read it, I recommend you check it out from the library. It could easily be used as a daily calendar read, as it is written in short chapter sound-bites that encourage the reader to try a different approach than he or she might already be using to a situation. Good stuff!

New Year’s Day is around the corner—a big goal setting day for most people. Have you given any thought to your goals for 2012?

How was your Christmas?

2011-12-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

We had a lovely day yesterday. Since I don’t make a habit of showing photos of my family on the blog, I can only include a few shots from the day. I’m going to be cheesy and just include a couple of me. ;) This is the Christmas spread minus a few of the casseroles that weren’t put out yet. All of the desserts were on the buffet table. Nothing super fancy, but it was delicious.

For church we all dressed up extra special. Hubby was in one of his nicest suits and ties, and Daughter had Shirley Temple curls and a sweet dress (hand-me-down from our cousins). You can see our tree in the background with the gorgeous crocheted ornaments and tree toppers that my sister made for me last year.

Probably the biggest hit among the gifts for our daughter was a drum set she received from her PawPaw. As I type I’m listening to a concert of drum beats from daughter with kazoo and recorders alternating from my Hubby. Our neighbors are going to kill us! ;0)

Hoping that your Christmas was a sweet one!

Pilot Travel Center, FREE Hot Beverage Refreshed

2011-12-26T10:19:00.001-05:00

The Pilot Travel Center Facebook Page has a new coupon available for print for a FREE 16 oz hot beverage. My new favorite is their latte machine that some centers have! The coupon is valid through January 31st.

The Ultimate Savings

2011-12-25T05:39:00.000-05:00

Coupons will save you money at the grocery store.

Organizing your home will save you time during busy weeks.

Preparing for emergencies and stockpiling could save your life.

The ultimate savings by far, though, came when Jesus was born in a manger all those years ago. I hope that you and yours have a very Merry Christmas and that the Reason for the Season is carried in your heart now and always. Blessings and a Ho, Ho, Ho!!

Meal Planning, Week of Christmas

2011-12-19T20:10:00.001-05:00

“In my experience, clever food is not appreciated at Christmas. It makes the little ones cry and the old ones nervous.”~~Jane Grigson

I’m still not believing it is going to be Christmas in just a few days! As you notice by the quote choice, I usually stick with the tried and true favorites for our family. While I love experimenting with recipes and new ingredients, if I don’t make the lime congealed salad, or “green stuff” as our family affectionately calls it, then my dad is going to be asking where it is. The most unusual thing that I do is substitute some of the ingredients to make them a little lower in sugar for the benefit of my dad. I make sure that we still have all of our favorites—black olives for our daughter, Sister Shubert’s rolls for Hubby and daughter, summer corn for Hubby… And after the meal is done, all is cleaned up, and I sit down in the evening to reflect on the day, you’d better believe I’m going to have a glass of ice cold boiled custard to enjoy.

The biggest advice for cost savings for holiday meals is to plan ahead. I’ve been shopping for Christmas dinner for months. If you count what I reserved from what I put up this summer, I’ve been planning for a half a year. Given that it is only a few days until Christmas, you can’t really use that information to help you much right now. Yet, think ahead to future holidays when shopping after Christmas sales. You might catch a deal on a ham that you can freeze for Easter’s meal. Some of the red wrapped candies can be used for Valentine’s gifts. Sugar, butter, flour, and other baking staples are all good things to keep on hand for meal prep and baking. When shopping, look at expiration dates and sale prices and see how they might work to your advantage.

Kid Konnection Meal

The KK meal is cancelled for this week because of Christmas break

Approximate cost—$0, from church budget

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Meal 1

Baked Potatoes

Approximate cost--$2

Ways I saved on this meal—Since daughter and I had an afternoon snack with friends to celebrate Christmas, I decided to keep supper super simple and make baked potatoes. I caught these on sale a week ago at Kroger.

~~~~~

Meal 2

Sausage
Red Potatoes
Broccoli
Pears
Approximate cost--$5

Ways I saved on this meal—I paid $1.50 for the kielbasa after coupon and sale price. The red potatoes were some that were marked down last week at the store. The broccoli is on sale at Kroger this week, and the pears are some that I canned this year. I simmer the pears in their canning liquid for about 30 minutes to an hour with a bit of butter (about a tablespoon or two or three) and a bit of cinnamon (maybe 1 t). You can see that this isn’t exact. I just kind of add what I have and what feels right that day. As the juices cook, they thicken and the pears soften. The result is something scrumptious.

~~~~~

Meal 3

Daddy makes pizza
Crudités
Apple Slices

Approximate cost—$6

Ways I saved on this meal—I caught a great deal on frozen pizza a few weeks ago and bought a few extras. This is an easy meal for Hubby to make, as I know that at least one night this week I’ll be at a late meeting. The veggies were all on sale when purchased, and the apples were $1/lb.

~~~~~

Meal 4

Breakfast for Supper

We’ll either have pancakes or eggs, toast, fruit, jams and jellies, and brie.

Approximate cost--$1-$6, depending on the choice

Ways I saved on this meal—When Hubby makes pancakes, he makes a large batch and freezes some. If we choose to eat those, the cost will only be a bit of syrup (organic that I bought on sale with coupon at Three Rivers Market) and peanut butter (also bought on sale). I know, I’m weird, I like pb on my pancakes. The brie was some I bought at Kroger with a great BOGO sale and coupon. We’ve so enjoyed eating it with the pomegranate jelly I made. The fruit will be some of the berries we froze this summer. The whole wheat toast was bought for a little less than $2 a loaf. I didn’t have any great coupons, so this was just the sale price. The eggs are some we received free from friends.

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Christmas Dinner—Meals 5, 6, and 7

This is an expensive meal, but we will dine on it a few nights. Last Christmas we had part of the turkey and dressing on Christmas Eve, which was a nice relaxing way to enjoy a day’s worth of cooking. We’ll most likely do the same this year and enjoy this meal the day after too. I’ll freeze the ham bone and turkey carcass to make beans and soup, respectively, in a few weeks.

Ham
Turkey
Dressing
Green Bean Casserole
Corn
Cranberry Sauce
Gravy
Sister Shubert’s Rolls
Relishes
Sweet Potatoes
Lime Congealed Salad (my dad’s request)
Deviled Eggs
Desserts TBA—I keep waffling back and forth on what to make. Chess pies? Red Velvet Cake? Cream Cheese Pound Cake? Southern Chocolate Pie? Banana Pudding?
Boiled Custard
Approximate cost—Since I haven’t fully decided on what dessert and I haven’t bought the turkey yet, it is hard to estimate. I’m guessing this meal will cost between $35-$45. Since my dad is going to help with the cost of the turkey and some of the other ingredients, this lowers our out of pocket cost.

Ways I saved on this meal—I bought the ham for only $8 with coupon, sale, and finding a small ham at Kroger. Since it is just the 4 of us, we didn’t need a large one. The turkey was a last minute decision. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stick with just doing a ham, but I decided that since Christmas only comes one time a year it was worth it. I do a pretty simple turkey with a bit of butter, spices, and some herbs from the garden. The cans of green beans were about a quarter a few weeks ago with a Kroger Mega Event sale, the cream of mushroom soup was even less than that, and the French fried onions were on sale with coupon. The corn is some that I put up in the summer and was bought from a local farmer. The relishes were all ones I canned from foods out of our garden or bought locally. The gravy will be made with the pan drippings. The eggs are some that a friend passed on to us for free. Most of the dressing vegetable ingredients came from my garden. The cornbread mix was on super sale, and the sausage was less than $2/lb with coupon. The cranberry sauce was a little less than a dollar after sale and coupon. The rolls are a request from Hubby and daughter, and even when bought with a coupon are still about $1.50. Since my dad is a diabetic and this is already a carb laden meal, I’ll make roasted sweet potatoes instead of sweet potato casserole. The ingredients for the lime congealed salad were all bought on super sales—cream cheese, gelatin, pineapple, cool whip, and sugar. I’ll make it with as much as I can that is sugar free since my dad is the main one who likes this. The desserts are still up in the air. I’ll probably decide what I have a hankering for the day before and go from there. My guess is that either the chocolate pies or the chess pies would be the easiest and most cost efficient. I’m sure we’ll also have some gingerbread cookies and assortments of other cookies from this week’s baking.

What is boiled custard you ask? My Grandmother Jesse made homemade boiled custard every year for Christmas, and she would serve it as we celebrated with extended family. It is quite similar to egg nog, but I find it a bit smoother. It also doesn’t have the nutmeg flavor in it. She never served it with any alcohol, and I prefer it “straight” as well. It is becoming harder and harder to find in grocery stores, and I’ve yet to find it made by an organic manufacturer. One of these days I’ll break down and make it myself, but this year I’m going to stick with Kroger doing the work for me. Unfortunately I do not have her recipe, and if you are also a boiled custard lover and have a good recipe you would be willing to share, I would so appreciate your passing it on to me.

~~~~~

Challenge for the Week

2011-12-18T20:08:00.001-05:00

Do you set weekly goals for yourself? I do, and I thought I might share some of my weekly goals here on the blog. Perhaps you might want to join in some of the challenges from time to time or maybe you’ll get something out of the actual process of setting goals. Perhaps no one will read these, but hey, at least I’ll benefit. ;)

First off, why set goals? Well, as the saying goes, if you aren’t aiming for anything, you’ll hit the mark every time. I find that when I integrate goals into my to-do lists for the week, it keeps me in a more positive mood and being more productive. It gives a sense of order to my week. I don’t know about you, but there are times when I look at all that I have on my plate to accomplish and I wonder, “How on earth am I going to get all of this done? Lord please help me!” When I sort it out and set measurable goals to meet, timelines for my action plan, and consider what resources I have to help me accomplish those goals, all of the sudden I have a better handle on the situation. Goals help vision come to fruit. They are the nuts and bolts that give us a sense of direction.

When I teach people about goal setting, I first talk to them about operationalizing goals. To operationalize is just a fancy way of answering the question, “What would it look like if I accomplished this goal?” So, if my goal is to be happier, what would that look like? How would I act and feel? What would I be doing? If my goal is to lose 5 pounds, what do I need to be doing to accomplish that goal?

Once you have a more concrete idea in your head about your goal, put it into action words. This involves keeping it simple enough to be something that you could check off a list. Can you answer the question of whether or not it was accomplished with a simple yes or no answer? If so, you have a goal that is simple. Next, you need to make it doable. If I say that I want to lose 30 pounds in a month, well not only is that just crazy, but it is also undoable for me. Maybe if I were on a TV show and had an arsenal of fitness experts and healthcare teams to help me, but that isn’t my reality. Sure, you want to reach high enough to make your goal worth doing and a bit challenging, but not so far that you are setting yourself up for failure. Then you want to make sure your goal is measurable. Does it have a time limit? How will I know if I accomplish it? Remember the part where you are asking yourself what would it look like and feel like if I accomplished this goal? Return to that part if you are stumped on how to measure it. Finally, make sure you write it down. There is something magical about writing down a goal. No longer is it something floating around in the atmosphere. It is concrete and you are set to a purpose. Does that mean you can’t revise your goal? Of course not, but by writing it down, you’ll then have a better idea of how to revise it if changes are needed.

So, on to the challenge I’ve made for myself this week-- I’ve been reading Dave Ramsey’s book Entreleadership, and I’ve been listening to the podcasts that his team have put out on various aspects of leadership. Because I listened to some of the podcasts with Hubby, I’m hearing them a little out of order. Today, I listened to podcast 5 on recognition. The speakers were talking about how important it is to recognize and show appreciation for those around you. They encouraged you to make an intentional effort to recognize and commend times that those around you are doing something right.

As I listened I thought of how easy it is to point out the negative. At a restaurant if a server waits until your glass is completely empty before refilling it, that might be the thing that is noticed rather than all of the other things that he or she has done right during your dining experience. Your child goes through an entire church service with good behavior but then starts to act up towards the end. Do you commend how well he or she acted the majority of the time or express your disappointment at the end? I know myself and I know what the answers are for me. I really do try to look for what others do right and commend people publicly when I experience good customer service or are blessed by another’s actions. I don’t tend to be a negative person by nature, yet, it is still easy for me to see the negative and grumble and complain about those things.

I decided to challenge myself to intentionally recognize and show appreciation when I see others doing something well or right. How will I measure this? What will this look like? First off, I want to write a note to my Hubby as part of his Christmas gift thanking him for the many ways that he provides for us and gives to us each and every day. Next, I want to make a point at least one time a day to talk to our daughter about something she did that I appreciated or something that I noticed she did that I thought was awesome. Since we eat suppers together as a family almost every night together, I thought that I might do so in front of her Daddy (and whatever other family members or friends are there). Last, I want to make a point to write at least 3 letters of appreciation to others this week. I might write more, but given that it is a week until Christmas, I’m thinking that 3 is more doable.

The reason I’m setting this goal is so that I will become more intentional when looking for times to praise others. Does that mean that I don’t already give our daughter kudos, send thank you notes or tell my Hubby how lucky I am? Of course not—it means that I’m working on doing those things in a more purposeful way. I look forward to seeing how it goes.

What about you? What goals do you have for yourself this week? How do you use goal work in your everyday life?

Ask for the greenery

2011-12-14T08:49:00.001-05:00

As you know, I’m no longer posting tips of the day, but I will be adding a few posts here and there as they occur to me. Yesterday I was in Kroger and saw two little sprigs of Christmas tree branches selling for $4 each! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Whenever we buy a Christmas tree, we always ask the farmer for any extra greenery he or she might have from trimming the bottom of the trees. They are usually more than happy to throw in the extras because it keeps them from having to discard them. I then use florist’s wire and wrap them in swags along the front porch for decoration. I use bright red bows here and there, and it instantly feels like Christmas. This year I used some of the bigger branches in some of my outdoor pots. I stuck them into the dirt, and the result looks like a miniature Christmas tree. I add some more greenery here and there in vases around the house to make use of whatever is left. If I had paid for the same amount at Kroger, I would have paid over $60!!

Independence Days Update, the last few months

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is my first Independence Days Update in a few months. For those of you who don’t know, these posts are inspired by the work of Sharon Astyk. They have become a sort of garden/sustainability/living simply journal for our family.

Since I last wrote in October, the weather made a few shifts back and forth to winter weather. Today, I was walking around without a jacket and comfortable, and earlier in the week I was shivering even when bundled up—as is late autumn and early winter weather in East TN.

The garden looks pitiful. I still haven’t taken the time to do my end of the year cleanup. My dad had some health problems for much of November, and I spent most of my time caring for him. Last week I managed to get his garden tidied, and I hope that this weekend, I’ll have time to work on ours. For most plants, I cut them off at the ground, rather than ripping them up. This allows the roots to decay, leaving the micro-system of fungi and bacteria in place to help next year’s crops. I pull out any tomatoes vines and put them into the passive compost pile. I make a habit of never using composted tomatoes for fear of any possible blight left on the plants infecting next year’s beauties. After all the rest is neat, I add a thick layer of leaf mold and decayed straw, being careful to pull the mulch away from where I have garlic planted.

The notes below are based on the last few months--

What did I plant?—I planted another wave of bulbs with Hubby and daughter’s help. I’m adding a garden to the front of the yard where we’ll plant figs in the spring. I’ve heard too many people to count talk to me about the risk of planting figs in the ground in our zone in an unprotected environment, but I’m risking it. Figs are just about my favorite fruit, and I love the thought of perhaps one day having enough to make preserved figs. Only time will tell. To prepare this bed, we have removed the grass and now have about 100 daffodils planted in each quadrant. This will add some spring beauty to the bed as it becomes established.

What did I harvest?— Daughter surprised me by harvesting some jalapenos that were still alive, and we had a quick lesson about the oils on peppers and how they can burn her skin and eyes. I was pleased to see so much dill had volunteered and made some yummy red potatoes with dill the other night. The kale was hit hard by bugs earlier in the year, and when I ripped it up, a few plants remained. They have thrived in the cooler weather, and I used them for garlicky kale and kale and potato soup. I’ve saved some more of the Christmas Lima Bean seeds and made a few flower arrangements out of the last of the cutting bed. I yanked the last of the carrots, and we roasted them for a supper with my dad. I’ve used some rosemary, green onions, and chives here and there in other recipes. I cut the last of the butternut squash and have it saved in the cooler part of the house for the winter.

What did I preserve?—I made pomegranate jelly a few weeks ago, and I’m so pleased with how it turned out.

How did I work to reduce waste and live more simply?— Friends have passed a few bags of clothes to our daughter, and my aunt passed a few sweaters to me. In early November, the church had their fall bazaar, and I made a major score when I found some audio tapes for children. I bought the entire box, and we have shared some with her school and plan to share others with a friend later this week.

I’ve not been composting as consistently as I should, and I need to get back in the habit of doing that. Recycling has been much, much easier now that our city has a single stream recycling program. Gone are the days of Hubby having to haul everything in the truck each month. The bonus is that we’ve scored some fantastic Kashi coupons as part of the Recycle Bank program. I found Kashi cereal marked down to $2.54 a box the other day, and I used $2 coupons to get them at a great price!

How did I work at building and strengthening community food systems?— I used some money that I made at a coupon workshop to buy some organizers from Shelf Reliance for our church food pantry. They should arrive this week, and I’ll spend a few hours with a friend getting the pantry in shape. I continue to help with the men’s breakfast and children’s suppers at church.

Did I try any new recipes or were there any special meals at our table?— Daughter and I will start holiday baking sometime this week. I look forward to cutting gingerbread men and decorating cookies with her. I can’t think of any new recipes I’ve tried lately other than the pomegranate jelly.

Meal Planning, Getting back in the swing of meal planning

2011-12-13T17:50:00.001-05:00

“As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it.” Buddy Hackett

Since I’ve been on a blogging hiatus, I’ve not been meal planning as diligently. As a result, we’ve made a few more trips to restaurants than we normally would have. Isn’t it funny how we all know that suppertime comes around every day at about the same time, and yet, we’re surprised by it if we don’t have a plan??? Here’s to hoping that getting back on track will help!

Kid Konnection Meal

One night a week, we help with the children’s program at church.

We are going super easy on this night because we’ll be taking the kids to perform at a local assisted living facility. We’ll make some nachos.

I’ve had a little “come to Jesus” with myself, as we would say in the South, about the foods we’ve been giving to the kiddos. This is the last meal of the year, and part of my New Year’s resolution is to pay special attention to the nutritional quality of the foods. I’ll hope to write more about that plan of action next year.

Approximate cost—$0, from church budget

Ways I saved on this meal—The chips were leftover from a church function. The jalapenos were some that I canned. The cheese and sour cream were donated. ~~~~~

Meal 2

Roasted Chicken
Roasted Summer Squash
Steamed Broccoli
Garlicky Kale
Dilled Red Potatoes

Approximate cost--$5

Ways I saved on this meal—I paid 99cts/lb for regular chicken. They didn’t have the type of organic chicken that I like at the store, and so I settled. The squash and broccoli were some that my dad had bought too much of, and he passed it on to me. I had roasted some squash in the oven before, and I decided that it would be a good way to use the full capacity of the oven once it was heated. When I was in the garden last, I saw dill popping up everywhere, and when I saw red potatoes marked down at Kroger, I knew what I would be making tonight. I had some Tuscan kale that survived the summer, and I decided to pick it. You can see below what I did with most of it. I had some leftover, and since I’m the only person in the house who really loves it, I did a quick pan sear in olive oil with a couple of cloves of garlic just for me.

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Meal 3

Potato and Kale Soup

Approximate cost—$2

Ways I saved on this meal—I used one of the chicken breasts from the previous meal to make chicken broth for the base of the soup. I used some onions I had frozen earlier in the year, organic celery and carrots from the store, and the kale from the garden. The potatoes were some that I caught as part of a 4 day sale at Kroger. I bought Cruze Dairy Farm milk at Three Rivers Market, and for organically grown milk, it is a great price at $6 per gallon. I finished the soup with a bit of butter I had caught on sale at Kroger a few weeks back. We’ll have soup with crackers (also bought on sale) tonight, and I’ll share the rest with a friend of mine who just had a baby.

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Meal 4

Daddy makes pizza
Crudités
Apple Slices

Approximate cost—$6

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Meal 5

Breakfast for Supper

Eggs and Rice
Fruit Salad
Toast Points and Homemade Jam

Approximate cost--$3

Ways I saved on this meal—I usually plan at least 1 breakfast for supper meal per week. These are usually fast meals for busy nights, and they cost less because they usually rely on eggs as the source of protein. The eggs for the base of the meal were given to me by a friend who has chickens. The veggies will be from the garden and what we’ve preserved in the freezer. The organic brown rice was some that I made up earlier in the week. It takes so long to cook that whenever I make it I always cook extra to have for other meals. It was bought in bulk and on sale at Three Rivers Market a few months ago. I’ll use some of the summer berries we froze earlier this year with a bit of peaches I canned and some bananas and apples to make the salad. My price point for whole wheat bread is $2 or under. With a great coupon, I scored it for less than that and froze a few loaves.

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Meal 6

Tuna Fish Salad
Crackers
Leftover Soup (most likely some from the freezer)

Approximate cost--$3

Ways I saved on this meal—My price point for tuna is 69cts or less a can, and when I see it at this price, I try to buy a few extras. I add carrots (sale), celery (sale), green onions (from the garden), apples (sale), mayo (great sale at Kroger a half a year ago, bought extras), Tony’s, and eggs (free from a friend) to my tuna fish salad. The crackers are generic ones from Kroger that were also on sale.

~~~~~

Meal 7

Supper at church. The youth are having a fundraiser before the Christmas program.

Approximate cost--$0, from a different part of the budget

~~~~~

Frugal Holiday Entertaining

2011-12-12T09:38:00.000-05:00

This is a repost from last year. I hope it gives you some ideas for ways to frugally entertain this holiday season! Merry Christmas!

One of the best parts of the holidays are spending time with the people you care about and celebrating the joys of the season. I hope some of these tips and ideas will inspire you to host your own gathering AND to stay on a budget while doing so. We’ll look at two parts of entertaining for Christmas—inexpensive party ideas and ways to decorate your home frugally. For even more money saving tips and ideas on entertaining, check out this post.

Ideas for frugal get togethers

Host a cookie swap. Fun and frugal, the host of the cookie swap does little more than providing a place to meet, a few beverages, and a couple of batches of cookies. Each invitee is asked to bring 2 batches of her favorite cookie recipe and copies of the recipe to share with others. One batch is put on the table for all to taste. Everyone’s second batches are reserved so that the attendees can bring home a little assortment. While not necessary, it is a nice touch to provide boxes or cookie tins for your guests. These can be bought a dollar stores, the grocery, or places like World Market. This year I’ll be mixing things up a bit. I’ll ask guests to vote on their favorite cookie, and the guest who wins receives a donation to her favorite charity. Martha Stewart has some great cookie recipes to get you inspired!
Host a brunch. I prefer brunch to breakfast or lunch any day. It seems more special, more decadent. Brunch is a great way to bring people together without the expense of providing a full supper to everyone. The bonus is that many brunch foods can be made ahead of time. Most brunches that I host include a couple of quiches, a few batches of muffins, boiled eggs, bacon or sausage, fruit salad, biscuits and jams, coffee, hot tea, and juice. To further lower your cost, you can ask guests to bring a recipe to share.
Have an open house. Friends of ours host an open house each year. People from every group of friends they have drop in over the course of a 4 hour time span. They put out a few beverages and appetizers, and though guests are not asked to bring foods, most stop by with a bottle of wine or a platter of goodies to share. They joke that the party is really a way for them to stock up their wine cellar because most people bring a bottle as a gift for them. It is always great fun, and we meet someone new each year. Don’t forget to use free invites from websites like evite to lower your cost.
Host a potluck supper. Each year our group of closest friends come together to celebrate Winter Solstice. Since it is right before Christmas, it is a perfect time to exchange gifts and reconnect. We rotate who hosts, and this year it is my turn. Everyone brings part of the meal, making it a very easy and inexpensive party. Many of us have children, so we try to have a few activities for them. For Hubby, daughter, and I, it is a time to celebrate hope. Winter Solstice is about the celebration of the sun returning—the days start to lengthen with the turn of the season. It is such a great analogy of the birth of Jesus.
Host a tea. Planning your party for a time that is outside of lunch or dinner means that you won’t have to provide as much food. If you set the time for 2pm, no one will expect to be fed and the intent of the party will be focused on socializing. Teas are great for this time of day. Pull out a few of your tea pots and tea cups and buy a few nice teas or loose teas. Make sure you have sugar, artificial sweetener for those who go for that, honey, lemon, and cream. Add a few finger sandwiches, cookies, and cheeses to a platter, and you’ve thrown a grown-up tea party. This is also a really fun party for little girls. You can encourage them to wear dress up clothes and hats—be sure to take some photos!

Ways to save on decorating your home for Christmas

Use what you have. Most of our holiday decorations have been given to us or passed down from previous generations. The nativity scene that I own was made by a friend of my maternal grandmothers, and it is my favorite decoration to put up each year.
Buy after the season is over. When decorating this year, think about what voids you have. Do you need more ornament hooks? Did the tree topper break this year? Look in stores the day after Christmas up until the week after for some of the best deals on marked down decorations.
Go natural. If you are buying your Christmas tree at a store, many will give you the extra greenery that is cut from the bottom of the trees. In previous years, I’ve used it to make swags to decorate the front of our house and mailbox. Use a bit of florist twine or wire to tie it together and use some pretty red bows here and there to add a pop of color. Use pine cones, rosemary, sprigs of cedar, and boughs of holly to bring a bit of the outdoors in—bonus, it will make your house smell fragrant. Go here for some great ideas and tips for making your own holiday swag.
Pick a smaller tree. We have an older home with shorter ceilings, but I think even if we didn’t we’d opt for a smaller tree. All throughout my childhood we had very tall trees in our foyer and it was such a pain to decorate. The smaller tree allows our daughter to take an active role in hanging the ornaments, and it is a lot less expensive than buying a bigger tree.
Pay attention to the details. My aunt is an artist, actress, and children’s book author in the Memphis area. With all of that creativity, her house is one of my favorites to visit during the Christmas season. What I noticed most about it last year was that every nook and cranny was decorated. I’m not talking about being obnoxious or gaudy—she’s anything but that. Her attention to detail is always tasteful, and I’ve tried to use her as inspiration. This year I added a few decorations in places that I wouldn’t have normally—the guest bathroom, Christmas lights up in our kitchen, framed art with winter themes up here and there. Without buying anything extra, I tried to put little pieces of “happy” around the house for not only our guests but for our family to also enjoy.
Inexpensive table runner. I have no idea where I first got this idea, but wrapping paper makes a festive and inexpensive table runner. Use whatever solid color table cloth you have and add a pattern that matches it of wrapping paper as the runner.
Use your Christmas cards for decorations. Remember that framed art I mentioned earlier? Pick some of the most beautiful cards you receive, and save them to frame. Pick up something inexpensive at a craft store, remove the back side of the card where people have written, and pop it in the frame. Voila, super cheap art!

More important than any other tip is this—have fun! If you aren’t having fun at your own party, no one else will be. Take time to enjoy your guests rather than fretting in the kitchen over the food. Being truly “present” will be a gift that you give yourself and your friends this Christmas season. Merry Christmas to all of you!

Handprint Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

Again, this is another craft that I found on Pinterest. Each time I look at it, I smile! (Please excuse my lack of photography talent—Hubby is normally the one who takes the shots for the blog. The left side is a little cut off and the whole thing is crooked, but I thought you’d get the idea).

What you need--

Canvas
Paint (green, white, gold, and brown)
Paintbrushes
Palette (I used an old aluminum pie tin)
Newspaper to cover your counter top

Process--

1. Because I have artists in my family and took art for a while, I can’t stand the thought of using a bare canvas. I painted it a creamy white and let it dry completely.

2. Help your child make his or her handprints in the shape of a Christmas tree. Let that dry.

3. Add the star and trunk of the tree. You can add fingerprint ornaments, but I liked it being plain like this. Voila! This is a great keepsake or would be a good extra gift for a grandparent. I also thought about using a really large canvas and letting a class of kiddos do this for their teacher.

Christmas Light Craft

2011-12-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

This was a super easy craft idea that I adapted from one I saw on Pinterest.

What you need--

Stamp pads of different colors
A Sharpie
Paper. I chose watercolor paper because I was afraid that the texture of canvas wouldn’t show the fingerprints and the sheen on poster board would smear with the stamp ink. Alternately, you could use cardstock.

Process--

Draw a string of lights with a sharpie
Let your child use his or her stamped fingers to ink the “light bulbs” on the string of lights
Complete the process by drawing the filaments of the light bulbs with the sharpie

You’ve just made a keepsake to frame, a great start to a Christmas card, or something else to add to the refrigerator. Happy Christmas!

Making crafts with our daughter, and my new Pinterest addiction

2011-12-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

If you don’t yet know about Pinterest, you probably shouldn’t read the rest of this post. If you are anything like me, you’ll soon become addicted to it and find more decorating, craft, cooking, and clothing ideas than you ever needed. I don’t even have an account yet, but I can spend waaaaay too long scrolling through other people’s pins and seeing so many cute ideas. At this point you’ve been properly warned, and if you so desire to check it out, do so. ;)

This year daughter and I have been super crafty. As you who have read the blog for a while know, I’m not a crafty person by nature. I’m just not that gal, but I do like the idea of being that gal and every so often will slip into that role. Lately I’ve also been thinking about how quickly our daughter is growing up. She’s the only child God has given us, and I want to make sure that I enjoy every bit of raising her that I can. If the house is messy because we’ve been painting, so what? We are making memories, and I realized how important it is to prioritize just that. All of that said, we began the Christmas season with our fingers dotted with paint.

The first of the crafts that we tried was making paint swirls in glass globe ornaments.

What you need—

Clear ornaments, we used glass
Paint, we used the cheap craft paint you can get at Hobby Lobby
Newspaper or another way to cover the counter tops
Egg cartons, this was helpful in allowing them a place to dry and drain

Process--

1. Remove the metal hanging piece and expose the opening of the ornament.

2. Some websites suggest that you first rinse the inside with alcohol. We didn’t do this, and we didn’t have any problems.

3. Use 2-4 colors of paint in each ornament. I recommend a base color, a lighter tint (white), and a metallic color. Use a paper cup in the shape of a cone as a funnel if working with small children (cut the tip end off), but our 5 year old did just fine with squirting in globs of paint.

4. Swirl the paint together, adding a little more of your colors as needed. You can let the ornament rest in the egg carton as needed to let the paint slowly move from one side to another, covering the glass completely.

5. If you are anything like us, you’ll have a lot of extra paint in the ornament. What I found helpful, was to drain the excess from one ornament into a new ornament. The paint swirled and marbled even more beautifully when we did this. Leave the ornaments with the hangers off of them on the egg cartons to dry. You can continue to swirl the paint every few hours if you desire. In a day’s time if you notice that there is still running paint in the bottom, set the ornament upside down so that it can drain into the pool of the egg carton. Let it dry at least another day before capping it with the hanger.

Pomegranate Jelly

2011-12-08T09:04:00.001-05:00

I was inspired by Good and Cheap Eats to make pomegranate jelly. Before I share the recipe and process, I’ll first share what this taught me about home preserving.

I tend to be a purist when it comes to home preserving. By that I’m not saying that I don’t use sugar or jar lids that aren’t BPA free, I do—guilty. By that I mean that I tend to only preserve foods that came from our garden, a friend or relative’s garden, or a local farmer. The thought of buying grocery store food with the specific purpose of preserving it always seemed a little silly to me. Sure, there have been plenty of times I’ve frozen or dehydrated extras that I had, but I had never given much thought to going and buying a bunch of anemic strawberries at Kroger to make jam. What always appealed to me about home preserving was the idea of opening a jar and tasting a bit of summer in the winter months, or giving that same pleasure to a sweet friend as a gift.

This take on food preservation is somewhat limiting, though. I haven’t made marmalade in years because oranges and other citrus fruits aren’t local, and it is important to note here that marmalade is my favorite of all fruit spreads. Last year I was lucky enough to have relatives from Texas visit and bring a bunch of kumquats with them. I so delighted in preserving them and looking and the little jewels floating in their crystal liquid, knowing that a bit of sunshine was waiting to be unleashed from the jar. They were from their back yard, and though they traveled over a thousand miles to my doorstep they were local in my mind. I think at that point I realized that I needed to change the way I looked at food preservation. Why not enjoy marmalade made by my own hands, bought from the food co-op and organically grown?

Well, I put most of those thoughts out of my mind until I saw Good and Cheap Eat’s post on pomegranate jelly. Last year I never got around to canning/preserving anything more exotic than cranberry mustard, and I decided when I saw the gorgeous rosy red color in those jars that it was time to change that! I picked up a jar of organic pomegranate juice at Three Rivers Market a few weeks ago and started work. It was probably the easiest canning I’ve ever done because the juice was ready to go—no draining through a cheesecloth overnight, no cloudiness, no major foaming. It was a cinch and a definite make if you still have a few people left on your Christmas list.

The recipe is from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. If you enjoy canning and do not yet have this book, add it to your wish list!!

1. Prepare jars and lids as you normally would with home canning.

2. Place 3 1/2 cups pomegranate juice (you can use fresh, but again, I made it easy and used organic 100% juice from the grocery) and 1 package of regular pectin in a deep stainless steel pot. Bring to a rolling boil and then add 5 cups sugar. Bring to a rolling boil again and let boil for 1 minute.

3. Remove from heat and skim any foam off—mine barely had any. Quickly pour into prepared jars and leave 1/4 inch headspace. Add lids and rings and process 10 minutes in a water bath canner.

Viola! That simple. The total out of pocket expense for this project was about $6.50. I had free pectin, sugar I had scored a really good deal on, and the organic juice was on sale. It makes about 6 eight oz jars, and at the grocery 1 of those organic pomegranate jellies would be almost that same amount. I’ll definitely do this again.

Update on CICT

2011-12-08T08:35:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! It has been a long time! I hope all of you are well and enjoying the beauty of the Christmas season.

Thank you so much for your kind emails, comments and words that you’ve shared with me about my blogging hiatus. I have enjoyed a little break with some time to recharge. At this point I’ve decided to post as I’m inspired, whether it be about a tip, deal, craft, or some other idea that fits the theme of the blog. The title of the blog, Couponing in Critical Times, came from the very first coupon workshop I ever held. The blog became an amalgamation of all things frugal—reducing energy use and consumption, meal planning and cooking, shopping with a budget, couponing deals, gardening and preserving foods at home, and, of course, tips on how to streamline and save. Hubby brought up the idea of changing the name of the blog to better fit with what I will be writing about in the future—less about deals and more about the how and why of living a frugal life—but at least at this point I’m going to keep it as is. I’ll be interested to hear if any of you have any thoughts about the title of the blog, as you read future posts.

In the next few days you’ll see a few posts that will give you some ideas about what I’ve been doing with my spare time during the blogging hiatus. Until then, I thank each of you for reading!

Blogging

2011-10-29T08:28:00.000-04:00

Years ago when I started blogging, I felt like God was leading me to it. I held my first coupon class at the church entitled Couponing in Critical Times in April of 2009, never thinking that I would hold another, much less blog. Hubby had popped a blog up online as a way to give attendees of the workshop more information, and when my now friend Isha signed up as a follower, I thought I should get to writing. In the last couple of years this blog has been such a blessing. I’ve written through good times and bad. I’ve felt like I’ve been able to offer some of you steps that you could take to lower your grocery budget, reduce waste, and to be a better steward of the resources you have. Many of you have written me sweet notes and left me kind comments. Some of you have become friends.

In the last few months, I’ve been wondering about the blog. As our family life has become busier, I’ve noticed myself wondering how to balance everything. I’ve gone back to my tried and true tools—making lists, getting organized, saying no when I can’t do something. There have been times that I’ve wondered about scaling back, and as you can see by the frequency of my posts, I’ve done that. Yet, I’ve not noticed much of a change in my stress level.

Last night on my drive home, I was listening to the radio and heard an author talking about balance in family life. She talked about how important it is to eliminate some things so that you have time in your life to focus on what is really important to you. It was as if God was talking to me, and I had a sense of peace come over me as I realized that I needed to do that with blogging. I’ve talked this over with my husband, and this is what I’ve decided to do at this point. I’m going to take a hiatus from this blog. I’ll be linking to some deals on Facebook and posting a few things there, mainly because it is much easier for me to do that and not take up much time. I won’t take the blog down, as I might return to it later. I tend to enjoy writing most when I’m inspired to share something, and I hope I’ll be at that point again.

Thank you for your kindness, your patience, your caring comments, and your helpful tips and links over these years. A daily conversation with you has meant more to me than you know. I’m going to see if this is the path that God is leading me down and understand that He works in mysterious ways. He might lead me right back to the blog or He might take me a different direction. Only through the journey will I find the destination.

Blessings to each of you!

The best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten

2011-10-28T08:49:00.001-04:00

Hubby wanted a cake that used my cream cheese frosting for his birthday, and after thinking about what type to bake, we settled on a carrot cake. I looked all over the internet for a recipe and finally combined elements of about three different ones for this cake. It was pretty easy to make and absolutely delicious.

For an excellent frosting for this cake, use my cream cheese frosting recipe. Adjust the amount of sugar you use to your taste.

Ingredients

3 eggs
3/4 c buttermilk (I prefer Cruze Dairy Farm buttermilk)
3/4 c vegetable oil (you can use coconut oil)
1 1/2 c white sugar
2 t vanilla extract
2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c white/all purpose flour (alternately you could use white whole wheat or freshly milled spring wheat)
2 t baking soda
2 c grated carrots (I used the fine grate)
1 c dried coconut (I used the kind that is already sweetened)
1 c raisins
1 c canned crushed pineapple (don’t drain)
1 c nuts, optional (walnuts or pecans)

1. If you choose to use the nuts, toast them in a cast iron skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until you can smell the nuts and they take on a slightly browned appearance. Set aside to cool. Note that I did not choose to use the nuts per Hubby’s preference. Toasting the nuts prior to baking them helps to prevent them from developing a bitter flavor once cooked in the batter.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together (flours, salt, soda, cinnamon). Remove 1/4 c of the dry mixture and set both aside.

3. Grate carrots and mix them with the coconut and raisins. If using nuts, add those to this mixture. Add the 1/4 c of your dry mixture. This will help to keep the heavy ingredients from sinking in your cake. Set aside.

4. Mix eggs, buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk just add a squirt of lemon juice to the measured milk and let it curdle for a few minutes on the counter before mixing), oil, sugar, and vanilla extract together.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

6. With a large rubber spatula, fold in the carrot, raisin,coconut, and nut mixture. Then fold in the pineapple.

7. Cook in a deep 9x13 pan or 3 round cake pans. Cooking time will vary, but when we cooked this in a 9x13 pan it took just under an hour. Remove when the cake is set and the toothpick comes out with no liquid but the cake crumbles just sticking on the toothpick. This will make the difference between your cake being dry and moist.

8. Let cool and then frost with the cream cheese frosting recipe. I chose to store it in the refrigerator to keep the ingredients fresher.

Get the kiddos involved. Our daughter was able to ready the mise en place, measure the coconut and raisins, mix the dry ingredients, fold in the raisin mixture, and grease the pan. She loved helping to make her Daddy’s birthday cake.

Enjoy!

Tip of the day—Expired doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t take it

2011-10-28T06:24:00.000-04:00

Now, if we are talking about paper manufacturer coupons for products like canned corn and pasta, you’re probably out of luck. The only way that I know of that you can use those coupons if they are expired is to donate them to military families (see Swap2Save Coupon Club for details on doing that). If you have a coupon for a restaurant or store, though, you probably shouldn’t toss the coupon just because it has expired.

Call first and ask. It is always a good idea to check with the manager to see if they honor expired coupons or not. Sometimes they even honor expired competitor coupons, but it is usually at the discretion of each store or location.
Bed, Bath & Beyond has one of the better coupon policies that I’ve found. Not only do they honor expired coupons, but they also honor coupons brought in later with the receipt. I was once making a purchase only to learn that I had failed to put the coupon in my purse. The clerk told me that all I needed to do was bring in my receipt and the coupon later, and they would honor it. How cool is that!
Red Lobster recently told me that they honor coupons for the calendar year. If you have one for 2011, you’re probably safe to use it.
Sometimes sister stores will honor each other’s coupons. In the example above, Red Lobster is owned by the same company that runs Olive Garden. It wouldn’t hurt to ask if they honor each other’s coupons and have a similar policy about expired coupons.
Don’t be afraid to hear no. A while back I had a coupon for a local restaurant that had expired the previous day. We were deciding between that restaurant and another one that we had a coupon for but it wasn’t quite as good of a deal. I phoned and the manager told me that he would not honor the coupon. We decided to go to the other restaurant. I wasn’t snarky about it. I was polite and straightforward. He made a decision to not honor the coupon and I respected it. Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder what an interesting business decision he had made. Wouldn’t it have been better to have our paying business? A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and all that?
Don’t abuse the policies. As with all couponing, I encourage you to practice under good ethical guidelines. Treat people how you would want to be treated. As a business person, I would want a customer to ask me questions because it demonstrates interest. A happy customer is one that tells others about your business and draws other people in. Don’t be rude or entitled when asking a question about a coupon policy. Also don’t mess it up for the rest of us. In the example above about Bed, Bath & Beyond, I had left the coupon at home as a genuine mistake. If I did that every single time I shopped there, to me that would be abusing the system. Even though I’m technically following the rules, I’m not treating others how I would want to be treated. I’m taking it a step to far. See the difference?

IHOP—FREE Count Spatula Scary Face Pancake TOMORROW (10/28)

2011-10-27T08:09:00.000-04:00

IHOP is giving kiddos FREE Count Spatula pancakes today, October 28th from 7am-10pm. Check out the details below:

BOO! Kids 12 and under receive a free "Count Spatula" Scary Face Pancake at participating restaurants on Friday, October 28 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (one per child). See you there and Happy Halloween!

Tip of the day—Making a List and Checking it Twice

2011-10-27T05:14:00.000-04:00

How are you doing with your Christmas shopping? Haven’t started yet? Are you more than half way through? Or is your response, “Are you kidding me, I’ve been done for months now?”

I tend to shop for Christmas presents as I spot good deals, have great coupons, or hear about a friend or family member wanting something specific. I’m about half way through shopping, and I thought now would be a good time to recap ways to save when shopping for Christmas gifts.

In addition to the tips below which are focused on getting the most bang for your buck, you might want to also look at the big picture. Could you suggest to family that you have a gift swap instead of buying for every person? Could you talk with friends about putting a cap on the amount spent per year? Could you give family gifts instead of gifts for each person? You’ll also want to set a budget for your Christmas shopping to help keep you on track with your spending.

“Like” all of your favorite stores, manufacturers and artisans on Facebook. Sign up for all of the e-newsletters that you can. This is how I find out about the best deals and sales.
Designate a spot in your home for gifts. Thanks to my sweet Hubby I have an official gift closet. For years, I’ve crammed wrapping paper, ribbons, bags, bows, tissue paper, and all of the gifts I needed to hide into our office closet. We cleaned out the closet, moved some boxes and such to storage, moved the filing cabinets to a different location, and voila the gift closet was born. I can’t tell you how much easier it is now to look in there and see all I have purchased. Gone are the days when I pull everything out to start wrapping for Christmas only to say, “I totally forgot I had bought that!”
Wait. The last couple of years, I’ve found that the best deals that I’ve found have been on Cyber Monday. I sit in the comfort of my own home, often in my pjs with a cup of tea and look through my email to find where I can get the most bang for my buck.
Use coupons. A couple of days ago, I went to Mast General Store armed with school coupon book coupons, ready to buy Hubby a couple of pairs of special socks that he likes for his birthday. Our daughter was proud to make one purchase for him, and I made another. The school coupon books allow us to patronize local stores with the added bonus of a little discount. Watch for coupons in mailer magazines like Mint, in the newspaper, and online. You might be surprised at how much you can save if you just take a few minutes to look for a coupon.
Network. Ask friends and relatives about their shopping deals. I have a friend at church who often shares with me deals she spots around town, and I do the same for her.
Don’t forget the intangible as a gift. For years I would bake or make something for neighbors as Christmas gifts. A couple of years ago,we decided that instead we would donate to a local charity in their honor. We chose Random Acts of Flowers because I’ve seen first hand the joy that the charity brings to people’s lives and how much they help our community. The response was amazing—neighbors told us how much they appreciated reading about the charity and how much the liked the idea of supporting it. This year we are expanding to make donations in honor of other friends. In this same vein, you might consider buying season tickets to a symphony or theater for a relative, a zoo membership for a child in your life, or an art class for your uber-creative friend.
Be a host or hostess instead of giving gifts. We have a couple of friends who host a big, all day, open house party instead of sending out gifts to everyone. It is a great time to catch up with people you don’t get to see very often. Other friends would host a grown-up, sit-down dinner that always felt so special. All of us would get decked out in our dressiest attire and dine on lovely food for the evening.
Making gifts. Probably one of the best ways to lower your out of pocket expense is to make gifts for others. I’m not an extremely crafty person, but even so I can make rice bags or a gift basket full of home canned items. What is your talent? Are you a knitter? Baker? Candle-stick maker? Well, use that talent as a way to give to those you love. A friend of mine says that she is hesitant to gift pottery all of the time because she’s afraid people will get sick of it. As a recipient, I always tell her that I never tire of her pottery. If you are concerned about this, though, you might want to have a barter day with friends. Get together with other crafty people and swap wares. She might exchange her pottery for some iron work from another person.

What else? What ways to you work to lower your costs?

Green & Black’s Chocolate $1.50/1 Coupon

2011-10-26T14:27:00.000-04:00

This is an AWESOME coupon! Go here to take a short quiz and the coupon will be emailed to you! Thanks Hip2Save!

Bruster’s Ice Cream BOGO Cup or Cone with Costume

2011-10-26T09:34:00.001-04:00

In honor of our old ghostly friend, Halloween, Bruster’s is serving up a Sweet deal! Come dressed in your best Halloween costume, and get FREE Ice Cream @ any Knoxville Bruster's location all day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (October 29-31). Buy one Get one FREE, any size Cup or Cone. Forget the candy, Pick a TREAT with Bruster's this year to satisfy that Sweet Tooth...it's Scary Good!

Tip of the day—Reminder about Corner of Your Field

2011-10-26T09:15:00.001-04:00

I wanted to take a quick moment and remind you all about this local program through KARM Thrift Stores. Our church has partnered with Corner of Your Field for almost a year now, and the partnership has allowed us to help even more people. When we donate to KARM Thrift Stores and include the church’s name, we earn points towards gift cards to the thrift stores. The church then uses those gift cards to help others in need.

A snapshot of what we’ve done thus far--

Earlier this year the church had our spring rummage sale. All of the goods leftover from the sale were picked up by KARM.
We received $340 in $10 increment gift cards soon after that donation.
As we’ve learned of people in need, we’ve donated gift cards to them. For instance, we’ve given cards to 2 families who have had house fires, 1 family who needed clothing for school aged children, 1 older adult in need of clothes with limited funds, and we have cards left to help others. The beauty of the cards is that they are just gift cards. They carry no stigma or special wording that details that they were given to someone in need. The only catch is that the card must be used in its entirety, as they won’t carry a balance. Therefore if you buy something that costs $8 and use a $10 gift card, you’ll either need to buy something else that costs $2 or that money is wasted.
As church members and friends of the church make donations to KARM we encourage them to give the church’s name. As we have more rummage sales (one is coming up the first weekend in November!) we donate what we have left to KARM.

If your church is interested in partnering, I encourage you to contact KARM to make inquiries. Please also support KARM Thrift Stores with your patronage. In my opinion they tend to be cleaner and have better stuff than some of the other thrift stores in my neighborhood. In fact, I’m heading there later today to do some shopping!

Tip of the day—Don’t be afraid to ask

2011-10-25T08:13:00.001-04:00

A couple of years ago, I received a mega sticker shock when I received my bill at the salon. I had a very straightforward trim and the bill was almost $50. I paid it, but I vowed that I would never again be surprised by a bill because I was too embarrassed to ask about the pricing. Larger salons usually have a tiered system with their pricing for cut and styles. The more experienced stylists charge more and the newer, less experienced stylists charge less. If you are new to the salon and don’t ask what price your stylist charges, you’ll most likely be shocked like I was.

Yesterday I made an appointment at a new salon where I had received a gift certificate from a friend for my birthday. The first question that I asked was how much it would cost to get my hair cut and styled, explaining that I was fine with having the stylist that cost less. It was a little uncomfortable asking the question, and I could tell that the receptionist hadn’t had the question asked very often. I was a little flustered after the phone call but that soon faded when I realized that instead of just getting a hair cut with the money on the gift certificate I had enough to also book a thirty minute massage. Today I look forward to some luxurious pampering!

Tip of the day—Double Up

2011-10-24T07:14:00.000-04:00

Spend a little extra time doubling up and you might save yourself time later.

When quilting, I make a point to cut my pieces out all at once. I’ll organize them into category as I cut. This way they are all ready for me when I get ready to sew, and I don’t have to stop and make more cuts.
When you already have all of the ingredients out, it only takes a few more minutes to double or triple a recipe. You’ll be glad to have the leftovers in the freezer when a busy weeknight rolls around next.
Instead of chopping half of an onion or only a few stalks of celery, while you have the cutting board and knife ready do the whole thing. You’ll be glad to have chopped onion waiting for you in the freezer for your next casserole or celery sticks ready for an easy snack later.
When setting outfits aside or ironing, why not plan for a few days instead of just the next day? This will make your mornings go much smoother for the rest of the week.
When making a smoothie for breakfast or a snack, mix a little extra. Pour into popsicle molds or a small juice container for an easy treat at another time.
When planting bulbs, I always say that it is just as easy to plant 50 as it is 10. Instead of digging a hole popping one in, digging another and popping another in, I dig a trench. The biggest bulbs go in first (triple the diameter top to bottom for the proper bulb depth—if the bulb is 2 inches tall, plant it approximately 6 inches deep, and go a little deeper if in colder climates), then I back fill a little, plant the next size, then back fill and plant the smallest. In the same amount of time, I’ve planted an entire garden that will require very little work from that point on. For the most natural look, remember to plant bulbs in swaths here and there throughout your landscape.

Think about other repetitive chores or tasks that you perform regularly. How much time do you spend gathering up your materials each time you perform the task? How can you streamline your day by doing a little more work on the front end so that you can take it easy later? Do you have any other ideas for doubling up on work to make things easier later?

Reminder, Feed Knoxville Starts TODAY

2011-10-24T05:41:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Corey who sent me the scoop on this great deal and great cause! Most couponers reading will have at least 3 food items that they can donate, and I encourage you to give what you can. I’ve seen the face of hunger in our community, and guess what people? It looks just like any of us. You might not realize what your friend or neighbor is going through. Give as you are able, if not to this cause to others like it. Blessings to each of you!

Chick-Fil-A Is Helping End Hunger In East Tennessee…

Eight local Chick-Fil-A stores in our region have made it their aim to serve our community and help feed those in need through a partnership with Feed Knoxville. Monday October 24th – Friday October 28th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday October 29th from12 p.m. to 5 p.m. participating Chick-Fil-A locations will be hosting on site food drives. You can look forward to door prizes, a family fun day at each location on October 29th, with special events for children, and a FREE SANDWICH coupon in exchange for three donated food items.

Participating Chick-Fil-A’s:

Oak Ridge
357 S Illinois Ave Oak Ridge, TN 37830
(865) 481-3638

Crown Point Plaza
6564 Clinton Hwy Knoxville, TN 37912
(865) 947-2416

Turkey Creek
10916 Parkside Dr Knoxville, TN 37934
(865) 675-7400

Kingston Overlook
9646 Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37922
(865) 691-7400

West Town Mall
7063 Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37919
(865) 588-0100

Morristown
2141 W Andrew Johnson Hwy Morristown, TN 37814
(423) 581-8181

Hunter’s Crossing
1031 Hunter’s Crossing Drive Alcoa, TN 37701
(865) 981-9993

Chapman Highway
7565 Mountain Grove Dr Knoxville, TN 37920
(865) 573-0023

Tip of the day—Read the coupon completely

2011-10-23T15:30:00.000-04:00

It is always embarrassing to me as a couponer when I make a mistake with a coupon. Recently at a local restaurant, I showed our waitress the two coupons we were planning to use. Then when we went to checkout, they said we could only use one of them. I asked to speak to the manager, and he showed me on the coupon where it said that they couldn’t be used together. I had read the coupon beforehand, but I had only focused on the part that said that the coupon for a free child’s meal was with purchase of an adult. I failed to understand that the adult meal must be full price. The manager was nice about it, seeing that I wasn’t sure why the waitress had failed to clarify this on the front end, and he honored both coupons.

The experience made me reflect on how often I’ll read a coupon quickly and not fully grasp all of its regulations. Manufacturer coupons are usually pretty straightforward, but coupons for local businesses and restaurants are not always so. Sometimes they have general directions in big letters with stipulations in small writing. The advertising ploy clearly works—our minds focus on what we want to see. I wanted to see that our daughter’s meal would be free if we were with her and purchased one. I wanted the coupon to work for Hubby and my meal as well, and my eyes played tricks on me. Next time, I’ll save myself a little embarrassment and read over it more than once.

Weekly Matchups and Deals, 10/23-10/29

2011-10-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

Earth Fare, Best deals for the month

Office Supply Deals

Target

Kroger

Ingles

Walgreens

CVS

A Happy Thought

2011-10-23T08:48:00.001-04:00

“Nothing is ever so good or so bad in reality as it is in the anticipation. ” ~ Marie Bashkirtseff

Two Fantastic Coupons—Maranatha $1/1 and Annie’s 75cts/1

2011-10-23T08:40:00.000-04:00

There are two coupons available for print off of Facebook that don’t roll around very often. Go here for the Maranatha $1/1 coupon and here for the Annie’s 75cts/1 coupon.

After years of resisting Facebook, I must say that I’m now glad that I have access to all of the coupons on it!

Burpee—20% off Fall Plants, Bulbs, and Your Favorite Gardening Supplies

2011-10-22T08:55:00.001-04:00

Use promo code FGE20 now through October 24th for the discount at Burpee.com.

Tip of the day—Air Bubbles in Home Preserved Foods

2011-10-22T07:32:00.000-04:00

I thought that this tip might be helpful to some of you who are new to canning. It gives a good description of what to worry about and what to not. Happy Canning!

Tip of the day—Check your stores

2011-10-21T08:43:00.001-04:00

Once a month check your food stores. This not only helps to prevent spoilage and waste, but it also helps you to keep better tabs on what you have on stock to use for meals.

Check your freezer. Discard what is freezer burned or what might be beyond use. Give it a good wipe down and refresh the baking soda box if needed.
Look in your fridge. Use any leftovers, the last of the olives, that last teaspoon of jelly, anything that might need eating to make way for fresh foods. Give everything a good wipe down and replace the baking soda box in there. Check the temperature and make sure it is at the proper level. Vacuum the coils so that it is running properly at least a couple of times a year.
What do you have in dry storage? Onions starting to sprout? Chop them and put them in a bag in the freezer. This will help to streamline your prep work for supper on busy nights. Potatoes starting to sprout? Consider planting them this year as part of your garden. Garlic getting tough? Roast or dehydrate it so that you can use it before it goes bad.
What about your pantry? Organize. I like to put the cans so that I can see the labels, ~~because I’m anal~~ because I like to see what is available with a quick scan. Make a habit of putting the new cans and jars in the back so that you can use them in a first in first out method. Check any food that you have preserved at home for spoilage and discard what is unsafe to use.
Check your spices. If you can’t smell them, then they are probably too old to use. Most spices do best if stored for 1-2 years.
Plan a meal or two using the odds and ends that you found in your kitchen quest.

FREE 8x10 Collage Print at Walgreens Photo

2011-10-21T07:51:00.001-04:00

Walgreens Photo has another FREE coupon code for an 8x10 collage print. Use CLG8X10 at checkout and have it ready for pickup at your local Walgreens to make it completely free. We’ve been building a scrapbook/photo book for our daughter by using these codes, and it has been so fun!

Feed Knoxville and Chick-fil-a—October 24-28

2011-10-21T07:41:00.001-04:00