Weekly Spending Report: 05/26-06/01/2013

This week I ended up spending a LOT more money, but we did get stocked back up on a number of things.  We also were able to pick up some good deals, so I'm pleased with how we ended the month, budget-wise...

• Sunday's ALDI Trip (various items for 2 picnics on Monday): $10.71 oop

• Sunday's Giant Trip (more picnic items): $14.20 oop

• Wednesday's CVS Trip: $7.71 oop, Earned $8.75 in ECB's
• Wednesday's Giant Trip: $50.73, plus earned $0.30 off a gallon of gas!
• Friday's Goodwill Trip: $10.20 oop (1 long sleeve and 1 short sleeve shirt)

• Friday's Wal-mart Trip: $30.41 oop

• Saturday's Dollar Tree Trip (2 newspapers, 2 boxes Pasta Salad, 1 pkgs chip clips): $5.18 oop
• Saturday's Yard Sale Deals: 7 Zinc Lids for resale $1.50, and 1 graduation present necklace $3

Total OOP: $133.64 - $8.75 Earned Rewards = Net OOP: $126.64!

Linked to Couponaholic!

Wednesday's Giant Trip

This week the newspaper provided a coupon for an extra 30 cents off a gallon of gas (up to 35 gallons), if you purchased $50 worth of groceries.  Well, since we hadn't done a decent trip all of May, and the deals were all over the store, Joe and I decided to take advantage of the coupon and the great deals, and spend just $50.  Here's how it went down...

1 bag Alexia Frozen French Fries $4.29 - $1.29 Sale - $1/1 MC = $2

1 bag Alexia Frozen Onion Rings $4.29 - $1.29 Sale - $1/1 MC = $2

1 Full Rack Baby Back Ribs $16.17 - $6.48 Sale = $9.69

1 Family pk Italian Sausage Links $10.77 - $5.40 Sale = $5.37

1 Family pk Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $15.92 - $8.53 Sale = $7.39

3 Lean Cuisine Meals $2.79 ea - $0.79 ea  Sale - $1/3 MC = 3/$5

Bananas $1.27

1-10 ct Cliff Crunch Bars $3.49 - $0.99 Sale - $1/1 MC = $1.50

2 pkgs Keebler Cookies $3.49 ea - $0.99 ea Sale - $0.70/1 MC x 2 (did not double because cashier typed them in wrong) = 2/$3.60

1 bottle Vitamin C Marked down 50% to $3.19

2 pouches Cat Treats $1.65 ea - $0.15 ea Sale - $0.50/2 MC (doubled to $1) = 2/$2

2 bags Purex Detergent Packs $4.99 ea - $3.49 ea Sale - $0.50/1 MC (doubled to $1) x 2 = 2/$1

2 FL Crystals Sugar $2.99 ea - $0.50 ea Sale - $0.55/1 MC (doubled to $1.10) x 2 = 2/$2.78

4 Pure Silk Shave Creams $1.99 ea - $0.30 ea Sale - $0.70/1 MC (doubled to $1.40) x 4 = 4/$1.16

2 Kraft Mayo $5.29 ea - $2.30 ea Sale = 2/$5.98

1 Barilla Pasta Sauce $2.89 - $0.89 Sale - $1/1 MC = $1

+ $0.51 Tax

- $5/$50 Purchase Coupon

- $0.20 Reusable Bag Credit

Total OOP: $115.15 - $64.93 Sales/Coupons = Net OOP: $50.73, Savings of 56%!!!!!

Frugal Finds Friday: Reusing Pickle Juice

 Joe and I LOVE our pickles, but they can be a little pricy, so I was looking for some recipes online.  Nothing was very simple though.  I also hate throwing away things that can be reused in another way.  As I posted previously in regards to tomato juice.  So, when Joe and I finished our most recent jar of pickles, I decided to have a little experiment.  I bought a cucumber from ALDI for $0.59, and sliced it into spears, and put those spears in my leftover pickle juice, put the container in the fridge, and then I waited.  Two weeks later, I tried a 'pickle' spear, and they are seriously yum-o!  Not as salty as the original pickle spears, but still very tasty.  We'll definitely be making these again, and again!  As your pickle juice amount lessens, just top off with a little white vinegar, so your pickles stay covered.

Linked to Homemade Mondays, and Works for Me Wednesday!

Wednesday's CVS Trip

CVS had a lot of great deals this week!  I was able to get some good deals, and a couple freebies too, always a good thing!  Here's what I ended up with...

3 boxes Special K Cereal $3.99 ea - $0.99 ea Sale - $1/3 MC - $3 ECB's wyb 3 = 3/$5

2 Travel Sized Neutrogena Sunscreens $2.49 ea - $1/1 MC x 2 - $5 ECB's wyb 2 = 2 FREE + $2.02 Money-maker!

1 CVS Body Wash $2.37 - Free Item CVS Coupon = FREE!

1 roll Reynold's Aluminum Foil $2.99 - $0.99 Sale - $0.75/1 MC = $1.25

2 pks PB M and M's $1.19 ea - $0.44 ea Sale - $0.50/2 CVS Coupon - $0.75 ECB's wyb 1 = 2/$0.25

+ $0.48 Tax

- $3/15 CVS Coupon

- $3 ECB's used to Pay

Total OOP: $7.71, Earned $8.75 ECB's for next week!

Linked to Simply CVS!

ALDI Deals, Starting 05/29/2013

Here are a few of the AWESOME deals this week at ALDI...

• Weds. 05/29 ONLY: Fresh USDA Choice Boneless Beef Ribeye Steak $7.99/lb
• Pears 28 oz $1.79 ea
• Organic Fuji Apples 3 lb bag $4.29 ea
• Mangoes $0.59 ea
• Pineapple $1.59 ea
• Organic Grape Tomatoes 10 oz $2.29 ea
• Baby Lettuce 14 oz pkg $1.59 ea
• Burman's BBQ Sauces Assorted Varieties 18 oz $0.79 ea
• Burman's Ketchup 40 oz $1.29 ea
• Burman's Steak Sauce 10 oz $0.99 ea
• Smucker's Magic Shell Topping Chocolate or Chocolate Fudge 7.25 oz $1.89 ea 
• Savoritz Mini Cheese or PB Crackers 7.5 oz $1.99 ea 
• Fit and Active Light Pink Lemonade 59 oz $1.99 ea
• Nature's Nectar Frozen Lemonade 12 oz $0.89 ea
• Nature's Nectar All-natural Raspberry Lemonade 59 oz $1.99 ea
• Little Salad Bar Hummus Artichoke Spinach, Chipotle, or Tomato Basil 8 oz $1.69 ea
• Mama Cozzi's Pizza Kitchen Combination Bagel Pizzas 31.1 oz $5.99 ea
• Summit Freeze Pops 60 oz $1.49 ea
• Benton's Ice Cream Cups 24 ct $0.99 ea
• Benton's Sugar Cones 12 ct $0.99 ea
• Friendly Farms or Fit and Active Whipped Topping Original or Lite 8 oz $0.89 ea
• Sundae Shoppe Ice Cream Assorted Varieties 160 oz $4.99 ea
• Sundae Shoppe Triple Chocolate Sundae Cones 24 oz $2.49 ea
• Choceur Ice Cream Chocolates Cookies and Cream, or Fudge Ripple 4 oz $3.49 ea
• Kitchen Living 6 piece Serving Bowl Set Oval or Square $9.99 ea
• Kitchen Living Ice Cream Maker $14.99 ea
• Easy Home Tower Fan 3 speed $19.99 ea
• RCA 5000-BTU Window Air Conditioner $99.99 ea
• Intex Rainbow Ring Play Center $39.99 ea

For more information about shopping at ALDI, visit their Homepage!

Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday: Cake Mix Cookies

Yellow Cake Mix + White Chocolate Chips

I make a most of my recipes from scratch, but there are just sometimes that you need a special treat quickly.  For those times, I always keep a couple cake mixes on hand to make Cake Mix Cookies!  Very quick, and delicious!  I have used chocolate cake mix with M&M's, yellow cake mix frosted with homemade chocolate butter cream frosting, and Joe's favorite, confetti cake mix with white chocolate chips.  The possibilities are endless, so you can easily use what you have on hand.

1-18 oz Cake Mix (any flavor, you could probably use homemade also)

1 Egg

1/2 C Softened Butter

1 C Mix-in's (Candies, Morsels, Nuts, etc)

(if using a Chocolate Cake Mix, add 2 tbsp Water also)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all ingredients, except mix-in's together in a bowl until a soft dough forms.  Add mix-in's and mix by hand to evenly distribute them.
3. Scoop dough onto cookie sheets (I use a baking stone, works great) by rounded tablespoons.
4. Bake 12-15 minutes (depending on oven), or until cookies are slightly browned on edges.
5. Let sit on cookie sheet to cool 5 minutes before moving to cooling rack to cool completely.
6. Enjoy!

Linked to Homemade Mondays, Clean and Scentsible, and One Project at a Time!

Menu Plan Monday: 05/26/2013

I am a very lucky girl this week, because I have almost no cooking to do - wahoo!  With picnics Monday, working at Joe's Grandfather's on Wednesday, and a graduation party to attend on Saturday, plus leftovers, I don't have to plan too much.  :-)

Breakfasts: Waffles, Cold Cereal

Lunches: Leftovers, Sandwiches, and/or Salads

Dinners:

Sunday - Leftover Zuppa Tuscana Soup and Bread

Monday - Family Picnic (hotdogs, coleslaw, taco dip/tortilla chips, onion dip/chips, Jell-o poke cake, and homemade Mac and Cheese!)

Tuesday - Leftover Picnic Food - yum-o!

Wednesday - Working at Joe's Grandfather's house, we'll probably end up at Applebee's or Chili's with him

Thursday - Cheesy Baked Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, and Veg.

Friday - Chipped Beef Gravy with Pancakes

Saturday - Graduation Party!

For more AWESOME Menu Plans, visit Org Junkie!

Weekly Spending Report: 05/19 -25/2013

This past week was a little crazy, and tight on cash, so I didn't do a lot of shopping.  Here's what I ended up with...

• Sunday's ALDI Trip: $5.47 oop

• Sunday's CVS Trip (2 free deodorants, mouthwashes, and chocolates, 2 newspapers, and 2 pkgs of cookies for $1 ea): $3.92 oop, Earned $3 ECB's Earned

• Sunday's Giant Trip (stocked up on $0.50/can diced tomatoes, $0.30 ea bottled tea, fish sticks, sausages, bananas, milk, and tortilla chips): $23.53 oop

• Wednesday's Kohl's Trip (used a $10 off coupon to buy 1 Christmas present): $2.12 oop

Total OOP: $35.04 - $3 Earned Rewards = Net OOP: $32.04!

Linked to Couponaholic!

Frugal Finds Friday: Saving/Repurposing Tomato Juice

I started making my own salsa a few months ago, with each batch taking 1 large can of drained whole tomatoes.  Being the frugal person I am, I couldn't just toss that free tomato juice down the drain!  So, I save it.  I measure it out; each can holds about 1 cup.  I pour the tomato juice into a zip-lock bag or a ball freezer jar, label, and wait until I need it for something.  I've drank the juice, as you would V8, very tasty.  I've also added it to beef stew, chili, vegetable soup, and cooked ground beef in it.  It gives these meals a little punch of extra flavor!

What interesting things do you save from the trash and give new life to?

 Linked to Homemade Mondays!

ALDI Deals, Starting 05/15/2013

Here are some of the deals for this week at ALDI....

• Weds. 05/15 ONLY: Fresh Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts Jumbo Pk $1.69/lb
• Vine Tomatoes 24 oz pkg $1.29 ea
• Iceberg Lettuce $0.79 ea
• Sweet Corn 4 pk $1.69 ea
• Blackberries 6 oz pkg $1.19 ea
• Strawberries 1 lb pkg $1.59 ea
• Pineapple $1.59 ea
• Sundae Shoppe Red, White, and Blue Pops 16-1.75 oz pops $1.89 ea
• JIF To-Go Creamy Peanut Butter 8-1.5 oz cups $2.29 ea
• Belmont Ice Cream Peach Cobbler or Peanut Butter S'mores 48 oz $2.89 ea
• Season's Choice Waffle Fries 22 oz $1.79 ea
• Season's Choice Broccoli Cuts 16 oz $0.85 ea
• Baker's Corner Beer Bread Cajun or Bacon Cheddar 16 oz $1.79 ea
• Countryside Creamery Tastes Like Butter Spray 8 oz $1.49 ea
• Simply Nature Vegetable Chips 7.5 oz $2.99 ea
• Happy Harvest Canned Sauerkraut 14.5 oz $0.65 ea
• Sealtite Meals on the Go (BPA Free) $4.99/set 
• Adventureridge Pocket Knife or Camping Cutlery $3.49 ea
• Adventureridge Foldable Hammock with Stand $49.99 ea
• Adventureridge Self-Inflating Pillow $4.99 ea
• Adventureridge Self-Inflating Sleeping Mat $19.99 ea
• Little Tikes Picnic Table and Umbrella $59.99 ea
• Little Tikes Spiralin' Seas Water Park Water Table $29.99 ea
• 6" Vegetable to Herb Assorted Varieties $2.49 ea

For more information about shopping at ALDI, visit their Homepage!