Friday's ALDI Trip - Score on Organic Butter!

Today I made a major score at ALDI, if you have an ALDI near you, you might want to go check it out!  I ran in to pick up a few things while Joe was picking up his prescriptions at CVS; I was rounding the corner to the check-out, and I spotted it - Organic Butter $0.99/lb!!!!!!  Here's what I ended up with...

8 lbs Organic Butter marked down to $0.99 ea = 8/$7.92!

1 box no-cook Lasagne Shells $0.99

1 bag Shredded Mozzarella Cheese $3.29

1 bag Yogurt Raisins $1.79

2 pkgs Sage Seeds $0.49 ea = 2/$0.98

1 Cabbage $0.79

1-5 lb bag Russet Potatoes $2.39

 + $0.11 Tax

Total OOP: $18.26

Frugal Finds Friday: Freezer Cooking - Garlic Bread

 Garlic bread is delicious paired with soup, or pasta, but can cost a pretty penny when you want the convenience of having it pre-made and ready to pop into the oven.  So I started getting bread from the bakery and making my own.  Then I thought, why not make it ahead of time and freeze it - DUH!  So that's what I do now, sometimes I even get lucky and can get the day-old bread from the bakery!

 All I do is spread the halved bread with butter (I use Land O Lakes Butter and Olive Oil spread), then I sprinkle on garlic powder, a little Italian seasoning, and some grated Parmesan.  I put the two halves together and wrap them in foil.  I can fit three wrapped 'loaves' per gallon freezer bag.

I usually get the bread down in the morning and let it thaw in the fridge, but if not, you can just bake it a little longer.  If I forget and have to bake it longer, I usually pop the two pieces apart half-way through.
Thawed: Bake at 400 degrees F 10 minutes
Frozen: Bake at 400 degrees F 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven
* this bread is also delicious topped with a little shredded mozzarella as pictured above - yummy!

What was your frugal find for this week?

Tuesday's ALDI Trip

Tuesday Joe and I stopped into ALDI to pick up a few things before the snow hit. The lasagne sheets are an amazing deal; I might stop in and get a couple more before they're all gone...

2 boxes no-cook Lasagne Sheets $0.99 ea = 2/$1.98

1 container Ricotta Cheese $1.79

1 tub Sour Cream $1.29 

Organic Bananas $1.38

1 bag Yogurt Raisins $1.79

1 pkg Hot Dog Buns $0.89

1 pkg Tortillas $0.99

+ $0.11 Tax

Total OOP: $10.22

Sunday's Big Lots Trip

Big Lots wasn't originally on the agenda for today, but when I found a 20% off coupon last night, I decided that it was worth a stop, and I'm so glad that we stopped in.  Joe, my husband, LOVES

his snacks, but they get expensive.  So I decided to stock up on snack for Joe, and they should last at least the month, probably into April.  (I'll share a frugal tip for keeping portions in check on Friday).  I also got some pudding/gelatin that I can make later, and stevia sweeteners.

2 bags Riesen Candies $1 ea - 20% Coupon = 2/$1.60
2 bags Buffalo Blue Cheese Combos $1.80 ea - 20% Coupon = 2/$2.88
2 bags Gardettos $1 ea - 20% Coupon = 2/$1.60
1 box Pop-Tarts $2.50 - 20% Coupon = $2
2 boxes Pyure Stevia 40 ct Sweeteners $1.80 ea - 20% Coupon = 2/$2.88
2 boxes Royal Strawberry Gelatin $0.40 ea - 20% Coupon = 2/$0.64
2 boxes Royal Chocolate Pudding $0.40 ea - 20% Coupon = 2/$0.64
2 bags Pop Weaver White Chocolate Covered Pretzels $0.85 ea - 20% Coupon = 2/$1.36
1 bag Garden of Eatin' Tortilla Chips $1.80 - 20% Coupon = $1.44
1 bag Doritos $2.75 - 20% Coupon = $2.20
1 bag Cable Ties $2.50 - 20% Coupon = $2
+ $0.22 Tax
Total OOP: $19.46, Saved $4.81!

Sunday's Giant Trip

Since I was out running errands Sunday afternoon, I decided to stop into Giant for a few things, some we needed for meals this week (chips, salsa, olives), and others were great deals (bread, BBQ, jelly).  Here's what I ended up with for this week...

Olives off Salad Bar $0.30
Gelato $4.99 - $1 Sale - $1/1 MC = $2.99
2 Bulls Eye BBQ Sauces $1.99 ea - $0.32 ea Sale = $1.67 ea or 2/$3.34
2 Newman's Own Salsa $2.79 ea - $1/2 MC = 2/$4.58
2 Welch's Natural Grape Spreads $3.19 ea - $1.19 ea Sale = 2/$4
1-2 pk Day-old Bakery Bread $2.59 - $1 Giant Coupon = $1.59
1 MintBag Tortilla Chips $3.79
+ $0.02 Tax
Total OOP: $20.61

ALDI Deals, Starting 03/06/2013

Here are some of this week's ALDI Deals...

• Weds. March 6 ONLY: Cattlemen's Ranch Fresh Filet of Beef Original or Teriyaki 16 oz $5.99 ea
• Weds. March 6 ONLY: Cattlemen's Ranch Fresh Corned Beef Points $1.99/lb 
• Sea Queen Popcorn Shrimp, Buffalo or Original 8 oz $1.69 ea
• Season's Choice Frozen Blueberries 12 oz $1.99 ea
• Season's Choice Frozen  Berry Medley or Raspberries 12 oz $1.99 ea
• Season's Choice Frozen Sliced Peaches, Strawberries, or Mixed Fruit 16 oz $1.99 ea
• Fusia Mandarin Orange Chicken 26 oz $4.99 ea
• Millville Cereal Assorted Varieties 12-16.3 oz $1.99 ea
• Kitchen Living Microwave Cookware Assortment $4.99 ea
• Kitchen Living Waffle Stick or Mini Doughnut Maker $14.99 ea
• Sealtite 10 piece Durable Round Container Set $4.99 ea
• Sealtite Stackable File Box $8.99 ea
• Kitchen Living mini Aluminum Fry or Grill Pan $4.99 ea
• Millville Rainbow Chip Chewy Granola Bars 8.4 oz $1.69 ea
• Kerrygold Irish Cheese Blarney Castle or Dubliner 7 oz $2.99 ea
• Organic Russet Potatoes 3 lbs $2.29 ea
• Baby Carrots 16 oz $0.69 ea
• Cabbage $0.79/head
• Organic Fuji Apples 3 lbs $4.29 ea
• Blackberries 6 oz $0.99 ea
• Oranges 4 lbs $1.79 ea

For more information on ALDI, visit their Homepage!

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday: Pasta Bake

Pasta bake is a great meal on it's own or a great way to use up leftover sauce and pasta.  Sometimes I freeze the leftovers from pasta meals, separately of course, so I can use them for other recipes, or mix them together to make a delicious pasta bake.

To make this recipe from scratch...

1.) Cook pasta (of your choice) until done based on the directions on the box.

2.) Fry ground beef or turkey* with a diced onion until done, drain.  Add 1 jar marinara sauce.  

3.) Mix pasta, meat/onions, and sauce together and put in a greased pan.  Top with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.  Bake at 350 degrees F until the cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.  

4.) Serve hot with garlic bread and a side of veggies.  Enjoy!

* Meat is optional, I've made pasta bakes without any meat; I've also used pepperoni in a pinch.

Linked to One Project at a Time

Linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesday

Menu Plan Monday: 03/04/2013

This week Joe and I are going to work on getting the office in order, I have a lot of organizing to do as well as a lot of projects we can both work on.  We will also be spending Wednesday at his grandfather's house helping him with some projects.  I kept things fairly simple in regards to the meals this week.  Here's what cooking...

Breakfasts: Bagels, Waffles, and/or Yogurt

Lunches: Leftovers, or Sandwiches

Dinners:

Sunday - Nachos

Monday - Smoked Ribs with Baked French Fries and a Vegetable

Tuesday - Newman's Own Bagged Meal: Chicken Florentine, Garlic Bread

Wednesday - Working at Joe's Grandfather's house - Probably Chili's for dinner with him.

Thursday - Ham and Potato Soup with Homemade Bread

Friday - Homemade Pizza with Veggies and Dip

Saturday -Undone Stuffed Pepper Casserole (new recipe), Vegetable

Extras: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pudding

For more AWESOME Menu Plans, visit Org Junkie!

Sunday's Rite-Aid Trip

Rite-Aid didn't have much for me either this week, but I had rewards I needed to use or lose, so I went in and rolled them the best I could.  The Reese's are put away for now and will be in my husband's basket Easter morning :-)

2-6 pks Reese's Easter Eggs $5.99 ea - $2 ea Sale - $1/2 Rite-Aid Values Coupon - $1 UP+Rewards x 2 = 2/$4.98 ($2.49 ea!)

2 pkgs Band-aids $4.99 ea - $1.99 ea Sale - $0.50/1 MC x 2 - $2 UP+Rewards wyb 2 = 2/$3

+ $0.48 Tax

- $5 UP+Rewards used to Pay

Total OOP: $7.46, Earned $4 UP+Rewards for next week!

Sunday's CVS Trip

There wasn't a whole lot going on at CVS this week for me, but I had a $5 off $15 purchase coupon burning a hole in my pocket and I was in need of some contact solution, so off I went, and this is what I ended up with...

1-24 pk Basic H2O $3.99 - $1.55 Sale = $2.44 oop (not pictured)

1 bag GE Jelly Beans $1.19 - $0.20 Sale - $0.99 ECB's = FREE

1 Twin Pk Opti-free Contact Solution $18.49 - $4 Sale - $1.50/1 MC - $1 ECB's = $11.99

+ $0.78 Tax

- $5/15 CVS Coupon 

- $4 ECB's used to Pay

Total OOP: $8.20, Earned $1.99 ECB's for next week!

Linked to Simply CVS!