Tuesday's Target Trip

Our last stop Tuesday was Target.  We has some outfits that we were given for Howard that he out grew before he had a chance to wear, so we returned those first, and then used part of that gift card to make our needed purchases.  I used a Target coupon for everything we purchased.  Some things were needs like Joe's deodorant, and the hand soap refills, others were just good deals, like the tissues, first aid items, and the baby soap.  Here's how it went down...

2 containers Dove for Men Deodorant $3.89 ea - $1/1 Target Coupon x 2 = 2/$5.78
2 refill bottles Up and Up Hand Soap $4.44 ea - $0.50/$2 Target Coupon x 2 = 2/$7.88
4 bottles Up and Up Baby Bath Soap $1.74 ea - $2/2 Target Coupon x 2 = 4/$2.96
2 boxes Up and Up Tissues with Lotion $1.32 ea - $0.50/1 Target Coupon x 2 = 2/$1.64
1 bottle Up and Up Rubbing Alcohol $2.59 - $0.50/1 Target Coupon = $2.09
1 bottle Up and Up Witch Hazel $ 1.77 - $0.50/1 Target Coupon = $1.27
+ $ 1.10 Tax
- $5 Gift Card used to Pay (from previous Sauve Deal purchase)
- $17.72 Gift Card used to Pay (from returns)
Total OOP: Zero!

Tuesday's Giant Trip

We also stopped into Giant on Tuesday.  I was so happy to get stocked up on some ice cream.  Ever since I go pregnant last year, I've been craving it, and the craving didn't go away with the birth of our son.  So, I'm excited to have ice cream to eat!  Also, Joe needed some granola bars, they were an excellent deal!  Here's what we ended up with...

3 boxes Big Quaker Chewy Granola Bars $1.67 ea - $1/1 MC x 3 = 3/$2.01

2 boxes Quaker Chewy Granola Bars $1.67 and $1.66 - $1/2 MC = 2/$2.33

2 boxes Suddenly Salad $2.49 ea - $1.49 ea Sale - $0.50/1 MC doubled to $1 x 2 = 2 FREE!

2 Freschetta Pizzas $6.49 ea - $2.49 ea Sale - $1.50/2 MC =2/$6.50

4 pouches Knorr Rice/Pasta Sides $1.29 x 2 and $1.39 x 2 - $0.29 x 2 and $0.39 x 2 Sale - 1/2 MC x 2 = 4/$2

2 boxes Magnum Ice Cream Variety Pk $5.99 ea - $2.49 ea Sale +

2 cartons Breyers Ice Cream $4.99 - $2.49 ea Sale +

2 boxes Good Humor Ice Cream Bars $3.99 ea - $1.49 ea Sale - $3/3 MC x 2 - $5 Unilever Promo = 6/$6

+ $0.12 Tax

- $0.15 Reusable Bag Discount

Total OOP: $69.83 - $51.02 Savings/Coupons = $18.81 oop!  Savings of 73%!!!!

Tuesday's CVS Trip

Joe, Howard, and I stopped into CVS on Tuesday while we were out running our errands for the week.  I was going to do the gas card deal with the diapers, but decided against it.  I did pick up some great deals though...

4 pks Tic-Tacs $1.50 ea - $0.80 ea Sale - $1/2 MC x 2 = 4/$1.08

2 bottles Filipo Berio Olive Oil $7.99 ea - $4 ea Sale - $1/1 MC x 2 = 2/$5.98

2 bottles Colgate Total Mouth Wash $7.99 ea - $2 ea Sale - $2/1 MC x 2 - $3 ECB's x 2 = 2/$1.98

2 bottles St Ives Body Wash $4.99 ea - BOGO 50% off Sale ($2.50) - $3/$10 MC - $3 ECB's wyb 2 = 2/$1.48

+ $1.36 Tax

- $4/$20 CVS Coupon 

- $14.50 ECB's used to Pay

Total OOP: $2.38, Earned $9 ECB's for next week!

Linked to Simply CVS!

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday: Imperial Crab

Imperial crab was always a treat at my house growing up, usually served in little custard cups at Christmas dinner.  It was also always delicious!  It's good the day of hot from the oven, but my favorite way to eat it is actually leftover the next day cold on crackers.  My husband thought I was nuts for eating it cold, until he tried it, now he prefers it that way as well.  The most expensive part of the dish is definitely the crab meat, as we usually have everything else on hand regularly.  But it does come together quickly and easily.  Here's how easy it is...

2 lbs Crab Meat (picked clean of shells, and flaked - we use lump)

1/4 c Finely Chopped Green Bell Pepper

1/4 c Mayo + extra for topping

3 Egg Yolks

1 tsp Salt

1 Dash Pepper

Paprika

1.) Combine the crab meat, bell pepper, and 1/4 c mayo.  Gently stir until well mixed, set aside.

2.) Whip egg yolks with salt and pepper.  Add egg mixture to crab meat mixture, and stir to combine.

3.) Pack mixture into custard cups, or a small casserole dish.  Top each custard cup with about a tbsp of mayo, if using a casserole, top it with a thin layer of mayo.  Sprinkle with paprika.

4.) Bake in a preheat 400 degree F oven for 20-30 minutes.  Serve immediately, or allow to cool completely and refrigerate (and eat with crackers the next day!)

Linked to the Homestead Blog Hop, Meal Planning Monday Recipe Link-up, One Project at a Time, Thrifty Thursday, Super Saturday Link Party, the Inspiration Exchange, and Homemade Mondays!

Weekly Spending Report: 05/11-17/2014

This week I tried to keep my shopping to a minimum, and I think I did a pretty good job.  We stopped into CVS to roll my ECB's on to some necessary diapers, and then onto ALDI and Giant for some good deals and needs.  Here's how the week went...

• Tuesday's CVS Trip: $ 12.77 oop, Earned $20.50 ECB's
• Tuesday's ALDI Trip: $13.15 oop

• Wednesday's Giant Trip: $36.06 oop

• Saturday's CVS Trip (no picture, just CVS Desitin): $1.49 oop, Earned $9 ECB's (includes $5 reward for purchasing $30 in CVS products)
• Saturday's Dollar Tree Trip (no picture, just 2 newspapers): $2.12 oop
• Earned $5 Amazon Gift Card from Swag Bucks

Total OOP: $65.59
Total Earned: $34.50
Total Remaining for May: $130.10

Linked to Couponaholic! 

Tuesday's CVS Trip

This week Joe and I stopped into CVS mostly to take part in the CVS baby deal, buy $10 get $4, which I could pair with a 30% off coupon and a $3/$10 CVS diaper coupon as well.  I also received 2 - $5 ECB's when I scanned my card at the red coupon machine before I started shopping, a nice surpraise - 1 for the CVS brand progran (buy $30 get $5), and 1 for the pharmacy reward program (fill 10 prescriptions, earn $5).  Needless to say, we got a great deal!  Here's how it went down...

2-60 ct size 3 CVS Diapers $12.79 ea - $3/$10 CVS Coupon - $3.78 (30% coupon) - $4 ECB wyb $10 x 2 = 2/$10.80

1 Colgate 360 Toothbrush $4.99 - $1.50 Sale - $1/1 MC - $2.50 ECB = FREE!

1 pouch Gold Emblem Candy $0.99 - $0.25/1 CVS Coupon = $0.74

+ $0.74 Tax

- $10 ECB's used to Pay

Total OOP: $12.77, Earned $10.50 ECB's for next time!

Linked to Simply CVS!

Weekly Spending Report: 05/04-10/2014

Last week's spending totals...

• Tuesday's CVS Trip: $10.56 oop, Earned $17.99 MIR
• Tuesday's ALDI Trip (not pictured 2 lbs Red Grapes and 5 Organic Bananas): $24.20 oop

• Thursday's Giant Trip: $24.72 oop (including 8 boxes of $1 wipes)

• Saturday's Dollar Tree Trip (no picture, just 2 newspapers, 1 snickers, and 1 pk of 4 Fruit Loop pouches): $3.96 oop
• Saturday's Kohl's Trip (used a 20% off and $10 off Coupon): $4.32 oop (Saved $31.93) 

• Earned $5 Amazon Gift Card from Swag Bucks

Total OOP: $67.76
Total Earned: $22.99
Total Remaining for May: $195.69

Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday: Lemon Pie Bars

Lemon Pie Bars are a delicious treat, so cool and refreshing, perfect for a warm summery day.  Although they also taste like sunshine in the winter, so they are really perfect for anytime of the year.  They are also super simple to make, and only take a few ingredients, making them fairly inexpensive as well.  These slice up nicely and travel well, making them perfect for family picnics and get-togethers.  Here's how easy they are...

Crust:

3/4 c softened Butter or Margarine

1/2 c Powdered Sugar

1 1/2 c Flour

Filling:

4 Eggs

2 1/4 c Sugar

4 1/2 tbsp Flour

4 1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice

1.) Mix Crust ingredients together and press into 9x13" pan.  Bake in a 350 degree F preheated oven for 20 minutes.

2.) While the crust bakes, whisk together the Filling ingredients.  When the crust is done, pour the filling over the hot crust, and bake another 20 minutes. 

3.) Let the bars cool slightly, but you need to cut them while they are still warm, or they get very hard and sticky to cut.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.  Enjoy, and try not to eat them all by yourself ;)

Linked to the Homestead Barn Hop, One Project at a Time, Thrifty Thursday, the Super Saturday Link Party, the Inspiration Exchange, and the Meal Planning Monday Recipe Link-up!

Tuesday's CVS Trip

This week Joe, Howard, and I stopped into CVS to grab some deals, including some much needed bottled water.  I spent all my ECB's and didn't get any back, so next week will be interesting, but we ended up with some great deals...

1-65 ct Zantac 150 $23.99 - $6 Sale - $6/1 MC - $17.99 MIR = FREE + $6 Money-maker!

2 bags PB M&M's $4.19 ea - $1.19 ea Sale - $1/$6 Candy Purchase CVS Coupon - $2/2 M&M's CVS Coupon - $1/2 MC = 2/$2

3-24 pks Basics Bottled H2O (not pictured) $3.99 ea - $1.55 ea Sale = 3/$7.32

+ $0.80 Tax

- $8 ECB's used to Pay

- $3.55 Gift Card used to Pay

Total OOP: $10.56, Earned $17.99 MIR!

Linked to Simply CVS!

Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday: Ground Sirloin in Mushroom Cream Gravy

This recipe has a great flavor, so I wanted to share it with you, however, I feel like it is very meaty.  So, next time instead of using hamburger patties, I'm going to try it with ground beef.  I think that this will allow the meat, sauce, and noodles to mix together better, so you get all the flavors in one bite :)  However, the recipe came together very quickly, and is quite tasty, so without further ado...

2 Hamburger Patties/1/2 lb Ground Beef

1/2 c Heavy Cream

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp Oil (I used Olive Oil)

1 small Diced Onion

1 pkg Sliced Mushrooms

2 tbsp dried parsley

1.) Fry patties or ground beef, salt and pepper to your liking.  Fry until done, then remove from pan and cover with foil.  Drain grease from pan if any (I use 93% lean beef, so there isn't usually any).

2.) Add oil and onions to pan, cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

3.) Stir in cream, and cook until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.  Stir in parsley.

4.) Return beef/patties to pan and cook on low until everything is nice and toasty warm, about 3-5 minutes.

5.) Serve sauce and beef/patties over egg noodles, or rice, or mashed potatoes, your choice.  Refrigerate any leftovers.  Serves 2, but you could easily double or triple the recipe if you needed to.

Linked to the Homestead Barn Hop, Meal Planning Monday Recipe Link-up, One Project at a Time, Thrifty Thursday, the Super Saturday Link Party, the Inspiration Exchange, and Homemade Mondays.