Weekly Spending Report: 04/20-26/2014

Last week Joe and I stopped out to CVS and Giant on Sunday before my scheduled induction on Monday night.  Baby Rogers was born Tuesday evening - post coming to introduce him soon.  Here's what we ended up with for the week...

• Sunday's CVS Trip: $13.46 oop, Earned $12 ECB's
• Sunday's Giant Trip (no picture - 2 frozen pizzas, 2 tubs butter, 2 cups yogurt, bananas, 1 box cat litter): $23.68 oop, Earned $7.99 MIR for the Cat Litter
• Earned $5 Amazon Gift Card from Swag Bucks

Total OOP: $37.14
Total Earned: $24.99
Total Remaining for April: $15.76 over budget - I blame the diapers!

Last Sunday's CVS Trip

Last week before going to the hospital to have Baby Rogers, Joe and I stopped into CVS to do the diaper deal, and pick up a few other awesome deals.  I also got my $5 ECB's pharmacy rewards when I scanned my card at the red coupon machine when we first arrived, so that was a nice surprise!  Here's what we ended up with...

2-20 oz Coke Zero $1.89 ea - $0.39 ea Sale - $1 ECB wyb 2 = 2/$2

1 Powerade $1.77 - $0.20 Sale - $1/1 CVS coupon = $0.57

2 pkgs Huggies Diapers $11.99 ea - $3 ea Sale - $3/1 MC x 2 - $1.50/1 CVS coupon +
1 pkg Huggies Wipes $3.99 - $1 Sale - $5 ECB wyb $20 = 3/$8.47
1 pkg CVS Diapers $12.79 - $1.80 Sale - $2/1 CVS coupon - $2 ECB's = $6.99
1 box Frosted Flakes Cereal $5.79 - $3.30 Sale - $0.75/1 MC - $1 ECB = $0.74
2 pkgs Ban Freshening Cloths $3.49 ea - Free Item MC x 2 - $3.49 MIR = 2 FREE + $3.49 Money-maker!
2-4 pks Scope To-go $3.49 ea - $3 ECB's x 2 = 2/$0.98
+ $2.21 Tax
- $4/$20 CVS Coupon
- $17.50 ECB's used to Pay
Total OOP: $13.46

Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday: Apple Pie Bread

I love the combination of cinnamon and apples, it's just such a cozy flavor, and reminds me of sweaters and fire places.  It also brings to mind apple pie, which is more of a summer thing, especially topped with vanilla ice cream - yum-o!  Well, with this bread, you can have the taste of apple pie without the trouble of rolling out pie crusts, or worrying about your ice cream melting too quickly.  This bread requires a few more ingredients than I like to have in one recipe, but they are all things that I keep in my pantry on a regular basis, so it came together quickly, and was delicious.  I will tell you that it can dry out a little faster than other sweet breads, so you'll need to eat it quickly or freeze the second loaf for later use (which works beautifully).  I'm thinking about adding some applesauce to the batter next time and see if that helps.  So, here's how to whip up a wonderful loaf of Apple Pie bread,,,

3 c Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

3 Eggs

1 c Oil (I use Sunflower)

1 1/4 c Brown Sugar (I use Raw)

1 c Sugar (I use Unrefined)

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

2 c Chopped Apples (I used 2 Gala Apples)

3/4 c Chopped Pecans (Optional, I did not add these this time around, and it was still delicious)

1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Sift together the first set of ingredients (Dry); set aside.

2.) Beat eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla until well combined.  Add flour (dry) mixture, to wet ingredients and beat well.

3.) Stir in apples (and pecans, if using), until well mixed.  Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans.  

4.) Baked in preheated oven for approximately an hour (oven temperatures do vary so make sure to check for doneness along the way).  Remove from oven and allow bread to cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing loaf to wire rack to cool completely.  Recipe makes 2 large loaves or 4-6 mini loaves (which bake in about 30-40 minutes)

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

Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday: Chocolate Chip PB Muffins

Joe has loved having sweets in the house again, and I am glad to be feeling well enough to make them weekly.  For a while, I felt like being pregnant was misery, I'm finally getting to enjoy it.  These muffins whip up quick, and are very filling and delicious!  They also only use a few simple ingredients - always a plus!  They do dry out fairly quickly though (like in a couple of days), so I make the 24, and then freeze 12 to thaw later in the week.  This keeps everything nice and moist until it gets eaten.  Here's the DL on these wonderful muffins...

2 1/4 c Flour (I use unbleached)

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

2/3 c Light Brown Sugar

6 tbsp melted and cooled Unsalted Butter

1/2 c Creamy Peanut Butter

2 Eggs 

1 c Milk

3/4 c Chocolate Chips (I used milk, next time I'm going to try white)

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease and flour muffin pan cups.

2.) Mix together dry ingredients (except chocolate chips), set aside.

3.) Mix together wet ingredients.  Blend in dry ingredients until just moistened.  Stir in chocolate chips.

4.) Scoop batter into muffin cups so they are about 2/3's full.  Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, rotate pan, and bake another 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  (this may vary based on your oven)

5.) Allow muffins to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Store in an airtight container, or freeze for later enjoyment!

6.) Eat - these are tasty by themselves, or with a smear of butter, jam, or peanut butter on top :)

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

Menu Plan Monday: 04/21/2014

Today marks 1 week and 4 days overdue for Baby Rogers, so I go into the hospital tonight to be induced.  I'm excited and nervous.  I'll just be happy to have Baby Rogers in my arms instead of my stomach!  As for meal planning, I made up a rough plan for the week, obviously subject to change based on how Monday night/Tuesday morning go.  If I end up having a C-section, I'll be in the hospital for most of the week, eating crapy hospital food.  If I get lucky, and can have a normal vaginal birth, I should be home Tuesday evening.  I'm hoping and praying for the latter.  If everything works out, here's what's on the menu for this week...

Breakfasts: Cold Cereal, Bagels with Cream Cheese, Fruit, and/or Waffles

Lunches: Leftovers, Sandwiches

Dinners:

Sunday - Dinner out with Joe's Family to celebrate Easter!

Monday - I go into the hospital at 8 pm to be inducedm so, last meal = ice cream sundaes!

Tuesday - @ the Hospital

Wednesday - @ the Hospital/Take-out (We'll have to wait and see...)

Thursday - Mac and Cheese, Hot Dogs

Friday - Frozen Pizza

Saturday - Dinner in the Hearth at the Museum (working)

Extras: Ice Cream, Brownies or No-bake Cookies for Joe

For more AWESOME Menu Plans, visit Org Junkie!

Weekly Spending Report: 04/13-19/2014

This week I was hoping to have a little one in my arms, but the baby had different plans, so I'm still pregnant, and was bored and anxious, so errand running it was.  We did pretty much all of our shopping in Monday, and we were able to stock up on some great deals.  Here's what we ended up with...

• Sunday's Giant Trip (no picture, just Red Grapes): $4.77 oop
• Monday's CVS Trip: $19.76 oop, Earned $9 ECB's
• Monday's Giant Trip: $30.37 oop
• Monday's Staples Trip (no picture, just 1 ream Printer Paper): $4.03 oop, Earned $3.80 Easy Rebate
• Monday's ALDI Trip: $13.62 oop

• Monday's Rite-Aid Trip (used a 20% and $0.50/2 Rite-Aid Coupons): $6.56 

• Monday's Kohl's Trip (Saved $29.47, used a $10 and a 15% off coupon) : $1.63 oop

• Friday's ALDI Trip (no picture, just red grapes, wheat thins, tortilla strip chips, corn chips, and pop-tarts): $10.10 oop
• Earned $10 CVS Gift Card from MyPoints 
• Earned $5 Amazon Gift Card from Swag Bucks

Total OOP: $90.84

Total Earned: $27.80

Total Remaining for April: $21.38

Linked to Couponaholic! 

Monday's CVS Trip

Our second stop Monday was to CVS.  I rolled my ECB's and picked up some needed items like toilet paper and peanut butter, as well as some great deals, like toothpaste.  I only did one transaction to make things go faster, so my oop was a little higher than I like it, but that's okay every once in a while.  Here's what we ended up with...

2-16 double roll pks Charmin Toilet Paper (not pictured) $15.79 ea - $5.80 ea Sale - $1/1 MC x 2 +

2 bottles Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap $1.67 ea - $0.68 ea Sale - $0.50/1 MC x 2 - $5 ECB's wyb $20 = 2 Toilet paper and 2 Dawn/$13.96!

3-24 pks Basics bottled H2O (not pictured) $3.99 ea - $1.55 ea Sale = $3/7.32 or $2.44 ea

2 jars Jif Peanut Butter $3.79 - $1.79 ea Sale = 2/$4

1 tube Colgate Total Toothpaste $3.79 - $2.50/1 CVS Coupon = $0.50

2-2 pks Colgate Total Toothpaste $6.79 ea - $2.58 CVS Coupon (20% off) - $2/10 Oral Care CVS Coupon - $2/1 MC x 2 - $2 ECB's x 2 = 2-2 pks/$1

+ $2.48 Tax

- $18.50 ECB's used to Pay

Total OOP: $19.76, Earned $9 ECB's for next time!

Linked to Simply CVS!

Monday's Giant Trip

I really thought I was going into labor Sunday night, contractions were 10 minutes apart, and strong for over two hours, and then nothing :-(  So I went ahead and cleaned the house for the week in between contractions, thinking it would be nice and clean for when we brought the baby home, however, the baby had other plans.  So, I'm still pregnant, and the house is clean.  So, since I didn't have to clean Monday (my regular cleaning day), I ran errands instead.  First stop was Giant for some fruit and a couple of great deals.  Here's what we ended up with...

2 Newman's Own Pizzas (not pictured) $6.69 ea - $1.69 ea Sale - $1/1 MC x 2 = 2/$9

3 bags Frozen Steam Fresh Broccoli with Cheese Sauce (not pictured) $2.50 ea - $0.50 ea Sale - $0.50/1 MC doubled to $1 x 3 = 3/$3

2 bags Frozen Bird's Eye Sliced Peppers and Onions (not pictured) $2.50 - $0.50 ea Sale - $0.75/1 MC doubled to $1.50 x 2 = 2/$1

0.93 lb Red Grapes $3.71 - $0.93 Sale = $2.78

1.73 lbs Apples $3.44

2.67 lbs Bananas $1.84

2-2 lb bags Domino Brown Sugar & 2-2 lb bags Domino Powdered Sugar $2.49 ea - $0.70 ea Sale - $0.65/2 MC doubled to $1.30 x 2 = 4/$4.56 or $1.14 ea (cheaper than ALDI)*

3 jars Newman's Own Salsa $2.79 ea - $0.29 ea Sale - $0.50/1 MC doubled to $1 x 3 = 3/$4.50*

2 cans Del Monte Green Beans $1.49 ea - $0.74 ea Sale - $0.50/1 MC doubled to $1 x 2 = 2 FREE + $0.50 Money-maker!

2 bottles Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap $1.39 ea - $0.50/1 MC doubled to $1 x 2 = 2/$0.78

+ $0.17 Tax

- $0.20 Reusable Bag Credit 

Total OOP: $59.13 - $28.76 Savings/Coupons = $30.37 oop!!!  Savings of 49%!!!! 

*We also earned an additional 30 cents of a gallon of gas for purchasing the sugars and salsas!

ALDI Deals, Starting 04/16/2014

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

• Weds. 04/16 ONLY: Fresh USDA Choice Sirloin Tip Roast $3.49/lb
• Weds. 04/16 ONLY: Kirkwood Fresh Chicken Parmesan Cutlets $4.99/lb
• Multi-Peppers 3 pk $1.99 ea
• Baby Carrots 16 oz $0.49 ea
• Sweet Potatoes 3 lbs $1.19 ea
• Asparagus 16 oz $1.79 ea 
• Strawberries 1 lb $1.49 ea
• Pineapple $1.39 ea 
• Specially Selected Cheese Snack Sticks Gouda or Habanero Jack 9 oz $3.29 ea
• Specially Selected Bite-sized Salami Original or Hot and Spicy 8 oz $2.99 ea
• Specially Selected Gourmet Pasta Assorted Varieties 17.6 oz $1.69 ea
• Specially Selected Naan Bread 8.8 oz $1.99 ea
• Specially Selected Gourmet Vinaigrette Dressings Assorted Varieties 12 oz $1.99 ea
• Specially Selected Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans 7 oz $2.49 ea
• Specially Selected Gourmet Cookie Dough White Chocolate Macadamia Nut or Triple Chocolate Chunk 16 oz $2.49 ea
• Fit and Active Fat Free Dressing French Style or Thousand Island 16 oz $1.39 ea
• Kirkwood Garlic and Herb Frozen Chicken Breasts 40 oz $6.99 ea
• Range Master 4 Burner Stainless Steel Gas Grill $149.99 ea
• Range Master Fork, Tongs, Spatula, or Brush $1.99 ea
• Range Master Porcelain Grill Topper $5.99 ea 
• Range Master 69" Gas Grill Cover $12.99 ea 
• Foldable Shopping Totes $1.49 ea
• Gardenline Pruner Set, Shears, or 6-in-1 Tool $4.99 ea
• Gardenline Rattan Style Tall Planter Assorted Styles $14.99 ea
• Gardenline Rattan Style Square Planter 11x11x11" $9.99 ea
• Suncast Multipurpose Cart $19.99 ea
• No Float Cypress Mulch 2 cu ft $2.49 ea
• 10 Stem Tulip Bouquet Assorted Colors $4.99 ea
• Hyacinths, Lilies, or Tulips Assorted Colors $3.99 ea

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

Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday: Baked Potato Wedges

Joe and I LOVE Alexia frozen french fries and onion rings, but sometimes you just run out, which is a total bummer.  These homemade baked potato wedges are a wonderful substitute, and also a good way to use up extra cheap potatoes before they go bad.  We've had them with everything from pork chops to burgers, so they really can go with just about anything, even scrambled eggs.  Besides their versatility, the are also delicious, and easy!  Here's what you need...

Desired amount of potatoes, washed and cut into wedges

Spray Olive Oil (I use a Misto Brushed Aluminum Olive Oil Sprayer)

Seasoning of your choice (Old Bay is good, Seasoned Salt, I use my own salt-free seasoning blend, or you can just use plain old salt and pepper)

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  After potatoes are washed and wedged, place foil on baking sheet, and spray with olive oil.  Place potato wedges on tray so they are not touching.

2.) Spray wedges with olive oil, and sprinkle with seasoning of your choice*.  

3.) Bake in preheated oven 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your wedges (I keep mine thin, so they get crispy in about 20 minutes).

4.) Serve hot from the oven with the meal of your choice.  They are good plain, or with ketchup or BBQ sauce as well.  Enjoy!

* You can also toss the wedges in a bowl with seasonings and olive oil instead of spraying and sprinkling on the tray, but I like to not have the extra bowl and utensil to wash.*

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