Frugal Finds: August 2016 Edition

This month Joe and I stopped into the thrift store just to see what kind of fun things we could find, and we hit the clothing and basket jack-pot!  I love using baskets to organize things in our home, but it can be difficult to find large sturdy ones at the thrift store.  Well, this time I found 3!  I also picked up a couple of long-sleeved tops for myself, which I was super stoked about!  Here's all the goodies we found this month...

1 Hanging Basket $0.99 - 50% off Sale = $0.49

1 Large Basket (for Howard's Duplos) $4.99 - 50% off Sale = $2.49

1 Eagle Basket $1.99 - 50% off Sale = $0.99

1 Large Bag of Toys (which I bought because it is FULL of math manipulatives) $3.99 - 50% off Sale = $1.99

1 - 4T Short-sleeved Diner Shirt for Howard $2.99 - 50% off Sale = $1.49
1 - 3T Short-sleeved Mac and Cheese Shirt for Howard $2.99 - 50% off Sale = $1.49
1 - 5T Ralph Lauren Polo Rain Jacket for Howard $5.99 - 50% off Sale = $2.99
1 Short-sleeved Gray V-neck Shirt for Me $3.99 - 50% off Sale = $1.99
1 - 5T Short-sleeved John Deer Shirt for Howard $1.99 - 50% off Sale = $0.99
 1 - 4T Short-sleeved Popsicle Shirt for Howard $1.99 - 50% off Sale = $0.99
1 - 4T Gray Sweatpants that say 'Dude' on the side for Howard $1.99 - 50% off Sale = $0.99
1 - 4T Gray Sweatpants $2.99 - 50% off Sale = $1.49
1 Long-sleeved Beaded Shirt for Me $4.99 - 50% off Sale = $2.49
1 - 4T Short-sleeved Crocodile Shirt for Howard $1.99 - 50% off Sale = $0.99
1 - 5T Plaid Shirts for Howard $1.99 - 50% off Sale = $0.99
 1 - 4T Swim Shirt for Howard $3.99 - 50% off Sale = $1.99
1 Long-sleeved Gray Ruffled Shirt for Me $4.99 - 50% off Sale = $2.49
3 Books for Howard $0.99 each - 50% off Sale = 3/$1.47
1 Book for Joe $0.99 - 50% off Sale = $0.49
+ 0.50 Tax
Total OOP: $30.28
(Would have been $59.29 before the 50% off sale!?)

Weekly Spending Report: 07/31-08/06/2016

We were away on our working vacation this week, so I didn't really have a ton of shopping to do, or the time to do it in.  However, we did make a quick stop over to Easton, mostly to take advantage of the diaper deal at CVS this week (operation Potty-train Howard to begin in September).  While we were there I couldn't resist stopping in a different Dollar Tree, just to see what I could find.  This week was the start of a new month, and a new grocery budget - I started with $393.48!!!  Here are the few things I picked up this week...

• Thursday's CVS Trip: $16.53 oop, Earned $12 ECB's ($10 Pampers, and $2 Softsoap), and $0.10 Mobisave Rebate (Hand soap)

• Thursday's Dollar Tree Trip: $3.18 oop

Total OOP: $19.71
Total Earned: $12.10
Total Remaining for August: $373.77

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Goals Update: July 2016

 

July was so crazy!  We were still in the RV for most of the month, I worked my normal schedule, plus had a tea, we had to pack for vacation, and had several events at the museum, so needless to say, I kind of feel like a cyclone has blown through.  Some goals I did great with, and some not so much, but I'm still plugging along.  We've been spending a LOT of time outdoors, which wasn't a goal this year, but I think it might make the list next year.  Howard is loving the variety of parks and playgrounds we have found around town.  So, with all that being said, here is how things progressed in July...

Personal:

• Lose 20 lbs (about 1.5 lbs a month) -  I have lost 11 1/2 pounds! I kind of plateaued in July, which is fine, at least I didn't gain anything back.  I am hoping to get back on board with weight loss in August. 
• Exercise 292 days - In July I exercised 27 out of 31 days.  For a total of 176 for the year.  I'm right on track with this goal!  I have really missed my normal workout routine while we've been in the trailer.  I still found ways to exercise, but I am so looking forward to getting back into my regular groove in August. 
• Drink at least 70 oz of water everyday - I did great with this goal in July.  It has been SOOO... HOT!!!  Like melting hot.  So, I have had no problem getting my water intake in each day.

 Financial:

• Coupon and deal shop to stick to my $350/month budget - I shared my budget update for July here.  If you click over, you can see all of the great things I was able to stock-up on while still staying $43.48 under budget!  This included tons of fresh produce, diapers, ice cream, sunscreen, and a variety of other items.
• Earn at least 6 - $25 Amazon gift card through Swagbucks - 2 Down, and 4 to go.
• List at least 10 things per month online or 120 for the year - I did not list anything in July because of the renovations, and living arrangements.  I probably won't list anything in August either since we will be away for most of the month.  I am hoping to list a few things in September.  January - Check (23), February - no check (0), March - Check (43), April - no check (1), May -no check (0), June - no check (0), July - no check (0),
• Set up at 6 Flea Markets/Shows to sell our wares - No shows this month.  Our next flea market is in August.  Total for the year = 2

Household:

• Completely declutter the entire house - I only have one spot left to do, and it is on the to-do list for August -- the cedar chest.
• Finish my 2016 project list - I have my project list update posted separately.  However, I will share that I was able to get some painting done, and some curtains hung, as well as a few other things on my list.

Blogging:

• Post at least 3 times a week - I was 1 post short of posting 3 times a week in July.  I needed to do 12 posts and only got 11 done.  I had some ready to go, but with living in the trailer and having shotty wifi, and going on vacation the last week where there is no reception on our cell phones, those posts just didn't get up until we got home in August.  
• Do a 31 day series in October - Not there yet.  I have been working on some ideas in my blogging journal though. 
• Set up a Facebook page for my blog - Not yet, I am hoping to get this done in August.

How is everyone else doing with their goals?

Anything new or different you are trying this year?

Share some of your goals in the comments...

Budget Update: July 2016

We were still in the RV for most of July, and then at the end of the month, we went away to our 'working vacation' in the trailer - Ha!  But overall it was a good month, especially spending-wise.  I definitely bought more convenience foods than I like, but sometimes you just have to do the best with the money, space, and time that you have.  I was able to stock-up on a LOT of great deals like diapers, produce, meat, and sunscreen, all while staying under budget!  August will be a little crazy with two vacations, and lots of work in between, but I am hoping to have a little wiggle room in the budget come September for some apples and tomatoes to can.  I LOVE being able to open a jar of home-canned tomatoes in January, delicious!  Okay, so enough rambling, we're here to discuss the grocery budget -- below is my wrap-up for my July spending...

• Week #1: $109.39 oop, Earned $10 ECB's

• Week #2: $74.49 oop, Earned $12 ECB's, and $0.25 Ibotta Rebate*

• Week #3: $95.36 oop, Earned $6 ECB's, $4 Saving Star Rebate, $0.10 Mobisave Rebate, and $1.50 Ibotta Rebate*

• Week #4: $90.11 oop, Earned $18 ECB's, $0.20 Mobisave Rebate, and $0.50 Saving Star Rebate

Total OOP: $369.35
Total Earned: $52.55
Total Remaining from July: $43.48!!
*Use this link to sign up for Ibotta and get a $10 bonus!

Weekly Spending Report: 07/24-30/2016

This week was the beginning of our 'working vacation,' so you will see some convenience foods and treats below that we don't normally buy (like ice cream cups).  We were in the middle of a hay field selling our wares at a flea market - where there is no Wifi, gasp 😉
Any way, here's how our spending went that week...

• Sunday's CVS Trip: $24.90 oop, Earned $18 ECB's ($10 Huggies, $2 x 2 Coppertone, and $4 Benefiber - rain check)

• Sunday's ALDI Trip: $31.81 oop (included, but not pictured are 8 gallons of H2O), Earned $0.10 Mobisave Rebate (Bacon)

• Sunday's Giant Trip: $22.57 oop, Earned $0.50 Saving Star Rebate, and $0.10 Mobisave Rebate (Ice Cream)

•  Friday's Giant Trip: $10.83 oop (no picture, just 5 Luna Bars for me, and 2 boxes of Turkey Sausage Links for Howard)
  

Total OOP: $90.11
Total Earned: $18.70
Total Remaining from July: $43.48!

Menu Plan Monday: August 1, 2016

We arrived home from our 'working vacation' yesterday evening.  We had a wonderful time helping prepare for the Steam Show, selling at our flea market stand, and taking Howard to his first carnival.  He LOVED the rides they had, especially the small fire trucks!  If you are ever in Sharptown, MD in July/August, they have an amazing carnival - good food, clean facilities, and all the profits go to the fire department, plus it's a month long!  On Mondays and Tuesdays the ride-all-night wrist bands are only $10.  Being the frugal Mama I am, we went Tuesday.  We played a few games, Howard rode tons of rides, and we had dinner, all for around $30.  I feel like that is an amazing deal for a night out to the carnival.  Any way, the menu this week is super easy!  We have a LOT going on, so I get a few nights off, which I am certainly not going to complain about.  Here's what's cookin'...

• Breakfasts: Fruit, and Luna Bars for Me; Pop-Tarts for Joe; Turkey Sausage Links, Mini Muffins, Fruit, and/or Fruit and Grain Bars for Howard 
• Lunches: Egg Salad/Tomato and Bacon Sandwiches, Leftovers, Chips, Veggie Dippers with Ranch, Soup, and/or Fruit for Joe and I.  Howard will have Turkey Sausage links, Cheese Slices, Mac and Cheese cups, and/or PB Waffles, and Fruit.
• Dinners:
• Sunday - McDonald's while packing up our stand
• Monday - Snacks in the car on the way home
• Tuesday - Out while running errands
• Wednesday - Crock-pot Chicken Fajita Salads, Mexican Rice
• Thursday - Crock-pot Meatloaf, Baked French Fries, Salad
• Friday - We have an event here at the museum, so I am hoping for a pit beef sandwich
• Saturday - House warming picnic at my sister's new house

For more AWESOME Menu Plans, visit Org Junkie!

Household Project List 2016 - July Update

 

We were finally able to move back into our apartment after 6 weeks of renovations.  A few of the things I had on my list got crossed off during those renovations, plus I was able to get a few other things accomplished as well.  I am starting to pick up steam, which is great!  It is so exciting to see things getting crossed off the list!  August will probably be fairly unproductive since we will be on vacation for most of the month.  So I will pick things back up in September and hopefully get everything crossed off before the end of the year.  Here are how the list is looking so far this year...

• Bedroom: 
• Declutter 2 Dressers, 1 Chest of Drawers, 2 Nightstands, 1 Closet, and Under the Bed -- Finished in February
• Steam off the crappy boarder - I'm hoping to get to this in October or November.
• Re-glue the wallpaper seams - This is on my to-do list for August.
• Change the wall art - I am still on the hunt for a shelf.  We've gone to quite a few yard sales and flea markets, and we've hit up the thrift store a number of times, I just haven't found what I want yet.  

• Hall: 
• Declutter Hall Closet, Desk, and Coat Closet -- Finished in February
• Sell desk, and move in a bench -- Finished in April
• Build another shelf in the hall closet -- Unneeded, crossed off in February

• Bathroom:
• Declutter the Bathroom Cabinets and Drawers  -- Finished in February
• Touch up the paint - Finished in June.  Completed during renovations.

• Living Room:
• Declutter 8 Cube Baskets, 1 End Table, and 3 Dresser Drawers -- Finished in March
• Finish adding pictures to our 'mural' wall - Finished in June/July.  

• Paint the letter 'R' on our 'mural' wall -- Finished in January
• Find new art for behind the futon - I have found the picture that I want, but it's pricey.  If I can find something similar at a yard sale for less money, I will scoop it up for sure.  If not, I'm in the process of saving up so I can get it as a birthday gift to myself.

• Kitchen:
• Declutter 35 Cabinets, 1 Pantry, 1 China Cabinet, and 11 Drawers -- Finished in March   
• Get a new trashcan -- Finished in February
• Steam the wallpaper off our microwave table, and repaint it - Since this table was damaged during the renovations, and it wasn't in the best shape to begin with, we've decided that my loving husband is going to built me a new one and I'll stain in when he's finished.  I am hoping that he will find time this fall to get this completed, but it probably won't get done until January - but we'll see, maybe I'll get lucky.
• Paint the windows/sills/trim - Finished in June.  Completed during renovations.
• Clean out the chest freezer and defrost it -- Finished in March
  

• Nursery/Office:
• Declutter the Closet, Dresser, Desk, Chest of Drawers, Bookcase, Sewing Table, and Cedar Chest -- The cedar chest is also on my list for August.
• Go through the CD 3-drawer organizer and combine into a large CD case - Finished in June.
• Install new curtain rods and tie backs; Hang new curtains - Done.  Finished in July.

• Make a new curtain for the closet; Hang - Have not started yet.
• Buy new Lamp/Shade for the Dresser -- Finished in April
• Re-glue wallpaper - I have this on the August list as well. 
• Bring in new chest of drawers (#2) - I still need to vacuum the drawers out and put Finish Feeder on the outside.  I'm planning on September for this. 
• Build new shelf (or two) above the desk; Add books to shelves -- We won't be able to build shelves above the desk the way I wanted to, so I am on the lookout for a small, mostly decorative, shelf at the thrift stores and yard sales.
• Paint the windows/sills and the closet door frame - Finished in June.  Completed during renovations.

• Laundry Room:
•  Declutter Desk, 3 Drawer Stand, Bookcase, and Closet (including stored Christmas decorations) -- Finished in March
• Touch up paint from renovation - I am planning to start this in September.
• Hang art -- Crossed off in May.  I decided that this isn't necessary.  Plus I am working on Joe to get me a hanging clothes line for in the laundry room, so I will need all the wall space I can get. 
• Wash box of new-to-us toys - Finished in July.
• Buy an IKEA cube system, assemble, and organize -- We are waiting until the renovations are complete to purchase this since I will need space to assemble it; we'll also need to move the desk in the laundry room out before we can move this in.

 Are any of you working on some household projects this year?

What are you getting accomplished? 

Menu Plan Monday: 07/25/2016

 

This week we are leaving to go on our 'working vacation.'  We are heading to a steam show - we help out with set up to get free electric and water for our RV during the week, and the money we make at our flea market stand pays for our fun vacation to OC at the end of the month!  It works out SOOOO... well!  Because we will be back in the RV for 12 days and out in the heat working during the day, I kept things super simple and light.  I cannot wait to try out the walking tacos recipe - if they turn out well, I'll be sure to share the recipe with you all.  Below is what I have planned for this week...

• Breakfasts: Fruit, Mini Bagels with Cream Cheese, and/or Luna Bars for Me; Pop-Tarts or Bagels with Cream Cheese for Joe; Turkey Sausage Links, Mini Muffins, Fruit, and/or Fruit and Grain Bars for Howard 
• Lunches: Egg Salad, Roast Beef, Tomato and Bacon Sandwiches, Chips, and Veggie Dippers with Ranch for Joe and I.  Howard will have Turkey Sausage links, Cheese Slices, Mac and Cheese cups, and/or PB Waffles and Fruit.  We will also eat at Jimmy Johns twice - I LOVE their sandwiches!
• Dinners:
• Sunday - Wendy's while running errands
• Monday - Chinese Take-out
• Tuesday - Pizza  

• Wednesday - Sandwiches or Subs while driving
• Thursday - Walking Tacos (recipe coming)
  
• Friday - Walking Tacos Leftovers
• Saturday - TBA

Weekly Spending Report: 07/17-23/2016

This week I had a LOT on the to buy list.  Next week we are leaving for our 'working' vacation, so I decided to split things up and buy some stuff this week, and the rest next week.  We'll also have to pick up a few fresh items once we get there.  We were finally able to move back into the apartment on Friday - the renovations are all complete, for now.  There is still plenty to be done, but the bathroom looks fabulous!  There were a few great deals this week that I wanted to take advantage of, like the Zantac - only $1.66 each, yes please!  Also, it's tomato season, need I say more?  Any way, here is how my spending broke-down this week...

• Monday's CVS Trip: $12.37 oop, Earned $6 ECB's (Zantac x 3), $4 Saving Star Rebate (Zantac), and $0.10 Mobisave Rebate (dish soap)

• Monday's ALDI Trip: $21.58 oop (included, but not pictured are 4 gallons of H2O)

• Monday's Giant Trip: $36.71 oop (included, but not pictured are 7 Powerades, a 35-pack of bottled H2O, and 5-6 packs of various sodas), Earned $1.50 Ibotta Rebate* (Luna Bars)

• Monday's Baugher's Trip: $5.98 oop

• Saturday's Dollar Tree Trip: $18.72 oop

Total OOP: $95.36
Total Earned: $11.60
Total Remaining for July: $133.59
*Use this link to sign up for Ibotta and get a $10 bonus!

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Crock-pot Pork, Sauerkraut, and Mashed Potatoes

I hesitated to post this or not since this is really a non-recipe, but then I decided that it might give someone some inspiration, so I would be selfish not to share.  So, anyway, below is my recipe for Pork, Sauerkraut, and Mashed Potatoes all done in 2 crock-pots...

As you can see from above, the pork and sauerkraut part is as easy as dumping both into a crock-pot (I use the liners, because having less dishes to wash is never a bad thing).  I have used a pork roast, pork tips, pork chops, and pork loin in this recipe, so which ever you have on hand or use the one that your family prefers - it's totally up to you, they are all yummy options.  If you have some chicken stock or broth, add a splash of that too for flavor (but it's definitely optional).  Just to give an idea portion-wise, I used 5 small pork chops in the crock-pot above and 2 cans of sauerkraut for my family of 3, and we had leftovers.  I put the 2 ingredients in the crock-pot, and let it cook away on low for 6-8 hours, or until the pork is done. 
Now, as for the mashed potatoes, you can cook them in the crock-pot as well.  I will do a different post outlining that recipe, but I do want to share another option with you today.  I buy the Simply Potatoes pre-made mashed potatoes in the refrigerator section at the grocery store when they are on sale and I have coupons, and then, I stick them in the freezer - shhh...  I know it says not to on the box, but I have NEVER had a problem doing this.  The night before I want mashed potatoes I stick them in the fridge.  In the morning I dump them in a lined crock-pot and add a splash of milk.  That part is important for nice creamy smooth mashed potatoes.  I let them warm on low for 4-6 hours, stirring here and there to get any lumps out and to make sure they heat evenly.  I'm not sure if the stirring is necessary, but I do it anyway. 
Below is the finished product - delicious pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes:

 What's your favorite way to eat sauerkraut?

Have you tried a two-crock-pot meal before?

Let me know in the comments below!