Pennies and Brookshires!

Do you ever get annoyed with those pesky pennies? Put them to use this week at the BOGO sale at Brookshires. This is THE place to stock up on meat!



Carefully review your paper (you should receive it in the mail) and look for items you typically buy. Most of the time the items will tell you the amount that you will save in a little yellow box. This is the price of the item. In my experience getting two for the always higher Brookshires price will come out less than Walmart.

Based on whats available, here are the items I will buy and make work in my weekly meals:

Meat (obviously)
Salad express
Peppers
Natures own bread
John soules fajitas
Cream cheese
Taco shells (check price vs food club)
Bottled water
Crayons
Food club baking powder and soda (check price) (web saver)
Oscar myer lunch meat-coupon (web saver)

This doesn't mean that these are the only good deals, but this is all I need to stay within my monthly grocery budget

The deals on the meat are good, but unfortunately there are not a lot of coupons available for the other items. Therefore it is not time to stock up.

There are a few select school supplies 75 percent off at rite aid right now. These are great items to stock up and donate.







The family dollar sale is still going on this week. Get pudding for free and BBQ sauce for 25 cents. This is a seriously good deal!



I also love the dollar days end caps a family dollar. They have some really great stuff



Be careful with family dollar. Some would assume that everything is less expensive, but that is not true. A lot of their prices are actually higher than Walmart even when the item is "on sale"

Bonus. Ruddick's first time in his high chair. Third day on baby food and he loves it. My sis mentioned a way of thought floating around in the parent world regarding skipping the purées and going straight to finger foods. She is great at reading and actually retaining information. Me, not so much.



Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ranch turkey burgers!!

I found a recipe online and made a few adjustments based on preference.

1 tray turkey meat
1/4 cup Worcestershire
1 egg
2 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 package of ranch powder
Sautéed mushrooms and celery

Mix all together and cook/grill.

I topped it with bacon and parm cheese

D gave it a 7. I thought it was good and better than a regular burger, but it didn't have as bold of a flavor as I wanted. I will add more of all of the seasonings next time.

Rl loved it and ate the hidden veggies. :)

As I write this blog, I come to you a couple of hundred dollars poorer. Let me tell you the story. Last night was very challenging at the emory household. Ruddick has TERRIBLE reflux. From the time he got home from school he threw up 11 times soaking 11 bibs and 4 pajamas. I was soaked but I wanted to conserve the amount laundry I do, so I stayed soaked.

As I changed Ruddick into his last available pair of pjs, RL runs in to inform me that she has poopooed in her panties and asks proudly for a sticker. I clearly have made some potty training mistakes some where.

Everyone got cleaned up and then I discovered that RL had climbed into Ruddick's crib with an entire box of wipes and emptied them out soaking the bed. :) Deep breaths, mama.

I am not ashamed to admit that I gave RL a dose of Benadryl to help ease the early transition to bed that I insisted on (and then I quickly followed).

I was awoken at 230 this morning to the sounds of the baby crying. It didn't take long to soothe him back to sleep. However soothing me back to sleep was a different story. My list of things to do was amplified times a million at 230 in the morning. I debated the thought of starting my day. I debated making a cup of coffee. I debated organizing my closet. Finally, it was 430 am and I got up did some big whit work, cleaned the house, checked my sales on twin city swap, and made a diaper cake.

I had a ton of things to load in the car. Diaper bags, dance bags, sale items, lunch and the list goes on. I was finally off to drop Ruddick at school and head to work. As I am driving down 165 I hear a loud thump and see black flying in my rear view mirror and cars dodging. I was assuming I had a blow out and sternly gripped the steering wheel. Hmmmm. It wasn't bumpy.

It clicked.....my phone.....i left it on top of my car. Yes, I really did. After 30 minutes of risking my life as 80 mph car maniacs passed me by and created the natural wind blown look of my hair, I recovered the back of my phone only.

So the money I have saved with coupons in the last few months is now invested into a squeaky new phone without sticky 2 year old fingerprints. A $200 mindless mistake my friends.

I am in desperate need for a vacation.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Walgreens deals this week

Venus razors are regular price 5.99. If you still have the $5 off coupon, you can pick one up for 99 cents. (Not alot of inventory)



Walgreens hydrogen peroxide on sale 3/$1. Use the in ad coupon



Crest mouthwash. On sale with $1.25 rewards back. If your printed the $1.10 coupon from coupons.con it will be 64 cents!



I also scored this from the twin cities swap on Facebook for $35! Love it for RL's dolls!



Added bonus pic. I thought the baby was safe in the crib. I thought wrong. This picture was taken AFTER I found RL jumping in the crib just barely missing his head.



Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

IT'S ON HIS FEET!

Sunday morning I got up early to hit up CVS as they unlocked the doors to score a couple of good deals.  Here is the break down if you are not following me on instagram (which you should be...look up now, randomjules).

CRAZY.....YES I AM!!

Venus razor regular $7.29 - this week $2 extra bucks plus $5 coupon from newspaper. .29 cents

Herbal Essence on sale for 2 for $5 - coupon from PG 7/7 for $5 off any clariol product FREE

   ****They are no longer accepting this coupon for this product***

Tampons on sale for 3.99 with $1 extra bucks plus $2 coupon from PG 7/7 .99 cents

With tax the total was $3 and I had a previous $3 extra buck so my out of pocket was 0!!!

Typically, when I arrive home from errands D meets me in the garage.  It's like he bolts to the door the minute he hears the garage door open to swiftly hand over the primary parenting household duties.  Sunday was no different.  Before I even turned off the car he was walking outside with a disturbing look on his face and holding something firmly in the air.  Puzzled, I took a closer look through the windshield.  I could see him mouth the words "....yeah...".  Was that what I thought it was?? Yep...poop.

The story went like this....He went into RL's room to get her up for the day and he was met by an odor that is all to familiar to a potty training parent.  Rl was bottomless and hanging out by her dresser admiring her morning hair and D prepared himself to take off her sheets and clean up the mess.  All of a sudden he hears RL snicker just as he takes his last step and lands his bare foot directly on her morning prize.  Yep, you guessed it folks.  Poop all in between the toes.  GROSS!!!!

RL thinks this is hillarious and can not wait to tell me that "daddy got poo poo on his feet".  She has reminded us of this many times since then.  I did my best not to laugh at this story from both parties.  I don't want to taunt poo poo footed Daniel and I don't want to encourage the behavior of RL.  I sternly reminded RL of where we need to poo poo and we should always call mama or daddy when she is in her room.  She agreed and starting singing her poo poo song and dance.  Video coming soon.

KIDS CRAFTS

I was blessed to have a couple of extra days off work this week, so I wanted to catch up with a few projects I have had stored away and "pinned".

First up....SQUIRT SIDEWALK CHALK!! (originally found on Growing a Jeweled Rose blog)

I went to three different stores before I purchased the squirt bottles at family dollar (2 for $1.50).  I filled a little over 1/2 with vinegar, used 4 tablespoons of corn starch, and several squirts of washable paint.  The original recipe calls for baking soda.  I added it to the first squirt bottle after all the ingredients and there was a small explosion!! It was all fun and games until I realized that paint was plastered all over my kitchen, therefore, the rest of the bottle did not receive baking soda and they worked just fine.  Tempura paint would probably work better, but I used what I had.  You could also use food coloring, but reviews say it is harder to get out.

RL loved helping me make them and shaking them up!!

Now it was time for play!!!

Since I didn't include baking soda in the bottles, you can spread a little over the paint and then squirt some vinegar on top to watch it fizz!!

Any type of crafting or painting does not hold RLs attention for too long.  She would rather play house or tea party.  One day we had a teapot themed day!!

We started the morning with homemade banana pancakes (recipe soon) with homemade syrup.  She LOVED these and has asked for them every morning since.

Then we modpoged some scrapbook paper on a wooden teapot I found at Michaels for 99 cents!!

Next since mama is obsessed with goodwill picture frames, we modpoged one for a frame!

I loved the way this turned out!!!

We also worked on our fine motor skills to help with early writing development.

I should have put those pics in a collage.  Sorry!!!

To round off this blog, here is a bonus pic of R hanging in his boxers.  Love his rolls!!

TURKEY BALLS!

After purchasing 2 trays of turkey meat on sale at Brookshires (with coupon), I wanted to try something different.  We cook with turkey meat all of the time, but I wanted something new that would hopefully become a staple.  A quick search lead me to a turkey ball recipe where I already housed all of the ingredients.  I looked simple and easy which made the selection a no brainer.

Here is the recipe I used:

http://www.food.com/recipe/turkey-meatballs-33944

I used powder garlic and green onions and added sauteed mushrooms and celery.  I also baked on 350 for 30 minutes (because it's hands free).

Sidenote:  I wish I took great pictures.  I am jealous of all the cool pictures I see on instagram or other blogs.  Photography is clearly a talent that I do not have

The meatballs turned out really really well!!!! I am happy with how easy they were and will def make more and freeze them in the future.  It was missing a little bit of flavor that I will work on for next time.  Maybe BBQ sauce (since I have about 20 bottles) or a stronger spice.  RL LOVED these.  She ate 3 at one sitting! I was super excited knowing that she was eating the mushroom and celery hidden inside! 

Having a few days off from work means I catch up with fun kid crafts that unfortunately I dont have much time to do during a work week.  One idea was homemade bubbles!!! 

I purchased mason jars because I have always wanted some to make homemade salsa in but you can use any container you have handy.

To fill one mason jar mix:

4 cups hot water
a little under 1/4 cup corn syrup
a little over 1 cup of dish detergent
food coloring if you wish

RL only wanted to play with the pink!! So cute and super fun.  These will last a looooong time! Just be careful with the glass jar, of course!

WHOA TARGET!!!

I have been off the air for a few days with technical difficulties.  I wasn't able to upload pics on my computer ( I am not sure why it all of a sudden worked today) and I also tried this really exciting blogger app, but it would not let me upload pictures EITHER!! It has been really frustrating and a cause for backed up information so I will try to be easy and not overwhelm you!!

I am counting my minutes before the kids wake up and I must end our special time together, so I will start with what I think was an exciting couponing trip to target!! The goal was to clearance stalk and combine manu coupons, target coupons, mobile coupons, cartwheel, and of course the red card. 

Here are the highlights:

I always love having these in my purse for emergencies.  I dug around and found this one box with a clearance sticker! Combine with an Ibotta offer, they are $1.61!

**Well, it seems that RL had deleted my pics of other great deals!! AGH! I just cannot get it together!  I will just have to tell you about it.  This will give my readers a chance to practice creativity by creating visual representations in your mind.  We are given too many conveniences in life, so I am really just trying to help you out by recharging your brain! :)**  #whatever

I small pack of Poise liners had a clearance sticker for $2.11.  I had a $2 off coupon from coupons.com which made them 11 cents.  I was nervous about this one bc the coupon read "hourglass" and the product did not specify, but it worked no problem!!  Typically carefree liners can be purchased for 50 cents with coupons, so that is my bottom line.  Anything under, I always try to pick up.  I did not have any extra coupons with me (honestly, I didnt think I would be lucky enough to find this deal), so I didnt get to stock up! 

Aquafresh training toothpaste was on price cut for $2.  I had a target coupon for $1 off any aquafresh.  I am not sure where this coupon came from as the coupon fairy (my neighbor) left it on my doorstep for me! Plus I had a .75 cents manu coupon.  That makes it 25 cents!!!! You can't beat that!

Do you get the baby coupons in the mail from target??? If you don't already, you def want to!! There was a coupon for spend $50 in baby products, receive a $10 Gift Card.  $50 in the baby aisle.....no problem!! I had several cartwheel offers for these products, so I really wanted to see if I can get the gift card by spending $50 before the cartwheel!! Sure, no problem! Just have them scan the coupon first!!  Here are some things I picked up:

Target Diapers - They were on sale for 14.20 for a substitute for another item that they were out of stock.  I've never seen this notification before, but I saw it several times on my trip.  I'll tell ya, I use to think this target was terrible but they are really stepping up their game!! I also had a cartwheel.

Formula - Cartwheel

Onsies for Ruddick - Clearance.  This child is growing FAST and I am not prepared!!

Up and Up baby lotion and wash - Cartwheel. I need to make a diaper cake for a couple of friends who just had a baby and these are the perfect centers

Yogurt bites and applesauce - cartwheel

Up and Up baby food - Clearance! I checked the expiration date and there is plenty of time for Ruddick to start eating!

Other great finds included Market Pantry protein bars for D.  They were on clearance for $2.50 for 6! That is huge!  He was paying over a dollar per bar at Walmart!

Market Pantry fruit snacks are regular $1.86 plus a target coupon for $1 off two equals $1.36 per box.  This is unbeatable.

I could go on and on, but the kids are stirring and all of the words without pictures is a little annoying to me.  However, I can't leave this subject without mentioning that my printed out cartwheel caused TWO registers to shut down!!! Everything had to be rung up a total of THREE times!! The manager suggested I use the cartwheel on my phone in the future.  Luckily target was not busy and everyone was very nice about it!

Here is an art project that RL and I are working on for her room.  Use painters tape on a canvas and paint around it for a cool kid created learning tool!  She loves that she made a "L" for her room.  We will work on the "R" next.

Here is another variation of the salads I been eating.  $1 sausage from brookshires over spinach with corn from the cob (30 cents), turkey bacon (BOGO at brookshires) over spinach (always regular price).  Not the healthiest, but cheap and good!!