SHORT WEEK!

I am so excited that we are heading into a 3 day work week!!  This makes me very happy and little less worried about the mess that always surrounds me.  Trying to have the entire house cleaned and everything put in its place all at the same time is kind of like running around in one of those hamster wheels.  Most of time I have no recollection of how things ended up landing in such a strange place and 1/2 of the strange places becomes the items new home.

Unfortunately, after wasting an hour of taking pictures of deals in the paper with coupons and trying to upload to this blog (as well as downloading a new browser), I still can't get any pictures to appear.  This kind of experience wipes out all of my good thoughts of technology and turns it into spite.  I mostly get frustrated because I don't understand technology and I don't know how to fix it!!!

I have sat at my kitchen table for the last hour with two computers and a phone trying to figure how to fix my blog problem, how to transfer things into icloud (because I have 40 pictures on my phone and it tells me I cannot take anymore???), and how to get a tinkerbell movie off of my phone that is apparently is taking up 1/2 of my storage (can that go into icloud?) What the heck is icloud??

So now I must walk away and prepare for a birthday party feeling under accomplished and confused.  :(

MEALS AND DEALS

Well........todays blog shall include a "what not to do" segment. After dance lessons, dinners, baths, and putting the kids to bed, it was time to open the kitchen to prepare a work lunch for the next day (taco meat for 13 hungry academic advisors) and dinner for myself. I never eat this late, but I dreamed up the idea of taco chicken burgers and at that point it was the only acceptable option.

First the taco meat. I absolutely could not spend the money on enough meat for 13 advisors when I had plenty of deer meat in the freezer. I completely respect that not everyone is comfortable eating deer meat, so I planned to cook both. There is a considerable difference in the amount of grease in each skillet. Can you see the difference in the deer meat vs regular?

**Warning - this may be disturbing to some viewers**

So as the meat was cooking, I started working on the delicous chicken burgers I was craving. I added the meat, an egg, salsa, garlic powder, taco seasoning, and chives.

I patiently waited for an available spot on the stove while my mouth watered in anticipation.

8:45 and time to eat!!! Or not..........

This is what happened to my genious of an idea taco chicken burger :(

Because of the salsa it all looked pink to me and I could not tell if it were done or not. I took a few bites off the top that were amazing, but I had to trash the rest. I just could not take the chance of undercooked chicken. It was a really sad moment for me. I went to bed unfed. I am still upset about it and I will probably not buy ground chicken again unless someone provides me with a fool proof recipe or a high value coupon.

Moving on...tuesday is my favorite day to check the mail. Why you ask?? The Brookshires circular of course. Here are the deals to catch this week. Remember that in order to maximize your savings with coupons, you must plan your week and meals around the sales and coupons available.

These are cheaper during the BOGO sale, but if you must have them this week make sure to load the coupon from their website.

Its sideways - sorry!!! Grapes and Corn!

 

Yay for turkey meat!! Save even more with a Ibotta offer.  Coupon from coupons.com.  You can print 2 per computer.

Coupon from coupons.com

Coupon from coupons.com.  BBQ sauce is also on sale at Freds if you want an even better deal!

Meal ideas...bbq turkey loaf or turkey and rice tacos!!
 

Laundry - Check, Toys put away - Check, Coupons clipped - Check!!  Now its time to plan for the week! Next week will be a bit busier for me in my non-couponing real life, so I will make some quick outings at the beginning of the week and let go of the deals I could have missed.

After meeting with a few ladies last week who were interested in saving money, I have become really passionate about helping people get started with coupons in hopes that they will join my crazy adrenaline pumping world of saving money.  I am not an expert by any means or an experienced blogger, but I hope I can at least help things be a little less overwhelming.

I did a quick review of the deals and coupons this week and these (in my opinion) are your best deals in this area.

****All of the sale/coupon information is taken directly from www.krazycouponlady.com****

CVS is your best bang for your buck this week....

All of the above items were FREE with coupons and promotions.  All but the Venus coupon were printed online, so they should still be available.  Check KCL for links under CVS.

I picked up 4 of these diapers for $3.50 a pack after a $12 Extra bucks reward and 4 $3.00 coupons (printed online from Walmart).  You would need two different computers to print 4.  It is not my typical brand, but it works! I have always stood by the statement that Target brand diapers will typically always be your lower price.  Well, CVS just said "BOOM! - Got Ya!".

My heart was pounding when I arrived at the store first thing this morning!! These deals made it worth the drive to arrive as they unlocked the doors (insert nerd alert).

These deals will probably be cleared out by Monday.  Alot of times, CVS will re-stock on Friday so you still may have a chance.

I'll also make a quick trip to Walgreens to pick up a Chex-Mix deal.

****Make sure to cut out this coupon in your paper and save for the Brookshires BOGO sale****

Moving on to the meals....

I was in the mood for something different this weekend and quesadillas kept coming to mind.  I didn't really  have any typical ingredients, so I threw together anything and almost everything that I had available.  It was basically leftovers from the week in between tortillas.

Roast, mushrooms, black beans, turkey bacon, corn, celery, onions, bbq sauce, and cheese.

OH MI GOODNESS!! It was soooooo GOOD!  D rated it a bold ten and didn't stop talking about it all night! RL wasn't a fan, but I think it confused her.  She took a couple of bites and moved on.  Total time was about 30 minutes simply because I piled on so many ingredients plus cooking each quesadilla individually. I made a couple extra to take to work next week for lunch!  Tortillas are a staple in the BOGO Brookshires sales, so I will most certainly load up next time.

CHEAP AND EASY = SUCCESS!!

I recently found this great deal at Brookshires during the BOGO sale.  I was thrilled to discover that the Hormel Pork Loin coupon that I typically have plenty of actually covered this Hormel flavored roast as well!!  After the sale and coupon, I got four of these for $2 a piece!! You absolutely cannot beat this price especially for this quality!

I put this in the crockpot with about 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 bottle Sweet Baby Rays Marinade (also purchased in the BOGO with a coupon) and cooked on low for 10 hours.

I sliced my squash and zuchinni on Sunday so they were ready to throw in the skillet after work and  add a little salt, pepper, and butter.  Since we are doing the low carb thing, I served on top of a salad.

The roast was awesome with the bbq sauce! Start to table was a total of 15 minutes!!



DREAMING OF BLOGGING

I have been anxiously waiting to re-enter the blogging world once again.  I am constantly taking pictures of meals and deals and writing a blog in my head for my pretend readers who attentively listen.  Meeting the needs of two kids is no joke not to mention the responsibilities of an employee times 2, a wife, a friend, etc...Etc.  But I also want to do something for self every once in a while.  My hobbies are different than most and like I have stated before.......my how times have changed.  It has taken me about a year and a half to really capture the skill of couponing.  Yes, it is a skill that not all that tries will succeed.  I have taught many who have failed and only a few that continue on the daily journey of saving. Actually, only one that I can think of off the top of my head. 

So after being asked to teach an informal couponing class recently, I started to really focus on why people turn away from couponing.  It's too time consuming, it's too overwhelming; you have to spend money to save money, and several other true statements.  Yes all of the above are true, but it is also something that can be controlled.  I have made many mistakes and learned along the way and I believe I have finally made this couponing lifestyle work for my family.  I needed to stop focusing on trying to learn everything all at once.  I had to begin as a beginner and promote myself as I was ready. 

I hope that I can take what I have learned and try to encourage others to learn what works best for their family.  So as I will continue to post meals (although they are not exciting since I am trying to loose baby weight), I will also post the deals I am getting in the North LA area.

Hope you find something that peaks your interest!

Here are some deals I got the week of June 16.  I apologize for the terrible picture.  I ran around on my lunch break and simply could not wait to get home to lay everything out and capture the joy of success.  It is not often that I am able to find this many items stocked in our stores so I was thrilled!!  All coupon match ups can be found on www.thekrazycouponlady.com

The Hefty bags are from Dollar Tree.  $1 per box with a $1/2 coupon so 50cents.

The Clorox wipes, Pull-up wipes, stir fry seasoning, and dill pickles are from Walmart.  The pickles and seasoning were free with overage and the rest were really cheap.  These coupons can be found under the Walmart tab.  Finally the Right Guard, toothbrushes and toothpaste were from Walgreens. Sometimes when you go on Mondays, the drugstores are already wiped out.  However, everything was beautifully stocked and the cashier even tried to help me split my transactions!! I love days like this!  My total cost for all of these items.  $3.50!!! (including tax).  Yay!

Here is a representation of my meals lately.  As I mentioned, I am trying to focus on loosing baby weight.  For me, that means watching carbs and eating alot of salads.  My husband and I have kind of become addicted and do our best to pile up as many low carb options as possible!!  It is actually really really good! In this salad I used sautéed onions, celery, and peppers (made a big batch on Sunday afternoon to last through the week), mushrooms, and shredded egg whites! 

Until next time.....

BROOKSHIRES DEALS

I recently scored tremendous deals at Brookshires when I barely caught their Buy One Get One for a Penny sale.  I was in great need of stocking up so the timing was perfect. It seemed as if Brookshires management personally created these sale prices for me and my kitchen. It covered so many staple food groups for the Emory household that it felt dreamlike as I browsed each aisle in excitement. I am not joking....these things really excite me. 10 years ago the sound of my favorite hip hop jam blaring from the DJ booth and a stage to dance on was my thrill of choice.  Today...sales and coupons. My oh my.  Perhaps I should bring my ipod with me on my next grocery trip....usher anyone? 

Lets check out the presentation....

Yes, I like to unload all of my groceries and stare at all of my deals.  It is a sickness really.

I was especially proud of this find...

This assortment of veggies was almost expired so they were marked down to 99 cents!!! What a timesaver!!

And dinner.........

Chicken Breast and the Kraft Fresh Take were BYGO for a penny.  The veggies and brussell sprouts were marked down to 99 Cents!  Wasn't this a great score?!?  This was our first time using the fresh take.  I wasnt over the moon with the taste, but it was very easy to prepare.  I believe that I can make all of this happen on a week night when I go back to work, so I will add it to my menu list!! 

A little note about my current parental life.  I am still working on the mother of two transition.  I spend half of my time gleaming with happiness and loving my life then the over half trying to fight off meltdowns and folding laundry. 

I stay in prayer alot.  It is my guiding force. I am thankful for God's grace when I make mistakes and when I allow my anxiety to overcome me. I know that He is teaching me lessons everyday and I pray that I don't miss them!!

THE NEW ME....MOTHER OF TWO

I have not blogged in forever and it stays in the back of my mind.  In this three month hiatis, I was blessed with a beautiful baby boy that I have enjoyed everyday.  I will share many stories and pictures soon.  I have so many topics that I want to write about and pictures and meals that I want to share that it is tremendously overwhelming.  I have the tendency to procrastinate when I get overwhelmed.  So I decided to stop folding laundry and reschedule the thank you notes I need to write (several weeks late) and sit down to blog.  Not for long….but at least get started.  I have many things on my mind these days.  A newborn, a busy job, concerns about raising two kids, a meal schedule, a new budget for 2 kids.  I wake everyday overwhelmed with what needs to get done and then the subtle pull of mommyhood reminding me to spend carefree time with each child.  This is going to be a hard transition, but I am ready to meet and exceed the challenge.  I know I will fail….. probably daily.  I commit to doing my best to laugh it off and learn.   I will do my best to share responsibility and also not get angry when I just have to do it all on my own.  I have already asked for babysitting help more times in the 6 weeks of having two kids than I did in the entire two years with Landon.  I have so much to learn and so much to enjoy. I can honestly say that the biggest challenge so far is simply staying sane.  If I can go over 3 hours without tearing up over something sad, happy, unfortunate, wonderful, or annoying, I can count that as a success.  It doesnt happen often.....maybe when I am fortunate enough to sleep 3 hours at I time.  I hope to share much of my journey in this blog.  My random kitchen will have a menu makeover as I search and experiment with serious quick meals.  I am talking 15 minutes quick.  Can it be done?  I don't know. We will soon see.