Meals this Week/Life update

Happy Monday!!!

Before I get to my blog writing today, I wanted to give a quick update of life stuff!  Last night I attended my first Heart to Home group.  This is a small group that pairs young women and experienced (does that sound better than "old") women to offer mentorship and support.  Joining this group has been on my heart for some time, but I have found multiple excuses not to make the commitment.  Let me set this up for you.....I walked into a group of about 15 people that had pre-established relationships and I knew NOONE!! Being from West Monroe, it is hard to not know anyone!! Those of you that know me are in shock right now.  This was totally out of my comfort zone, but I felt that it was God's instructions to follow through with this.  Everyone was super nice and welcoming.  I was quite most of the time and just listened.  This was probably a lesson I needed to learn, too.  Each girl was so different from the other, I liked this.  The lesson of the night focused on personal finances...whew, lets get right down to business!! I admire how transparent each of these girls and moms are with each other.  Transparent IS my comfort zone.  I don't know how to be any other way.  As the night wrapped up it was time to close with a prayer.  Guess who volunteered???......Most of you are NOT guessing me but you are wrong.  Yep....I prayed OUT LOAD in a group of people I have known for about an hour.  God does crazy things sometimes, I tell ya!!

I could talk alot more about my night and what I learned, but I am sure that will come out in blogs to come.  Right now I want to move on to meals this week based on Brookshires sales.

Here the products I am using that I picked up for BOGO.


Here is how it will play out...

Sunday - Turkey Mexican Pizza (I had the pleasure of being served at my Heart to Home group, but I was so excited about my groceries (insert Nerd Alert) I had to go ahead and prepare the meal)

*I cooked both packs of meat and divided out.  Will use one for Sunday's meal and one for later in the week*

I do my best to load all my meats with veggies.  It sneaks it in for the kids AND it gives me more meat (you know what I mean, right?).  I used celery, bell peppers, onions, and carrots (my Sams trip last week)

*Chopped up more veggies than I needed to use later in the week*

Monday - leftovers

Tuesday - "Darn Good Chili".  This is not the kind of chili that sits in the crock pot for hours and you serve on Super Bowl Sunday, but it is a quick week night meal using Bear Creek Soups (which I love).  I already have the meat and veggies, so I just mix it together!

Wednesday - left overs

Thursday - Pork Chops in the crockpot with BBQ sauce.

Friday - Left overs!

I love these kinds of weeks where my meals are all planned out and low stress.  This equals more time with my kids and happier mommy.

Tomorrow you will be bombarded with all things Ruddick!!!! It is his BIRTHDAY and I gave him a fresh hair cut this morning! ADORABLE for sure!

Brookshires - BOGO!!

This week's BOGO for a penny Brookshire's sale is pretty top notch! I'm not going to post on all the good deals, but highlight a few.  Clearly, what you use in your household are the items are the best deals for YOU.  I am often asked the question if you can use 2 coupons or $1/2 coupons on the BOGO items.  The answer is YES at my local Brookshires.  I do not know if that is a cooperate rule or not.  All I know is that I have always given them my stack and they have always scanned perfectly!!!

So given these rules, here are your deals!

Hormel Pork Loin - BOGO - Use 2 $1 coupon available on coupons.com.

Jeanie O Turkey Products - BOGO - $1/2 located on coupons.com and 1/5 paper.

Gortons Fish Sticks - BOGO - $.50/1 from 1/5 paper

Kraft Fresh Take - BOGO - **We need to check the price on this item.  The coupons just expired, but you can often get this product at Wal-Mart for just 99 cents with a coupon.  I LOVE this!! If it is over $1, I would wait it out.

Pillsbury Grands - BOGO - coupon from 1/5 paper makes them 80 cents each

I always love BOGO lettuce, cheese, any kind of produce!!

I encourage you to take a little extra time (I know it is hard, but it will make you feel so relaxed.  Or maybe thats just me) to browse the aisles.  Not everything on sale makes the paper ads!

Target Tip Off

So today (or Jan 16th) is the rumored day that target with slice toy prices to 70% off!!  These are the days that they have historically been marked down.  As part of my planning and blogging duty to my readers, I took a trip out to target last night to check out the inventory and do a little snooping.



(This sale has gotten me crazy.......I even dreamed about it last night.  I dreamed a actually slept on the aisles waiting for the sale.  Now that is serious craziness)





I found that my Target had 2 full aisles of clearance  toys and were actually adding items at that moment!  Items were a mixture of percentages.  Most were 30 and 50 % off.  A few were already marked 70% !  I was able to find 2 good items that I needed



Here is the inventory at my store

































































This is what I found for 70!! Easter basket!!







I asked two young men that were working if they believed that the toys would be marked down again  on Thursday.  The answer was probably not.  According to my store, some of them just got marked down and they typically mark down on Sunday and on the shelves on Monday.  Alot of sources say that noone will know until they give the go ahead from cooperate the very morning (so maybe they are wrong?).



My advice would be if at all possible visit your target today.  If they aren't marked down, you will at least be able to scope out your inventory and know what you are interested in purchasing.  It seems that the word around the states is that no stores have been marked to 70%.  I plan to check my store on Monday and then again next Thursday unless I hear otherwise.



Here is another tip:  Some clearance items only have 2 like items in stock.  If you see an item marked at 50 that you know you really want and there are only 2.  Buy it!! It will probably not last to the 70 mark down.  IF for some reason it does, you can return your item (with receipt) for the your money back and re-purchase the item at 70%



Make sure you go in with a list of what you may be looking for to help you stay on track.  Those prices are blinding!!! Think gifts for your birthday seasons!



I picked up 2 70% off items, 3

Boxes of rice cereal, pack of pullups, 2 trays from the dollar spot, and a box of these larabars Ive been wanted to try.









Used a pull up coupon, gift card received from a diaper promotion, and my target debit card and paid $10.28 out of pocket!!



Good day!!

CVS Breakdown

I want to apologize for yesterdays post.  My heads up on deals was lazy and the results of a 30 second scan of the circulars.  When I took a few minutes today to look over everything, I was surprised to see some great items at great prices!!!



As I prepared for a quick run to CVS a good friend sent me a text....."What are you donig?" she asked as she often does throughout the day.  I told her that I was cutting coupons for a trip to CVS.  Her response.  "I want to know everything".  Now my friend has been a coupon recruit for several months now.  Several.  She seems to have all the potential in the world, but she just doesn't seem to latch on to this couponing lifestyle.  I am not sure what her problem is......I encourage, I educate, she asks for more, but doesn't commit.  I am still trying. I believe that 2014 is her year.  I believe.  If it is not.........then I am done. :)



So, like any good coupon mentor I gave her a step by step that I will now share with you.

Scan the circulars



Cut coupons and place in the approprite file.


Drive to CVS


Always scan your card at the coupon center and check the print outs


Look! With the printed coupon this is free!


I was also surprised to receive my fall spending rewards. At cvs you earn overall points for shopping in the fall and spring and earn extra rewards. These rewards do not affect any of my shopping decisions and it shouldnt yours. Its just a nice surprise.



Special k cereal. Coupon from coupons.com


All mighty pacs


Pediacare


All of the above items are used by my family

Pay with extra bucks earned from previous purchase.


Check out the results. You can see what I spent and then what I got back!!





Yay!!! As my friend said "I bet you're on a high!"

Basically you want to roll your extra bucks so that you have little out of pocket.

So lets say you want to get started now and you do not have the extra bucks to pay for the items.  Without the extra bucks, my total out of pocket would be $14.86 and receive $6 back , so $8.86.  You purchased 6 products which averages to $1.47 each.  This is STILL significant savings compared to Wal-Mart, so it is worth your time to get started now!!

Deals This Week

Before I get to the deals, I want to share an update about my missionary friend Misti.  Remember the one we collected school supplies to help out?  I had the opportunity to visit with her this weekend and what an encouraging conversation!!! She is just amazing to speak with and always a reminder to point your eyes toward God at all times.  She mentioned a need that they have is medicines. Apparently to get any kind of medicines (cold/cough/headache/antibiotic) residents must make a 3 hour walk or an expensive bus ride. Can you imagine being sick and then having to walk 3 hours to get some tylenol? No thank you! The health unit often sends people to Misti's house for help (the health unit can tell them that they are sick, but have nothing to offer them). So she basically becomes her own little pharmacy and again giving her life selflessly.  Each opportunity she has to help the people in her community is an opportunity to share God's love.  So as I live my "fancy" American life, I see just another reason to coupon.  Medicines are always cheap or free, so I will most certainly plan to intentionally stock these products with her in mind!!!

Moving on to the deals.  There are only a couple that I noticed that would be worth making a stop.

CVS:

PediaCare Cough and Congestion Multi-System Cold - $5.99 with $5 extra bucks.  Use $1 off from pediacare.com and it is FREE!!

http://pediacare.com/coupon.aspx

Walgreens:

The Special K cereal consumed in buckets in our house is onsale for 2.33 (compared to $3 at Wal-Mart). Combined with coupons from coupons.com, we will be stocking!

I can't wait to share a quick and easy crock pot meal that I recently made!! Perfect for cold nights!!

The New Year

The new year is a good time to organize and review your wants and needs.  I spent a couple of hours organizing my cabinets, pantry, stockpile, and prize closet.  It may have been the best time I have had in a long time!! I am willing to admit that nothing gets me pumped up like organizing.  Who needs a fancy New Years Eve party with firecrackers? Just give me a couple of hours alone and a stockpile and I am drunk on excitement!!!  In real life this happened because I was lucky enough that both my kids napped at the same time.  Don't you just love that???







First up......the pantry.  I am willing to bet that it is pretty common for us to have things packed in the back of the pantry that we forget that we have?  Move those items to the front so that you don't forget about them!!  I had a couple of zatarans boxes (which I love for a quick dinner) stuffed into the corner that were upgraded to front and center.




Okay, next I jotted down meals that I am completely prepared to cook.  I have said it many times before, I need a plan.  I am not quick on my feet with decisions so a list helps me cut down on that blank staring that I often do staring in front of the fridge or pantry.  I also like to keep a list of freezer meals in my deep freeze (that I idea came from my sister).




I also check my stockpile.  I need to know what items I am low on or what items I have overstocked.  This helps me know what prices I am looking  to purchase.  For example, I gave alot of toothpaste away over the holidays so I am running low.  I am looking for the price of 25 cents to purchase.  I am overstocked on shaving cream and razors, therefore, unless free or moneymaker I do not need to purchase.




I encourage you to take some time to look around the house at what you have vs what you need.......personal hygiene, cleaning products, pantry items and make a list of what you need.  Take the time to look out for the best prices.  The more prepared and informed that you are the less likely you will be stuck without the product and have to pay full price.  EEK!

Closing Out the Week

A couple more things to talk about regarding after Christmas sales and then I will move on I promise.  Well, I will try unless something crazy pops up.

Wal-Mart Christmas is 75% off.  Not only do they have Christmas related products, they have several gifts for 75% off!! I picked up a few items for my prize closet for just $1.22 each!!



Okay, here is some big news.......are you ready for it??  If you are new to couponing/shopping sales, here is a bit of information for you.  Twice a year Target has a huge 70% toy blow out.  It happens in January and July to make room for the next season toys.  It is typically a ONE DAY SALE.  We need to collectively work together, friends, to stalk this sale.  It is rumored to be happening JANUARY 16.....rumored.  1/2 of my kids Christmas came from this sale in July.......it is good stuff!!



Okay, so this is what we need to do to prepare.  Think about or even make a list of the gifts you give throughout the year.  Birthday parties, Easter bunny, great job on shots, ect.  You need to go into the sale knowing what you are looking to pick up AND what you are wanting to spend.  It is easy to be blinded by all the great prices, so we must put on the armor of preparedness.



Are you so excited?!?!  Once you shop this sale, you may dream about it until July!