My Dad Loves Me!

I went to Homeland today to meet my dad since we were having a family dinner at their house and like always there are a few 'last minute' items to pick up. While waiting for him to arrive I wanted to go ahead and make use of my $6.03 that I had left since I had the time. So, I looked around and picked up a few things, paid, took them to the car, and decided to come back in and fill up again using my coupons. I decided to go ahead and dip into my February money I debated and although some may disagree I was completely okay with it...I would rather make use of the time rather than make a separate drive back out later with my almost 3 year old in tow. Anyways, I got the following:

So, the great thing about this is that I paid for my first transaction of almost $7.00 (I went over just a hair but under $1.00)--will fill in the exact amount as soon as I remember where I put that silly receipt. :) The second transaction I had all ready to go (complete with Pull-ups and Goldfish crackers...that mysteriously ALWAYS go missing from my pictures...) and then my dad proceeded to tell me that groceries were free for daughters today...isn't that soooo sweet!!! The total of the items he bought me ended up being $22.20 ($11.00 of which was the stinkin' Pull-ups). The breakdown of the receipt is that I/he saved $30.35 (60% off). I am not including this in my monthly total as it was a gift even with my coupons.

Chinet Plates SP 2.50 - $1/1 IP= 0.50

Pillsbury Savorings SP 2.99 - $1/1 IP= .99

Farm Rich Battered Mushrooms SP 5.99 - $1/1 MC= 3.99 (I LOVE these but they are usually 8.19!!!)

Pepperidge Farm Bread SP 2.50 - $1/1 IP= 0.50

OR Popcorn SP 1.66 - $1/1 IP= FREE

Olay Ribbons Body Wash SP 2.99 - $1/1 MC= .99

Kotex Lightdays RP 1.29- $.75/1= FREE

Ocean Spray Light SP 2.50 - $1/1 IP= 0.50

Puffs SP 1.00- $0.25/1= 0.50

There were a couple of other things that he paid for but I sent home with him even though I used the coupon. Its about helping everyone out so I am so thankful that he did unexpectedly. I am now only a few cents over my budget although I was already planning to dip into February Money!

Homeland In The Snow/Freezing Rain/Ice!!!

I was at work today with all the Snow (err..freezing rain/ice) that fell here in Oklahoma and headed home when I remembered that Homeland had Hamburger Meat on Sale for $1.69/lb!!! So, (it was already on the way I swear) I stopped in to pick up a few pounds for freezing. Not a lot because my budget said "no" but I got what I needed until I find it again. So, here's what I got:


Item Missing: 12pk Dr. Pepper (this always happens when I do pics)

Breakdown OOP 12.84; Savings 23.82
3lbs Hamburger Meat @ 1.69lb
Colgate Toothpaste SP 1.50 -.75 MC (x2)= FREE!
LD Crispy Treats SP 1.45-.55 IP (x2)= .35
Suave Shamp/Cond SP 1.00ea- 1.00/2 MC (x2)= FREE!
Raisins 14 mini pkgs SP 1.00ea- 1.00/2 MC (x2)= FREE!
Fiber Plus Bars SP 2.00-.75 IP (x2)= .50
BC Scalloped Potatoes SP 1.00- .40 IP (x2)= .20
TGIF Spinach Dip SP 3.95-1.50 Catalina Coupon= 2.45
12pk Dr. Pepper SP 2.96

I always feel like I have to justify each purchase so I bought the pop for storage at my desk at work (canned pop is .65 ea) and lately I have been having crazy Dr. Pepper cravings (NOT pregnant) but this will still save me money vs. "the machine." The TGIF was a complete impulse buy but at least I had a coupon. I am a sucker for Alfredo based Spinach Dip and with our budget there is not much eating out so I am satisfying a craving without experiencing 2 year old at a restaurant issues (you all know what I mean- I used to wait tables and OH the stories). I think the raisins would be a good Valentines Day Party treat for my lil' mans 2 year old daycare class and at FREE, why not? The crispy treats at 0.35 will get shipped overseas in my brothers Valentines Day Care Package. Part of having is giving, right?

Money Spent for January: 118.97
Money left in Budget for January: 6.03 (only 4 days to go!!)

Packages to Afghanistan...My Brother!!!

My brother just left to go overseas on the 8th of this month for his deployment so I made a promise to him and a goal to myself to send him a care package every two weeks when I get paid. So, here is package #1! By the way couponing is so great. Most of the items I am sending I got really inexpensive so I am just mostly out the shipping (which keeps going up)!!!

Here are most of the items before packing:

My two year old (almost three) wanted to help with the packing. It is so important he is a part of this. He actually asked if he could send Bubba (his uncle) some of his snack he got at the store (the oatmeal creme pies)...
Here we are packed to go, with shipping at $11.95 for the box I try to stuff it as best I can. We are going to do another box this weekend for Valentines Day. Shipping time is approximately 7-10 days so if I ship on Monday the 2nd it should arrive in plenty of time :)

RR's Chili Dip

Named after a co-worker who brought it to me. I would have NEVER tried this if I saw the recipe out there but it is GREAT so here it is. I am thinking Superbowl Sunday...

Ingredients
1 80z pkg Cream Cheese (softened)
1 can Hormel Chili (preferred brand but up to your preference)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or blend)

In a shallow dish (I usually use an 8 inch clear pie plate) spread the cream cheese along the bottom, follow with the chili, and then top with shredded cheese. Place this in the microwave until the shredded cheese on top is melted (or do so in the oven) and then serve with tortilla chips.
*Note: this can be made ahead (cover with saran wrap and place in fridge) and then just wait to heat until you are ready to enjoy!

$6.03 Left...4 Days To Go...Can I Make It???

I ran by the store today to pick up some Hamburger Meat as discussed previously as well as a 12pk of Dr. Pepper (not usually a HUGE pop drinker) but at $0.65 per can at work I thought I'd better go ahead and get it while it was on sale. After tallying todays spend (above) I am down to $6.03 in my budget to last me the next 4 days. This wouldn't be too bad except that when I got home my hall light and spare bedroom light bulbs burned out and of course I went to get new ones from the storage area to find out that....I'm out. Dang the luck! I also forgot to pick up the dish detergent which was not a good thing. We are having an ice storm here so if I get stuck in tomorrow I will either have to load the presoaked dishes to await the soap or wash them all by hand...well, I do have some old styrofoam plates as well as Chinet plates so maybe we can use those instead. :) I did okay on the items I bought becaue they were mostly free but the big ticket items (Dr. Pepper 12pk, Hamburger Meat, and the impulse buy Spinach Dip (I had a coupon though!!)) brought my total to $12.84.

No more shopping for me unless it is light bulbs but I think they can wait until Sunday when I get my next months budget started (I borrowed bulbs from the bedroom light fixture which was a bit bright anyway). I have some Hellman's Mayo Coupons that expire on the 31st so I will be debating this purchase (better to stay under budget or to stock up when a coupon expires?). I will wait to debate this one amongst myself.

01/22/09 Update

I have been spending some more money stocking up on certain key items that were on sale and since I only have $34.85 left for my budget this month (the next 9 days) I am going to try and pick up some hamburger meat at Homeland (10.00 after tax should get me 5 lbs of meat to cook and store in my freezer). This should last me until the next time it is on sale.

I also got some coupons in the mail today for Kotex Lightdays Pantiliners (I bought them on Ebay) but this is because I can now figure my OOP (out of pocket) expense will only be the tax for each pkg so its a good deal even for the $3.00 I spent for the coupons on Ebay. I will have enough pantiliners when this is all over said and done to last me over a year (maybe 2) and I will be able to donate some at the end of the year as well...GOOD deal.

Well, beyond that I am going to have to get some dish soap for the dishwasher and I also might need to pick up some more Huggies Pull ups as well as milk. I am going to try and strech this last bit of money to make it. It is only FREE items for me until next month unless it is a necessity.

Grocery Budget for 2009

Okay, I am setting my family with a $125.00 a month grocery budget for the entire year of 2009. That is $1500 for the year...can we do it???? I am hoping we can and I think by blogging it I can hold myself accountable so here goes nothing!!!

What does our $125/month budget call for??? It calls for groceries, necessities, toiletries, hygiene, our sons pull-ups, dog food, and mostly anything that we would normally have to get at Wal-mart. This does not count underwear, my regular make-up (I will include special buys but I use a particular make-up and will not change this so it is in a separate budget line), clothing, etc.

Will I go over some months? I will try my ABSOLUTE BEST to not go over this budget while trying to stockpile for certain things. If there is a great deal I may but it will be minimal and I am sure some months will be a bit under so it is not exact but pretty darn close.

Where will I get my coupons? Well, most of them are from the internet because stores I shop at allow them. I do buy (not religiously but I am doing better) a Sunday Paper each week (this does NOT come out of my budget). Also, if it is an everyday item that I can get for free or near free I have felt it okay to purchase coupons on Ebay, etc. I know some people are against this but I also know that those people MAY purchase more than one Sunday paper. Since I don't want to spend $1.50 per copy to get the paper and only use 2-3 coupons out of each I would rather spend the $3-4 on the internet and get 1-2 sets of coupons for the things that we use most often.
ex: I (like most other women) use pantiliners. Now, most of us know that these things for a fairly decent box at Wal-mart are like $7.00 (guesstimate here). I would rather spend $3.00 on the internet purchasing 30 or more coupons to get 0.75/1 any size box coupon. This coupon will allow me to get the 22ct box at my Homeland (which doubles coupons up to $1.00) for free. So, now I can get 660 or more pantliners for $3.00 or so. This works for me but ONLY on free products that are shelf stable and we use in our home regularly...not just because I saw it. It is easy to get crazy with the Ebay thing...trust me.

I am hoping to put posts in here for Monthly updates on what we got as a sum so I hope I stay consistent!