• Lettuce, as a daily staple vegetable, isn’t cheap. A 12-ounce bag of the non-iceberg variety is $3.69 for full retail, and barely feeds a family of four at dinner. Heads of romaine, butter, or red/green leaf varieties are upward of $2 per head. At $3.69 per bag, eating your own lettuce every other day during the summer will save you over $160 on your grocery bill.
• Every variety of lettuce (with the exception of iceberg) is rich in vitamins and nutrients and part of a healthy diet.
• Lettuce seeds are cheap. A single $1.79 packet will grow you all the lettuce you can eat all summer long.
• Lettuce can be grown in containers, so even if you don’t have garden space, a bag of soil and a dozen containers will keep you rolling in fresh lettuce this summer.
• You can grow your lettuce without chemicals, so if you’re trying to go organic, growing your own lettuce is a good way to incorporate your own organic harvest into your diet.
• Lettuce grows in just a matter of weeks, so you can start early, and then rotate more into your garden throughout the summer and well into early fall.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Free Breakfast at Denny's
On Tuesday 2/3/09 Denny's will be giving a free grand slam breakfast to everyone from 6am to 2pm. Sounds good to me!
Also at Walgreens this week:
Thermacare heat wrap $2.49
Easy saver rebate $2.49 free or profit if you have a coupon.
Walgreens multipurpose solution $1.99
easy saver rebate $1.99
Garnier Fructis hair care $3.99
rebate $3.99 free or profit if you have a coupon
Revlon age defying concealer, foundation, or lip gloss $9.99
rebate $9.99 or profit if you have coupons
Also at Walgreens this week:
Thermacare heat wrap $2.49
Easy saver rebate $2.49 free or profit if you have a coupon.
Walgreens multipurpose solution $1.99
easy saver rebate $1.99
Garnier Fructis hair care $3.99
rebate $3.99 free or profit if you have a coupon
Revlon age defying concealer, foundation, or lip gloss $9.99
rebate $9.99 or profit if you have coupons
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Be careful of advice
Ok, so the title of this post is kind of funny since I'm giving advice, but it's important to be careful of the advice you are getting. Make sure it's from a good source. Crown is an excellent source with a biblical basis to it. One of the things it teaches very strongly is avoidance of debt. Whenever you see something encouraging you to incur debt I would strongly advise against it. Debt is nothing more than bondage to your lender. There is an article in the Fresno Bee that I found very little to agree with. Our grandparents understood the value of living within their means but somewhere along the way that was lost and credit was encouraged. So if you read the article today on "Feeling the pinch" for whatever it's worth here is my take on it.
1. I do agree with looking through your checking account and credit card statements to get a clear picture on what you are doing with your money. Be careful with how you pay your bills. Avoid atm fees and late fees. It can mean hundreds of dollars in savings each year.
2. Do not buy bottled water. You can buy a good home filtration system instead for a couple hundred and just take your own water with you. Better yet just drink from the tap. There is nothing wrong with it.
3. Only buy stuff on sale. Be careful of the prices. Sometimes what you think is a sale isn't a sale so it's important to know your prices.
4. Buy private label brands. They taste the same, believe me. I see no difference from one can of tomatoes to the next but there is sure a difference in price.
5. The article advises shopping at warehouse clubs. It used to be true that if you bought in larger quantities you saved money. Now this is no longer true. Be careful shopping at warehouse clubs, often the prices are no better.
6. Cook your own food. I totally agree with that one. Eating out is very expensive.
7. I don't agree with using your credit card for a large purchase in order to get the extended warranty. It is often much cheaper to pay cash, you can often get a discount for that. If you have money you keep in savings for household maintenence it will draw interest. Extended warranties are rarely used anyway making them a waste of money, but in the event you need a repair it is often less than what you paid for the warranty.
8. Use credit cards for shopping discounts. This is sort of true only if you pay off the card immediately. Otherwise your savings in eaten up in interest.
9. Take advantage of AAA or AARP discounts when traveling. Always ask what discounts or specials are available. Definitely like that advice. There is almost always a way to save on that stuff.
10. Review insurance accounts and eliminate unneeded coverage. Sometimes you can combine your home with your car giving you an excellent discount.
11. Raise the deductible on your insurance but make sure it isn't for more than you can afford.
12. Cut back on ongoing subscriptions or services. I recently changed our cell phone service at a savings of over $300 a year.
13. The last piece of advice was to keep the thermostat at 60 degrees and use baseboard heaters in the rooms the family spends the most time in. I'm not so sure about that one. Gas is generally cheaper than electricity and many space heaters are far from efficient. I do highly recommend a programmable thermostat. Our bill dropped by $50 a month when we started using one of those. When my daughter moved out it dropped another $50. I'd like to know how one person used so much! Since you can't really get rid of your kids, I do recommend talking with them about the cost of the utilities and the importance of using them carefully.
So that is my take on the article, and as it stated it can all be done without clipping coupons!
1. I do agree with looking through your checking account and credit card statements to get a clear picture on what you are doing with your money. Be careful with how you pay your bills. Avoid atm fees and late fees. It can mean hundreds of dollars in savings each year.
2. Do not buy bottled water. You can buy a good home filtration system instead for a couple hundred and just take your own water with you. Better yet just drink from the tap. There is nothing wrong with it.
3. Only buy stuff on sale. Be careful of the prices. Sometimes what you think is a sale isn't a sale so it's important to know your prices.
4. Buy private label brands. They taste the same, believe me. I see no difference from one can of tomatoes to the next but there is sure a difference in price.
5. The article advises shopping at warehouse clubs. It used to be true that if you bought in larger quantities you saved money. Now this is no longer true. Be careful shopping at warehouse clubs, often the prices are no better.
6. Cook your own food. I totally agree with that one. Eating out is very expensive.
7. I don't agree with using your credit card for a large purchase in order to get the extended warranty. It is often much cheaper to pay cash, you can often get a discount for that. If you have money you keep in savings for household maintenence it will draw interest. Extended warranties are rarely used anyway making them a waste of money, but in the event you need a repair it is often less than what you paid for the warranty.
8. Use credit cards for shopping discounts. This is sort of true only if you pay off the card immediately. Otherwise your savings in eaten up in interest.
9. Take advantage of AAA or AARP discounts when traveling. Always ask what discounts or specials are available. Definitely like that advice. There is almost always a way to save on that stuff.
10. Review insurance accounts and eliminate unneeded coverage. Sometimes you can combine your home with your car giving you an excellent discount.
11. Raise the deductible on your insurance but make sure it isn't for more than you can afford.
12. Cut back on ongoing subscriptions or services. I recently changed our cell phone service at a savings of over $300 a year.
13. The last piece of advice was to keep the thermostat at 60 degrees and use baseboard heaters in the rooms the family spends the most time in. I'm not so sure about that one. Gas is generally cheaper than electricity and many space heaters are far from efficient. I do highly recommend a programmable thermostat. Our bill dropped by $50 a month when we started using one of those. When my daughter moved out it dropped another $50. I'd like to know how one person used so much! Since you can't really get rid of your kids, I do recommend talking with them about the cost of the utilities and the importance of using them carefully.
So that is my take on the article, and as it stated it can all be done without clipping coupons!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
cooking from the pantry
I'm making a grocery list today for a weeks worth of menus. The first thing I do is take inventory of what I have on hand. This way no food gets wasted. I have 2 whole chickens, smoked sausage, chicken tenderloins, shrimp, and some leftover ham I froze from Christmas to work with. I also have in the pantry cans of soup, and Kung Pao chicken mix. I then try to think of ways to use this stuff or if I have already exhausted my own recipes I use regularly then I start looking for recipes. Whole foods has great recipes, taste of home, pilsbury, and I love to use top secret restaurant recipes. For the chicken I don't usually use whole chickens so I will look for recipes for that. I bought several of them at Winco a couple of weeks ago when they were selling them for .64 cents a pound. It was an excellent price so I loaded up. When I go shopping I'm always looking for stuff that has been marked down to get rid of. I take it home and freeze it immediately so it's not a problem. This creates ways to find new favorites for your family. I remembered a recipe I haven't used in a while from my Yoshidas cookbook for smoked sausage. It's super easy and right up Ken's alley. (He's into easy) I found a potpie recipe for the ham on taste of homes website. (This one I will cook) Chicken cacciatore for the crockpock, oven fried chicken, shrimp and black bean tacos, Kung Pao chicken, soup and sandwiches, and Olive gardens chicken scampi. (Top secret recipes) I then make a grocery list of the missing ingredients for the recipes and off I go. I practically have a weeks worth of food already in the pantry/freezer so I will actually need very little at the store. While I am there I will take my coupons and look for sales. I stock up on what I can while I'm there. If you already know what you use regularly it's easy to keep your pantry well stocked at good prices on stuff you know you use all the time. Taking inventory also prevents you from wasting fresh fruits and vegetables. For example, I have avocados that need to be used so I will look for ways to use them so they are not wasted, like in the shrimp and black bean tacos.
Ok, I'm back from the store. I went to Vons because I needed to get Eli a new prescription for his toothache. I need to figure out how to save on that bill! Anyway I got a $30 giftcard for the new prescription, bought $72 worth of stuff, saved $24 on Vons club, Had a $10 off coupon when you buy $50 worth of food, another $3 in coupons less the $30 gift card so I paid $5 total. Not bad for a weeks worth of dinners!
Ok, I'm back from the store. I went to Vons because I needed to get Eli a new prescription for his toothache. I need to figure out how to save on that bill! Anyway I got a $30 giftcard for the new prescription, bought $72 worth of stuff, saved $24 on Vons club, Had a $10 off coupon when you buy $50 worth of food, another $3 in coupons less the $30 gift card so I paid $5 total. Not bad for a weeks worth of dinners!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy Monday!
Happy Monday! Here is my news and freebies for the week.
Jolly Time popcorn is offering a free grocery bag.
Send 3 upc's and your name and address to
Jolly time popcorn reusable bag
Box 178
Sioux City IA, 51102
Kmart for some bizarre reason decided to quit the double coupon promo in the middle of the week. Why, I have no idea, but I did write the corporate office a letter regarding this. I'm just glad I shopped early. I guess I will have to investigate the Kingsburg Kmart, or the Lemoore Kmart if they don't want to double in the future. Very disappointing!
Walgreens:
You can still get the Revlon lipstick, blush, eyeliner, and eye shadow free.
Printer Cartridge refill free after $5 rebate
Orajel free after $8.49 rebate or a profit if you have a coupon
Colgate toothpaste $2.99
Get $2 in register rewards, use $1 coupon and it's free.
Rite Aid:
Garnier Fructis shampoo/conditioner $2.99 free after rebate or profit if you have a coupon.
I got my hickory farms box today and boy is it impressive. I hope others did this deal as I checked today and it's over now.
If you ever thought coupons were not worth your time a lady posted on the internet the other day that she spent 1,800 last year on groceries Saved 1,390 with coupons and did another $309 in rebates. She then banked her savings. So if you ever thought your $1000 emergency fund was out of the question if you just put your coupon savings in the bank you would have normally spent it doesn't cost you anything out of pocket.
Happy Saving!
Jolly Time popcorn is offering a free grocery bag.
Send 3 upc's and your name and address to
Jolly time popcorn reusable bag
Box 178
Sioux City IA, 51102
Kmart for some bizarre reason decided to quit the double coupon promo in the middle of the week. Why, I have no idea, but I did write the corporate office a letter regarding this. I'm just glad I shopped early. I guess I will have to investigate the Kingsburg Kmart, or the Lemoore Kmart if they don't want to double in the future. Very disappointing!
Walgreens:
You can still get the Revlon lipstick, blush, eyeliner, and eye shadow free.
Printer Cartridge refill free after $5 rebate
Orajel free after $8.49 rebate or a profit if you have a coupon
Colgate toothpaste $2.99
Get $2 in register rewards, use $1 coupon and it's free.
Rite Aid:
Garnier Fructis shampoo/conditioner $2.99 free after rebate or profit if you have a coupon.
I got my hickory farms box today and boy is it impressive. I hope others did this deal as I checked today and it's over now.
If you ever thought coupons were not worth your time a lady posted on the internet the other day that she spent 1,800 last year on groceries Saved 1,390 with coupons and did another $309 in rebates. She then banked her savings. So if you ever thought your $1000 emergency fund was out of the question if you just put your coupon savings in the bank you would have normally spent it doesn't cost you anything out of pocket.
Happy Saving!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
My spending plan
Excessive Concern about Finances:
People in financial slavery are under such economic stress that they can’t get their finances out of their heads. At home, they worry about finances; at work, they think about their bills; driving the car, they calculate their bank account; eating dinner, they plan how they will make their payments. It makes them a giant bag of nerves.
This has often been me. For far too long I have been in financial slavery. What a relief it was to find out that God really did have a blueprint for money and that there wasn't something wrong with me. I was just a bad planner because I didn't have a plan. I started using the plan several years ago and I can't tell you how much better things have been since then as long as Ken and I stay on the plan.
Well it's finished. I completed my spending plan today, a little later than I originally planned but I'm a known procrastinator. I had to make some major changes as the cost of almost everything has gone up but I have also eliminated some of my bills so I was pleasantly surprised when I was finished. Now I wish I had done it a while ago. I hope with our new spending plan in effect Ken and I will do a better job of sticking to the plan. This one is more realistic than the previous one. I think it's hard to make sure you have a little money to go out with when you have so many other things that are essential to take care of. It's important to allow for that though so you don't end up feeling miserable. That is a hard lesson for me to remember. So anyway, I'm looking forward to rebuilding my emergency fund, and more careful spending this year. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
People in financial slavery are under such economic stress that they can’t get their finances out of their heads. At home, they worry about finances; at work, they think about their bills; driving the car, they calculate their bank account; eating dinner, they plan how they will make their payments. It makes them a giant bag of nerves.
This has often been me. For far too long I have been in financial slavery. What a relief it was to find out that God really did have a blueprint for money and that there wasn't something wrong with me. I was just a bad planner because I didn't have a plan. I started using the plan several years ago and I can't tell you how much better things have been since then as long as Ken and I stay on the plan.
Well it's finished. I completed my spending plan today, a little later than I originally planned but I'm a known procrastinator. I had to make some major changes as the cost of almost everything has gone up but I have also eliminated some of my bills so I was pleasantly surprised when I was finished. Now I wish I had done it a while ago. I hope with our new spending plan in effect Ken and I will do a better job of sticking to the plan. This one is more realistic than the previous one. I think it's hard to make sure you have a little money to go out with when you have so many other things that are essential to take care of. It's important to allow for that though so you don't end up feeling miserable. That is a hard lesson for me to remember. So anyway, I'm looking forward to rebuilding my emergency fund, and more careful spending this year. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
$5 dinners
I ran across a website last night for $5 dinners. I don't know that I would do it all the time, but it does look like fun. www.5dollardinners.com
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