ohhhhhh, its been awhile

Okay, it has been awhile since I have been here. LIFE HAPPENED!!! So with a renewed need to save and keep life simple and in as much order, I today have chose to start fresh. Back to menu planning, couponing, and yes, the big B word ---budgeting. It is so easy to fall off the wagon to do all this even though it is not to complicated, just takes time to sit down and get it done. So here we go this is my week to reorganize. I have continue to follow many of my favorite blogs and found some new things. So here is my plan.....
---$70 per week for groceries
---Thursday- grocery shopping
---$120 additional per month amount for great deals to stock up in the pantry
---trying to see how many NO SPEND days I can get out of each week
---Wednesday-back to menu planning and sticking to it
---making a plan to keep track of what I have stocked up and rotating the dates.
---daily reminding myself the purpose for this--paying for everything in cash, making it to my 5 year plan of begin debt free--this includes our house, learning to cook more homemade items, and finally leaving below our means.
So thats the plan for now!!!!

New Year

Well it has been almost 2 month since I have blogged. Every year I vow to stay focused and unstressed as the holidays arrive but again this year I found myself busy and yes, stressed. Well today is New Years day and it is time to get back on track. This come year we are hoping to get our addition on our house started, so the purse strings will be tightened ALOT. I have planned to change my weekly budget amount to allow a little more wiggle room so I can do some stocking up OR might I say REstocking up. I will say that one great thing about have a good stock pile allowed me to need to do very little grocery shopping over the holiday months. I will be changing my weekly amount to $70 however this week I will only be buying a few things and will be working on new menu and stock up list through the week.

Week 4

This coming weekend is my baby boys 9th birthday, WOW how fast they grow. So for his actually birthday day he gets to pick the days meals.(good thing his not to picky except for wanting a volcano cake)
So here is my shopping list. I did go a little over my $50 do to the birthday meal. I shopped at two stores Walmart and Pioneer.
1 head of lettuce
2 lbs red onions
2 bunches green onions
2 lbs tomatoes
2 lb brick of med. cheddar cheese
2 rolls of paper towels
1 120 count pack of napkins
2 gallons of milk
1 half gallon of ice cream
4 packs of hamburger buns
3 loaves of bread
2 bags of lays kettle chips
7 2 liter bottles of Dr. Pepper 10(had FREE coupons for these)
3 containers of frosting
1 spray oil
1 dill relish
2 packs of freezer bags
Total- $59.59
I did not mind going over since last week I was under.

This is my menu for the week

BREAKFAST
Sun-Waffles
Mon-Cereal and fruit
Tues-Zuc. muffins and yogurt
Wed.-toast and eggs
Thur.-Oatmeal and toast
Fri-cereal and fruit
Sat-Noah's choice

LUNCH
Sun-meat sand and chicken soup
Mon-Tuna sand and tomato soup
Tues-roast beef sand and fruit
Wed.-PB&J sand and fruit
Thurs-Spag. O's and bread & butter
Fri-Top Ramen and meat sands
Sat-Noah's choice

DINNER
Sun-skillet meal with salad
Mon-roast, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini
Tues-Hamburger gravy over rice and steamed veggies
Wed-Steak fajitas and rice
Thurs-Salmon, rice, and steamed veggies
Fri-Chili and corn bread
Sat- Noah's birthday pick-hamburgers, fries, and chips

SNACK
Sun-popcorn
Mon-frozen yogurt
Tues-fruit leather
Wed-fruit
Thurs-frozen yogurt
Fri-popcorn
Sat-Noah's birthday cake and ice cream

So yesterday I made bean soup for the first time. Using a bag of pinto beans, salt, water, diced onions, and a pack of stew meat all thrown into the crock pot, I must say YUMMY and it was definately as easy as I was told. Yesterday was also my baking day-I made 4 dozen muffins and 3 batches of apple pie filling. In an earlier post I talked about using things that are offered. My parents have a few apple trees that they don't really do anything with. Previously I used the apples in the dehydrator and now I have used some to make pie filling to freeze. Our freezer is full making it easy to stick to a grocery budget--we bought 1/2 a cow so we have lots of beef, we have fish, and my husband also got his deer yesterday so soon we will have deer meat, and the first of the year we will be getting 1/2 a pig. Even though it may see like a lot of money to buy a half of an animal to butcher at one time, in the long run it will save you money.

ok this is a late post

This weeks shopping was very minimal due to trying to use up somethings.
So here is what was bought--
1 head of lettuce
2 boxes of taco shells
2 packs aujus mix
2 packs turkey gravy
2 packs brown gravy
1 gallon of milk
1 1 lb block of cheese
2 4 packs of toilet paper
2 16 oz containers of sour cream
Total $20.08 (not bad when the milk cost $4.67)

The menu for Sun. Oct. 16- Sat. Oct. 22
BREAKFAST
Sun-Oatmeal and toast
Mon-English muffins an yogurt
Tues-Waffles
Wed-Cereal and fruit
Thurs-Oatmeal and toast
Fri-Muffins and yogurt
Sat-Cereal and Fruit

LUNCH-
Sun.-Leftovers
Mon.-Meat sanwiches and top ramen
Tues-Sloppy Joes
Wed-PB & J Sandwiches and chicken noodle soup
Thurs-Tacos
Fri-Lunchables
Sat.-Leftovers

DINNER-
Sun-Steak, potatoes, corn, and green beans
Mon.-Stew and corn bread
Tues-Tuna casserole and green beans
Wed-Spaghetti and salad
Thurs-Leftovers
Fri-GONE
Sat.-?

SNACKS-
Sun-frozen yogurt
Mon-dried fruit
Tues-popcorn
Wed-fruit leather
Thurs-cupcakes
Fri-fruit
Sat-granola bars

What is frugal?

So I have been asked why I am trying to save money and why am I couponing. My reasoning for FINDING FRUGAL is because, well I am a spender. Before, I wasn't totally paying attention to what I spent, all I knew was that I had the money but wasn't really caring where it went. I have come to the conclusion I would like to be TOTALLY DEBT FREE, and yes this includes the house. My husband was skeptical at first how long it would last and the kids complained when they were told NO WE WILL NOT BE STOPPING MY MCDONALS OR THE DQ JUST BECAUSE WE DROVE BY IT. (lol)

What is frugal--from the dictionary--careful management of resources, stingy.

Okay, the part that said stingy is a part that I don't agree with, but careful management of RESOURCES, thats it, thats the definition I am working by. Frugal is not just not spending money but making sure you use what you have and don't waste it. Here are some of the changes I have made to help my money and resources to be careful managed.
***setting a spending budget and sticking to it
***making a menu, starting with what I have on hand and then with what is on sale at the grocery store, and watching what coupons I have to be used for the items I purchase.
***premaking meals-this helps on cost and time in the long run
*** using the right amount--for example, I have stopped just dumping in laundry soap into the washer and now I am measuring it--this one was a shocker my soap is lasting twice as long.
***using over flow fruits and veggies from family member gardens.
***stopping impulse shopping and stopping shopping with kids(I still do take them on occasion but they still think that its a free for all when we shopping, sorry kids the purse straps have been glued shut.

So are you trying to cut back or trying to be frugal. Cutting back can be kind of stressful. Pick one think to change, master it, and then pick something else. Its amazing that after a few changes how much of a difference you will see.

Shopping trip #2

So my shopping trip was not exactly how I planned original but it worked. Orginally I was going to try to only spend so much in certain areas but do to a busy schedule I skipped that thought.
So here is how my shopping went

TOP FOODS
15 cans S&W beans (for chili)
2 lbs of yellow onions
1 box pancake mix (for homemade waffles for the freezer)
6 bottle of sports drinks
4 packs of tic tacs
2 packs au jus mix
1 gallon of milk
10 lbs of potatoes
2 lbs of brown sugar
5 lbs of flour
TOTAL--$25.92 (SAVINGS-$27.67--51% savings)

SAFEWAY--
6 32oz bottles of apples juice
8 candy bars
10 yoplait yogurts
4 campbells chicken noodle soup
4 campbells tomato soup
1 campbell cream of celery soup
1 container of corn starch
2 premade pizza dough balls
2 lb brick of cheese
1 1/2 dozen eggs
T0TAL--$29.42 (SAVINGS-33.25--53% savings)

RITE AID
2 packs cough drops
1 pack wipes
16 4 pack of toilet paper (regular rolls)
TOTAL--$5.46 (SAVINGS--$24.17--82%)

TOTAL SPENT--$60.80 (SAVINGS $85.09--58%)

Okay, so I went over my $50 by $10.80 and my saving was lower than I wish. This really shows me why better planning is key to making this work. First of all my menu was not done BEFORE I went shopping so I just kind of bought what I THOUGHT we might need, not good. Lesson learned. Thanks goodness I am new at this, I guess all I can say that practice, practice, and more practice will help me.

Here is our menu for the week
Breakfast-
Sun.-Waffles and fruit
Mon.-Muffins and yogurt
Tues-Cereal
Wed.-Oatmeal and toast
Thur.-Waffles and fruit
Fri.-Cereal
Sat.-Oatmeal and toast

Lunch-
Sun.-Homemade pizza
Mon.-Grill cheese and chicken noodle soup
Tues.-Tuna Sand. and fruit
Wed.-tortilla and rice mix
Thurs.-meat sand and fruit
Fri.-ravioli and bread & butter
Sat.-leftovers

Dinner-
Sun-Hambuger gravy,rice, and peas
Mon.-roast, potatoes, and corn
Tues.-chili and corn bread
Wed.-hambuger helper and green beans
Thurs.-homemade pizza
Fri-fish, rice, and steamed veggies
Sat.-Hamburgers and homemade fries

Snacks-
Sun-dried fruit
Mon.-fruit leather
Tues.-granola bars and apples
Wed.-dried fruit
Thurs.-popcorn
Fri.-fruit leather
Sat. granola bars and apples

Hoping to start learning to make 2-3 new things a month from scratch, should be fun!!

Something interesting I found

So in my search of usable information, this was found on the web site momsneedtoknow.com
Its a break down of how the $50 could be spent per week

Milk-$7-10.50
Bread-$2-3
Eggs and dairy(other than milk)-$5
Fresh produce-$12-15
Everything else/the stockpile-$17-20

Kind of interesting, think I might see if next week I could work with those numbers with the exception of switching the eggs and dairy amount around with the milk amount.