Cheap Groceries Rock

We went to Save Mart this week to pick up a few things on sale with coupons. Here's what we got:

25 packages of pasta (10/$10)

20 pounds of chicken (on sale for .59 per pound)

4 pounds blueberries (2 pound pkgs. were marked down to 1.99!)

2 big packages jalapenos (.99 each and our peppers haven't blown up yet in the garden. Mama needs to make some jalapeno jelly!)

1 pound baby bella mushrooms (regular 4.99 per pound marked down to 1.99)

4 (2 liters) Pepsi Max (I've never tried this stuff, but they were on sale 4/$4 and there was a .55 blinkie on the shelf, so .45 ea. Sold!)

I used 25 $1/1 coupons for the pasta and 4 of the .55 coupons for the Pepsi. The grand total out of pocket for all this was $21.21!!!

How did your shopping go this week?

Until next time, rock on my friends!

Super Simple Gift Idea

With all the back to school and gift giving talk this week, I wanted to share this quick and easy idea with you. It cost me a penny. It would have been .02 if I used the red folder to make the tag. The marker, index card and ribbon I already had. At Christmas time, I'll actually take a few extra moments and fancy up the tag a bit, but for a trial run in August, I think it's pretty cute! Until next time, rock on my friends!

Cheap School Supplies

Staying with the Back to school theme this week, I wanted to show you just how cheap some supplies really are this week. My total (after tax) for everything pictured (11 items) was a whole 12 cents. Yeah, 12 cents. These folders are great for report covers and for a penny, even if you cut them up for colored paper, it's a great deal! Check out your local Office Max ad, grab a handful of pennies and get going! Happy shopping! Until next time, rock on my friends!

Back To School=Gifts!

If you did it right, summer went by way too fast this year. I know it did around here! We've been back to school for a couple weeks, but we're still ironing out all the kinks. Back to school also means it's time for me to dust off my Christmas binder and start planning. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, but with 124 days left, and an extremely tight budget this year, I don't have any time (or money) to waste! Here's a list of back to school items that I try to stock up on now, so I don't have to pay full price later. Keep in mind, over the next couple/few weeks, the stores will also be putting alot of these on clearance. Backpacks. Why? It never hurts to keep a spare in the closet so mid-year, when someone has a blowout, I don't have to rush out and pay full price. They also come in handy for overnight trips and 72 hour kits. The character themed backpacks also make a cute gift for little ones. Lunch boxes, water bottles and Thermos's. Why? Keeping a spare or three in the house keeps my sanity in check when my son forgets his at school on Friday, or my daughter leaves a banana in her lunchbox over the entire winter vacation and it dies a slow and stinky death. Yeah, spares are good. I also keep one for shopping days and yard sales. Pack a lunch and save yourself a trip through the drive thru! These also make cute little birthday and holiday gifts. Binders. Why? I personally have a binder addiction, in case you couldn't tell here or here. They are awesome for organizing coupons, concert venues and ticket stubs, holidays and household papers. You can organize your recipes or print off your favorites and make a "cookbook" for gifts. Add printer paper to list as well. It's super cheap this time of year. Why on earth would you want to pay double later? Composition books. Why? These are no more than .50 now. If you decorate the front with some cute scrapbook paper, you'll have made a journal gift for someone on your list. Pencil pouches. Why? Last year, I made a few survival kits at Christmas and used the pouches instead of jars. I loved the way they turned out, so I'll be picking up plenty of extras. They are great for storing puzzles and board game pieces long after the kids tear up the boxes. Sharpies. Why? Most schools don't allow these anymore, but they write well on homemade CD's and DVD's. I also won't go to any concert without a sharpie in my pocket. In case you missed that story check it out here. Pens, pencils, crayons, markers, erasers, sharpeners, glue, etc. Why? Oh, where to begin? These items are all on sale now for a penny to a quarter. Think stocking stuffers, gift baskets, Easter baskets, goody bags, rainy day or heat day kits. If you participate in any of the shoebox donation drives during the holidays, or want to donate to a shelter or school, a very little bit of money can go so far this time of year. To be continued... Until next time, rock on my friends!

Wow! It's Sure Been A While!

Hey there everyone! I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. I just had to stop in and let you know that the mosh pit that I call my life is still spinnin'. Like every good pit, though, when it gets really crazy, you can't help but fall on your ass from time to time. But you get back up, shake it off, check for missing teeth and jump back in! Game on! Until next time, rock on my friends!

Dog Treats That Humans Will Hijack

Yesterday was a rainy day which was a great setting for finishing up the baking that I didn't get to on Saturday. I had about an hour to kill while waiting for some cookie dough to chill, but already had the oven on from the first batch. I thumbed through a couple cookbooks for quick inspiration and came across a recipe for Cheese Bone Cookies For Dogs. Now, my dog gets treats regularly, but I've never actually MADE them. There's a first time for everything, though, right?

These were crazy simple to make, especially because I didn't bother with the cookie cutter step. I figured I can make them cute next time IF the pooch actually liked them.

When they came out of the oven they smelled awesome! Of course, garlic cheddar anything coming out of the oven smells amazing. Curiosity got the best of us all, and we HAD to try these treats. Aside from needing a little salt, the common opinion is that they taste like Crazy Bread. Seriously! Next time, I'll make two batches. One for the pooch and one with a teaspoon or so of salt for the humans.

Even if you don't have a dog, you should give these a whirl. They would be great with a bowl of soup or dipped in your favorite pizza sauce. I'll be adding them to the keeper pile for sure!

I almost forgot! The pooch loved them, too :)

Until next time, rock on my friends!

Deals of the Day!

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled baking day for some crazy cool Halloween deals!

For starters, our local Salvation Army is having a Dollar Day today. All clothes for a buck!? Yeah, I'm so there! Usually we get a dollar day on one Friday per month, but they were nice enough to give us a second one this month. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to finish up the kids' Halloween costumes. The possibilities were endless!

Giant green shirts= Christmas tree costume

Crazy blue dresses with a ton of sequins= mermaid or princess

Big blanket sleepers or robes=baby

Camouflage anything= soldier

Giant orange shirts=pumpkin

Anyhoo, the boys are going for the soldier and psycho look so we only needed a crappy flannel to shred and a camo shirt to finish up for them. The girl didn't find much but says she's all set. We ended up finding a few extra treasures like a new Tony Hawk shirt for the boy and a new Harley shirt from Hawaii for Hubby.

When we finished up at the thrift store, we headed over to Raley's because their large pumpkins are a dollar with printable coupon today and tomorrow. That's the best deal I've seen so far for pumpkins so we were all over it. We had to do three transactions since we needed so many, but our Raley's is really coupon friendly so we didn't have any problems. I'm tempted to go get a couple more for baking. I'll let you know how that goes.

So rockers, if you need to get your Halloween pumpkins, or need a few to fill the freezer, I'd head over here to get your coupon this weekend and get while the gettin's good!

Now I'll get back to our regularly scheduled baking because late is better than never.

Until next time, rock on my friends!