I'll be back!

I would like to wish each one of you a Happy Thanksgiving! I will be on vacation next week and will, most likely, not have access to any computer! I hope you find some great deals on Black Friday! I'm sure I'll have lots to blog about when I return!

Recipes!!!

I've made three delicious (and easy) recipes this week and wanted to share my version of them.

Crescent Roll Chicken
1 package of crescent rolls
4 oz. of cream cheese
1/4 cup of chopped olives
1 clove of fresh garlic
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken
3 tbsp. melted butter, separated
2 tbsp. milk
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Boil chicken until cooked. In a medium mixing bowl, blend 2 tbsp. of butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add in olives, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper. Chop chicken and add to mixture. Spoon into crescent rolls triangles. Roll up and brush tops with remaining butter. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cost breakdown:
Crescent rolls = $0.97
Cream cheese = $0.50
Olives = $0.18
Fresh garlic = $0.03
Chicken = $1.85
Butter = $0.06
Milk = $0.03
Salt and pepper = Less than $0.01
Total = $3.62, 8 crescent rolls = $0.45 each


Chicken Spaghetti Bake
8 oz. angel hair pasta
2 cups of boneless, skinless chicken (chopped and diced)
4 oz. pimentos
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1-1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1 clove fresh garlic

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain. Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Cost breakdown:
Pasta = $0.25
Pimentos = $0.38
Cream of mushroom = $0.49
Fresh garlic = $0.03
Chicken = $1.85
Cheese = $0.93
Total = $3.93, 6 servings = $0.66 per serving


Taco Salad Bowls
1 lb. ground beef
4 corn tortillas
1 large can of pinto beans
1 pack taco seasoning
aluminum foil
cooking spray
desired toppings (shredded cheese, salsa, lettuce, sour cream)

Preheat oven to 375. Place tortillas on a plate. Cover them with a damp paper towel and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to make them pliable. Crumple foil into 4 ball shapes and place on a cookie sheet. Remove tortillas from microwave. Lightly spray each one, front and back, with cooking spray. Place each tortilla atop the aluminum foil balls. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Empty the can of pinto beans into a medium bowl. Using a potato masher, mash these until they are similar in texture to mashed potatoes. Microwave these for 1-2 minutes. Drain off any extra liquid. Meanwhile, cook and drain ground beef. Add in taco seasoning and combine with pinto beans. Fill each taco bowl, add toppings, and enjoy!

Cost breakdown:
Ground beef = $1.89
Taco seasoning = $0.33
Tortillas = $0.15
Beans = $0.99
Total = $3.36, 4 servings = $0.84 each + toppings

Menu Planning Monday

Menu Plan Monday is hosted each week by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Check out her site for more menu ideas.

Sunday: Clam Chowder
Monday: Crescent chicken squares, corn on the cob
Tuesday: Taco salad bowls (I'll post more on this later this week)
Wednesday: Chicken spaghetti bake with garlic butter toast
Thursday: BUNKO night!!! Eric and Jax are having pizza and fries
Friday: French Onion Pork Chop Skillet (from Kraft magazine)
Saturday: homemade chicken noodle soup with corn muffins

Bi-Weekly Shopping Trip 11/15

My friend, Shannon, is trying to save money, so she asked if she could go grocery shopping with me this weekend. We found some pretty good deals, and I got some Christmas shopping done! This was my first time to actually match coupons and sales at Publix, and I was very pleased with the results.

Here's what I got:

First stop, Target:

• Luvs Box of Diapers: $15.99 (Target is cheaper than Walmart on Luvs diapers)
• Baby Wipes: $4.64
• Shower Curtain Liner: $2.34
• Snack Cakes: $1.43

Total: 24.40 + tax

Next stop, Walgreens:

• Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent (x2) = Reg. $14.99, on sale for $6.99 and BOGO + used 2 coupons for $1 each = $4.99
• Disposable Foil Pans (3 pack) = Reg. $1.19, on sale for $0.79

Regular price: $16.18
After sales and coupons: $5.78 (saved 65%)

Next stop, Aldi: (For comparison's sake, I'm going to list Walmart's great value price in parentheses beside each item)

• Bread: $0.79 ($1.52)
• Hannah Montana Guitar: $16.99 ($24.97)
• Boneless pork chops: $4.87 ($5.23)
• Frozen pizza x 2: $1.98 ($1.96)
• Canned green beans: $0.49 ($0.63)
• Chicken broth x 2: $0.78 ($1.10)
• My First Leap Pad Book: $8.99 ($13.97)
• My First Leap Pad: $14.99 ($22.97)
• Paper towels: $2.89 ($3.44)
• Shredded cheddar cheese: $2.99 ($4.29)
• Cream of mushroom soup: $0.49 ($0.98)
• Tomato soup x 2: $0.98 ($1.96)
• Canned sweet peas: $0.49 ($0.63)
• Canned pinto beans: $0.99 ($1.24)
• Seasoned mashed potatoes x 2: $1.88 ($2.56)
• Stuffing mix: $0.79 ($1.29)
• Dozen eggs: $1.19 ($1.24)
• Milk x 2: $4.98 ($6.78)
• Corn tortillas: $1.19 ($1.38)
• Dill pickles: $1.49 ($1.63)
• Cream cheese x 2: $1.98 ($2.24)
• Canned chicken: $1.79 ($2.34)
• Cheese crackers: $1.29 ($1.68)
• Animal crackers: $1.29 ($1.44)
• Bacon pieces: $1.29 ($1.76)

Aldi Total: 77.77 + tax
Walmart Total: 109.23 + tax (29% savings)

Last stop, Publix:

• Publix Frozen Yogurt: Reg. $3.49, on sale for $3.00
• Coffee Mate Caramel Apple Creamer: Reg. $2.00, on sale for $1.50 + used $0.55 blinkie coupon (coupon machine in front of creamer) = $0.95
• Keebler Pie Crust: Reg. $1.57, on sale for $0.99 + used coupon from 11/9 RP for $0.25 doubled = $0.49
• McCormick Gravy Mix x 2: Reg. $1.98, on sale BOGO + used coupon from 11/2 RP for $0.25 doubled = $0.49
• Blue Bonnet Margarine x 3: Reg. $2.97, used Walgreens coupon from ad = 3 for $2
• Juicy Juice x 2: Reg. $6.98, on sale BOGO + used 2 coupons for $1 each = $1.49
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal: Reg. $3.49, on sale for $1.99
  
• Cocoa Puffs: Reg. $3.49, on sale for $1.99
• Golden Grahams: Reg. $3.49, on sale for $1.99 + used $1 coupon from 11/2 SS off 3 boxes = $0.99
• Ritz Crackers x 2: Reg. $7.38, on sale BOGO + used coupon for $1 off 2 boxes = $2.69
  
• 5 lbs potatoes: Reg. $3.99, on sale for $1.99
• Colgate Toothpaste (large): Reg. $3.29, on sale for $1.99 + used $0.75 coupon = $1.24
• Pillsbury Crescent Rolls x 3: Reg. $8.67, on sale $5 for 3 + used 3 coupons for $0.35 doubled = $2.90
• Betty Crocker Brownie Mix x 2: Reg. $5.10, used Walgreens coupon from ad = $1.98 + used $0.50 coupon doubled = $0.98
  
• Betty Crocker Cookie Mix: Reg. $2.67, used Walgreens coupon = $0.99 + used $0.75 coupon = $0.24
• Betty Crocker Frosting x 2: Reg: $3.78, on sale BOGO + used 0.55 coupon = $1.34
• Used Walgreens $5 off $20 purchase coupon
  

Regular Price: $64.34
After sales and coupons: $18.43 (saved 71%)

Total cost for groceries, cleaning supplies, diapers, etc. is $85.41 + tax.
Total spent on Christmas gifts: $40.97 + tax.

YAY! I officially love Publix now!!!

How else can I save money?

What are other ways to save?

There are tons of ways to cut back your spending, besides on your grocery bill.
Here are a few that I have found helpful:

1. I'm going to nursing school, and medical books are downright expensive! The book list from the school showed book costs to be around $800 + 10% sales tax = $880. I purchased my books at half.com yesterday for less than $250, and that was including shipping! Taxes are not charged since it is an out of state purchase.
   
2. Thrift stores are a great place to find bargains. I don't want Jax to ruin his good clothes at daycare. My most recent transaction included: Blue button up shirt ($1.48), gray Old Navy Pullover ($0.79), Gymboree L/S t-shirt ($0.99), Nike jacket ($2.48), Levi Jeans ($2.98), Children's Place pajama sleeper ($1.48), Children's Place L/S striped button up (1.48), Old Navy Plaid button up ($1.98), baby Gap sweater vest ($0.79), Carter's sweater vest ($0.79), and a pair of White House Black Market Jeans for me that I plan on converting to something else ($2.48) = $17.72 + tax. Click here for a location near you!
3. Raise your insurance deductibles if you can. This can lower your principle. I like to make sure that we have the deductible amount in our emergency fund. That means when I raised our car insurance deductible from $250 to $500, I had to put make sure we had $500 in our emergency fund.
   

What are some ways that you save money?

Here is the recipe for the pizza casserole. My sister made the recipe and called to tell me how delicious it was. I tried for myself last night, and she was right!

Pizza Casserole (my version)

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 cups egg noodles
16-24 oz. pizza sauce (depending on how much sauce you like)
4 tbsp. milk
1 cup sliced pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Boil noodles in water until al dente. Drain and add to casserole dish. Cook ground beef with onion and garlic until brown. Drain and combine with noodles. Add pizza sauce, milk, and slices of pepperoni. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cover with mozzarella, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. You can add pizza toppings of your choice (i.e. black olives, pineapple chunks).

Here is the picture from my sister, Christina.
Thanks Chrissie!

A little tool that might help you!

My newest find is a coupon database website. Since I've really started couponing, I've kept a spreadsheet of all the coupons in my coupon binder. I go through every week and add the coupons from Sunday's paper, along with any other coupons I might have accumulated. I include the item, the coupon amount, the expiration date, and the location. Each week I sort it by expiration date and delete any coupons that may have expired. Then I sort it alphabetically. It just takes a few minutes, but sometimes there are coupons that I don't know about (for example, online coupons).

Well, no worries! Hot Coupon World has already done all the work! All you have to do is type in the item or brand that you looking for and viola! It's as easy as that!!!

I posted this especially for Trenity, Kristi, and Sonya!!! They are my newest blog readers who are looking for great deals!!