It's Humpday..No Groceries Needed... :-)

Pantry stocked...check. Freezer stocked....check. Refrigerator stocked...for the most part.

Well..this has never happened in our entire 15 years together..I don't have to spend any money at the grocery this week. Of course, if we run out of milk or need some produce, I will go get what I need, but there won't be more than $20 spent at any store or restaurant for my family this week!

It's really awesome because I have finally figured out a few things that are helping me to see that we actually do have food when it might appear that 'there's nothing to eat'...I have much more to learn in the family planning and budgeting world, but I think this is a good start.

In fact, I know we need more milk as we have about 1/3 of a gallon left, but I think we can make due until Saturday..or least we are going to try!

Awesome Budgeting Links..

In our budget, the area where we have wiggle room is groceries and misc. If I can save money buying food and household items, then that is more we can send to the mortgage. I have gotten back into couponing full time, and I have collected quite a few helpful bookmarked sites that help me when I need to shop.

This is the full list of sites I regularly check each time I go grocery shopping for the latest deals, coupons and savings tips:


http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ --- awesome forum and the best coupon database to look up where to find a certain coupon.

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ --- membership site that lists the deals at my local stores. Free 1 month membership to try it out.

http://www.couponmom.com/ --- great site that has all the good stuff, but it's free. I like it to check on the few Walmart deals available. The layout can be hard to follow which is why I pay the small amount for TGG, but this site is very helpful.

http://www.faithfulprovisions.com/ --- great blog by Kelly about deals she finds on the web and in our local stores. She mentions new coupons, freebies, and awesome bargains she finds.

That's it..I go through all the lists and forums, get my coupons together and head out! Couponing and deal scouting is very easy to do and it saves me at least 30% without even trying.

Kroger Craziness..Must..Get..10 Items!!!

I spent all day long after dropping kids at school going through my lists of Kroger deals and matching coupons with the extensive deals going on right now. The marketing geniuses at the Kroger Co. know we cannot resist the 'Buy 10, Get $5.00 Off' sale. It effectively takes an extra $.50 off the total of an item already on sale, and you don't have to get 10 of the same item to get the deal..you can mix and match.

So, for instance, today, I got Rotel tomatoes for free, Kraft salad dressing for $1.69 (which I had an add'l coupon for, so it was actually $1.19 for two), and Green Giant Steams for $.59 each. The list of items on sale is staggering, and using coupons along with this sale is what creates the great deals I just mentioned.

In order to find the great deals, I use Kelly's site at Faithful Provisions that I have mentioned before. I think I am going to add her button to this blog because she is so darn helpful actually. But, I get the best help from The Grocery Game which is so organized with columns and rows where the final prices are displayed AND I can print off only the deals I need. I love it...it has paid for itself every single month I have used it. It's free to try it for a month..then after that it's like $20-30 for four stores lists.

I like to use both sites because The Grocery Game is great for grocery deals while Faithful Provisions is awesome all week long for deals with the email updates. There is a ton of information to be found on each site. I am compiling a list right now of my favorite blogs, websites and email lists that share coupons and deal discussion. If you decide you would like to try TGG, please tell I sent you...not sure if it makes a difference, but worth a shot.

Motivation & Suga

My lovely and talented younger sister, Jeanne, just sent me her original poem called "You Gotta Move" which I will publish if she gives the okay later, but it got me thinking.

You see she also reminded me of my grandmothers..both of whom were incredibly hard-working and industrious women who loved their families and taking care of everything in the most efficient manner possible.

My mom's mom was Vance Walker Noel Anderson originally from Huntsville. She was a tiny little thing with a great smile and the BEST COOK! When she died, I think it was rather like karma that I inherited her great cookbook even though it would be years before I actually took an interest in cooking! She made her own mayonaise, salad dressings, marinades, and much more. Maybe I might post one or two sometime. Yummy!

Walmart TOY Clearance Now!

I was in Walmart yesterday, and the lady was marking down the toys for a large clearance. I don't know how much the markdown was as the kids and I were in a hurry. But its a whole row of clearance deals. This is the time when I stock up for selling on Ebay, Amazon and also buy ahead for birthdays coming up.

The past 4 years, I have been able to sell toys for 6 weeks up to Christmas and in smaller amount throughout the year. Unlike clothes or any other category, toys have been the most dependable group to sell for me.

Sign Up for the Eat Better America Coupon Booklet and Receive $10 in Coupon Savings

Sign Up for the Eat Better America Coupon Booklet and Receive $10 in Coupon Savings
Signed up for this yesterday...hope the coupons are better than last years. :-)

No More Harris Teeter Fudge Pie!!

saved $7.99 on one desert!

I am so pumped! I have had an obsession with Fudge Pie forever, and I had always bought them (when I could find one) at the grocery store for some outrageous price - $9.99 or more! Those days are gone!

We finally found a good Fudge Pie recipe that isn't too much like a cream pie and isn't too much like actual fudge...this is the bomb. Try it and you will see! The best part is that it only cost $2.00 to make it when I got the pie crusts on sale last month!

1 stick butter
3 tsp cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry one at a time stirring each really well. Only add eggs after they have been beaten beforehand. Pour into prepared crust (I like Pillsbury). Bake at 325* for 35 minutes.

HOT Kroger Shopping Trip!

Hello fellow mortgage-haters :-)

Okay, I am not a coupon-clipping pro...never really hope to be. Those people who are able to only spend $7 per week to feed a family of 12 are just way to into for my taste. I also don't like to feed my growing boys Ramen noodles as a meal. No offense to those who are much better at saving money via groceries than me! I would love if that were me while still being able to feed my family some sort of meat!

But yesterday, I did great at Kroger with my coupons. The best deals I found were getting frozen chicken tenderloins for $1.66/lb, Electrosol dish detergent for $.49, and FREE Rotel tomatoes--10 cans worth! Woo Hoo! All in all, I spent $130 for about one week of food plus some stocking up. I am happy and hope to continue getting better at this each week.

Also this week, Food Lion has Kraft singles 'blocks' on sale for $4.99 and ground beef for $1.47/lb. This is the best price for ground beef I have ever seen! Getting some of that now!

Back To Ebay..The Online Garage Sale!

I have been an Ebay seller for years..since 1999 actually. I started selling my kids used baby stuff, clothes, toys and the like. I eventually like the way I was able to work a little and still take care of my child, so I started actively going out and searching for items to resell. I became a thrift-store hound and garage sale early bird.

I loved it and made a pretty decent income, but it was hard work. And as more and more folks got to Ebay and became competition, it compounded the fees and made selling cheaply very hard to do. Now it seems that only high-end items will resell well..or if you already own those items!

Well, to this end, I already have a bunch of stuff here that is just gathering dust like broken nintendo ds lites, old cell phones, manuals for electronics and appliances we no longer need, and tons more. So, I think I am going to try to commit to sending an extra $200 to the mortgage straight from Ebay selling.

If you have the time, please check out my garage sale here. I will be listing at least 50 new items a month, so you just might find something awesome, and I have been doing this for over a decade now with awesome feedback because I know how to make buyers happy. I encourage you to start selling on ebay too! It's easy.