Confessions of a Working Momma

As some of you have been reading, I was in charge of purchasing all of the food to feed 11 people 5 meals and snacks over the course of 3 days. Here is how I did. Also head over to the Grocery Cart Challenge and see how Gayle and the others did this week. Pathmark 2 Utz Pretzels 6.00 (sale -$1.00) 5.00 2 Hunts Ketchup 3.38 (sale -$1.84) 1.54 2 Mustards 3.00 (sale -$1.46) 1.54 Lays Chips 3.99 (sale -$1.49) 2.50 2 Large Lipton Ice Tea Mix 16.00 (-$6.04 sale -$1.00 MFR coupon) 8.96 2 Country Time Lemonade Mix 6.00 (-$2.00 sale) 4.00 8pk Bounty Basic Paper Towels 7.50 (-$1.62 sale -$1.00 MFR coupon) 4.88 Aluminum Foil 1.39 (-$0.62 sale) 0.77 2 Trash Bags 2.00 (-$0.46 sale) 1.54 3 Softsoap 8.40 (-$6.09 sale -$1.00 MFR coupon) 1.31 3 Strip Steaks 38.66 (-$19.68 sale) 18.98 Total before Savings 96.32 Total OOP 51.02 Target 2 Jet Puffed Marshmallows 2.04 ( 2 -$1 Target coupon 1/1) 0.04 2 Graham Crackers 6.58 (-$1.58 sale) 5.00 Total before Savings 8.62 Employee Discount -10% = 0.50 Total OOP 4

So we are back from our fabulous family vacation. Have you ever come home from vacation and needed one to rest from it. That's how I feel. I did some shopping before we left and then picked up some other things when I got back. Also check out HERE to see how I did buying all the food for 11 people. Then head over to the Grocery Cart Challenge and see how Gayle and the others did this week. Giant 9 Box of Jello 6.75 -0.36 sale -(3) $1 MFR -(3) $1 doubler = 0.39 6 Pk of ready Jello 16.14 - 1.14 -(3) $1MFR -(1) $1 doubler = 11.00 10 Powerade 10.90 - 0.90 sale = 10.00 Organic Hummus 3.59 - 1.00 MFR =2.59 - should have rang up 2.50 to start So refunded my total cost (So FREE!! plus $1) Hummus 2.99- 0.49 sale - 1.00 MFR= 1.50 2 Breyers Ice Cream 8.98 - 3.80 sale -$1 MFR = 4.18 -5/50 coupon (bought stuff in this trip for vacation) TOTAL OOP 21.07 Target 22 pk Frito Lay Snack Packs 6.99 3 Quaker Granola Bars 6.00 15 pk Gatorade 8.99 Jif PB 4.54 Gallon Whole Milk 3.34 Gallon 1% Milk 3.09 Cr

I didn't do to bad this week. Really didn't need a whole lot since we are leaving for vacation on Friday. I am in charge of gathering all of the food this week to feed 11 people (2 teen boys and 3 grown men that eat like teenagers!) So check back next week and see how I do. Target 2 Flat Earth Chips 5.38 -$1 MFR 1/1 -$1 MFR 1/1 = 3.38 Smartfood Popcorn 3.33 -$1MFR -$1 Target = 1.33 Smartfood Popcorn 3.33 -$1 Target = 2.33 5 Quaker Rice Cakes 8.35 -(5) $1 Target 1/1 = 3.35 100 Calorie Snacks 2.04 -$1 MRF -$1 Target = 0.04 100 Calorie Snacks 2.04 -$1MFR -$1 Target = 0.04 3 Crystal Light 11.97 -$1 MFR -$2 MFR 1/2 -(3)$1 Target = 2.97 Whole Grain Goldfish 6.49 4 Lean Cuisines 10.66 -$2.66 sale = 8.00 (not pictured) 4 Kraft Natural Cheese 7.96 -(2) $1 MFR 1/2 -(2) $1 Target 1/2 = 3.96 (not pictured) Triscuits 2.04 -$1 MFR -$1 Target 1/2 = 0.04 Wheat Thins 2.04 -$1 MFR = 1.04 2 Kraft Dressings 3.98 -(2)$1 MFR 1/1 -$1 Target 1/2 = 0.98 Total before coupons 69.61 Employee Discount -10

This is our meal plan for our family vacation. We are going with a total of 11 people. Thank god there is not anymore, because I am not sure I could handle it. I have agreed to do all the planning and all of the shopping for the major food. With everyone else pitching in and bringing personal food and snacks to share. To check out what other ladies are making for the holiday weekend, head over the Organizing Junkie . Check back next week, to see how the weekend went and how much I spent to feed all of these people. Friday - Dinner is on your own. (We and my parents will be eating steaks on the grill, potatoes & Salad.) Saturday Breakfast – Fruit cup, muffins, OJ, coffee, milk Lunch – Sandwiches, chips, pretzels, snacks & drinks Dinner – Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Rolls, Fruit, Snack and S’mores Sunday Breakfast - Eggs, Bacon, Toast, OJ, Coffee, milk Lunch – on your own Dinner – In Town Monday Breakfast – Cinnamon Buns, Cereal, OJ, Coffee, milk My Shopping List for the weekend: Fruit

So this week is the week before vacation, so you know what this means... it's crazy here. My to do list is longer than there are hours in the day. Daddy and I both have meeting on different nights this week plus, I have taken off a couple of extra days to pack, cook and get it all together. Here is the plan up until we leave for vacation. Check out HERE to see what we will be eating and feeding 11 people on vacation. To check out what other ladies are making for the holiday weekend, head over the Organizing Junkie . Monday: Soft Tacos with Beef, Black Beans, Tomatoes, Cheese, Sour Cream Tuesday: Eggplant Parm & Salad Wednesday: Super nachos made with refried beans, black beans, lettuce, tomato & sour cream Thursday: Steaks on the Grill, Sweet Potatoes & Salad Friday: Vacation Saturday: Vacation Sunday: Vacation

So on Sunday Daddy surprised me by telling me that he didn't have to work all day and he was going to spend it with Sassy and I. I was very excited and then I realized he wanted to go grocery shopping with me and he wanted to change the menu for that night. Let me just say, I have a plan for a reason, I like, NO I love it! I need a plan to help me keep my sanity, but sometimes that is thrown out the window. Let me also say everytime Daddy comes with me to the store we ALWAYS end up over budget! No matter how hard I try. Also no pictures this week since Daddy helped unpack and put most of it away for I could stop him. So needless to say this week was no different. We did hit some really good deals at both Target and Pathmark, but I am still $37 over budget and I was just informed that we are almost out of soda, so I guess I am heading back to the store for more of at too. I do not plan to shop next week except for neccessities and the rest of the menu for the huge family vacation, s

How was your Mother's Day? Mine was wonderful, Sassy and I went to Church in the morning and then we went grocery shopping and loaded up on items, tell you about that later. My gift this year was a Wii , Wii fit and a great cardio game to go with it. I am loving it right now. I had to rip myself away from it to type this up. No this was not in the budget until July, but Daddy wanted to surprise me and that he did. He wants this to be my Mother's Day and his Father's Day gift, I am sure I will do something else for him, but I married the best guy ever!! So the prep has begun for the family vacation to the mountains. This year we have included my entire family for a total of 12 people. We set the menu this weekend and now I am in charge of buying all of the food and bringing it up with us. What was I thinking when I said I would do this!! I am purchasing 6 meals for 12 people plus snacks for my family to bring to share with everyone. So we are going to be eating out of the

So this week, I actually went to 3 different stores. This is out of my norm but all were having really good sales and I was going to be in the area of all three in the course of one day, so I hit them all. I actually stayed within my budget. I was only over by $7, not to bad. I probably will go over later in the week, since I am having an EcoMom's meeting here and I need snacks for the ladies and I. Anyone have any good, cheap and healthy snack ideas for adults? Please share. See how Gayle and everyone else did this week over at the Grocery Cart Challenge . Here's how I did.... Wegmans 4 Blocks of Cheese 7.96 Cream Cheese 1.29 4 Yogurts 1.60 Gallon Organic Milk 5.79 Tater Tots 1.99 4 Smart One Meals 9.96 (-2.00) (-0.50 coupon doubled) 6.96 Frozen Lite Whipped Topping 0.89 Hershey's Chocolate Syrup 1.99 2 Baked Beans 2.58 (-0.60) 1.98 2 Black Beans 1.38 Mild Salsa 1.59 Total Savings 3.60 Total OOP 33.42 Giant 2 Quaker Rice Cakes 4.30 12 Powerade 13.08 (-1.08) (-4.08 for buyi

So we have started Elle back on milk this weekend, so we will see how that goes. I am really hoping that she will do okay and we can start to incorporate some fun things back into our menu, like lasagnas and cream of chicken and rice casseroles, etc. I am having my mom's group over on Friday night, Bill is working and a babysitter is watching Elle, so who knows what dinner will end up being. Check back tomorrow to see how my grocery shopping went for this week and check out everyone else's meal plans this week over at Org Junkie . Monday: London Broil on the Grill, Baked Potatoes & Salad Tuesday: Eggs & Toast Wednesday: Crockpot Chicken with Black Beans and Cream Cheese over Whole Wheat Egg Noodles Thursday: Eggplant Parm & Salad Friday: To Be Determined Saturday: Blackberry Pancakes Sunday: Homemade Pizza’s Crust , Sauce, Cheese, Pepperoni

Well, this week has been a roller coaster for us, and Sassy's milk allergy. We had a food challenge and you can read the details HERE . They opened up a Pathmark in our area. I have checked them out. They claim they are cheaper than Giant and Wegman's however, they are not on all products. So I ran in and got a couple of items that were on sale and then headed to Giant for the rest. Check out my totals and total saved. I really did well this week. Pathmark 2 - 1# Strawberries 3.00 22 pk single Potato Chips sacks - 6.49 (-0.55 coupon doubled) 5.39 4 - 12pk Coke 9.98 Pack of Wrigley's Gum 1.19 (Free after coupon) Total OOP 18.87 With coupons and sales I saved a total of 19.15!! Giant Reynolds foil 2.49 (-$1 coupon) 1.49 Whole grain Goldfish carton 8.49 Multi grain Cheerios 3.19 (-$1 coupon) 2.19 2 Ziploc Small Containers 5.58 (-$1.50 coupon) 4.08 Quaker Rice Cakes 2.15 3 pk Sparkle Paper Towels 2.99 (-$1.00 coupon) 1.99 2 Frosted Flakes 4.98 (-$1.00 coupon) 3.98 Bertolli Oliv

This past week has been a real roller coaster. We had Sassy's food challenge on Monday. She did not show and immediate signs of a returning milk allergy. So they sent us home and told us to start increasing her milk intake daily and see how she does. Well Tuesday, Wednesday were great. Thursday she had a "hive" on her face for about 30 min then it disappeared. Friday was fine. Saturday, we went down to my mom's to work on our garden (pictures coming soon) and she developed 3 "hives" not sure if they were hives or bug bites and had a rash over her neck and back, could have been heat rash it was like 89 degrees here, the heat rash eventually diminished. Then Sunday we toured a local farm and had a great time. After Sassy got up from her nap she had a "heat rash" again and had several hives that kept appearing and disappearing all over her arms, face and legs. They would be here and gone with in 30 min. WERID!! So at this point I have NO CLUE what is

Last week was our local semi-annual kids consignment sale. This year was a little different since the limited all the consignors to only 25 items per size. This really limited the amount of clothing to pick from. However, I was still able to walk away with a lot of great stuff. Sassy's stockpile for the spring and summer is awesome and we will not need to be buying anymore clothing till fall. She has a total of 21 outfits, 2 pairs of sneakers and 2 sandals. (I did not buy all of this at the consignment sale. My wonderful sister is a world class bargain shopper , so when ever she sees something that will eventually fit Sassy at a great price, she picks it up.) Aren't Aunts who spoil great sometimes! This is linked to What Works for Me Wednesday

So this week I was finally under budget!!! YEAH!!! Maybe I should take Sassy to the store with me more often, that way I have no time to browse the aisles, I just get in and out. This week is kind of up in the air as we had Sassy's milk food challenge. As of right now she has had NO adverse reactions to milk. We are going increase her milk intake over the next few days and see how she does. We are praying hard that she is no longer allergic. So here is how my grocery run went this week. Also check out the Gayle over at Grocery Cart Challenge to see how everyone else did. Giant Tostitos 3.50 Cottonel Flushable Wipes 2.26 Cottonel Refill Wipes 3.52 Stroehmann Bread 3.59 Organic Celery 2.99 3 # Organic Apples 3.99 Drumsticks 3.49 Kraft Cheese Sticks 4.04 2 Yogurts 1.00 1% Gallon Milk 3.00 2 quarts Whole Milk 1.76 Total OOP 33.14

So I normally don't reach out and ask for prayers for me personally, however, I am going to go against the "norm" today. I need everyone's prayers for tomorrow morning, Sassy has a food challenge at 8am EST. For those who are new to my blog, my wonderful daughter Sassy is allergic to milk (which is different from being lactose intolerent), she has been allergic to milk since birth and this is the first time we are "testing" her. We are going to the doctor's office, so they can watch her in case of an adverse reaction. We will start giving her dairy and see if she is still allergic. We are hoping that she will not be, but you never know. So pray for her and me as I am in the office for ATLEAST 2 hours with a 2 year old. Here is our meal plan for the week to check other plan go to the Organized Junkie Monday : To Die for Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, and Celery Tuesday : Pasta, Sauce, Bread & Salad Wednesday :Eggs & Toast Thur

So Sassy's crib was recalled. She hasn't been in it in over 6 months and it was packed away in my mom's attic, so off I went to drag it out and send all of the appropriate pieces back to the manufactor in order to get my refund. Well my refund was a vocher to Babies R Us for $241.99 towards a purchase for a new crib. The first one is Sassy's old crib it was just a simple nothing fancy crib. We have an extra queen bedroom set that was Daddy and I's so we have planned for Sassy to get that when she our grows her toddler bed. The second one is the new crib, for the future baby. It is one of those convertable cribs, it goes from a crib to a daybed to a head board and foot board for a double bed. Which is perfect considering we also have an extra double bed that it stored in my mom's attic. (I love the fact that my parents have a full size attic, when I say full size think - 80 feet long x 10 feet high x 20 feet wide) Now as long as we don't have any more than 2

So I am missing my reciept from my big shopping trip this weekend and with no photo to show me all what I bought. I really can't account for it. I can tell you that I spend $45 dollars on it though and I did get some really good deals. So I am wondering how you avoid the sales and only buy what you need for the week. I am struggling with that. I did not need really anything this week but our local grocery store ran their $1 coupon doubler again. So I was enticed by a great deal on Folgers Gourmet Coffee - I bought 2 bags after coupons and grocery deals for 6.75, normally the price of one. Great deal, but again it wasn't a need this week. So please tell me how you avoid the deals and only shop for the needs especially when the deals will eventually be your needs..... I did hit Produce Junction this weekend and I did get a photo of that... Produce Junction 2# Green Beans 2.00 2 heads of Lettuce 1.50 Grape Tomatoes 1.50 Total 5.00 ish

We have lots planned for this week. It is our local semi-annual kids clothing sale. If you live in the Lehigh Valley area of PA Check it out HERE . I am both consigning some clothes and shopping of course. Also this weekend is the weekend before EARTH DAY!! So I am super busy with some different Earth Day events both on Friday nite and Saturday! Hence when the menu is alittle sparse on those days. I was able to fit in a couple of family favorites this week. We love Meatloaf, homemade Chicken Tenders, and Pork Tenderloin in the Crockpot. The meatloaf and chicken tenders are home recipes but you can check out the Pork Tenderloin HERE . Check out everyone else's menu's this week HERE . Monday - Meatloaf & Mixed Veggies & Salad Tuesday - Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders & Homemade Fries Wednesday - Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Soy Cheese for Cheese Burgers Dinner - Eggs & Toast Thursday Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Soy Yogurt & Chicken Nuggets & Bread Dinner - Mea

Okay so if you haven't checked out Free cycle yet. You need to. What is freecycle you ask? It is an online community of people who are getting rid of things for free. Some stuff is truly trash and somethings people just don't want anymore and they don't want it to go to the landfill. So this weekend I hit the Freecycle jackpot... Here is what I got 1 children's plastic picnic table & a box of girls toys (not pictured, but Sassy loves her new table) 1 5 foot wall hanging coat rack 2 wooden chairs okay so the chair need to be reupholstered but that little bit of $ compared to 2 brand new chairs. The cushions are still great. So just need fabric, will have to watch for a great sale/coupon at Joann's This post is linked to What Works for Me Wednesdays

So this week was bad. I did go over my budget, (Hey, I only spent $10 OOP last week) however I did more stocking up. I don't think I will need a lot of the basics for awhile. So I should be good for another couple of weeks. I am not really planning on shopping next weekend so I am hoping this will even me out for the month. Check out how everyone else did this week HERE Giant Multigrain Cheerios - 2.50 (-0.75 coupon double up to $1) 1.50 3 Quaker Granola Bars - 6.00 Quaker Mini Delights - 2.59 - Free Flour Tortiatas - 2.09 2 Frosted Flakes - 6.00 (-$1 coupon/ 2) 5.00 Utz Chips - 2.00 (Keeps Daddy happy) Diet Coke 6 pk - 3.00 (Free) 4 - 12pk of Coke - 12.00 (Not pictured) 2 New England Hazelnut Coffee - 5.59 (BOGO Free) 5# Yams - 2.58 2 Kunzler 1# Bacon - 4.99 (BOGO Free) (-$1 coupon) 3.99 2 Round Roast - 15.34 (BOGO Free) (-$2 coupon) 13.34 2 Chicken Sausage - 9.14 (don't tell Daddy it's chicken) 2 Soybean Margarine - 3.98 (this was on sale and it never goes on sale, so had

Check out what other's are cooking this week HERE Monday Lunch - Homemade Chicken Nuggets & Bananas Dinner - London Broil, Potato & Onions & Salad Tuesday Dinner - Wawa Hoagies Wednesday Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Soy Cheese Sticks & Sliced Soy Cheese for AM & PM Snacks Dinner - Blackberry Pancakes (This is a repeat, last week we actually ended up having eggs & toast) Thursday Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Shredded Soy Cheese for Tacos & Crackers for PM Snack Dinner - Chicken Fajitas on tortillas with peppers, onions, sour cream, cheese Friday Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Soy Yogurt & Butter for Noodles Dinner - Ravioli’s with Sauce and Bread & Salad Saturday Lunch - Leftovers from the freezer - either pizza or tuna noodle casserole Dinner - Pot Roast in the Crock pot with Rice and Salad Sunday Easter Dinner at My mom's house (not sure yet what I am bringing)

Who has those easter egg dying memories with those little colored pelts that fizzed when they hit the water. (Should that have been a sign that they weren't good, for the environment?) With the plastic spoons, cups and egg removers. They are still sell them today and still pretty cheap. I saw some for 0.99 at Target today, which is really tempting for a working mom like me. However, they are they are full of non-recyclable products, chemical dyes and those nice little plastic wrappers with the popular kids cartoon characters. So trying to figure out a green and frugal way to dye eggs. Well here are two solutions.... So want to know how to dye eggs naturally.... “For all dyes, bring the dye mixture to a boil, remove from heat and cool and strain liquid into a medium bowl. Submerge 4 to 6 hard-cooked eggs in dye for up to 30 minutes, depending on how deep you want the color to be. Remove from dye and place on a cooling rack to dry and drain. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Or

This week I finally received my rebate from my new cell phone. So I hit alot of great deals and stocked up. So we will not be in need of many things for a while. See how everyone else did at the Grocery Cart Challenge Kmart Dove Body Wash 5.99 -$1.50 coupon 2.99 3 Irish Spring 6.57 - $1 coupon 4.57 3 Sauve Body Wash 6.00 - $2 coupon 2.00 Flinstone MultiVitamin 6.19 - $1 coupon 4.19 3 Degree mens deodorants 8.08 -(2) $1 coupon - 4.08 Sauve Shampoo 1.79 - $1 coupon (+0.21) Sauve Conditioner 1.79 Double Pack Toothbrushes 5.49 - $1 coupon 3.49 Tylenol PM 5.29 - $1 coupon 3.29 Tylenol 8 hr 5.49 -$1 coupon 3.49 Contact Solution 9.19 -$2 coupon 5.19 Dayquil Liquid 6.49 - $1.50 coupon 3.49 Nyquil Liquid 6.59 - $1.50 coupon 3.59 Ban-aids 2.79 - $1 coupon 0.79 Marcel Toilet Paper 2.79 -$1 coupon 0.79 Herbal Essenes Shampoo 3.50 -$1 coupon 1.50 Herbel Essenes Conditioner 3.50 -$1 coupon 1.50 Sparkle Paper Towels 3.29 - $1 coupon 1.29 2 Huggie Wipes 6.28 - $1 coupon 4.28 3 Huggie Diapers 32.97 - (

Our menu last week was amazing!! I don't think I have cooked that well in a long time and everyone was completely happy with everything that I cooked. See what the other ladies are cooking up this week HERE and check back tomorrow to see how I did on my grocery budget. Monday -BBQ Ribs Tuesday - Steak Sandwiches on WW Rolls with Salad Wednesday - Blackberry Pancakes Thursday - Pack for Sassy - Starch Side & PM Snack Dinner - Super nachos with leftover taco meat & lettuce, tomato, cheese & sour cream Friday - Pack for Sassy - Soy Yogurt & Main Lunch meal Dinner - Leftover Hamburger Barley Stew from the freezer Satuday - Tuna Noodle Casserole Sunday - Homemade Pizza Crust, Sauce, Cheese, Soy Cheese, Pepperoni from freezer

So on Monday afternoon Sassy took a REALLY long nap. So I took advantage of the 3+ hour nap and made to die for White Bread and some oatmeal cookies. Check out what others are cooking HERE . Country White Bread This recipe can be for Dinner Rolls or Bread. I will definately be making the rolls soon. There is no bread maker in this house so I just used the good old kitchen aid and hands. For the bread you will want to bake it at 350 for 30 min. My Oatmeal Cookies again came out of my favorite local cookbook - Susie's Kitchen. They are super easy and who doesn't love a good oatmeal cookie. When you are in a real pinch you can consider them breakfast who doesn't love that!! 1c shortening 3/4 c brown sugar 3/4 c sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp water 2 eggs 1 1/2 c flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 2 c oatmeal 12 0z pkg chocolate chips (optional) 1 c chopped nuts (optional) Cream shortening; add sugars, vanilla, and water. Beat until creamy. Add eggs. Gradually add flour, salt and

So it has falled through for us to have our large garden this year at my parents house, what is a girl to do. We go back to the drawing board and figure it out.We live in a townhouse community and there are strict bylaws against having a vegetable garden however it says no where about having a CONTAINER vegetable garden, heck we put in 3 blueberry bushes last year and no one cared. I found this great article HERE from Ohio State University about having a Vegetable Garden in containers. My current plan is to keep it simple since it is going to be on my back deck. I am going to put up some planter boxes on my ledges and grow some lettuce and radishes, then I am going to plant a container of snap beans, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and winter squash. So I am currently in search of some good containers. Suggested Vegetable Varieties for Container Growing The following is a list of suggested varieties for vegetable container growing in the Midwest. This is not an exhaustive com

So this week our local grocery store had $1.00 coupon doubler. So I picked out some $1.00 coupons of things that we would be in need of soon and hit the sale. Also, this week check to see if your local Kmart is doubling up to $2.00 coupons. Ours is so I will probably hit them at the end of the week. Check out how the other ladies around the blog did this week with there budgets. HERE Giant Keebler Town House Crackers - 2.50 2 Frosted Flakes Cereal - 5.38 ($1 coupon doubled) 3.38 Good Season Itlain Dressing 4pk - 2.00 2 Nabisco 100 Calorie Snacks - 5.94 ($1 coupon doubled) 3.94 Hellman's Mayo - 3.29 5 lbs Bread Flour - 2.95 Simple Green - 4.29 ($1 coupon doubled) 2.29 Grapes - 4.84 (way more than I normally spend but I didn't need anything else this week at the produce store, so I caved in and bought them here) 2 Silk Yogurt - 1.58 Vegan Cheese - 3.99 Coffee Mate 15oz - 3.00 (1.50 coupon) 1.50 1% Gallon Milk - 2.80 Shredded Cheese - 2.49 Contact Solution - 7.29 ($1 coupon double

So after a couple of weeks of uninspired cooking. I dug up some new recipes and have it all linked up below. Check out what the other ladies are cooking up this week. HERE Then check back tomorrow to see how we spent our weekly budget. Monday: To Die for Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, and Celery Tuesday : Wawa hoagies (Daddy's working; I have a Ecomom Meeting and Aunt J is babysitting) Wednesday: Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Pasta & Sauce Dinner - Ultimate Breakfast Frittata Thursday: Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Soy Yogurt Dinner - Soft Tacos with Beef, Black Beans, Tomatoes, Cheese, Sour Cream Friday: Pack for Sassy's Lunch - PM Snack Dinner - Pork Tenderloin in the Crockpot & Rice Saturday: Tuna Noodle Casserole Sunday: Buffet of Leftovers

What does a girl love more than a grocery store that normally doubles coupons, one that runs a special this week, that will TRIPLE them. You could use any coupon up to 0.50 cents to be tripled up to $1.50. So I bought a couple of extra things this week to take advantage and use up some of those little 0.25 & 0.45 coupons. Check out Gayle and the other ladies over HERE to see how everyone else did. Target (Hit them up on Saturday before their sale on Soy Milk ended) 3 Soy Milk - 6.60 2 Frozen Juices 2.16 Hershey's Chocolate Syrup 1.62 Entenmanns' Chocolate Donuts 2.50 Creamed Corn 0.78 2 Bacon 5.38 Pepproni 1.67 Total - 20.71 Minus 10% Daddy's discount OOP 18.64 Giant Reynolds baking cups 1.09 Reynolds baking cups 0.69 - minus 0.25 coupon tripled (free plus .06) 2 Light & Fluffy Egg Noodles 2.50 - minus 0.50 coupon tripled (paid 1.00) Premium Saltines - 2.50 Swason Stock Broth - 2.69 - minus 0.50 coupon tripled (paid 1.19) Parsley Flakes 1.15 Tortialla Wraps 1.95 Gre

There is a switcharue this week. Erin over at $5 dinners is hosting this week. You can check out everyone else's great meal plans and see what is cooking around town. So last week was a crazy one for us. Daddy and I both got a stomach flu and then at the end of the week and this whole weekend, we took on a DIY project of redoing our flooring in our foyer. I will post pics later this week. So there are alot of repeats on the menu this week do to the craziness of last week. Oh and I don't have anything listed for what I am packing for Sassy's lunches because school hasn't put up the new menu yet for the week. Monday: Meatloaf, Mixed Veggies, Salad Tuesday: Corned Beef & Cabbage, carrots, potatoes & salad Wednesday: French Toast & Blueberries Thursday: Chicken/ Beef Fajitas on tortillas with peppers, onions, sour cream, cheese Friday: Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders & Homemade Fries Saturday: Buffet of Leftovers Sunday: BBQ Pork Sandwiches on WW Rolls with Salad

So a sick family has thrown my week into a complete mess. Here was my meal plan as of Saturday when I made it. That was before Daddy and I got food poisoning and Sassy was spiking fevers for 2 days straight. Needless to say I cancelled Sassy's playdate with friends and took her to the doctors and I was asuppose to have a much needed massage tonight (work pays for them!) and they have called and cancelled due to the therapist being sick. However we still have big plans for the weekend. I am taking off work on Friday and my mom is coming up and teaching me how to tile. We are ripping out our old press and stick tile and putting in nice new porclein tile. So our menu reflects the craziness in our week. Monday Make Chocolate Chip Cookies and Slice up Celery, Carrots and Cheese for multiple gatherings at our house Dinner: Meatball Sandwiches, WW Rolls Tuesday Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders & Fries & Salad Wednesday Pack for Sassy's Lunch: Soy Yogurt Dinner: Pancakes Thursday Pac

Weekly Shopping Trip 3/9/09 So this week is going to be an extra busy week. I am having two different functions in my house on Monday. What was I thinking (oh right, only have to super clean the house once). Sassy is having a play date on Monday morning with a bunch of our friends and then Monday night I am having some moms from the EcoMom group, I help organize over to learn about the hazards that are in typical household cleaners. So this is why there are some extras in the trip this week... like a box of Cheerybrook Farms Cookie Mix, this is a great cookie mix that is completely vegan since Sassy is allergic to milk and one of Sassy's friends is allergic to eggs so this insures there is something for everyone to eat at our play date ... then with the moms coming over we are going to have cheese, crackers and veggies and dip. So these items added about 20 to the budget this week. I honestly don't know how Gayle keeps so good in budget every week . I guess practice makes

Usually after I make cookies or brownies I will bag them and put them in the freezer so they will stay fresh. However with these cookies, they barely make it into the freezer. We like peanut butter cookies, however some peanut butter cookies are a little to heavy on the peanut butter and they are to over powering. These however are perfect and it is a super simple recipe too. I got this recipe out of a local cookbook called Susie's Cook Book. Check out what else people are cooking this week HERE Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies I actually ususally don't make them with the chocolate chips and the last couple of times that I made them, I used sunflower butter and they have turned out good as well. 2 cups AP Flour 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup butter/margarine, softened 1/2 cup peanut butter 2 eggs 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla 1 TBsp water optional - 1 cup mini chocolate chips Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. St

So a friend told me about this great cosmetic company called E.L.F. Cosmetic. They were featured in O (Oprah's magazine) a while ago. So I decided I had to go check it out. Here is what I got.... Luscious Liquid Lipstick $1.00 Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter $3.00 Clarifying Pressed Poweder Tone 1$1.00 Therapeutic Lip Balm -Vanilla Crème $1.00 e.l.f. Professional 9 pc . Master $15.00 (I bought this since Sassy has been playing with my current set and has broken several of them in half.) Sub Total: $21.00 Shipping: $6.95 Tax: $0.00 Discounts:50% off orders up to $15.00! ($7.50) Total: $20.45 Who can bet these prices. I mean for a dollar to five dollars for the most expensive products. So far I love everything I have gotten. This is way better and cheaper than hunting through the grocery or drug store of their clearence items. To check them out go HERE

So this was our first week on our new weekly budget of $65. I was very excited about this and knew I was going to be able to stay within this one and then.... Daddy said that he really needed soda for his lunches... so I gave in and got him some so between that and the vitamins I picked up I went over it. DARN! So well, we will try harder next time. Sassy has an allergist app. in a couple of weeks and I am praying that we can do a food challenge for her and see if she is still allergic to milk. I can't wait for the day that I don't have to buy all of these expensive soy and vegan products. Till then here is how we did this week. Click over here to see how others spent their weekly budgets. Wegman's Tofutti Sour Cream - 2.89 Earthly Balance "Butter" - 3.99 Quart Silk Soy Milk - 1.79 2 Silk Yogurt - 1.58 Wegman's Vanilla Soy Milk - 2.79 Wegman's Plain Soy Milk - 2.79 Gallon 1% Milk - 2.80 1/2 Gallon Whole Milk - 1.55 1/2 Gallon Orange Juice - 1.49 18 count e

I am starting to get burned out and tired of cooking all of the time. In the summer and spring Daddy cooks more since it's nice out and we grill 90% of our meals. Bring on spring. Oh wait they are calling for a big snow storm tonight. YAH! Here my sarcasm So here are my easy prep and clean up meals for the plan for our week. Check out everyone else's meal plan's HERE Monday : Chicken Pot Pie & Salad Tuesday: BBQ Pork Sandwiches Wednesday: Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Sliced cheese & Noodles Dinner - Super nachos made with refried beans, black beans, lettuce, tomato &, sour cream Thursday: Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Soy Yogurt & Soup Dinner - Pancakes Friday: Pack for Sassy's Lunch - Sliced Cheese, Ravioli & Roll or Bread Dinner - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Saturday : London Broil, Baked Potatoes & Salad Sunday: Hamburgers, Whole Wheat Rolls & French Fries

Since I am a working mommy I have to be organized in order for our lives to run smoothly and be able to get everything done that I want and needs to get done. I currently work 4 - 10 hour shifts. Sassy is in daycare 3 day a week and my mom watches her one day a week. Daddy works 60-80 hours a week between his two jobs so he is not able to help out as much as he use to. So that leaves a lot of the burden up to me... the cleaning, the cooking, the child-rearing, the laundry, taking care of 2 dogs, etc. My SAHM always tell me they have no clue how I do it... well I don't get a whole lot of sleep. I usually go to bed around 11pm and the days that I work I have to be up at 5am in order to get Sassy and I out the door to school and work by 6:20. So this is how I do it. I while ago, I found that I was wasting a lot of time by doing things multiple times during the week, like paying bills, emailing, laundry, cleaning, etc. So I have now broken everything down to days..... Mondays - Clean

Okay so it takes a lot for me to get excited about food shopping and prices, usually because I am always in shock by how much things cost even at the outlet stores. So anyway, remember how I said we had a new produce place in town which was claiming cheap produce. Well I went today and checked it out. Here is what I got.... Bananas - 2.00 Okra - 2.00 Grapes - 2.00 2 heads of Iceberg lettuce - 1.50 For a Grand Total of 7.50!!! I am in shock... Now this place is unfortunately not right down the road from us, however venturing there every two weeks is definitely do able especially at these prices. The selection was fabulous. The okra was the best looking stuff I have ever seen north of the Mason Dixon. So the bananas are green still, they should come around in a day or two. Daddy is really looking forward to the banana bread. If you have any great recipes for bananas send them my way. I will be looking for something to do with all of the extras.

We have been member's of BJ's for about two years now and our membership just came up for renewal. Daddy and I talked long and hard about whether or not to spend the $45 to renew. The last couple of months that I have gone that I did not find really good deals. So we decided to not renew our contract and if we can always sign up again in the future if we decide we should go back. Our monthly budget for BJ's was $100 so we will increase our weekly budget from $40 to $65 and starting next month I will start shopping accordingly. However, this month since I had not gone to BJ's we were starting to run low on staples and pantry items, I spent this week stocking up on some great sales that Wegman's had going on. Bonus to going to Wegman's is down the street is Amelia's Grocery Outlet. So head there first and stock up on things and then headed over to Wegman's for the rest. Check out HERE how else everyone spend their grocery dollars. Amelia's Grocer