Preserving the Goodness of the Seasons

There is something about the site of pretty jars that makes my heart go pitter patter....

 I have spent much time and effort collecting these little ladies. Garage sale, gifted to me, handed down to me, and auctions are my favorite places to find them. I had collected so MANY of them I thought there was no way I would actually ever really use all of them. By the end of summer, I had enough to fill up all four shelves of my three shelving units. This Spring this is what my pantry looked like.....BEFORE..........

I was out of many things and low on everything else. I had high hopes and day dreams of filling those empty shelves with beautiful produce, fruits, and sauces. Despite a terrible drought the good Lord blessed our efforts to the brim. I am thankful he provided us with such a bounty, and the encouragement to keep working hard all summer long in the terrible heat.
HARVEST BOUNTY TOTALS

 Before I give you a run down of what was accomplished I wanted to let you know that I didn't do it all by myself! I had FIVE helpers! Plowing, planting, pulling weeds, watering plants, moving sprinklers, watching timers, and then doing it all over again and again all season long. It was very hard work for the size of garden we took on this year, but boy ohhhh boy did we have a lot of fun!

 Green Beans: 80qts

 Potatoes: 14 qts canned, 2 BIG crates of fresh in basement

 Onions: I had enough to make all my salsa and sauces. I don't have a total number though.

 Salsa: 20pts, 28qts

 Green Peppers: I have enough for all the salsa and sp. sauce. I also have a gallon freezer bag for later.

 Corn:  53 pts, 14qts, 7 dozen ears enjoyed fresh from the garden

 Currant Jelly: 2pts, 9 small jars

 Sugar Snap Peas: I just planted enough to eat fresh from the garden. YUMMY!
Carrots: 3qts
Spinach: harvested several times, enjoyed by all

 Blueberries: 37.5 pts FROZEN I bought 30 lbs this year, hopefully in a few years they will all be from my bushes.....but that might take a few more years.

 Tomatoes:
Spaghetti Sauce: 43qts
Juice: 30qts
Pizza Sauce: 9qts, 3pts

 Ketchup: 8pts, 2 jelly jars I already know that I should have made MUCH more!

 Rhubarb: 8qts FROZEN, I bought 10lbs. this year, next year should be a great year for my plants.

 Strawberries: 18qts. FREEZER JAM

 Apple Pie Filling: 36qts
Apple Butter: 8 pts, 3 jelly jars
Apple Syrup: 2pts

Pumpkin Puree: not done yet

Concord Grape Juice: 34qts

I'm tickled pink that we have an ample honey supply as well! (120 lbs.)
In case you weren't counting that is around 464 jars of food that was processed. (This official count
does not include the honey, not the pumpkin stuff we have to process) that was processed!

Our freezers are full of meat and shelves are stocked with baking staples, and our pantry if overflowing with yummy goodness. I'm not sure what winter has in store for us, but I think we will eat well while we gawk at seed magazines and dream of Spring to come again soon.
 Here is the AFTER..........

HAPPY HARVEST!!!

I'm linking up to Homestead Revival Blog Hop.

Meal Planning Mama

I love meal planning, though I frequently fall off the wagon when it comes to actually doing it week after week. I'm not sure why. I love planning and shopping and having the stress and hassle of figuring things out each day for each meal being lifted off my shoulders. After a little thought of what I should do about this problem, I decided to do a little experiment this month. I am starting a week into the month. Better late than never, right? In case your interested in streamlining your meal planning schedule in the near future.

The Month of June Breakfast Menu:

Muffin Monday: Apple, Blueberry, Bran

Tasty Cobble Tuesday: Apple, Blueberry, Blueberry/Rhubarb

Wacky Egg Wednesday: Egg Sandwiches, Egg Casserole, Egg Burritos, Scrambled

Tasty Toasted Pancake Thursday: Whole Wheat, Blueberry, Chocolate Chip

French Toast Friday: French toast casserole, and just reg. french toast

Sausage Saturday: Biscuits, & Sausage gravy

Cereal Sunday: Cereal or Oatmeal

 The Month of June Lunch Menu: 

(except VBS week we eat at church)

Monday: Grill Cheese or BLT Sandwiches, pretzels, french fries, fruit

Tuesday: Chicken & Rice, veggie, butter bread

Wednesday: PB&J Sand., grapes or bananas, chips

Thursday: Spaghetti, garlic bread, veggie

Friday: Tator Tot Casserole, veggie, butter bread

Saturday: Bologna Sand., raspberries from the garden, yogurt with granola

Sunday: Burrito Casserole

The Month of June Supper Menu:

Meatloaf Monday: potatoes from the garden, a veggie and rolls

Taco Tuesday: brown rice, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, refried beans

Wacky Wednesday: Leftovers

Tasty Treat Thursday: Eating from the GARDEN!

Fun Friday: Homemade Pizza

Soup Saturday: Chili, Potato, Hamb./Veggie

Scrounge Sunday: Leftovers or our traditional popcorn supper

I'm hoping that by sticking to a very simple, quick, and easy menu that it makes this whole plan very stress free for this busy month. It also should help to streamline my monthly shopping trip. If you have struggled with consistent meal planning or never tried it before, maybe you should give this method a try and then let me know what you think. Happy Planning!

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

I've been making my own homemade powder laundry detergent for over a year now...maybe longer I really can't remember. I liked the idea that I could make my own for a fraction of the cost of a leading detergent, yet I could get the same cleaning power. The powder version is very quick to make and only requires purchasing three ingredients. I've always had in my head that the liquid version would require so much more time....and it seemed scary, I worried I would mess it all up! I'm laughing now as I type this because it seriously couldn't be further from the truth. The liquid version that still only requires the same three ingredients...4 if you include water...took only about 5 extra minutes! Want to know the recipe and the steps to take to make your own? It's really is easy peasy...give it a try.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

safe for HE washers

4 cups of tap water

1 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap- grated

1 cup of Washing Soda

1/2 Cup of Borax

Step One: Pour 4 cups of tap water into a sauce pan, Grate soap and add to pan. On medium heat, melt the soap, stir slowly until it's melted. (takes 5 minutes or less)

Step Two: Add Washing soda and Borax to pan. Stir slowly until mixed in. (takes about 1-2 min)

Step Three: Fill up a HALF of a 5 gallon bucket with HOT tap water, pour pan mixture into bucket, and stir again to be sure your contents are all mixed and melted.

STEP FOUR: Fill the remaining 5 gallon bucket with more tap water. Cover and let it set up over night. In the morning it should have a nice gel consistency. 

It should look something like this.

Depending on the water quality, actual usage amounts vary. As a guide start here:

Top Load Washer: Heaping 1/2 cup

HE Front Load Washer: 1/4 cup

HINTS:

**If you prefer a scent in your soap you can essential oils at the very end and stir the contents well.

**If your wondering where you can get a 5 gallon bucket with a lid, You can #1 call around and see if a local restaurant has any you can have for free or #2 buy one at your local hardware store.

Grocery Report

I went on my monthly grocery shopping trip last week and Kroger was one of my stops. I haven't made a coupon run in soooooooo very long but I thought I would share this little score with you. I had almost forgotten what is felt like to have such a coupon high! (smile)

 Here is the break down of my deals: Starting on the left

4 Notebooks on clearance: $.15 each

2 M&M's: manufactor $1 coupon

2 Snack packs $.50 coupon (tripled) paid .50 for both

5 Cake mixes: $.99 each

5 Kashi Cereal: $2.99 each

Because I bought the cake mix and the cereal equaling 10 back to school items I got $5.00 off my total

2 Cranberries

2 Ranch Dressing

1 Sugar: I had a manufacturer coupon and a Kroger coupon paid $.39

OJ: had a manuf. coupon and a Kroger coupon

eggs: FREE egg coupon from Kroger 

Peter Pan: Manf. coupon & Kroger coupon

Sour cream: Kroger coupon

2 Coffee Creamer: Kroger coupon

Facial Cleanser: Kroger coupon

Make up remover: Manf. coupon

watermelon, 2 strawberries, and $.39 a lb. bananas

1 head of lettuce

I also had a coupon for $1 off when I purchased $5 in the dairy dept.

Because of a mix up the manager accidentally have me another $5 off since she didn't think it took it from the back to school deal. We later discovered that it actually had...she said don't worry about and let me keep the $5 extra off my total!! How COOL is that! Blessing.....Blessing.

I SAVED $44 in coupons and discounts and SPENT $61....I was thrilled with that considering the items I bought!!!

In case your wondering about all those Kroger coupons....I got them in a mailer from them several weeks ago. If you do not receive these I'm sure you can go to their website and sign up for them, or call your local Kroger and ask them how you can get them.

Garden Update!

It seems that will all the rain we have been having, my garden is loving it and had just explodes over the past couple of weeks. It is so wonderful to see things growing and filling up the space with so much green color!!

This is a full view of my garden.

 The boys have been assigned a certain number of rows that they are in charge of keeping weed free. Lance is standing up here amongst the corn.....I think we have met the "Knee high by the 4th of July" saying!

 The sweet candy onions are doing great!

 All the way on the right is my pumpkin patch GONE WILD! I think we just might have a ton of pumpkins come this fall...I'm okay with that.

 My tomatoes are growing to be nice and bushy! I am wanting to make pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce and more salsa for sure. I am trying to think what else I could use up some of my tomatoes making. Any ideas or recipes you can throw my way?

 This is our first year trying out carrots. They seem to be doing well. I think I should have thinned them more. My kids were having a blast pulling some of them out and rinsing them with the hose and chopping them down.

 I planted some smaller sunflower in the garden they get about 3ft. To the right of those are a mix of cutting flowers.

 I LOVE zinnias I have planted lots of them. Some I planted amongst the sunflowers.

 Well I am sorry to report that my lettuce and now my cabbage have been a total loss. I don't know what it is that I don't get about lettuce (which is suppose to be super easy to grow). I can grow it beautifully.....but it seems that it is always so bitter tasting. I was told to pick it earlier this year. So I tried that, but it was still bitter.....maybe I still am not picking it early enough. It was free seed I have got...so no big loss. Some NASTY BUG went through and totally killed off my yummy cabbage I planned on making homemade coleslaw with! NAUGHTY BUG!!!! It did all this damage in a couple days...before I even noticed what was going on.....bummer!

 Sugar snap peas have also been something new to us in the garden this year. I discovered I need to plant MANY more!!!! There have been enough for us to eat right off the vine while weeding. YUM!!

 The BLUE morning glories I planted are crawling right up the fence. Just this past weekend I went back down the fence and planted more where the peas have been growing. I think the peas are almost done and then the flowers can take their place the rest of the summer.


Well I hope you gardening is growing lots of yummy things! Till next time, Happy weeding!

DANIELLE

Cans, Cans, and More Cans!

 As you can see, my stairway that leads to the basement is covered in cans. Why? Because my adorable and very hands-on son is so excited to put together my new rack for storing canning jars. We decided this would be so helpful and free up a lot of space I could be using to stock up on other staples.

 Lance wasn't able to totally complete the project without a little assistance for Dad. To his credit the directions were actually misleading.....because since he is 8yrs old he actually follows the directions FIRST instead of LAST...smirk! As you can tell in this picture, he is not at all proud of himself and his accomplishment! Nope not at all.....

Fully loaded down....I hope they are right about the 50 lb per shelf limit! Just in case inquiring minds want to know...Spaghetti sauce on the bottom.... tomato juice sauce on the 2nd from the bottom....tomato juice & spaghetti sauce on the 3rd from the bottom, salsa on 2nd from the top...the top is now even more full of extra store bought canned goods.

Now I have more room to store all of these extra goodies. Not the best quality photo, but you get the idea! Since I stopped couponing, for the most part, this summer I try to really stock up on staples each time I shop. Kroger ran a great deal during there mega sale on BBQ sauce and ranch, making these items cheaper than I could buy them at Aldi. I try to take advantage of deals like that when at all possible. It really is amazing the deals you can find when you educate yourself on what a "sale" really is.

DANIELLE

A FUN find near me!!

Well look at these goodies I scored at a store near me, no less. During a FUN get togethert this past weekend with some friends I discovered there is this little shop near me that sells baking staples at a very reasonable prices.....So today while my oldest guy was at the library for a class I made a stop to check it out. I was thrilled at being able to purchase all this for $25! The honey was $9.50 on it's own though....we love honey around here and I don't often buy it because it's so costly but I thought this was a great deal on such a large can!!! I also bought dried bananas, apples, and pineapples and threw them all together for a yummy snack mixture...Mmmm! Then I bought some staples: two things of yeast, wheat germ, wheat bran, cinnamon, ginger, buttermilk powder (So I can whip up some buttermilk when I have a recipe that calls for it.), and Lecithin granules.
I didn't buy any today, but I also saw they had a #22 bad of bread flour for $14.75...which I thought was great compared to what I spent last month at another place online! I didn't need any right now, but I will keep that in mind for the next time I want to purchase some.
I am so excited to have a place so close to me that sells such great staples for great prices. THANKS AMY for tipping me off to such a FUN find!!

DANIELLE

New Year Frugality...Make Your Own Laundry Detergent!

Yes, you might think the idea sounds really crazy...like I did when I first heard about "crazy people" making their own detergent....but now I am a believer....read on....

The first thing I have decided to continue through the new year is making my own laundry detergent. At first I thought I would be really complicated and not worth my time but then I did a quick search on you tube and found the process to make a "powder detergent" was super easy and surprisingly fast. In case you'd like to try and make you own her is what I discoverd after using up 3 batches....I washed 93 loads of laundry for about $8.00!!!!

The process is VERY SIMPLE..Here is how you can make you own.....
1. The first thing you need to do is choose which soap you want to use in your detergent...Some use Ivory soap, but I prefer to use Fels-Naptha (pure laundry soap). I like the smell much better than the ivory. You can use a simple grater to grate the soap. If you use a food processor makes this chore super speedy. When I made my first round of detergent I only had a grater available to me so I grated is as small as I could then put it one cup at time into my little food chopper to chop my pieces even smaller. This is a more time consuming way, but I still made three batches in an hour of my time......Just last week I made up another batch with a food processor and it took me literally 15 minutes...that included clean up!!!
2. After choosing which soap...grate or process the entire bar.
3. After you get your soap to a powdery consistency then your ready to add ONE cup of BORAX and ONE cup of the WASHING SODA.....just mix it all together and put it in a sealed container.....and there you are super great laundry detergent......

 ***Here are a couple hints I learned while using this detergent on my first 93 loads of laundry.....I turn on the water then add the detergent mix (I used one heaping tablespoon for most all loads, I saw up to 1 to 2 tablespoons is used...personal preference...) let the water run a few seconds more then added the laundry in. NOTE: This will not suds up like commercial soap...just so you don't panic...

***I store my detergent in an old ice cream bucket...work just fine...you don't need anything fancy...an old rubbermaid bowl with a lid will do.

*** I bought the Washing Soda ( 55oz box) $3.09 and Fels-Naptha ($1.29 per bar) at Kroger. The Borax came from Walmart (76 oz box) $3.36. I found all of these things in the laundry isle.

*** I realize that you could buy the super cheap detergent for less that you can make this...but with 3 with our outdoor lifestyle of mud, grass stains, and who knows what else I have to get the good stuff. I would usually get ALL or Tide at the store...so compared to those quality detergents it does save me money and doesn't require a lot of resource or a lot of my time. Again personal preference comes into play...just an idea to think for the new....Making your own deteregent!

DANIELLE

I think I need to set the record straight on a few things!!

While I appreciate Justin taking care of last month and all, and then letting you all have a little insight into his thinking and approach. I need to set the record straight on a few things. We DO NOT eat lots of processed foods in our everyday diet.....I do make HOME COOKED meals EVERYDAY around here......Yes everything was figured into this monthly total including toilet paper,ect. I have stocked piled most of these items so toilet paper really was the only thing we needed to buy....our total was around $130-$140 for the month....and we do eat fresh fruit also....he just didn't list that....we go through 3-4 gallons of milk per week.....which was also figured into that amount.....Here is a glimpse of what we ate last month for supper meals

Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Green beans
Spaghetti, Cheese Garlic bread
Sweet & Sour meatballs, peas, potatoes
Pizza
Tacos
Hamburger Helper, Butter bread, corn
Grill Cheese sand., apple slices
sloppy joes, corn on the cob, green beans
potato soup, cornbread
pb&j, yogurts
Chili, butter bread, crackers
Rice with Chicken, corn

Really that is it then we ate left overs alot from those meals, a couple meal were ate at my mom's (b/c of canning tomatoes), we had a picnic, and a b-day party thrown in also.....

Well hopefully this helps a bit more to know what we ate for that price.....for breakfast we ate cereal (corn flakes), oatmeal muffins, chocolate chip pancakes, peanut butter toast, scrambled eggs, yogurts.

Lunches are very simple around here..that's where that mac and cheese/hots come in once a week (twice with the leftovers we eat from that), pb&j sand with fruit, grilled cheese sand. with raisins and animal crackers....very simple and quick meals for lunch.

One thing that I have learned this month is that I have to be willing to admit there are other options to feed my family in a responsible yet frugal way other than couponing.....Don't get me wrong I have loved every minute....well besides cutting them that I never loved.....but everything else I really did enjoy. Time became a big factor for me, in the way that I had to admit I was pouring so much time and energy into preparation and shopping. It saved us a ton of money and I really thought of it like a game and new it was kind of like a part-time job for me. Also in this last year I have had to come to terms with this is not where God wants me spending my time right now......yes meal planning will still be in practice and yes I will still be shopping frugally....just minus the couponing on large level. I do think that I will come back to do...I have had to surrender it in this season of my life. So I hope you have been able to at least take something from our little experiment month....If nothing else I know I have....but I am happily taking the reins again in the kitchen/meal area of our household once again.....

BLESSINGS,

DANIELLE

Justin's Grocery Month (Written by Justin)

OK Ladies, Here's the moment you've been waiting for... My take on cutting the grocery bill.
If you remember, last month was my month to buy the groceries and see what I could do to save money.
No Coupons...
No ECB's or Register Rewards (I had to ask Danielle what these were)...

First of all I'd like you to keep an open mind and listen closely, I think what we discovered as a family are a few concepts that you may be able to apply as well.

When I told Danielle that I wanted to do this for the month, she said I could as long as I gave her a meal plan and bought the groceries for these meals. Well, I didn't really follow through with that plan, but I believe this was part of my success.

First thing I did was go to Aldi's and buy $77 dollars worth of grub.
-20 some cans of vegetables at $0.49/can
-20 some cans of fruit at $0.79/can
-Potatoes
-Several packets of Taco Seasoning
-3 Hamburger Helper boxes at $0.89/box
-Several Macaroni and Cheese Boxes at $0.33/box
-Several boxes of flavored noodles
-Some Yogurt
-A couple bags of chips
-3 boxes of cereal at $1.19/box
-A big can of Oatmeal
-Several Pounds of Hot dogs
-Several other items
-Several cheap pizzas (I think they were $1 ea.)
Items bought on separate trip:
-I bought bread at the outlet store (about 8 loaves) for $0.79/loaf
-There was a deal on milk for $1/gal (bought 8 gallons)

Basically I figured I had enough groceries for at least 2-3 weeks.
I was carefull not to buy stuff like fish sticks and pizza rolls which I noticed were like $2.50 or $3 each and I figured if you ate a vegetable and drank some milk you'd have a $5 or $6 meal.

That's the way I bought the stuff at the store. I figured about what it'd cost for a meal consisting of the items I bought.
Ex. (2) $1 pizza's, a ($0.49) can of green beans and 1/2 of a ($1) gallon of milk.

Then we started recording as closely as possible, the cost of each meal we ate.
We included the cost of our drinks and anything else we may have needed for the meal. If we drank 1/2 gal of kool-aid at supper I added $0.65 or so, figuring we used a cup of sugar and a $0.10 packet of mix.

Results:
Our daily avg cost for all 6 of us for 3 meals came out to $3.28 /day.
This would be a monthly total of $98.40.
We used about 8lbs of hamburger(which I didn't add cost for) adding the Hamburger at $2.99/lb would take this to about $125.

Keep in mind we eat leftovers when they're available, so on the days we ate a meal from the day before, our only cost was our drinks and things like bread.

We did make a couple extra trips for a few things here or there, but there are also some things that I bought that are still in the pantry.

How did this work?

Here's the short version because it's getting late:

Don't plan a meal and then go buy the stuff for it. Instead go buy a bunch of stuff that you can use to make meals and then when it's meal time, take a look at what you've got and create a meal from those goods.

Don't plan on eating cheap meals if you're not willing to take some preparation time. I noticed when shopping that the stuff you could make in like 5 minutes was much more expensive than making a box of hamburger helper and some baked potatoes (about a $2 meal).

You can eat really cheap if you want to, so don't complain about your grocery bill!!!
I never talk about how people spend their money, but I also won't listen to people complain about their finances. We all spend our money how we want.

Your kids may complain about eating oatmeal or corn flakes every single day, but if you only have a certain amount of money, you've gotta make choices.
Ask them if they'd rather eat corn flakes and go to the movies on Saturday night, or eat cinnamon toast crunch, and stay at home.

I don't plan on doing this again. I don't really care if we spend $100 or $200 a month on groceries, but this was a good eye opening experience, that I hope you can take something from.

Thanks,
Justin

Great Week at KROGER!!

This was my haul in at Kroger this week....they are doing a MEGA sale this week....buy 10 of the certain items and then get $5 off your bill. You can do this three times in one transaction (Making it $15 off your bill.) I got 56 items total and spent $51.59!!! I got a few things that drove my price per item up like Nutmeg......$3.89 WOW!!!! (I hate buying spices) I also got frozen Mangos ($3) for a new recipe I am trying this week. Also we needed coffee $6.59 (OHHHH your killing me here!) Those items alone ate up quite a bit of money...good thing everything else was so cheap!!!

Read All About It!!!!

I found out some GREAT information yesterday which should be help to any of you wanting to get a "Big City" newspaper!!!! Maybe you didn't realize it, but there is quite a difference between the coupon quantity in the smaller town newspapers compared to say the CHICAGO or INDIANAPOLIS newspapers. Since I started couponing I have been blessed with such a helping soul who has went and picked up two Chicago papers for me and brought them to my in laws each week then they give them to me....sounds a bit complicated but actually it worked out very smoothly! The deal with the Chicago was we couldn't get home delivery because we are to far out of the region...and the only other way to get it would be for them (the newspaper) to mail it to me....which would cost between $5-$6 per paper.....WOW!!!!!! Costing me $10-$12 for two papers...not happening!!!

Soooo the point being, now Megan found out that we can get the INDY Star each week mailed to out house (we should get them on Tuesday each week). The cost will be $3.50 a paper...making the cost $7! You might be thinking that $7 for two paper sounds like a lot of money....but really I assure you it's not!!! I would say on average that the number of coupons you get in these papers is DOUBLE sometimes TRIPLE of what is in your local Sunday paper!!!!!!

Here is the info to call and start up your subscription and this is what you need to tell them!!

* You can call 1-317-444-4000 or TOLL FREE 1-888-357-7827

* Tell them you would like the SUNDAY ONLY paper

* Make sure you tell them you need it mailed to you (unless you live around Indy.)

*Also if you want 2 papers be sure you remind them to send a note to the carrier about you wanting 2 papers!

***One quick side note....there are several Sunday's a year that the newspapers don't have coupons in them...due to holidays. For example Easter Sunday will be the next no coupon Sunday.....so if you go out and buy your own papers you'll want to skip that week. So for me I don't want to get $7 worth of newspapers from Indy that I don't need. For these certain Sundays you will need to notify the paper sometime during the week and let them know you want your paper put on Vacation hold for THAT Sunday only. Otherwise they will continue to delivery the paper and charge you for it. You might still get your paper by accident...but you shouldn't be charged for it since you put it on hold. You can also put your paper on hold and manage your account, voice delivery issues online at http://MyNewspaperService.com

----Hope this information is helpful....and helps you get more bang for your buck!!-----

Looks like it will be a great coupon week in Sunday's paper!! There should be three inserts: Smartsource, Red Plum, and Protor & Gamble!!!!!! Did you know you can preview the coupons that will be in the Sunday paper???? You can!! Go to http://taylortownpreview.com to check it out each week. When you log onto the page scroll down a bit and on the left you will be the dates listed...find the week you want to check and click on it. You need to wait until Wednesday to check for the preview on the coming Sunday's paper..Make sense??

Free Signature Generator

How to Reduce Your Monthly Grocery Bills...Part 3

Continuing on from Part 2 with the question and answer format........

Q #6: How long does it take to do this whole "Coupon Craziness" each week?
A: This is a hard question because the time can vary so much depending on the person. When I first started I spent ALOT of time (several hours) cutting the coupons out, filing them, scanning the ads, making my lists, then pulling the coupons I need, and then shopping.......Don't be discouraged! Once I found my groove, this whole process went much faster and was a lot less complicated.

Q #7:Where do I find out about what is on sale at each store each week and what the coupon match-up are?
A:This is were I would spend SOOOO much time before, but now I rely mainly on a few other blogs to do that work for me. I visit other GREAT women bloggers who alert me to the sales and what coupons to use....then I scan over the ad to see if I want to ad any other items to my list. I visit MEGAN at http://dailyessentialsanddeals.blogspot.com
and also I go to http://moneysavingmom.typepad.com
I know there are lots of great other blogs who post the deals as well but I use these two mainly!

Q #8: How do I keep all the different store deals straight and separate all the coupons and lists?
A: This is also a personal preference thing I think....this is how I do it. I am by nature an organized freak (although I am by no means always organized in every area of life).....and also a very forgetful person if its "NOT ON THE LIST"! I have an envelope for Kroger and another for Meijer. I will make a list of items needed with the quantity listed beside those items (If needed I will separate them by transaction 1 and transaction 2), then as I make my list I will pull the coupons from my binder as I go along. When the list is complete and all the coupons are pulled I stuff the list inside the envelope with the coupons so everything if kept together.

Q #9: Is all this really worth my time?
A: This is something that each person has to answer. I think for my family it is...If I can feed 6 people for $200 a month I think that is worth....even with my paper cost added to that $200 it's still worth it. For me I don't figure in "time cost" because saving money is something I enjoy and shopping for groceries is something I have to do anyway. I am spending less money yet my cabinets are overflowing with name brand food products each week. I am one of those die hard bargain shoppers, kinda girls so this is also a bit of a game for me!!! I get a kick out of finding the deals (especially when I get it FREE!) and planning the menus.
I really DON'T LIKE cutting and filing the coupons, but I realize this is a necessary step in the process.....I think I need to hire my 7 1/2 year old to do it for me (at least the cutting part.....I am keeping my options open :)

Q #10 Any words of advice to someone just starting this process?
A: First, whenever possible shop without the kiddos! I know this is not always possible maybe never possible for some of you. It is easier to pay attention when checking out, be sure to check the items as they ring up because it happens often that they ring up at the wrong price. Also while inputting your coupons you want to make sure each doubles or triples. If you have to bring kiddos try to be as organized as possible and that should help out!
Second, DON"T try to cut and file coupons, go through the ads, make lists, and shop all in the same day!!!!!! It is way to much!!!!! For me, I try to cut coupons on Sunday afternoon, make up my list for Meijer the day before I am going, and the same is true for Kroger. Aldi's is easy to they don't take any coupons so I just make the list right before going, and since I only go their once or twice a month it is no big thing.
Third, Don't think you will cut your budget down drastically in a month.....it took me six months to get our budget down to $200 a month. You'll find as you stockpile, the list of needed items while start to shrink.
Fourth, Don't feel like your family of 6 or less has to eat on $200 a month. This works for us, but maybe $500 works for you......and that would be better than the $800 you used to spend! The name of the game is find what works for you and your family and then reduce your monthly food costs. Even if you reduce 30% that's money you can use elsewhere or put in the bank! Maybe just by simplifying your meals you will save a bundle....maybe preparing meal ahead of time and freezing them will keep you from stopping by the fast food joint....
Lastly, MAKE A PLAN!!! Start somewhere.....Meal Planning is a good place to begin!!

You know I LOVE hearing from you!!!!!! Feel free to leave questions for me in the comment section or email me @jdgaerte@hotmail.com

How to Reduce Your Monthly Grocery Bills...Part 2

Well before we get into the "meat and potatoes" of couponing I thought I would arm you with some more information to get you organized before you start clipping......

Q #1 Where do I get my coupons from?
A: I get four newspapers each week! I clip EVERY coupon except dog and cat items because they don't apply to us. The point of getting four papers is that you have 4 coupons to them use on items when they go on sale...so you can "stockpile" items.
I also use some printable coupons off the Internet. There are several different sites that offer printables. Here are a few I use most often, but there are plenty more sites to get coupons.
Also you should know you do have to download the coupon printer software, but it is easy to do and free!!
http://smartsource.com/
http://couponloop.com/
http://coupons.com/
http://couponbug.com/
http://boxtops4education.com/
http://bettycrocker.com/
A helpful hint to know is that you can print off 2 like coupons per computer. I am finding that at the beginning of each month some of these sites reset and then you can print off more needed coupons.

If you want to preview coupons that will be in the Sunday paper you can go to http://taylortownpreview.com/ and check it out each week after Wednesday.

Vocalpoint.com is another place to sign up and receive coupons that will mailed to your house along with free products!! I just signed up for this program so I haven't had personal experience with it yet, but I know several that have had and I've heard nothing but goods things!

ALL YOU MAGAZINE- sold only at Walmart. This magazine contains lots of coupons, certainly enough to pay for itself each month. A bonus I think is that it is actually a magazine that has some neat articles worth reading.

Q#2 How do I file or keep all my coupons?
A: I feel this is totally a preference thing. I prefer to have all mine in a binder. (I think the cost of my binder was under $10.) I love my binder because it zips up to keep everything nice and tucked inside when traveling. Also on the inside, it has pockets where I will keep the weekly ads for each store. Also I use another pocket to hold coupons I need to clip, and yet another pocket for my envelopes. (I have a marked envelope for each store I shop at. On the outside of the envelope I mark the store the phone number (and for Kroger and Meijer I have a #1 Transaction and another envelope for #2 Transaction.) I use 9 card style clear baseball sleeves to file my coupons. I have them divided in to these categories...again separate them how you like. I like the clear baseball holders because you can view 9 coupons at a time and also easily view expiration dates. ( I think I bought a 10 pack at Walmart for about $5 something each...maybe I really can't remember. I bought 3 packs and that has been enough for me.) I used the sticky post it tabs that are in several colors to flag each category. My categories are as follows...
Baby
Baking
Beverage
Canned Goods
Cereal
Cleaning supplies
Condiments
Dairy
Deodorant
Facial Care (Face wash, razors, make-up remover)
Feminine Hygiene
Frozen Foods
Haircare
Household (Batteries, candles, ect)
Kitchen (bags, foil, containers)
Laundry Needs
Lotions (Soaps, Body wash)
Make-Up
Meats
Oral Hygiene
Paper Products
Pasta/Rice
Salad dressings
Snacks
Toilet paper
MISC.
I keep a separate envelope that has all the Over the Counter Medications (I file them according to the month they expire within that envelope)

Another way to store coupons is to use a recipe box......the main thing is figure out what works right for you and then do with that option.

Q#3 Do you really save money couponing when you are buying name brand products? Isn't' cheaper to just buy the generic brand and save time and money by not cutting coupons?
A: Yes, you really do save money couponing.....Yes, you can save money buying generic.....but here the difference.
When you coupon the thing you are trying to accomplish is buying items at rock bottom prices then using your manufacture coupons to get those items free or nearly free. I buy ONLY the items on sale that week and NOTHING more...most of the time. The exceptions are things like meat products that are on sale and produce. Ya know the front page of the Kroger ad where they put all their best prices of things???? These are called loss leaders, items the store makes little money on, they want you to come into the store and buy those things and then fill up your chart with other items not on sale......that is where they make their money! Be disciplined and avoid that trap and only get the coupon match-ups for the week and leave.

Q#4 Do I shop at one store?
A: No I shop at 3 stores for groceries! KROGER, MEIJER, and Aldi are the stores I frequent the most.
So here is a run down of how coupons work at each of these stores.
KROGER: First of all you need to have a Kroger card. If you don't have one you can easily get one at the service desk...no fee for a card.
*My Kroger store triples coupons up to and including .50
*You can only use 2 like coupons in one transaction if you want them to triple
*I have been told by some women that you can only do ONE transaction with coupons every 24 hours, but I talked to some women who work at my local Kroger and they said that is not the case. I used to always do at least 2 transactions per visit, but that was before the first of the year, so I will have to try it again and see what happens.
*Sometimes you will get coupons with you receipt, these coupons do not double or triple.
*There are loadable coupons...these are ecoupons that load right onto you Kroger card!!!!
These are the sites you can go to in order to load up you Kroger card (50 coupons per site can be loaded onto your card.) When you go to these sites you will input your information and input the number on the back of you Kroger card.
http://cellfire.com/
http://shortcuts.com/
http://pgesavers.com/
Coupons that are loaded onto you Kroger card are worth face value they do not double or triple.

Also remember to look for "Manager Specials" at Kroger...These are items like meat, produce, and dairy, and all other things that they mark down for a quick sale.

MEIJER: no card needed.
*Doubles coupons up to and including .50
*No limit on transactions
*Also has "Manager Specials"
*Can only use 2 like coupons if you want them to double
*http://meijermealbox.com/ offers coupons on different items in the store to save additional $$$

ALDI: no card, no coupons, no bags!!!!
*Bring a quarter so you can get a cart, and bring your own bags to put your groceries in.
I shop ALDI for staple items....in case you haven't read anything else on ALDi I love them for staple items I keep in the pantry.

How to Reduce Your Monthly Grocery Bills...Part 1

I have been sharing all my great pics of my grocery runs each week, so I wanted to start sharing with you how I do it, and how YOU can easily do it too!!!

Okay so I also realize that not everyone is into the whole "Coupon Craziness" way of life that I thrive on! So I wanted to start off this series with a few money saving ideas for those of you that would like to decrease your monthly spending at the grocery store but not clip any coupons. As I progress through the series I will explain in detail my whole journey through learning how "Coupon Craziness" works for me and my family. It does work differently for each family. Each family has their own budget, and different quantity needs. PLEASE never feel like that the way I do things is the standard...never feel like my budget and what we spend it what your family has to spend. Simply use this information to learn how to get more for you hard earned money.
I also plan to share with you what I have learning through this whole process and thing reason why I think how we spend our money is so important...


Here are some ways you can save money without clipping coupons!!!


1. Meal Planning- I know I have mentioned this before, but I think this is one of the most steps you can take to save lots of $$$$$$. If decide to do nothing else throughout this series this step alone with save you bundles....and you will see immediate results!!!

2. Stick to Simple and Inexpensive Meals- I don't think you need to serve your family a 6 course meal each night in order to meet nutritional and health needs. Be creative think of simple and easy meals you can make with items you already have in your pantry.

3. Cook from Scratch as Much as Possible- This is something I am still learning to do, I am enjoying the fact that cooking from scratch doesn't have to be so scary and intimidating. I didn't grow up learning about cooking from scratch, so this is a challenge.

4. Shop Once per Week or Less- The simple fact of this step is the less you shop....the less money you spend!!

5. Shop Aldi-If you have an Aldi's in your area you really should be taking advantage of your staple items here. I also use their prices as my "Price Book prices". Which means I know what things cost at Aldi and then compare that to what I can buy things elsewhere. If I can get things cheaper somewhere else because of a sale and using coupons then I know I am getting a good deal.

6. If Aldi is not an option shop at a nearby store that runs sales. Plan your meals around the sale items.

7. Garden- For the first several years of our married life I had my own garden. As I started having babies I guess I ran out of time and energy to put out a garden (having 4 babies in 6 years does that I think!!) During these later years my mom and dad have graciously continued to put out a garden, much larger than they needed in order to let us reap the benefits at harvest time. (THANKS MOM AND DAD!!) This spring we are starting up our own garden again and I am very much looking forward to whole process of getting back into the groove!! So if you know you don't want to take on a garden yourself or maybe you don't have the space.....ask a friend to start a garden with you and share the responsibilities of taking care of it. Also you will the great joy in watching the garden grow and collecting things in the fall...at least know this could be an option.

These are the things we put up throughout the summer and fall:

*Corn, Green beans
*Spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, salsa
*Jams- strawberry and last year I did raspberry as well!
*Apple sauce and last year I tried pear sauce...yummy!
Another option is to go to U-pick farms and get your fruit when it is in season (saving you a bundle!) Then you have the option of freezing the fruit and keeping it for use later in shakes, smoothies, jam, baked goods, ect. I am hoping now that my kiddos are getting older this will become more of an option for us!! I am planning to U-pick some blueberries, strawberries, and maybe raspberries this coming year.

8. Hunting & Fishing- I also understand this is not a possibility for everyone but my husband, dad, and father-in-law all hunt and fish which helps to provide 90% of our meat supply. I know I don't need to explain to any of you how hard getting meat on a budget can be. Here are a few suggestions about saving money on meat.

*Get a cow butchered and split the meat and the cost between family or friends. If you aren't sure where to get a cow or how to go about this process ask around. I would recommend starting with a local butcher. I made a phone call last week to a butcher in my area and they offered this advice. (1) When you get meat from a local butcher whether it's a cow or whatever they can tell you where that meat came from, how it was raised, which can make a difference in the quality of meat. (2) They can package you meat to meet you families needs. For instance, if you buy some freezer beef they can put 6 steaks in a package or 2 steaks in a package whatever you need.
(3) If you don't want a full cow and you don't have anyone to split it with you can even buy a 1/2 of a 1/2 of beef!! I though that was a great option you might want to think about taking advantage of. The great thing about getting meat this way if you usually pay the same for hamburger that you pay for steak!!

Calling All Bargain Shoppers/ Couponers

Well much to my surprise I have been asked to do a "couponing" workshop a our church's women's retreat this year (March 20-21).........So I come to you all with a question!!!
Give me an idea of what I should make sure to include....I am starting to compile a list of things but wanted your input as well....I am by no stretch of the imagination a PRO at couponing...I am still learning my self after 7 months, but I am more than happy to share what I know!!

The workshop is going to zero in on KROGER, MEIJER, and ALDI shopping.

1. What have been the most helpful things about bargain shopping/ couponing that I should share?
2. What has the thing you wish you would have known years ago??
3. Just share any hints you think I need to make sure and mention...

After I finish my draft for the workshop I will be sure to post a series on it so you all can help add or delete things ......thanks for your help!!