Eating from the Pantry Final - and other Goals from February!

It's the last day of February - so I'm clocking in with my final numbers!  I came in $355.58 under budget for groceries this month!  I would have liked to had the number smaller, but it is what it is.  This month I re-committed to eating whole foods, no matter the cost (meaning, I know I can buy lots of boxed items at the regular grocery store for free or close to free, but if it is doing my body no good, there is a high price to pay in the end.)  I have really enjoyed Lindsay's blog at Passionate Homemaking.  It's hard to link just one article from Lindsay's Blog, so I will just link her home page.  I just saw she has another new article today I am going to read on additives and preservatives.  

I spent time at the Feingold website this week too reading to my children what is in all those "great" foods  - additives that come from crude oil sources, or the throw aways from paper factories.  Scary stuff to me.  I made a deal - if they refused the bad snacks offered them at church this month, I would give them $10 each.  They have made it to the end of the month and they succeeded.  Everyone is now $10 richer!  And richer in health for NOT eating the sugars, additives and preservatives.  It really does make a difference in how they behave.  

This month we began doing some soaking of grains for pancakes and oatmeal ala - Nourishing Traditions.  I'm still studying on this, but think it has some validity for certain foods.  

We added Lifeway kefir (I'm not ready to make my own YET) to our diet and I've already seen the benefits in the way of improved digestion.   The kids really love the kefir smoothie!

I also started buying only sprouted grain products like the kind from the Food for Life company (sprouted bread, english muffins and tortillas) and trying to eat less grains and more whole raw vegetables and fruit.  

I feel we've made some great strides this month in our already pretty healthy diet.  I'm trying my best to keep our family healthy so we can be able bodied to do God's work while we are on earth! 

Green Smoothie Challenge

I found a neat blog this week called Happy Foody and they are having a 30-day Green Smoothie challenge!  This won't be too hard for us since we drink one every day anyhow, but I thought it would be fun to join in and see how others are doing.  It's encouraging!   They have a Yahoo group you can join and it's been great to share ideas this way.

Super Saving Safeway - Last Rally!

Here's my last ho-rah!  The Rally is over.  Got all this grub for $29.09 total. 

First trip - bought 25 cans of beans - had $5 Catalina - paid $20 even. 

Went back and got the rest, paid $9.09.  I had some great $1 coupons for Simple Harvest (and it was b1g1) and $2 coupon for cheese sticks, found Natural Ham marked down to $1, had $1 coupons for Danactive (already on sale), b1g1 free coupons for Lysol wipes (and on sale) and coupon for free Harvest Surprise Juice. Yippee!

More Healthy Stuff -Hot Pink Smoothie!

OK - so I can't believe it myself - this smoothie has ingredients in it that I would not normally be getting in my diet, but put together in this smoothie - delicious!  And it is so pretty!  It matches my cell phone, my new Vera Bradley bag and my Blog!

I have been pouring over all the great info from Robyn over at Green Smoothie Girl for some time.  Soon after I got our Vitamix, I found her website and watching her super helpful Green Smoothie demo got us started on our daily green smoothie.  It's been 4 months and our whole family drinks them and loves them.  My sons even say to me "I'm craving my Green Smoothie Mom!"  These words are like music to a mother's ears!  You can get the Green Smoothie recipe for free at the Blendtec site.

I don't want to give out the recipe for the Hot Pink Smoothie b/c Robyn sells a collection of many awesome recipes in e-book form on her site and this is one of them.  Check out her blog for much valuable nutrition information.  She even has a 12- Step Program to Eating Whole Foods that looks great.  

It's always great to find resources and recipes to help us live a healthier, stronger life. 

This is an AMAZING new product!

Wowzers!  I'm glad I had to make a Costco run today because I just found my new favorite product of the decade - Batter Blaster!  I have seen these in the store before to the tune of $7 a can, so I ignored them thinking they were merely junk like Cheese Whiz.  Well, I'm not saying they are a "health" food you should eat every day for it's great nutrition, but I have to hand it to the inventor -he did an awesome job!  

Usually I make whole grain pancakes by grinding my own whole wheat, then soaking the flour, then cooking - let's just say it's a process and when you have one kid who requests pancakes every day of his life (not saying he gets them) this new little handy-dandy Batter Blaster will sure help this mom out!  

I just tried them - they are seriously DELICIOUS - not kidding!  Oh yumm, it's like a cookie!  This product is organic, has only 112 calories per serving, low in sodium, 2 grams fiber and 7 sugars (they are tasty enough to eat without syrup even but organic syrup is great)!  

The Batter Blaster is powered by CO2, not nitrous oxide (so it's more ozone friendly).  

Too bad I found this on the heels of my new "eat less grains and carbs" resolution!  I may have to break it once a week or so for these yummies!  Costco sells 3 cans for $9.99.  

Safeway Rally Chili!

Well, I've gotten so many  free things during the Safeway Rally promo that I am renaming my chili - Safeway Rally Chili!  With the exception of the mongo expensive grass-fed ground beef ($5.49 lb) in the chili, the other ingredients were free compliments of my new BFF Safeway!  My friend Kim had given me some chili this week that was so tasty and it had black beans and small white beans - also corn.  So I subbed my usual pinto beans in my chili for the black beans and white beans I got this week - and I added one can of corn - oh yuuumm!  We all ate seconds and the pot is gone!  No leftovers tonight.  So, if you have to invest major $$ in your organic, cage-free, grass-fed, non GMO, no pesticide, no hormone, no antibiotic everything else on your grocery list - at least it's a comfort to partake in these fun Safeway promos!!  

Super Saving at Safeway!

The fun continues!  I had no idea the Safeway Rally Promo was going to go on this week -surprise! These pictures show you what I was able to get for next to nothing!  

First picture - cost me $.08 - that's right - $.08!!  I first bought the 15 Snapple Green Teas/White Teas and 1 bag of Sunflower Seeds - after my $20 catalina I owed $.49.  That was a 98% savings!  That then generated another $10 catalina - so I bought some treats - V8 Juice, Fruit Bars, Ice Cream Bars and they owed me $.41!  So, that's how I arrive at my $.08 shopping trip!  I'm starting to feel like those CVS ladies!  

Thanks to a tip from Melanie over at Money Saving Mom, I saw the S&W beans qualified for the promo, so off I went tonight.  I had 1 $20 catalina and 1 $5 catalina left!  This has sure been a fun ride, I hate to see it end!  I just might have to spend another $25 to get back in the game!  I bought 25 cans of assorted S&W beans - total $25- less $20 catalina - I owed $5 (and I used $5 from my free money that was left from last week so basically free to me.)

Next order I just got tons of veggies and things we needed like good turkey breast for sandwiches - had good produce coupons (Fresh Express, Chiquita)- after coupons, sales and $20 catalina I owed - $14.17!  I used my very last $5 bill from my free money - so I was out $10 for the bigger picture!  Whooo-hoo!  The Safeway game is my new hobby!  I have one $5 catalina left.

On another note - I went to Whole Foods and spent $47 (0rganic greens for my smoothies, kefir I'm going to try and some supplements) and I got grass-fed beef at another store to the tune of $20 - so I have to add $80 total to my budget for this month - however, I am still at 1/2 of what I had been spending, so this is working!   And I will use the leftover $$ for some of our remodel we've been working on!

Budgeting is fun!

How do you like that title?!  I'm sure many people would not agree with this statement, but I'm finding that following a budget is very liberating and empowering!  We've always tried to live below our means, and I've had a budget, but I didn't always "check" myself each month to see where I stood.  Now, I've started entering EVERYTHING I buy into a spreadsheet by categories and at a glance, I can see where I am with my budget in any given area.  This allows me to know if I can spend more in that category or learn to do without until a later time.  

Crystal is starting a new budgeting series over at Money Saving Mom and I look forward to reading the tips.  Budgeting is helpful in many ways including the following:

1.  It gives you peace of mind.  

I hate the feeling of impulse spending - finding that name brand item at a huge discount.  I can always justify the expense in my head - "I'll NEVER find this item at this price again - It's too good to pass up!"  But, when the credit card statement rolls in the next month, I don't feel the same "rush" I had in the store when I bought the item!  Following a budget gives you peace of mind.  There are no "surprises" showing up on your statements because you have accounted for every dollar spent.  

2.  It empowers you.

The worst feeling is coming to the end of  the month, looking at your bank statement and saying "Where did my money go?"  It doesn't SEEM like you did that much, but your money is gone.  What do you have to show for it?  Can you say you remodeled a room in your home?  Did you take a great vacation?  Did you pop extra $$ into savings?  Most likely, you will answer no to all these big questions and have to admit to the fact that you "nickel and dimed" it away - $4 latte here, $3 do-dad for the kids there, $10 shirt on sale here............you get the picture. Having a budget changes all that!  You decide where your money is going.  It's a great feeling to get to the end of the month and see surplus left over in any given category that you can apply elsewhere to meet your goals more quickly.  

3.  It makes you happy.

We are told in the Bible to be a good steward of our blessings (Lk 16:10-ff).  Following a budget is a tool that helps you fulfill this commandment of the Lord.  Knowing you are following God's will makes you happy!  The Bible teaches God will reward those who are faithful with more blessings than they can count.

Thanks to my friends!

I had to give a bloggy mention to two of my generous friends this week!  

First, a BIG THANKS to my friend, Kat, who gave me this beautiful Vera Bradley Miller Tote!  Those of you who know me, know that few things thrill me as much as a new purse!  Yeah!  It's the new Vera Raspberry Fizz line - I love it!  The second I got it home, I filled it up and pranced around with it on my shoulder.  I feel so chic!  Thanks KAT!

Also, my sister-in-law recently brought me several bottles of Monavie to try.  I've been having a pretty bad time lately with peri-menopause symptoms and for whatever reason (there is no real science behind Monavie as I understand, just testimonials) the Monavie really seems to lessen my symptoms!  Love that!  So, a BIG THANKS to the generosity of my sister-in-law (she has always been this way)!  I have no idea how I will ever afford to continue buying it, but I sure am appreciating the bottles I've been given!

Eating from the Pantry Update 3!

Tonight I made a store run - we were out of eggs (which I eat a lot of!) and milk and since I had 3 $20 Safeway Catalinas - I thought I'd get a few other items.  I got:

1 gallon Organic Milk $6

1 96 oz OJ $5

1/2 pound no preservative chicken breast from deli $4

2 pounds of grapes $3

2 packs of Organic steak marked down 50% - $6

2 boxes Simple Harvest granola bars (after b1g1 and $1 coupons- $1.14 each)

2 dozen Egglands Best -around $6.50

I had my free cash left from last week and I used a $20 catalina- so essentially, these groceries cost me nothing.  And, believe it or not- I was given another $5 Catalina left by an earlier customer!  The blessings from this Safeway Rally just keep pouring in..........I have $45 remaining in Safeway Catalinas and $12 cash.  

Exercise part 3

I've posted about how I started out with exercise, and how I really went gung-ho with exercise and now I am to the point where it is simply part of my daily life.  I do it to be healthy, to feel good, to clear my mind, to be strong.  At one stage of the process, I got way to obsessed with how I looked.  I was never happy, constantly comparing myself to the next person - and beating myself up if I did not look as good.  It was pointless and somewhere along the way, I became happy with myself and my accomplishments and I wanted to exercise for the health benefits it brings.  My very favorite thing to do is walk in the fresh air!  It does much more than just help my body, it calms my mind.  

I also enjoy strength training on my Total Gym (bought on Black Friday for $190) and doing Pilates on my Supreme Pilates machine (purchased new in box from craigslist.com for around $150).  If you are wanting to begin an exercise program, I could not recommend walking more!  Anyone can do it, you don't need fancy equipment and it brings results!  Even after all the workouts I was doing, when I began daily walking, I shaved more inches off my abdomen, hips and thighs - it has a very lean, slimming effect.  

Eating from the Pantry Update 2!

It's mid- February - 2 weeks to go!  My total for the month so far is $340 - which may sound like a lot to some, but it's waaaaay under my usual grocery budget.  I'm hoping that I keep on learning how to reduce my grocery bill and then I can apply the savings in that part of my budget to something else!  

I now have 3 $20 catalinas from the Safeway Rally, and $28 in cash left from my found money last week.  I hope to sell some other things to the consignment store again this week for a few more $$.  So, I'm thinking with almost $80 in free money I can make it to the end of February looking good! 

Homeschool on the cheap!

Last year I bought a museum pass as a teacher (homeschool is allowed) for $25.  It allows entrance to TONS of museums in the US for myself and my family.  This pass has already paid for itself in only 2 trips!  We used it while in Alabama on vacation last year and now we are using it locally.  Many museums sell them, they are called "Traveller" passes.  We love that hands-on homeschool!  My kids love to hear the words.......FIELD TRIP!

The purpose of this display was to show how the mind can't jive 2 contrasting ideas like drinking water (clean) out of a toilet (dirty) even though the toilet was installed brand new!  I must agree, it totally grossed me out!  We thought it  made a funny picture!

Style on the cheap!

Who doesn't love some Jcrew?  It's an awesome store, with timeless, classic fashions - but a high price tag!  Once in a while I make a real score at Jcrew or Jcrew.com - I am still wearing the jeans I got there about 4 years ago for $9.99!  I'm still wearing the flip-flops I got that year too! Quality with a capital "Q"!  So, I was thrilled to get these super comfy flip-flops for this season for $5.25 each!  (I just saw them in the store for $26!) I even had a free shipping code - and it's all thanks to my pals at Fishing for Deals.  These gals know how to find a bargain - they have saved me $100's over the years.  Where I live, I LIVE in flip-flops almost year round- one pair has crabs and the the other flip-flops - LOOOVE it!

Safeway Rally Promo! $117 for $26 --77% Savings!

In honor of Valentine's Day I'd like to say I LOVE Safeway!  They just keep giving me free food!  

This week so far (and it's only day 1 of the promo) I've gotten $117 worth of groceries for $26!  

It started out this morning when I got 25 boxes of Rice-A-Roni Whole Grain.  When I checked out, it only generated a $10 catalina.  They sent me to Customer Service and they could not figure it out - after a while of studying the receipt, I realized he only rang up 22 boxes - hence the $10 catalina.  The Manager just took me back to a register and rung up more Rice-A-Roni to try to get another $10 catalina- instead it gave her a $20 one - so she told me I could keep the $20, the $10 and the extra boxes of Rice-A-Roni!  JACKPOT!  

I went back and used my coupons, and the $30 catalinas and got more!  I'm happy I was able to get some healthy options, as many times these type sales offer only junk food.  I got no sodium can tomatoes (I use a lot in soups) whole grain rice, cheese, cottage cheese, ziplocs, Cheerios, veggies.  I bought 1 box of Fruit Roll-ups for the kids to have a treat for Valentines.  

I now have another $20 catalina and I have my $30 in free cash left over from last week (came from rebates, and consignment store sales) so I should make it through February pretty well.  

UPDATE:

I went back today and I can't believe the good fortune I had!  In my first go around I got Pasta Roni, Pop Secret, Tomatoes, Chips, Brownie Mix, Veggies, and Toothpaste- before coupons & catalina total $76.25 - after $14.73 an 81% savings!  

I got a $.50 catalina and wanted to do the Green Giant veggie deal again (buy 3 get $2 off) plus the large bags had $1 coupons on them!  So I went back and got 3 bags of veggies and 2 packs of Jennie-O burgers marked down to $2 each - I had $3 off coupons - so I was able to use the overage towards my other items.  Total before coupons $18.37 - total after $3.27 a savings of 82%!  The BEST part was I was just chatting away with my favorite cashier - and he said "You are one of my best customers, so I have a present for you" - and he handed me a $20 catalina!! Whoo-hooo!  He had no idea how happy he was going to make this girl - I think I jumped up and down right there in line!  Crystal is so right when she says that God will provide for you and bless your efforts!!

Using what is in the pantry granola bars........

I have had this recipe for a long time from The Country Baker (page down until recipe number 8) and it's always good!  I prefer to leave the chocolate off the top - we just enjoy the peanut butter and grains.  

I am currently in a deal with my kids - if they refuse sugar for a month, I will give them each $10.  They have done a great job so far- at church they have turned down every snack, cookie and Capri Sun.  On Sunday mornings at church, they refuse the doughnuts!  I think it's interesting that last time I made these granola bars, they could have cared less.  At the time I'm sure I had some Trader Joe's Joe-Joes around, or some M&M's.  This time, they can NOT get enough of these - they say they are delicious!  Could it be that since they are off the sugar, even the smallest sweet becomes a treat?  I'm hoping so!  This recipe calls for 2 cups of raw sugar - I don't even use 1 whole cup of organic raw evaporated cane juice and they are plenty sweet!

Using what is in the pantry soup.......

It's not really called that - but it's what I attempted to do tonight!  I had some sausage and a bag of cabbage that needed used up today, so I used Allrecipes to find what to make - it came up with this - looks tasty and healthy!

Ahhhh, spring.........

After tons of rain, today the sun is glorious and it feels like a spring day!  In true Charlotte Mason style, I've opened up every window in the house for an "air-out"!  The smell of the air is so crisp and clean - I love it!  

How do you live without Orange Juice?

I'm trying to figure out how since it's $3 a half gallon on sale!  I only buy the "not from concentrate" type - so it's 100% juice, but come on!  That's like $24 a month in OJ if I get it on sale.  

I have a Vita-mix and I've tried just doing an orange and water and ice - it's OK, not great.  Maybe if I add in another fruit?  

This month I'm eating out of the pantry, so I'm determined NOT to buy OJ, so we are drinking the zillion bottles of free Juicy Juice I got some time back (grape, apple, berry).  I only let the kids have a 6oz. cup of juice a day b/c of the sugar (though natural) filling them up.  

How do you live without OJ?  

Super Saving Saturday - $132 of FREE food!

I'm trying to stay on track for my Eating from the Pantry in February and this week I feel so blessed by what I was able to do with our food budget.  

Using the $3.00 Jennie-O coupons I had, I got 18 packages (only took a pic of 6) of assorted turkey products (burgers, lean ground turkey, breakfast sausage, italian flavored ground turkey) for FREE!  The value of those 18 packages is $80.82!

After buying the turkey, a Catalina generated at Safeway for FREE Juicy Juice! (value $2.59)

I had a $6 coupon at Target for any item so I bought Organic Milk for $5.99.

This week I got my Costco rebate check for $42 - I was able to buy several needed items including Organic Ground Beef at $3.99 a pound (so happy to find that!), organic tomatoes, bananas, popcorn for our air popper (our new frugal way of eating popcorn) and tortilla chips (other frugal snack) and I took the $11 change and went to Trader Joe's and got Organic Apples and yogurt.  

We went by the local consignment shop today and sold some items and took $22 store credit (we got a game and art paper) and $22 cash which I can save to use for future grocery needs like milk, bread or eggs.

Financial Shape in 2008!

I'm joining the check in at  Money Saving Mom.

Well, I'm going to be truthful and  I'm going to make you all feel good!   I am OVER budget by $153 on groceries!  How can this be I ask myself?  I worked so hard to use coupons with sales, make the best of every promo and I even got many things FREE!  I have to console myself by saying I did a ton of stockpiling and it WILL get better over time as I get more practice at the whole "game".   Can't fault a girl for trying eh?  Maybe I'm a little "too" overzealous for the deals!

I am happy that I have a written budget and I am keeping up with tracking all my expenses on my own homemade spreadsheet.  It helps a ton to see the expenses in "real" time.  It's very motivating and gives me a great incentive to work hard to come in UNDER budget for February!

Eating from the Pantry update 1

It's only day 6 but I thought I'd post an update. I spent $20 at Target one day because the coupons were so good - I did not really need the items, so I won't be doing that again! I bought organic milk at Safeway and a few items I needed for our church potluck. 

Yesterday I spent $16.xx at whole foods buying grass-fed beef, organic butter from grass-fed cows and some Ezekiel spouted cereal (I'm trying to shy away from my yogurt, granola snack b/c there is too much sugar in the granola-also going away from having cereal for a snack if the sugar content is more than 4g) - the Ezekiel sprouted cereal will be my snack and my add-in for my greek yogurt with organic jam.
That's $42.  

I spent $50.50 at Trader Joes on eggs, bread and organic produce, milk and yogurt and $6 at Safeway for bagged apples (using up the last of my coupons on those $.25 packs!)

Today I went to Foods Co - it's new in our area and I understand run by Kroger - I'm looking forward to seeing if they have better prices than my usual haunts!  I was able to get 12 packs of Jennie-O Turkey for free with coupons and paid $18 for my other dairy items (cheese, yogurt).  I thought I was going to be able to use the overage of my Jennie-O coupons towards the other food, but they would not let me and I did not want to ask to put back all the other stuff, so I just paid for it -didn't quite work out like I thought!  Oh well, still a great deal.

So I'm at $116.50.  I will have to buy milk again in a few days, but I'm good on bread and eggs and fruit for at least a week.

Trying a few healthy ideas from Nourishing Traditions.

I've been reading Nourishing Traditions and it's an eye opener and I'm already considered a health nut!

Last night I ground some wheat flour and put it to soak in buttermilk overnight. This morning we had pancakes and they were so delicious! The kids loved them - we put organic butter from grass-fed cows on them with pure maple syrup - yuuumm!! For our mid-morning snack - we took the left-over pancakes and put natural peanut butter and organic jam on them, rolled them up and had a green smoothie. Good stuff!

I have pinto beans soaking in lemon juice right now - I'm anxious to see if the soaking helps with digestion problems.

I've also been soaking our oatmeal overnight in yogurt and it's great. This process of soaking is supposed to break down the phytates that are non-digestible and make the nutrients in these foods more readily available for absorption. The study that Dr. Weston Price did (the inspiration of the cookbook) is pretty remarkable.

Exercise - A new topic at my blog! Part 1

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. ~Plato

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. ~Carol Welch

A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs. ~Joan Welsh


I've been on my exercise and nutrition journey for 5 years now! It has been great! I have done many things during that time, but one thing remains constant, if I was working out regularly, I always felt better!

It all started during a visit from my parents - my twins were 3 at the time and I was still pretty roly-poly. Taking care of them and their older brother (17 months older) for the 3 years was all I could do! We drove by a Curves for Women and my Mom said "Have you checked that out? I've been wanting to try it." I had never heard of Curves or even noticed the gym. After my Mom left, I kept thinking about it, so I went to the gym one day and met the owners (a grandmother, her daughter and her granddaughter). They were delightful people and so I joined. The whole first week I threw up after every workout! I was so out of shape! I was doing worse than the 75 year old women I was exercising with at the gym! Stopping the sugar and adding in the exercise gave my body a major quick detox!

Exercise - a new topic at my blog! Part 2

After about a year and a half at Curves, I made great progress. I had lost 20 pounds and about 13 inches overall! I decided to try my hand at 24-Hour Fitness. I bought a few Tae-Bo VHS tapes at Goodwill and did them at home to know the moves, then I started going to Turbo Kickboxing at the gym - I LOVED it with a capital "L"! The awesome music with the fun moves, did not even feel like working out! I was hooked. Without even trying I lost another 10 pounds. I had suprpassed my goal weight! I was a regular at the 6:00 am class for 2 years. I also did Turbo Jam at home, started walk/running, yoga, got a Supreme Pilates Machine and added strength training. I did a round of P90X at the beginning of 2006 - I was gung-ho exercise. Everything I read, researched, talked about was exercise!

I entered a contest with the Beachbody Company - producers of my beloved Turbo Jam. The prize was to have Chalene Johnson, creator of Turbo Kick/Turbo Jam come to your home to host a Turbo Jam Party! I won! It was a wonderful experience to meet Chalene in person and know she is just as genuine as she seems in the videos. This is a picture of her leaving my house! She has a great blog check it out here.

Thoughtful post I read today, really makes you think!

I really enjoyed this post today - the author is very well written. I think you will enjoy it.
Dominionfamily

Handmade Valentines!

At our Ladies' Night Out at church we made these handmade Valentine books - they turned out so neat! The pink one is my 8 year old daughters and I made the owl one for DH! Hers is actually better than mine! She has a knack for this crafting stuff!

Super "Skatin" Saturday!

This is my good buy for the week - some Roller Blades for $4.98 at Target - they were 75% off. I have been wanting a pair to exercise with the kids, but did not want to spend a ton of money on them in case I wasn't able to do it! We made one loop around the block today and I was worn out! It's a good workout!

Frugal Fellowship!

We are having Ladies' Night Out at church tonight! The themes vary each month and this month we are meeting to make homemade Valentines and other Valentine projects. We each take some "finger foods". Tonight I'm taking Wraps that were absolutely free (thanks to the current Safeway $10 promo) and I made cupcakes from scratch using items I already had in my pantry!