Couponing 1/6/11: Saving money while eating healthy...

Hey Friends!

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. To tell you the truth, I haven't been couponing much lately. Shane and I got a deal through Groupon a month ago to try Medical Weight Loss Solutions for 4 weeks. Basically they put us on a STRICT (in my opinion as I love my carbs and junk food) diet, gave us Lipotropic injections weekly (amazing stuff: it's vitamin B6 and some other vitamins in a shot form. It helps your kidneys speed up the fat burning process and as a result increases your metabolism), and they weighed us weekly to view our progress. Long story short (and 10 lbs lighter ;-) ), I couldn't just buy whatever was on sale. I had to eat very lean meats, only certain kinds of veggies, and little to no carbs. Not to say I didn't save any money through my Publix shopping; I did save almost 50% each week.

Well, I finished my sessions with MWLS on Tuesday, but started working with a personal trainer this week so I still have to watch what I eat. This is a pretty good week to shop at Publix for those of you like me. Here's how I did:

Total Spent: 27.24

Total SAVED: $29.33

• 3 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pastas @ B1G1 & 1 Ronzoni Lasagna noodles (not b1g1) (2 $1/2 coupons applied): $2.69 (BTW, the Ronzoni wheat pastas have a lot less calories than the Mueller's wheat pasta!)
• 2 boxes Keebler crackers (B1G1): $3.89
• 1 box 100 calorie packs of Chips Deluxe (B1G1): $1.60
• 1 Box Duncan Hines Brownie Mix (not on sale; not healthy, but I cannot make it through a diet w/ out splurging a little ;-) ): $2.59
• 1 bag FlatOut bread (B1G1 & $2 off coupon when you buy ground beef): free w/ $0.55 overage!
• 2 boxes Vitamuffin Tops (B1G1): $4.49
• 2 bags Publix deli meat (supposed to grab the 2 for $5 ones but we did not): $6.79
• 1 lb ground beef: $3.90
• 2 carts of egg beaters (B1G1 and 2 $1 off coupons): $0.79
• 1 gal Milk: $3.59

And as always, I also applied a $5 off $25 Save-A-Lot coupon to my total purchase. I've had them try to not take my Save-A-Lot coupons before just because it's not that popular of a store around here, but once I tell them where the closest one is (in Alabaster next to the thrift store), they'll take it. By the way, that Flatout bread is AMAZING! It's got less calories than regular bread, and Shane and I used them tonight to make the best burgers ever! I highly recommend them :-)

Menu Ideas using Couponed Food: 11/8- 11/11

Hey Friends! In case you were wondering, I did not go grocery shopping this week. I just don't have enough room available to stock up on anything else in my fridge and pantry, plus I was not intrigued by any of the deals in this week's Publix ad. I may or may not be shopping next week, depending on the deals, and will be out of town for the following week.

Anyway here's what I cooked this week using the ingredients I've purchased since I started couponing:

Monday:

• Chicken Marsala:

- Chicken: $2

- Macaroni Grill Dinner Kit: $1 (on sale w/ coupons at Target a while ago)

• Publix Italian Salad Mix: $2.50 (2 for $5 2 grocery week's ago)

• New York Ciabatta Bread: $0.91 (50% off w/ coupons last grocery week)

Total: $5.41

Fed 4

Tuesday:

• Tortilla Soup:

- Chicken: $2

- Chicken Broth: $1.25 (b1g1 last week)

- Can tomatoes: on hand (stocked up in August from sale and coupons)

- green chilli's: $1

- corn tortillas: $1

- Kraft Cheddar Cheese: $1.31 (deal after coupons 3 grocery weeks ago)

-Seasonings on hand

• Sopapillas:

- Left over Flour tortillas from last week’s tacos/sopapillas: on hand

-veggie oil & honey on hand

Total: $6.56

Fed 4

Thursday:

• Chicken Parmesan:

-Chicken: $2

- Progressive Bread Crumbs (free after sale and coupons at Publix last month)

- Kraft Mozzarella Cheese: $1.31

- Jar Barilla Sauce: $1.29 (B1G1 2 weeks ago)

- Barilla noodles: $0.69 (B1G1 last week)

• Green Beans: $0.14
• 1/2 box New York Garlic Bread: $0.46

Total: $5.89

Fed 3

Menu Ideas for 11/1 - 11/5 2010

I have way too many groceries to not be cooking! Here's what I have made this week:

Monday:

• Breaded BBQ Chicken

- 2 Boneless Chicken Breasts (divided into 4...they were huge): $2

- Shake N' Bake: $0.90

- BBQ Seasoning: on hand

• Chicken & Broccoli Noodles (Knorr sides): $0.65
• Cole's Garlic Sticks: $1
• Publix Waldorf Salad Kit: $2.50

Total: $7.05

4 Servings

Tuesday:

• Teriaki Chicken

- 1 Chicken Breast cut in strips: $1

- Knorr Teriaki Lomein Pasta Noodles: $0.65

- Seasonings: On Hand

Total: $1.65

2 Servings

Thursday:

• Tacos

- Old El Paso Soft & Hard Shell Taco Dinner Kit: $0.44

- 1 lb Ground Beef: $1

• Black Beans & Rice: $2 (picked up at store w/out coupons or sale...don't remember the name of the package)
• Sopapillas

- Flour Tortillas (from dinner kit)

- Veggie Oil, Cinn. Sugar, Honey: On Hand

Total: $3.44

4 Servings

Couponing Week 6

Welcome to my freezer. It is packed FULL of food I've purchased since couponing. It is so full that I had to duct tape it shut- no lie! I even tried to remove the ice bin, and rearrange everything, but it is still too full to shut on its own!

I didn't do really well this week at catching the best deals. Frankly, this week's ad had nothing that interested me. I almost just skipped a week of grocery shopping since I don't need anything, and I still feel like I should have. The only thing that really saved me were those 2 $5 Publix gift cards I received from Kellogg's in the mail, and a $5 off Food Giant competitor's coupon (which my cashier debated on taking, but I'm glad he decided to accept it).

Total Spent: $38.05

Total Saved: $67.12 (including gift cards)

• 5 boxes New York breads (50% off and $3.20 coupons): $4.55
• 2 Boxes TGI Fridays snacks (on sale & $3 coupons): $5
• 2 Digiorno Pizzas (2 for $10): $10
• 2 boxes Pillsbury Holiday Cookies (3 for $6 & $1 coupon): $3
• 2 boxes Toaster Strudels (B1G1 & $1 coupon): $1.45
• 1 box Cream Puffs & 1 box Eclairs (B1G1): $5.59 (oh I feel fat by just listing these...)
• 6 64 oz Gatorades (3 for $5): $10
• 2 jugs Louana Veggie Oil (2 for $5 & $1 coupon): $4
• Barilla Thin Spaghetti (B1G1): $0.69
• Publix Oatmeal (penny item): $0.01
• 2 boxes College Inn Chicken Broth (B1G1): $2.49
• 2 can Green Giant Green Beans (B1G1 & $1 coupons): $0.29
• Glass Plus Cleaner (B1G1 & $1 coupon): $0.25
• Scotch Packaging Tape (B1G1 & $1 off): $0.75
• 2 boxes of Publix Diet Coke (2 for $5): $5

I apologize for being such a fat kid this week. It didn't help that I went to the grocery store HUNGRY and in a hurry. I don't apologize for the fat kid stuff I bought that I got a good deal on with coupons, but I definitely didn't need to buy Eclairs and Cream Puffs.

On a different note, I want to introduce all of you to something that might be just as good as couponing. It's a company called Angel Food Ministries. They sell good food for CHEAP and you pick it up at your local churches/ schools once a month. They are a Christian company, but I really love the fact that when you pick up your food, they don't try to save you. You just drive over, show your receipt, pop your trunk, they load the boxes of food, then you're good to go! There's also no limit of food you can buy, and the more people that purchase from them, the cheaper the food gets! If you've ever been to my house for dinner, there's a good chance I cooked you something I purchased from Angel Food, and you liked it! They've also got complete Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners!

Check them out: www.angelfoodministries.com

This Week's Menu and Great Buys

I confess I only cooked one meal for dinner this week. It's been kind of a crazy week, and I've also got a bunch of restaurant coupons that expire on Monday, so we've been eating out a lot. Here's the one meal I cooked on Tuesday:

• Spicy Beef and Sausage Ravioli:

- 2 bags Ravioli (purchased on sale w/ coupons last week): $5
- 1/2 Jar Ragu (B1G1 w/ coupons applied a couple of weeks ago): $0.73 worth

• Sister Shubert Rolls: on hand
  
• Green Beans: $0.70

Total Cost: $6.43
Fed 4 Adults

On a different note, I wanted to share with you some sweet deals we got on a couple of BIG purchases this month. We got into a wreck in July that totaled our Fusion. We ended up coming out of it with a chiropractor bill and a BIG settlement check. We were struggling with what to do with the money. We saught the advice of family and friends- half of them told us to be wise and pay off some debt, and the other half told us we should just spend it because when would we have this kind of money again? Well, we took both sets of advice. We paid off a credit card, and we took the rest of the money and "blew" it, but in a very smart way...

Purchase #1

Shane bought a new drum set. He has been teaching for over 5 years now, and has yet to own some nice music gear. He had 2 drum sets at one point this summer, but they were not very good kits. He sold one of them and the other is being rented by one of his students. So, we decided it was time for him to get a drum set that he liked and that was better than mediocre.

So, he shopped around and found a Gretsch set through Musician's Friend that he really liked that was on sale for $650. Before he made the big purchase, he emailed Musician's Friend to inquire a little about the set, and ended up getting a response that the one he wanted was sold out. Shane emailed the guy back and asked that they would at least give him a coupon for his next purchase since they were advertising something they did not have in stock. They agreed to give him a 5% off coupon. In the meantime, he emailed Gretsch and asked if they knew of where he could get this drum set he loved that was sold out. Well, they told Shane they made very few of this one set he wanted, and that according to their records, Musician's Friend should have at least 1 left in stock and Shane should have them look for it. Shane asked, and they found the 1 left in the back of their warehouse. So, Shane bought it and said, "Here's my coupon!" So, he ended up getting this sweet drum set worth over $1000 for $600 shipped!

Purchase #2

I struggled to figure out what I wanted to do with my part of the extra money. I always buy clothes in these kind of situations, but I wanted do be different this time. I wanted to purchase something that I would enjoy like Shane does his drums. I went with new cookware. When we got married, someone gave us Caphalon pots and pans (that were on our registry, and I am VERY thankful for having them the last 3 years), which are top of the line in the cooking world. Well, they were the non-stick kind, which I have decided that I hate and are not good for me to own because I will never spend the time handwashing that stuff. Through so many runs through the dishwasher, the non-stick stuff has come off and rusted. I cook a lot so it's important for me to have some decent cookware.

I noticed in the Bed, Bath, and Beyond ad this week that if you buy $300 of Caphalon products they give you a $50 gift card. I also found the set I wanted: Caphalon 13 Tri-Ply Stainless Steel piece set of pots and pans for $399.99. I also had a 20% off coupon to BB&B, so I went in last night and made my purchase. Well, not only did I get the set and a $50 gift card for $320, but they also threw in a Caphalon Dutch oven (worth $140 on it's own) for free! So, I got $590 worth of stuff for $320, plus a $50 gift card, and the pots and pans have a lifetime warranty! My omlet this morning has never tasted so good and come out so perfect. :-)


Not only have we been able to take our stretched dollars from Grocery money and buy more things, but we have been able to stretch our stretched out dollars! I don't think Shane and I have ever been able to have so much food on our table, give so much away, and buy ourselves nice things as much as we have this semester! It's because of GOD, and partly Shane doing well in the job world (because of God), but I feel a huge contributor has been coupons (it's a God thing I got into coupons so I it's really all from God)! I really look forward to calculating my costs vs savings for groceries after a year of blogging about them.

Are you convinced to coupon yet?

Couponing Week 5

I have broken a new personal record! I could kick myself in the pants though because I received 2 free $5 Publix gift cards in the mail last week and completely forgot to use them this trip! But I might print off more coupons and return to Publix this week, so I'll have to remember to use those gift cards then! Details are as follows...

Total Spent: $28.62

Total Saved: $60.83!

• 2 25 oz bags of Tyson Anytizers (B1G1 & $2 coupons): $6.99

• 2 Contessa Green Cuisine Meals (B1G1 & $4 Publix coupons): $3.99

• 2 bags Publix Salad Mix (2 for $5): $5

• 2 boxes Coles Bread Sticks (B1G1): $2.79

• 2 boxes Starbucks Ice Cream (B1G1 & $1.50 coupons): $2.29

• 2 bags Lenders Bagels (B1G1): $2.09

• 25 oz bag Beggin' Strips (B1G1 & $4 competitor and man. coupons): $1.50

• Taco Bell Dinner Kit (B1G1 & $1 coupon): $0.35

• Publix Peanut Butter (penny item): $0.01

• Barilla Pasta Sauce (B1G1): $1.29

• 2 boxes Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta (B1G1 & $2 coupons): FREE!

• 2 boxes Cascadian Farm Granola Bars (B1G1 & $4 coupons): FREE!

• bananas: $1.99

So, it was a good week! The better I get at this, the harder it is to wait for the next week's sales ad to come in. It's like Christmas every Wednesday for me!

Couponed Menu Ideas for 10/18-10/22

Here are the meals I made this week based on food I purchased for cheap through sales and coupons at Publix the past couple of weeks.

Monday:

• Manicotti:

- Manicotti Shells (got at Walmart, no sale): $1.50

- 1 lb Ground Beef: $3
- 1/2 Big Jar Ragu (B1G1 a couple weeks ago): $0.73
- Mozzarela Cheese: $1.31
- Ricotta Cheese: $1

• Cole's Garlic Bread (2 for $3 last week w/ coupons): $1

• Dunkan Hines Brownies:

- Mix: $0.99
- Eggs: $0.10 worth
- Veggie Oil (on hand...we'll say it's free)

Total Cost: $9.63

Fed 3 with PLENTY left over

Tuesday:

• Meatloaf:

- 1 lb. Ground Beef: $3

- Brown Sugar, seasonings, ketchup: on hand

• Macaroni and Cheese:

- 1/2 box Mueller's Elbow Mac (B1G1 last week w/ coupons): $0.37

- sauce and seasonings (my secret recipe): on hand

- 1 bag Kraft Sharp Cheddar (on sale with w/ coupons last week): $1.31

• 1 Cole's Garlic Bread Mini Loaf (Sale w/ coupons last week): $1

• Salad (sale w/ coupons): $1.73

Total Cost: $7.41

Fed 4 Adults w/ left overs

Thursday:

• Wanchai Ferri Mongolian Beef Skillet Meal (B1G1 a few weeks ago w/ coupon): $2.49

• PF Changs Sweet and Sour Chicken Skillet Meal (sale a few weeks ago w/ coupons): $3

• Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice with Veggies (sale w/ coupons this week): $0.75

• Nestle White Chocolate Chip Maccadamia Nut Cookies (sale w/ coupons this week): $0.60

Total Spent: $6.84

Cooked Enough for 4 Adults

This was another great week of complete family meals for under $10 each. Thursday night's meal was the least favorite though. I decided that when it comes to Chinese food, I should just leave it for the restaurants. I thought the Sweet and Sour Chicken from PF Changs was surprisingly gross, which my mother liked more than the Mongolian Beef. When Shane came home for dinner and saw the chinese food, he decided he would rather eat the left over Manicotti from Monday night. So, i'll probably end up throwing away the chinese food. I need to find a way to use up the big dish of left over mac n' cheese from Tuesday tonight!