Frugal Village Forums - Blogs - StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/ Frugal Living Forums, a frugal living community with emphasis on debt reduction, responsible spending, consuming less, recycling and helping each other bridge the gaps for a sustainable future. en Sat, 25 May 2013 14:32:12 GMT vBulletin 1 http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg Frugal Village Forums - Blogs - StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/ Great shopping trip! http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/1227-great-shopping-trip.html Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:17:26 GMT I was up early today, so I decided to take advantage of a $20 off $100 order coupon that they emailed me. I got $181 of groceries for $86.32 oop. Woo Hoo! I need to go back and use the last of my Muir Glen coupons. My total oop for the year is now $90.59. I'm trying real hard to stay close to $200 for food only (so out of the $90.59, $67.59 is non-food). Food budget left is $177.
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]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/1227-great-shopping-trip.html <![CDATA[It's been a while...]]> http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/1046-its-been-while.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:35:21 GMT Well, DBF is still laidoff. He's thinking he's going to have to move out of his house (he rents) and get a smaller place. I've been stockpiling like mad - but giving him some of it when he needs something (TP, cereal, soap).

With the inspiration of Jane4girls, I have gotten almost $200 worth of groceries (including TP) for $.84 OOP. I was lucky enough to get 3 gift cards for Christmas. $100 at Raley's (my favorite store), $50 at Smith's (My cheapest store) and $15 at Trader Joe's.

Here's what I've gotten so far (and I still have $25.12 in GC left):
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]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/1046-its-been-while.html Day 23 of Grocery challenge http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/503-day-23-grocery-challenge.html Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:23:25 GMT Ugh! I've been dealing with DBF's layoff, so I haven't been doing as well as I could be. I had to spend about $120 to get him and his daughter groceries.

Anyway, I still have my $9.02 left. Hoping to get a ham, but this week the store has canned veges 2/$1 so I may just stock up on those.

I made the BEST dinner last night. I made a sweet and sour tofu thing.

1/2 block tofu, cubed
1/4 cup of mixed fruit (I thought it was pineapple only!)
1/4 cup chopped red pepper (from freezer)

saute the tofu in a little oil til lightly browned, add frozen peppers and fruit. Cook a little longer, then I added:
garlic powder, ginger powder, rice vinegar, soy sauce and a little honey.
It made two generous servings. Today for lunch I'm having it over rice. ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/503-day-23-grocery-challenge.html Day 10 - Part 2 http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/450-day-10-part-2.html Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:45:08 GMT Okay - I went shopping with DBF and we each took seperate carts and met back up at the truck...

Here's what I got:

http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/...1&d=1226029245

And how much did I spend (after coupons and store "deals" of course)???? $21.03!!!!!

I still have $9.02 to spend on the ham I'm looking to get to can for the rest of the winter....

Some things I got for free: 12 pack pepsi, 8 pack gatorade, granola bars, evap. milk, swiss miss cocoa, pasta sauce, instant potatoes, oatmeal. The soup was $.57 each after coupon, the tomatoes $.13. The soda water was the only thing I didn't get a deal on!

I did give DBF the granola bars, cause I'm not really a bar kind of girl... and a lot of this will go to the food drive (even though DBF just got "laid off" - temporary he's told - let's cross our fingers).

I got $89+change for $21.03. The manager of the store checked me out and he printed the total twice because he didn't believe it the first time! Woo Hoo!!!

PS - DBF spent over $60 and just got junk!
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]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/450-day-10-part-2.html Day 10 http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/448-day-10.html Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:22:22 GMT Still haven't gone shopping, so I still have $30.05 left to spend.

On day 8, I made enchiladas with leftovers and while they were cooking, I decided to throw in a couple of potatoes for later in the week. Well, yesterday for lunch I heated up one of those potatoes and topped it with the pineapple salsa from my Trader Joes shopping trip. Wow! It was so flavorful, I didn't even miss the sour cream. I'll have another one for lunch today. DBF ate one of my leftover enchilada lunches, so I'm glad I made the potatoes!
He's requested Hamburger Helper for tonight, so he brought me a pack of hamburger from his freezer. I had the HH in my stockpile, (that I took from his house) so that didn't cost anything. I'll make some of the green beans I bought. He doesn't usually eat the veges I make, so I'll probably have some leftover.

I still have one yogurt left. I have a coupon for more if they are a good price.

I just looked at my bean supply and I'm embarrassingly low. I'm going to can some garbanzos tonight (for future hummus). I definately need to get some split peas and pintos to go with the ham I'm hoping to get for a great deal!

My bosses boyscout troop is collecting for the food closet this weekend, so I may use some of my money (and coupons) to get some staples for them. ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/448-day-10.html Day 8 http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/443-day-8.html Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:12:25 GMT I got my Smith's ad early and they are having some great sales starting tomorrow. I intend to get a whole chicken ($.59/lb!) and possibly some apples and onions. They sent me some coupons for free pepsi 12 pk, gatorade 6 pack, barilla pasta sauce and pack of nature valley granola bars.

Anyway, for tonights dinner, I am going to use up items in the fridge and make enchilada casserole. I have leftover meatloaf (from DBF's house), corn in the freezer, black beans from the pantry, a little cheese and corn tortillas. I have a packet of taco seasoning that I may use. Usually I just make my own enchilada sauce with chili powder and a white sauce base. This should give me lots of leftovers for lunch this week. ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/443-day-8.html I Love leftovers! http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/442-i-love-leftovers.html Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:38:25 GMT Last night I made the BEST meal out of leftovers. When it's just me, I don't worry about someone thinking what I make is "wierd", so...
I took the leftovers from the roast I made friday night (1/2 of it was just fat, so I trimmed it well) Thawed out some of the sauteed zucchini and squash I bought at the beginning of the challenge, made a little bow tie pasta and tossed it all with the bargin blue cheese dressing I bought. All I can say is WOW. If I saw this on a menu I would totally order it! ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/442-i-love-leftovers.html Day 5 http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/429-day-5.html Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:35:00 GMT Well dinner last night was awesome! Not much in the way of leftovers, but everyone enjoyed it.

I need to clean up now, so I'll post more later (after coffee!) ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/429-day-5.html Day 4 - $25/wk challenge http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/426-day-4-25-wk-challenge.html Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:35:27 GMT Well, today is day 4 for me. Tomorrow is when the rest of you start. Good luck!
Today is my bosses birthday, so we all have lunch (on the company).
And tonight I'm making the cross rib roast for my boyfriend and our friends Dana and Jane. I'm going to use green beans from the freezer and the frozen Orida steam and mash potatoes I got for free. The salad I took to DBF's should still be good, so I'll make that too.
Tomorrow is the fun day. I'm going to figure out what leftovers I have and what to make with them. I have to wait at my house for the Dish Network guy to come (between noon and 5), so I have plenty of time to figure out stuff. I'm thinking of a sort of hot pocket thing. We'll see. My tiny freezer is stuffed right now. See:
http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/...1&d=1225460028
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]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/426-day-4-25-wk-challenge.html <![CDATA[I know this shouldn't irritate me, but...]]> http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/425-i-know-shouldnt-irritate-me-but.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:33:20 GMT My Lowe's card just "lowered" itself to exactly the amount I owe. I had just decided I was finally going to bite the bullet and buy myself a washer & dryer (I've been hauling my dirty undies around for 2+ years!) and they go and do this. I know it's better if I pay cash, but I was going to do the 6 month same as cash crap. I guess I'll wait til xmas bonus time and get them then...

:laundry: ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/425-i-know-shouldnt-irritate-me-but.html Day 3 http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/421-day-3.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:13:31 GMT Woo Hoo! I managed to get up and do the treadmill 3 days in a row! I think that's a record for me!

Anyway, same basic meal plan for today. I'm normally not a cereal person, but the raisin bran is really hitting the spot for some reason. I'll have one of the the Miso soup bowls for lunch. Unfortunately, the bowl says 2 servings, and I'm quite sure I cannot put half back i the fridge. It's way too good. I'll try, but won't gaurantee. I only have one serving of salad left, so I'll have to change the plan a bit tomorrow.

Tomorrow night I'm making dinner for friends (the cross rib roast I bought) Hopefully there will be some left overs!

Well, I'm home. Trying to think of something for dinner for DBF and I. I have no problem if it's just me, but for some reason I draw a blank when I need to cook for him.

On a good note for the challenge, I received some coupons from my Smith's store for FREE food. (1) Barilla pasta sauce, (1) Natura Valley granola bars, (1) pepsi 12 pack (2 pepsi points - yea!) and (1) gatorade 6 or 8 pack. Woo Hoo! Plus other coupons that don't expire til 1/11/09. Also, my friend gave me a bunch of tuna packet coupons, including 1 that is a BOGO free. Can't wait to go shopping on Saturday!

Okay - decided to make tacos. Left over chicken from the freezer, 1/2 jar of salsa from the fridge and 10-12 tortillas from the dollar store 36 pack. He was very happy! I don't normally eat fried stuff like this, but he's helping me clean... ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/421-day-3.html Day 2 http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/419-day-2.html Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:30:58 GMT Pretty much the same as yesterday, except I have leftover pineapple/onion pizza for lunch with my salad. Also, I forgot my grapefruit, so I'll either save it for tomorrow or eat it later tonight.

My grocery ads are out today. Some good sales, with my coupons I can stock up on a few things.

I ended up eating one of the Nutrasystem meals that my Dad gave me for dinner (with sauteed zucchini and salad) because I spent too long helping my friend move and then more cleaning on the old apartment. I would totally rather have had a home cooked meal. I need to do some prep work this weekend, so that this doesn't happen again. ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/419-day-2.html One HUGE benefit I have during this challenge... http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/417-one-huge-benefit-i-have-during-challenge.html Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:27:04 GMT My co-worker's son works at Starbucks, so they have ground coffee and tea coming out their ears - so I get it free. Even if I didn't get it from her, my bosses supply coffee.

If it we're available, I'd probably switch to tea. In the winter I really like a warm drink in the morning. ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/417-one-huge-benefit-i-have-during-challenge.html Day 1 (for me) http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/415-day-1-me.html Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:16:43 GMT First of all - I got up and used the treadmill this morning! Yippie!

I decided to start today since I have some perishables from my shopping trip. I'm dividing my two boxes of cereal into 18 baggies (I'll do one box at a time so that it doesn't get stale too quick) since there are 18 work days in November. I may have to use one soy milk from my stockpile. We'll see.

Anyway, here's the plan (so far) for today:

1/2 grapefruit
1/9th box Cascadian Farms Raisin Bran
1 C Soy milk

2 T Spinach Dip (I used left over spinach, dried onion, 1 cream cheese, left over generic italian dressing mix)
(3) Melba toasts
(4) vegan hot dogs (for extra protein - from freezer)
Baby Greens Salad w/honey mustard dressing
1 C sauteed zucchini/yellow squash
Vege soup (from freezer stockpile, made with leftovers)

If I need a snack:
Mott's (applesauce) Plus calcium
Yoplait Yogurt

While I'm at work I'll figure out what to do for dinner. I need to start using the potatoes. They are very nice and larger than I'm used to. Last night I sauteed all the yellow squash and zucchini. I'll bag them up and freeze them tonight. I also want to divide the tofu and marinate in different flavors.

Well, dinner ended up being delivery pizza (paid by DBF) becasue that's what he wanted while we were cleaning up my old apartment.

I did end up getting the squashes divided up - 9 servings total. Most went into the freezer for later in the month. ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/415-day-1-me.html A thought... http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/413-thought.html Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:43:19 GMT I just had a thought..
I now have $30.05 left for our challenge. I want to get a ham, when they go on sale this month, to can single servings for the year. I also want to stock up on the baking supplies when they go on sale.
So... even though I want to go get eggs and cheese, I don't need them right now. I'll have to adjust my recipes until I can go out to get them. I printed out a cobbler recipe from the link I posted and it calls for an egg. I don't have any, so I searched for egg substitues and found I can use either: 1/4 cup tofu, blended (I have lots), 1/4 C applesauce (again lots), or 1T cornstarch whisked with 1T water. Now I can make the recipe without running to the store for a dozen eggs. I'll let you know how it turns out! ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/413-thought.html Recipe idea link http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/412-recipe-idea-link.html Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:45:14 GMT Here is a USDA link for recipes ideas for under $1/serving

http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/ind...&submit=Search

and it has all the nutrition values of the recipe ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/412-recipe-idea-link.html In the fridge/freezer: http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/411-fridge-freezer.html Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:36:28 GMT Fridge: Ketchup Mustard Mayo 1/2 jar natural peanut butter 1/2 bag shredded cheese leftover spinach homemade pickles tortillas (1) gatorade Fridge:
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayo
1/2 jar natural peanut butter
1/2 bag shredded cheese
leftover spinach
homemade pickles
tortillas
(1) gatorade

Freezer:
Broccoli (boss's garden)
Swiss Chard (boss's garden)
(1) roasted red pepper
(1) sandwich baggie shredded chicken
(8) homemade vege soup
(3) vegan hotdogs

Remember this is a tiny little bar type fridge (but the freezer section is seperate). ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/411-fridge-freezer.html My Stockpile: http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/405-my-stockpile.html Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:39:21 GMT Here is what I have available in my stockpile:
(5 lb) flour & sugar (each)
(15 lb) white rice
(5 lbs) various dried beans
(7 lbs) various dried pastas
(10 1/2 pints) home canned chicken, beef & pork (each)
Lots of home canned tomatoes and carrots
Lots of Nutrisystem meals (from my Dad)
(3) boxes of cereal
(6) boxes of soy milk
Lots of frozen broccoli and swiss chard (from my boss's garden)
(4) jars roasted red peppers
Lots of homemade pickles
(10) tofu boxes
Lots of various canned fruits and veges I got on sale
(1) family size Spahgettio's
(1) Traditional Spahgetti sauce
(2) family size baked beans
(1) Soy Curls
(2) TVP
I think that's it. Obviously way more than one person needs LOL! ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/405-my-stockpile.html <![CDATA[Detail from Trader Joe's shopping trip:]]> http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/404-detail-trader-joes-shopping-trip.html Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:22:37 GMT (1) Sweet Chili sauce
(1) High Protein Super Firm Tofu
(1) Pineapple salsa
(1 lb) yellow squash
(2 lb) zucchini
(1) Cocktail sauce

$12.24 Total

It costs me (when gas is $3.50-$4/gal) around $13 round trip to Trader Joe's, so I would have spent more on gas than the food I got! ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/404-detail-trader-joes-shopping-trip.html <![CDATA[Detail from Raley's shopping trip:]]> http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/403-detail-raleys-shopping-trip.html Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:19:08 GMT (2) Cascadian Farm Organic Raisin Bran Cereal
(2) Full Circle Organic Soy Milk
(1) Cascadian Farms Frozen Green Beans
(1) Raley's Natural Applesauce cups (6 count)
(2) Anne Chun's Miso Soup Noodle bowls
(2) Melba Toasts
(2) Mott's Applesauce cups with Fiber (4 count)
(4) Yopliat Yogurt
(2) Earthbound Farms Baby Greens mix (BOGO free)
(1) Litehouse Ranch dressing
(3) Muir Glen tomato paste
(1) Spectrum All Vegetable Shortening
(2) 6-pack club soda
(1) Orida steam-n-mash potatoes (free)
(4) Raley's cream cheese (8 oz)
(2) Crab Classic
(2) 5 lb pototoes (bogo free) - 15 Large potatoes
(1) 5 lb pink grapefruit (8 grapefruit)
(1) garden salad mix (free)
(1) cross rib roast (buy this and get bread, salad, potatoes free)
(2) Barilla Piccolini pastas
(1) White French Bread (free)

$57.71 Total

All I can say is "WOW". I'm used to just buying a few things. Now I need to start thinking up recipes!

PS - since I have a tiny bar fridge, I gave my boyfriend the following: free garden salad, free bread, 1 (free)earthbound farms salad mix and litehouse dressing. I figure at least then I know I'll get some kind of vege when I'm over there! ]]> StaceyS http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/staceys/403-detail-raleys-shopping-trip.html