Happy Friday and Happy Weekend! Here’s to each weekend getting warmer and warmer

“Don’t waste money buying the foaming hand cleaner refills, which are mostly water.  Once you have the dispenser, make you own refill buy squirting some liquid hand soap in the bottom, and add water (only to fill line on back of dispenser).  Shake. Let foam settle and you’re ready to go.  I haven’t measured amounts–I just put in enough liquid hand soap to cover the bottom of the dispenser.”   Patti, Wakeman OH

-Great idea! You can also find these foam soap dispensers sold separately- So keep your eyes open this spring at the garage sales! If you coupon, you might be able to score a foaming soap dispenser (full of soap for FREE.

“Ditch paid TV = more family time and less $. Get movies and books at the library instead or try www.hulu.com. There are tons of free tv shows there – new and old! We don’t even miss the cable!!” – Amanda, Kipton OH

- Oh my goodness why have I not done a post on this yet? We don’t have cable either! We watch shows a day after they air on Hulu.com…though we have to watch them on the computer. We also belong to Netflix (the 2nd most basic suscription) and get free instant movies from them that we stream through our game system onto the TV. We basically pay $11 a month for TV entertainment! There are even ways to stream Hulu.com onto your TV. Just google it and see if your computer and TV are compatible. (Honey, is there anything you’d like to add?).

Thats it for this week- And if you do anything that saves money for your family this week, be sure to let me know. Your tip could be featured in next week’s Frugal Friends’ Friday, but more importantly, you’ll be helping all of us save a few more pennys. That is awesome! Just email me at frugalmegan@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Here’s to living- happier, healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~~FrugalMegan~~

So I cleaned the instruments this morning and had a good stare. Luckily for me…most all were easily fixed. Here was my first “project”:

The tambourine was missing two little disks on each side. Bummer right? But there was also a little straight tambourine that was missing parts as well- It had 4 discs I could use. So I went into the garage and low and behold my hubby had Maze Nails, just the perfect length and diameter to secure the new discs. Voila! One complete tambourine!

Project number 2: The set had two Melissa and Doug castanets. One had fallen apart with no elastic, and one was way too loose with too much elastic. So I cut the elastic in half and could tie them both back up. Good as new! (Though this pic doesn’t show it tied tightly).

All in all, DS came out with 10 instruments or instrument sets for $6. And my “projects” took me less than 10 minutes. We’re both happy Now all we need is something to use with the triangle…

~~FrugalMegan~~

Monday: Pasta Primavera

Why: We have some pork sausage to use up, and some zucchini and other fresh vegetables. Not to mention ALLLL the pasta in the pantry!

Cost: $1.12, or $.56 per person.

I believe I was able to get the sausage free from couponing, and the whole wheat pasta as well. The veggies and oil are the only cost, so I’d say right around $1.00 for the main dish. I will also serve bread along side, about a $.12 value for the amount.

Tuesday: Tacos

Why: We still have lots of taco shells

Cost: $4.60, or $2.30 per person. The leftover taco meat will be used for Thursday’s dinner.

Shells: $.25

Beef: $3.75

Refried beans: Free from couponing

lettuce/tomato: $.10

hot sauce: Free from couponing

Side salad: $.50

Wednesday: Pad Thai

Why: We LOVE Pad Thai! As an added bonus, a few months ago I found $1/1 Thai Kitchen coupons on their packages during a Super Doubles event- So I bought Pad Thai sauce for $2.29 and noodles for $.50. Also, we still have a quite a few eggs from The Incredible Egg on Facebook- They offered a BOGO coupon for eggs last month.

Cost: $2.07, or $1.04 per person

Noodles: $.50 for the box, but will only use 1/3 of the box, so $.17.

Sauce: Paid about $2.29 for the sauce, will use 1/4 of the container: $.57

Egg: Paid $.94 for the dozen, will use one: $.08

Veggies: From the co-op, about $.50

Serve with a Salad: Lettuce, yellow bell peppers and tomato from the co-op $.75

Thursday: Leftovers

Why: The same reason we always have leftovers…to make my life easier! Will probably make Taco Salad. We have free tortillas from couponing, and I have taco salad shell forms, so I can serve in a tortilla bowl!

Cost: If we make the salad, the only new cost is the salad. $.50, or $.25 per person.

Friday: Pizza Night!

Saturday: Pot Roast

Why: We just bought 1/8th of a grass fed cow, and I still have a roast left from the last order. So time to cook it up! We also received celery and sweet potatoes in the produce basket this week, and I have onion left over from the last one. This will be a great way to use some of it up…and have leftovers for lunch on Sunday (So I don’t have to cook!)

Cost: $13.35. But we’ll be eating this for probably 4 meals (Saturday dinner, Sunday lunch and then freeze the rest) so it will break down to about $1.69 per person per meal.

Roast: I paid roughly $3.75 per pound for that beef, and this roast is probably 3 pounds. Look at me making an “expensive” meal! $11.25

Veggies: $2.00, from the co-op. Also, I acquired free peas couponing, so I’ll toss some of those in.

Crusty homemade bread: $.10. I get all of my ingredients either from couponing or food co-ops, so it’s pretty dirt cheap. Plus the Artisan bread recipe I use doesn’t call for anything other than flour, water, salt and yeast. So no eggs or oil making it more expensive. I have  been getting yeast and salt free from couponing.

Sunday: Small Group

We have small group with the peeps from church. We’ll probably bring dessert, a side or bread, which will range in cost from $.10 (artisan bread) to $1.50 (cheesecake). Who knows!

Well that’s all!

Here’s to living- Happier, healthier more FRUGAL lives!

~~FrugalMegan~~

“A website that is useful is www.linkagogo.com It is a password protected website where you can store all of your bookmarks/favorites that you already have on your computer. So if you are on vacation or use a library computer, you can still do all of your couponing and access all of your favorite sites no matter what computer you are on. ” – Amanda, Kipton OH

Thanks Amanda! You certainly are a fantastic resource for very useful online tools! I’m going to have to try it out

“When making oatmeal for 1, just pour some hot water from the kettle into a bowl with quickoats in it.  It’s fast and creates half as many dirty dishes as making it in a pot since you probably don’t wash your kettle every time you heat up water!  This is a tip for those without a microwave like us and probably 1 other family in America, LOL.” – Mitch, Charlotte NC

Hehe, thanks Honey! I love that tip because it means I don’t have to wash oatmeal cement out of the pot the days you get up early . And yes, we don’t have a microwave. We’ll have been Micro-wave free for a year in April! Woot!

Well guys, I am officially out of frugal tips from readers! So if you come across any frugal tips you’d like to share this week- Even and especially the small ones, be sure to let me know! We’d love to hear how you save your family money. Simply email it to me at frugalmegan@gmail.com with the title “FFF Tip” and be sure to leave your name, city and state you live in. Every single penny counts!

Here’s to living- happier, healthier more FRUGAL lives!

~~FrugalMegan~~

(3) Rold Gold pretzels: $2.50- $1/1 tearpad coupon I found at HT= $.50 ea

(1) 2000 Flushes: $1.99 BOGO- $1/1 coupon from Sunday paper= Free

(3) Prego Heart Smart all natural pasta sauce: $2- $1/1 out of market coupon= Free

(3) Beechnut cookies: $2.35 – $1/1 coupon from Sunday paper = $.35 ea

(1) Celestial seasonings tea: $1.79 on clearance- $1/1 coupon from Sunday paper= Free

(1) Old orchard juice $1.49- $.50/1 coupon = $.49

(2) Lassie Natural Way dog food: Clearance $4.94. No coupons, just stocking up since it’s what my d0g eats!

(2) Edge shave gel: $1.50- $.75/1 coupon from Sunday paper= Free (would be free every week with this coupon, we just needed some)

(1) Aquafresh: $1.69 BOGO- $1/1 coupon= Free

(1) Wholly Guacamole: $1.99- $1/1 from Sunday paper= Free

(3) Oikos yogurt: $1.89- $1/1 from Sunday paper= Free

(1) Organic valley whipping cream: $2.19- $1/1 coupon= Free

Saved: $52.75

Spent: $14.52

Since that dog food is on clearance, if it is that price at every store my totals will continue to be around $15 every day because I’m stocking up before it is gone! I could wait until next week and get a bunch all at once, but I figure if my totals are higher, that is fine since I’ll be sending these receipts in for rebates. You CAN send in a receipt for a rebate with a very low total, but I feel better when I don’t have to

Here’s to living- happier, healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~~FrugalMegan~~

(2) Starbucks Frappuccino $1.99- $1/1 coupon = Free

(1) 2000 Flushes: $1.99 BOGO- $1/1 coupon from Sunday paper = Free

(1) Glade gel plug-in: $2.19- $1.50/1 coupon from Sunday paper= Free

(3) Prego Heart Smart all natural pasta sauce: $2- $1/1 out of area coupon from Sunday paper = Free

(2) Muir Glen organic tomato paste: $1.49- $1/1 coupon = Free

(2) Kotex panty liners: $1.49- $1.50/2 coupon = Free

(2) Aquafresh toothpaste: $1.69 BOGO- $1/1 coupon = Free

(1) Bag of 12 marked down bananas: $.75

(1) Boars Head Brie wedge: $3.89- $1.50/1 cheese wine tag= $.89

(1) Marked down cauliflower: $.99

(1) Bag of marked down white mushrooms: $.99

(1) Wheat french bread: $1.39- $1/1 bread wine tag= $.61 overage

Spent: $3.67

Saved: $43.20

I had fun!

Here’s to living- happier, healthier more FRUGAL lives!

~~FrugalMegan~~

(2) Chinet cups: $1.50- $1/1 coupon = Free

(2) Seventh generation paper towels: $1.99- $1/1 coupon = Free

(2) 8th Continent soymilk: $2.99- $1.50 coupon= Free

(2) Kotex panty liners: $1.49 each- $1.50/2 from the Sunday paper= both Free

(1) Soft Scrub gel: $2.50- $1.50/1 coupon = Free

(1) 2000 Flushes: $1.99 (BOGO) – $1/1 from Sunday paper or here = Free

(1) Lysol wipes: $1.59 (BOGO)- $1/1 from Sunday paper= Free

(3) Pacific soups: $1.67- $1/1 coupon= Free

(2) Starbucks frappuccino: $1.99- $1/1 coupon = Free

(3) Muir Glen tomato paste: $1.49- $1/1 wine tag or coupon= Free

(1) Harris Teeter salsa: $1.97- $1/1 chip or dip wine tag = $.03 overage

(1) La Brea baguette: $1.49- $1/1 bread wine tag= $.51 overage

*AND* I accidentally purchased an Aquafresh toothpaste but didn’t use a coupon. I usually pull my coupons as I gather things into my cart, but I forgot on this one and built my way up to 20 coupons without realizing it! SO my total is higher than it should be. It’s only a $2 mistake, so no biggie, but since I’ll be going back this week anyway, I will return it tomorrow and repurchase with a coupon…getting it FREE.

Saved: $53.53

Spent: $2.21

Will have spent when I return toothpaste: $.49.

Happy deal hunting!

~~FrugalMegan~~

Here is what I found today:

(2) Starbucks Frappuccino  $1.99- $1/1 coupon from frappuccino.com= Free

(1) Lysol wipes: $1.59 (BOGO) – $1/1 from Sunday paper= Free

(2) Hershey extra dark chocolate bar: $1.99- $1/1 from Sunday paper= Free

(9) Dole Pinapple cans: 3/$2 – $1/3 from Sunday paper= Free

(1) 2000 Flushes: $1.99 (BOGO) – $1/1 from Sunday paper= Free

(3) Pacific Natural Foods soup: $1.67 – $1/1 from EarthFare coupon booklet = Free

(1) Deli Feta cheese: $2.64- $1.50/1 specialty cheese wine tag= Overage of $.36

(3) Wholly guacamole: $1.99- $1/1 from Sunday paper= Free

(2) Smart Balance sour cream: $1.79 – $1/1 from Sunday paper= Free

(2) 8th Continent soy milk: $2.99- $1.50/1 coupon from 8thcontinent.com= Free

Saved: $52.11      Paid: $.19        Plus, I still had some $$ on a Kelloggs reward card, so I paid with that. Yay!

This was a great trip for freebies! You guys will see my totals go up and up from here though

Here’s to living- happier, healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~~FrugalMegan~~

Monday: Cobb Salad

Why: We have lettuce and spinach from the produce co-op, and lots of eggs. The facebook fan page of “The incredible egg” offered BOGO coupons last week, and I was able to snag a couple.

Tuesday: Potato Soup

Why: We have an abundance of red potatoes from our produce co-op.

Wednesday: Leftovers (the first day of Harris Teeter Super Doubles )

Thursday: Lentils and rice

Why: I’ll be eating dinner alone, and this is my FAVORITE meal that my hubby dislikes . I purchased the lentils at a bulk food store and get the rice really cheap from couponing. When I have French Fried Onions, I like to add those.

Friday: Pizza night!

Saturday: We’re going to dinner with friends

Sunday: Church small group- we’ll be bringing a side, dessert or bread.

Have you planned your meals for the week?

~~FrugalMegan~~

Welcome back to Monday Meal Planning!

The main purpose of the “Meal Planning” posts is to show what we’re eating, give you guys ideas and…most importantly…to motivate you to make a meal plan for the week! I break down cost between my husband and I. My son isn’t a big dinner eater yet, but he might have a little bit of mine.

Monday: Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Why: We freeze cauliflower when we get it for later use in stir fries and to mix in with mashed potatoes. I’ve let quite a bit accumulate, and we’re looking for a new type of soup to try, so I thought this would be an interesting meal. Homemade wheat bread will accompany it.

Cost: $1.45, or $.73 per person.

Cauliflower: Received from my local produce co-op and probably cost me about $1/head (which is how much we’ll use for the recipe).

Milk: We’ll be using soy, which I bought on sale with a coupon for $1. The recipe takes about 1/4 of the container, or $.25.

Onion/garlic/spices: Dried onion, bought in bulk from Sam’s Club. I can’t imagine this combined with spices will cost more than $.05

Chicken broth: Free. I make it myself when I make chicken in the crockpot for soup/pulled chicken sandwiches.

Bread: ~$.30/loaf, maybe $.15 for this meal.

Tuesday: Beef Stew

Why: I’ve had a few $1/1 beef wine tags lately, and I bought quite a bit of stewing beef with them. Those packages tend to be smaller, and go to clearance since they aren’t very economical packages. So if they get marked down to $2 something during a super double coupon event…I get them nearly free. That’s economical for mmeeeeee! Also, I love to deck out my stew with LOTS of veggies…which is economical for me since I do the produce co-op and get certain free veggies from couponing. Will serve with leftover bread from Monday.

Cost: $2.15, or $1.08/person.

Beef: $.25 for this package after coupons

Veggies: Potatoes, carrots and spinach are  from the co-op. Peas are free from couponing. I’ve never used spinach in stew before, but it should work nicely. I’ll likely use about 3 potatoes and 2 carrots, so I’m going to put veggies down at a solid $1.50 for this recipe.

Spices/cornstarch: Let’s give this about $.25 this time. I’ll be using some vegetarian organic bouillon cubes I found on clearance, which knocks the price up. Cornstarch was free from couponing.

Bread: Leftover from Monday, $.15.

Wednesday: Falafel Pita Sandwiches

Why: I purchased some dried chickpeas beans up north at a bulk food store, and some Trader Joes pita bread awhile back, so I’m just dying to make use of some of them.

Cost: $2.50, or $1.25/person

Chickpeas: $1.50 for a cup. I could most definitely do better

Onion/Garlic: Dried, bulk purchased onions and a garlic clove from a bulb I picked up this week (we’re sick)- $.10

Spices/flour: $.10

Pitas: $1.99/pkg at TJ’s, will be using half, $1.

Lettuce/tomato: $.30

Thursday: Leftovers

Why: To make my life easier.

Cost: FREE (in essence)

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Why: Because that’s what we do every Friday night

Cost: Between $4-5, depending on toppings

Saturday: Pasta Primavera

Why: We have tons of free whole wheat pasta sitting around, so we try to have a pasta meal once a week. I am picking up a produce basket Friday, so I know there will be all kinds of yummy ones to choose from. Also, I noticed last week I have 1/2 a lb of italian sausage in the freezer, so that will go in here nicely.

Cost:$1.37, or $.69/person

Pasta: Free from couponing

Veggies: Produce Co-op, lets say $1

Italian sausage: $.50/lb from couponing, using 1/2 so $.25 for this meal.

Oil/spices: $.12

Valentines Day: Veal Parmesan over noodles with garlic bread and wine

Why: It’s Valentines day, and we want to have a special meal. But we’ll still do it my frugal way!

Cost: $4.81, or $2.40/person. Last year we did the same thing, but bought everything that day. We spent $35 on everything (including some pretty flowers for the table), so no matter what, it can be an inexpensive but classy date!

Veal: $8/lb, will be using (1) 1/2 pound cutlet cut into two pieces. It will be plenty for us, since a deck of cards is a serving size of meat. $4

Breadcrumbs: Free from couponing

Cheese: Kraft Mozz, 1/4 of package (purchased couponing for $.25), ~$.06. This will cover hubby’s garlic bread and veal.

Soy cheese: Will use about 1/4 of my block of cheese, which costs me $3.10 after coupons, so ~$.20

Noodles: Free from couponing

Garlic bread:  Italian loaf on discount for $.50, will add fresh garlic/oregano ($.05).

Pasta sauce: I have some organic Bertolli I found free couponing.

Wine: We were given some organic red wine for Christmas, and this will be a great occasion to use it.

So there you have it! What’s your meal plan for the week? You don’t need to break yours prices down for me! Doing it saves time and money enough. Feel free to leave your plan in the comment  feed or link to your blog if you’re joining us!

Here’s to living- Happier, healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~~FrugalMegan~~