Monday Meal Planning

What is you family going to eat this week? You’ll notice that there are fresh veggies in every meal I make. This produce is purchased through yourneighborhoodproduce.com, a local co-op in the Charlotte area. A large basket of produce is $17.50, and it easily lasts me 2 weeks!

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~~

Frugal Friends’ Friday!

Welcome back to Frugal Friends’ Friday! I really wish I was better about getting these out every week…but maybe that’s another frugal tip- Less time on the computer means time and electricity saved! LOL

“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~~

HT Super Doubles 2/10 Trip #4

I don’t usually post on Saturdays…but I have a few minutes . Trip #4, here goes!

(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~~

HT Super Doubles 2/10 Trip #3

Trip #3 went smoothly! From here my totals will go up, but my satisfaction goes up- Because while they might cost more, I am getting more REAL food items. Today I hit the store closest to me right when they had put out the marked down produce. That is a beautiful thing at my store, because it is in a very nice area- We’re talking Jeff Gordon’s house, not 3 miles away. So when a banana loses its green stem, it’s qualified for “clearance”! Tehehe, I love it! Also, in case any of you were wondering, I did take my toothpaste from yesterday back and they just adjusted the price for my coupon. So it is in this picture and trip. Keep in mind that on a typical trip, I can only get one BOGO free item at half price and use one coupon, but this shows an exception.

(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~~

HT Super Doubles 2/10 Trip 2

Trip #2 this week! Here’s what I brought home:

(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~~

HT Super Doubles Trip #1

It was a nice quiet morning at my Harris Teeter! I like getting there early so I can beat the crowds and take my time

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 Meal Planning

Happy Presidents’ Day! This week’s post is going to be short and sweet so we can enjoy our day off . Dinners this week:

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~~

Monday Meal Planning

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~~

Frugal Friends’ Friday!

Happy Frugal Friends’ Friday! Today I’d like to spend a little bit of time on just one tip  And remember…if you have a frugal tip to share, I’d love to hear it! You will very likely see it highlighted here on Frugal Friends’ Friday!! Just email the tip to me at frugalmegan@gmail.com. I can’t wait to hear how you are saving YOUR family money!

“If you reuse paper bags from most grocery stores, they will give you five cents back for each bag you reuse!“- Jessica, Xenia OH

YES! There are quite a few grocery stores that do this! Usually you can bring in any kind of tote bag, be it paper grocery bags, those reusable bags you can purchase in store, or any favorite large bag you have at home. Be sure to check around at the stores in your area to see who does this. This discount (where I shop) is often taken off after coupons, so many times it will apply to tax if that is all you are down to. Isn’t that cool!?

Now a little note on doing this in a “healthy” way- I would make sure if you are using paper bags, that you only reuse ones that are very clean. If they have carried fresh meat packages or other “dirty” things, be sure to simply toss or recycle them. You don’t want to contaminate your new food! And if you use reusable totes for your groceries, be sure to wash them on a regular basis. The one big pet peeve I have about these bags is…well…it can be SO unsanitary! If you’ve carried meat or fresh unwashed produce in them, please give them a wash after each use. If they’ve been used for canned goods, boxes and well packaged items, perhaps wash every 3-4 uses. It’s something to think about!

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

~~FrugalMegan~~

Frugal Moment

I read something interesting today that made me think. It was from a box of Celestial Seasonings tea. Here’s what it said:

“Ever wonder why… no string and tag? (referring to their tea bags coming string/tag free) Our unique pillow-style tea bag is the result of our commitment to doing what’s best of the environment. Because these natural fiber tea bags don’t  need strings, tags, staples or individual wrappers, we’re able to save more than 3.5 million pounds of waste from entering landfills every year!”

3.5 MILLION pounds of waste from TEA BAG TAGS?

Now, before you go accusing me of being a tree hugging, Al Gore loving,  ”global warming” enthusiast let me switch gears a little- If tea bags sold from one company can have that much impact on waste, what about all those little things YOU do each day to save money for your family? Never underestimate the power of the “little” things!

Oh, and by the way…I do like to hug the occasional tree

I hope you enjoyed this little Frugal Moment.

~~FrugalMegan~~