TP and Tissues...

Do you remember that stockpile of TP I posted just a few months ago? I thought we'd never run out... well guess what? We are almost out! How is that possible?

Not only that but with the recent colds of everyone in the family, we are almost out of tissues. I think I may have one box left in our bathroom. I had at least 12 boxes..... and now the once overstcoked shelf of tissues in the laundry area is wiped clear. Yikes!

I don't know what the deal is... but I seriously need to start finding some bargains with my coupons to restock this area up again. That or Bi-Lo better have a triple coupon day soon! I need it!

Busy, Busy, Busy....

That's what I have been.... busy. Too busy to menu plan, and too busy to grocery shop. I have managed to catch up on all my coupons except the ones that came in the paper today. I will be attacking those this evening while I listen to a Dave Ramsey archive. I have heard rumors os a possible Bi-Lo triple coupons coming up, so I am keeping my ear to the ground, as I would like to have another stocking up spree. Maybe I should order some coupons from the Coupon Clippers of things we use a lot. Hmmmm.....

We have been eating from our stockpile in the pantry and freezer. I'm glad to have this...but we are getting sick of the easy preprepared food. It's time to get back to some home cookin'. Fresh fruits and veggies would be nice! So, on Wednesday evening I am shopping for the week, fresh produce and meats.... I will have my menu plan ready to go! I already have several ideas...grilled fish, homemade meatballs, and grilled chicken salad.

Publix BOGO Deals -May 14th-20th

Here is a quick rundown of the Publix BOGO items for the week: Items in Bold you can add a recent coupon from the paper or from recent online coupons. There may be more coupons that you have stockpiled, or that you have found online to add to these BOGO deals. If there is one you found add it to the comment field. Here is the link to the Publix flyer for some other deals: Publix Flyer

Aunt Jemima Pancakes or French Toast -assorted varieties (Save up to $2.29)
Aunt Jemima Syrup- assorted varieties 24oz bottle (Save up to $3.21)
Cheez It Baked Snack Crackers or party mix – assorted (Save up to $3.99)
Chung’s Gourmet Quality Egg Rolls or spring rolls (Save up to $2.99)
Del Monte Fruit or Fruit and Gel or Fruit Chillers – assorted 4pk (Save up to $2.49)
Dial Bar Soap- assorted varieties 3pk (Save up to $2.39)
Doritos Tortilla Chips – assorted varieties (Save up to $3.79)
Entenmann’s Little Bites – assorted varieties (Save up to $3.99)
Green Giant Canned Vegetables –assorted varieties (Save up to $1.05)
Hershey’s Kisses or Hugs – assorted (Save up to $3.29)
Juicy Juice 100% Premium Juice- assorted varieties 64oz bottle (Save up to $3.49)
Kellogg’s Cereal- apple jacks,rice krispies, corn pops, froot loops, cocoa krispies, frosted flaskes, cereal straws (Save up to $2.45)
Kellogg’s Eggo Waffles – assorted varieties (Save up to $3.39)
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese or supermac & cheese
Lawry’s Garlic Salt or Seasoned Salt 11 or 16oz bottle (Save up to $3.69)
Lender’s Bagels- assorted varieties in Dairy Section (Save up to $1.95)
Lipton Family Size Tea Bags – 24 ct (Save up to $2.11)
Nabisco Ritz Crackers-assorted varieties (Save up to $3.39)
Nabisco Single Serve Tray or Kraft Handi Snacks-assorted varieties (Save up to $5.99)
Near East Rice Pilaf or Couscous or Taboule-assorted (Save up to $2.19)
New England Freshly Ground Coffee-assorted varieties (Save up to $5.79)
Peter Pan Peanut Butter-creamy or crunchy 4oz jar (Save up to $4.99)
Pillsbury Ready to Bake Cookies-assorted varieties (Save up to $2.89)
Popsicle Ice Pops- Fudgesicle or Creamsicle –assorted varieties
Publix Anti-Diarrheal Caplets-24ct box (Save up to $4.99)
Publix Deli Sweet Iced Tea- assorted varieties (Save up to $1.39)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars- assorted varieties (Save up to $2.45)
Solo Sologrips Plastic Cups or Plates-assorted (Save up to $4.39)
Spray n’ Wash Stain Remover- 22oz bottle (Save up to $2.79)
Starkist Chunk White Tuna- premium albacore (Save up to $2.99)
Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce-assorted varieties 18oz bottle (Save up to $2.19)
Tombstone Pizza –assorted varieties (Save up to $4.99)
Whole White Mushrooms- 16oz pkg. (Save up to $3.29)

Publix BOGO Deals - May 7th-13th

Here is a quick rundown of the Publix BOGO items for the week: There are a ton of them! Items in Bold you can add a recent coupon from the paper or from recent online coupons. There may be more coupons that you have stockpiled, or that you have found online to add to these BOGO deals. If there is one you found add it to the comment field. Here is the link to the Publix flyer for some other deals: Publix Flyer


A-1 Steak House Marinade-assorted varieties 16oz bottle (Save up to $2.89)
Back to Nature Granola –assorted varieties (Save up to $3.59)
Betty Crocker or Sunkist Fruit Snacks – assorted varieties (Save up to $2.75)
Campbell’s Chunky Soup-assorted varieties (Save up to $2.29)
Celestial Seasoning Tea – assorted varieties (Save up to $3.49)
Duncan Hines Brownie Mix-assorted varieties (Save up to $2.49)
Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Cake Mix-assorted varieties (Save up to $1.65)
Entenmann’s Donuts-Rich, Frosted or Variety Pk (Save up to $3.99)
General Mills Cereal-Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cookie Crisp (Save up to $4.79)
Hebrew National Kosher All Beef Franks- (Save up to $4.49)
Hefty Everyday Plates-130 ct (Save up to $5.39)
Hellmann’s Mayonnaise – assorted varieties (Save up to $3.75)
Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup -24 oz bottle (Save up to $1.75)
Idahoan Mashed Potatoes-assorted varieties (Save up to $1.19)
Keebler Chips Deluxe Cookiesor Sandies Shortbread (Save up to $3.85)
Kids Cuisine Dinner – assorted varieties (Save up to $2.19)
Kraft Dressing – assorted varieties 24oz bottle (Save up to $3.69)
Lance Cookies Crackers or Wafers-assorted varieties (Save up to $2.69)
Lysol Disinfectant Bathroom Cleaner-32 oz bottle (Save up to $3.49)
M&M’s Chocolate Candies-Big Party Bag (Save up to $4.39)
Maxwell House Ground Coffee – assorted varieties (Save up to $3.05)
Mrs. Cubbison’s Croutons - assorted varieties (Save up to $1.29)
Mt Olive Pickles-selected varieties (Save up to $2.69)
Nabisco Honey Maid Grahams-assorted varieties (Save up to $3.99)
Nature’s Own Organic Bread – 24 oz loaf (Save up to $3.39)
Planters Cashews or Mixed Nuts- assorted varieties (Save up to $4.19)
Pompeiian Olive Oil – Extra Light or Classic Mediterranean 16oz (Save up to $5.49)
Post Cereal –Selects, Raisin Bran, Grape Nuts, LiveActive (Save up to $3.37)
Publix Salad Blend – assorted (Save up to $2.99)
Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta or Smart Taste assorted (Save up to $1.79)
Ruffles Potato Chips –assorted varieties (Save up to $3.79)
Willow Lane Scented Premium Candle – assorted varieties 22oz jar (Save up to $9.99)

Dave Ramsey in My Head

This evening I was out at HomeGoods, one of my favorite places to browse. I was just there for some "me time" while dh was out with the kids. Anyway, I saw two little stuffed lambs that each had a plastic protective cover on the front for a picture to slide in. I though they would be so cute to take to our adoptive children in Russia with our photo in it. That way when we have to go back home, they have a stuffed animal to sleep with and to help remind them that we will be returning for them.

Anyway, there was another really cute lamb blanket.... but only one. I was so tempted to buy it for me! I mean I was justifying left and right about why i should buy it.... it would be mine, it would remind me of the kids, etc etc etc. What I really wanted were two lamb blankets and then I would give those to the children. lol! So as I am walking around debating... I hear one of the sales clerk ask a gentleman how he is doing today.... He answered in a voice greatly mimicking Dave Ramsey... "Better than I deserve!" I looked at him and just grinned...then I thought about that...and promptly walked back to the children's section and put that lamb blanket back. LOL!

Nope, I surely don't need that to help me sleep better at night... I'm headed toward financial peace instead. :-)

For more on Dave Ramsey click HERE.

Re-vamping the budget

It's amazing how much I can learn each day when I pay close attention to our finances. I was going through our bills for the beginning of the month and balancing the checkbook as well. I found an expense that needs to go. I can't believe I didn't see it before, but it may be because spring is finally here and I am paying for this service again. It's lawncare (weeds etc) and I set this service up way before I got on my Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover program. I spoke to dh about it this evening and effective tomorrow it is g-o-n-e. That means that dh is in charge of trying to make our lawn look beautiful. (Wish him luck!)

Hopefully a little time and effort will have it looking much better than it does now, and in the process we'll be able to pay down on our van quicker.

I'm going through the budget with a fine tooth comb to see if there are any other areas we can cut to help us get out of debt and start saving more... hopefully I'll find another I may have missed. I'm finding that there is always room for improvement and my learning never ceases in the area of frugal living.

Checking in....

I've been so busy with end of year things that I have neglected my blog badly! My mind is a whirlwind of things to post about...but I never seem to have the time! For instance I wanted to blog about a Walmart experience I had recently.... but that was like 4 days ago...and I still haven't been able to put it in writing. Then I have wanted to post about something that just irks me greatly.... a topic that I'll reply with "don't even get me started".... but again... I don't have the time, and can't seem to put it into words.

Finally I am so wanting to post another update on our financial health checkup for April (I just typed October, so that tells you were my mind is!). But I have to gather all my financial data together. I could go on tangents and tangents.... about many things.... lol! But trust me you don't want me to do that!

So, I'll just post that I'm checking in... we had our 2nd yard sale this weekend and it rained cats and dogs! But we managed to raise another $125 toward our adoption costs. We will try to have one final sale Memorial Day weekend, and then we will pack everything up to Goodwill. :-) So far we have raised close to $750. My friend Karen is going to show me how to make cards to sell on my adoption blog. Hopefully we'll be able to raise some more funds in this way! I'm also hoping to try to sell and few things on Craigslist and Ebay.

As my son says... Keep "frugaling!"

Menu Plan

Here is my menu plan for the next week. I am planning on going grocery shopping today, and will make sure that I have every ingredient on my list...so there are no added trips to the store! I'm using food from the freezer and from my pantry.... so we'll see if I can do a better job on the food budget for this month.

Thursday
Breakfast – Waffles
Lunch – Baked Potato/Broccoli
Dinner – Baked Rotini/Salad/Garlic Bread

Friday
Breakfast – Cereal
Lunch – Sandwiches
Dinner- Taco Salad

Saturday
Breakfast- Danish
Lunch- Leftover Rotini
Dinner- Crockpot Chili/Hot Dogs

Sunday
Breakfast- Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch – Omelet/Breakfast Sausage
Dinner- Steak sandwiches/peppers/fries

Monday
Breakfast- Bagels/apple butter
Lunch- Leftover Chili/Baked Potatoes
Dinner- London Broil/Rice

Tuesday
Breakfast- cereal/muffins
Lunch- Deli Wraps/fruit
Dinner- Chinese Chicken Salad

Wednesday
Breakfast- Pancakes
Lunch- Hot Dogs
Dinner- It. Chicken/couscous/vegetables

Thursday
Breakfast- Cereal/Bagels
Lunch- Pizza/Salad
Dinner- Leftovers!