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Tip of the Day Tuesday: What’s in MY pantry

March 9, 2010 by

As people are first starting to coupon and to stockpile, I often get questions about what to stockpile.  The rule of thumb is to stockpile the things that your family will actually use!  Otherwise, you end up wasting a lot of space on things that will end up going to waste.  If you’re just getting started with stockpiling, you might also want to check out my “What I’m Willing to Pay for Things” post.

Since we’re talking about frugal recipes and cooking from your stockpile this month, I thought I’d share what’s in my “pantry.”  My pantry is not very big so my stockpile also extends into my garage on several shelving units and I even have some of it stored in various closets throughout the house (we’ll talk about creative ways to stash your stockpile this month, too!)    One of these days, maybe I’ll get around to taking and sharing some pictures, too.

Having said that, here are some of the things that I stockpile:

Applesauce ~ the small single serve cups

Beans ~ baked beans, black beans, pinto beans, ranch style beans, kidney beans, refried beans (I have the cans and the bags of dry beans)

Brownie/cake mixes ~ these are great to have on hand when you need to take a last minute treat somewhere or just to have a treat for your family every now and then! (I stock up when I can get them for $.20 or less)

Canned “convenience” foods (things like Spaghetti-Os and Chef Boyardee pasta)

Canned meats ~ chicken, ham, and tuna (lately I’ve been buying the tuna pouches)

Canned soups ~ This includes “cream” soups, tomato soup, beef and chicken broth, and Progresso type soups

Canned fruit ~ a variety

Canned vegetables ~ a variety

Cereal ~ we usually go through at least 2 boxes a week, and I usually have 30+ boxes in my stockpile
Flour

Condiments ~ ketchup, mustard, marinades, soy sauce, dressings, etc.

Flour

Fruit snacks/fruit roll ups

Juice (bottles of juice, juice boxes, and Capri Sun)


Macaroni & cheese/Easy Mac

Oatmeal ~ the instant stuff

Pasta (a variety of noodles)

Pasta sauce

Pop Tarts

Potatoes (the Betty Crocker boxed potatoes and instant mashed potatoes)

Pudding and Jell-O cups

Rice

Seasoning packets (Ranch, taco, Italian, chili, etc.)

Sugar

Tomatoes ~ diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, RoTel, etc.

Filed Under: Tip of the Day Tuesday

Tip of the Day Tuesday: Loadable coupons means bigger grocery savings for YOU!

February 23, 2010 by

Many times, I will reference “loadable coupons” as I am doing my match-ups on my blog and I have had several people ask me more for more information.  I have also had people contact me to ask what they can do because their loadable coupons didn’t come off at the register.

You can find all of the “scoop” about how loadable coupons work and how to load them to you customer loyalty cards (if your stores use them) in this article here:
Loadable Online Coupons Means Bigger Grocery Savings for Savvy Shoppers:  Four Ways to Save Even More at the Grocery store!

Right now, in most cases, you can use the loadable coupons and paper coupons on top of that.  This may be changing in the near future, but for now I love it!

Have you tried using loadable coupons yet?  What is your favorite site?  How’s it working out for you?

Filed Under: Tip of the Day Tuesday

Tip of the Day Tuesday: Budgeting for Bargains

February 9, 2010 by

One of the questions I get asked a lot by people is “How much do you budget for bargains?” My response is, “Nothing.” If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you know that I’m a big fan of Dave Ramsey and that I budget for EVERYTHING, so I think that response probably catches people off guard.

The thing is, I don’t have a budget set aside specifically for “bargains.” All of my “bargain shopping” comes out of our other regular budget categories.

So, if there is a big grocery deal like the Mega sale that has been happening at Kroger the past two weeks, I have to figure out how to do the deals I want to do and stay within my grocery budget.

If there is a big sale at Walgreens or CVS (like the diapers and Dove deals this week!), I use my “toiletry” or “miscellaneous” budget envelopes.

So, I know what you’re thinking because it’s the next question I always get as I explain this. What if you don’t have enough money?

If I don’t have enough money in one of my envelopes to do a deal, sometimes that means that I sit that deal out. When you’re just getting started with bargain hunting, this can be a tough thing to do because you get so excited about all of the deals. Since we’re really trying to stick to our budget right now, a deal isn’t a deal if I don’t have the money to get it.

Having said that, I have to add a few disclaimers. First of all, I have a good stockpile of things that we “need” already, so I can sit out a deal knowing that I will probably have enough of a certain item to get by until the next deal comes along. Over time, I have also developed an understanding of the “sales cycles” to know about how long it will be before the next deal like that comes along. I’ve also gotten a good idea over time about what’s a really HOT deal that probably won’t come around again for awhile, if ever.

Sometimes, if the deal is really a “hot” deal and it’s for something we really NEED or I know we will need soon (most likely before the next deal comes along), then I will re-evaluate my budget categories and if we have enough money to cover it in another envelope and I feel like we’re pretty “set” in that category, I will borrow from another envelope. The bottom line for me is that I won’t spend money that I don’t actually have for any bargain shopping.

What about rebates?

I often get asked about rebates, too. Specifically, what if you don’t have money to cover something but there is a rebate offer of some sort, so you can just “replace” the money when you get your rebate? From my experience, it usually takes 4-8 weeks to get a rebate check back. By the time that rebate money comes, it’s pretty easy to come up with some other use for it, so more likely than not, you’re not going to pay yourself back. I only do rebate offers where I can get things for free or close to free (using ECBs or RRs) to start out with or when it’s for something I really need and would be buying anyway. When I get the rebate check, it goes into our “100% cash Christmas” fund.

Filed Under: 100% cash Christmas, Tip of the Day Tuesday

Tip of the Day Tuesday: Menu Planning Tips

February 2, 2010 by

I used to menu plan sporadically. When I did this, I found that by the time I got home from work, I didn’t even what to think about what to make for dinner, so we usually ended up going out or picking up something from a drive thru. Not only was this incredibly healthy (which I’m sure inevitably played a role in my weight gain), but I also don’t even like to think about how much money we wasted.

Menu planning takes some time to get used to, but once you get it down, it is definitely worth it!

Here are some tips if you’re just getting started:

1. Make a list of your favorite family meals ~ Sit down as a family and let everyone share their favorite meals. Make a list to refer to so you don’t have to brainstorm ideas when you first start meal planning. This “list” will be a great resource and will make your meal planning much easier.

2. Browse cookbooks, recipe blogs, and other online resources ~ I like to try at least one recipe a week so I don’t get in a cooking “rut.” We have discovered some new family favorites this way!

Here are some of my favorite cookbooks right now:

Fix It and Forget It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes

Girlfriends on The Go – A Busy Mom’s Guide to Make Ahead Meals

Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl

Here are some of my favorite online resources:

$5 Dinners – I have been reading her blog for about a year now and I got her book for Christmas and LOVE it. She’s got lots of great, practical, kid-friendly (and affordable!) recipes.

A Year of Slow Cooking – I would be lost without my crockpot and this blog has some great recipes! She spent an entire year cooking every day in her crockpot! If you’re looking for gluten free recipes, so has tons! I got her cookbook for Christmas and love it!

Balancing Act Basics – DeAna and I went to college together and started swapping recipes long before either of us had a blog. She’s got lots of great recipes and pictures, too!

On My Menu – When I get in a “rut” and am looking for new ideas, Marci’s blog is always an inspiration for me. Plus, there are great pictures and our kids are similar ages, so I figure if her kids like a recipe, mine will probably like it too!

Our Best Bites – Our two favorites so far from this site are the Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork and the Spicy Honey Chicken. I’ve heard lots of the dessert items are great, but we haven’t tried any of those yet.

The Menu Planning Monday posts at orgjunkie.com are also a great resource because you can browse hundreds of meal plans each week!

3. Consider what you have “on hand” and browse your weekly grocery store ad circulars for ideas – I meal plan one week at a time to keep down my grocery expenses. As I’m sitting down to plan for the week (I usually do this on Friday nights or Saturday mornings), I think about what I have on hand and look through the grocery ads to see what is on sale so I can plan around those two things. This helps me to rotate my stockpile and also helps me with my grocery expenses.

4. Plan a variety – I usually try to plan a variety of meals each week rotating through beef, chicken, pork, and pasta dishes. Some people like to plan “theme” nights when they are meal planning (taco bar, potato bar, etc.).

Your menu is just a “guide.” It doesn’t have to be an “absolute.” I do all my meal prep work in the mornings before I go to work and sometimes, I will find that what I had planned for Thursday sounds really good on Tuesday, so I end up making it that day instead. By having a menu for the week, I at least have a plan, and I’m not scrambling to make decisions about what’s for dinner at a time when I’m not really in the mood to make dinner and it has also cut out last minute grocery trips (where I always end up spending way more than planned) and we have been able to cut our eating out budget to a third of what it was over the past year (we’re currently at $50/month!). Plus, we get to spend “quality” time together as a family.

Did you plan a menu for the week or do you have other menu planning tips? Please feel free to link up and share below!

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Tip of the Day Tuesday: Check out MyPoints!

January 19, 2010 by
MyPoints

In my Menu Planning Monday post, I shared that I cut our “eating out” budget to $50 for the month. To be honest, since I’ve been focusing on counting my points for Weight Watchers and eating better, I don’t really have a desire to eat out, but one of the ways that we are able to eat out without spending very much money out of pocket is by using gift cards that I have earned from sites like My Points.

If you’re looking to earn gift cards to supplement your 100% cash Christmas budget or you’re looking for an easy way to earn gift cards to supplement other budget categories, My Points makes it very easy! I joined the site about 5 years ago and in that five years, I have earned gift cards to places such as Chili’s, Target, Rainforest Cafe, Amazon.com, and CVS.

Here are some easy ways that you can earn points through My Points:

*Read the e-mails you receive – You will get 1-2 e-mails per day with various offers (I have not gotten any additional spam from this site, but you may want to sign up with a different e-mail address). Click on the “get points” icon in the e-mails that you receive and they will be added to your account! I usually earn 150-200 points each month just by doing this!

*Print and redeem coupons – you can print your coupons through MyPoints and you earn points each month when you redeem them!

*Earn points for your Bzz Agent reports – If you are a member of Bzz Agent (and if you’re not yet, you should join that, too!), you will typically earn 50-100 points for every Bzz report you submit. These are added to your My Points account!

*Shop through the links on their site – I usually do most of my shopping through Ebates, but if a retailer is not listed with them, I always check out My Points next!

Your points will add up before you know it and with 1,500 points, you can cash out for gift cards from several popular retailers including:

*Barnes and Noble
*Bass Pro Shops
*Bath and Body Works
*Borders
*Chili’s
*Gap/Old Navy
*Panera Bread
*Red Lobster/Olive Garden

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