Monday, January 31, 2011

Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge: What I learned

This month, I did the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge, co-hosted by Laura at Frugal Follies, Denise at Shopper Strategy, Robbie at Going Green Mama, Crystal at Mrs. Happy Homemaker, and Rebecca Jean at Midnight Maniac.

And now, January is over!  Whew!  It was a very tough month, but we made it through!

If you recall, my goal was to make my life more simple, by ignoring coupons and deals throughout the month, and by shopping only at ALDI for dairy and veggies.  How did I do on these goals?

I did, indeed, not use any coupons throughout the month.  I shopped primarily at ALDI, though I did make a few small trips to use up expiring Extra Care Bucks at CVS, or to buy produce at Publix or Winn-Dixie that wasn't available at ALDI.  I did buy a half-dozen other items besides dairy and veggies, such as a box of cold cereal after I had almost completely run out, but that was it.

I did use up a lot of items in my pantry (see my updated inventory list), but there are still some things to be used up - I will try to focus on using those up during February.

Here's what I learned this month:
  • I can do it!  Sometimes it was tough depending on what I already had in store - the temptation to buy more things was great, but I was able to make it through.  
  • Sometimes you can be more creative working within limits than you would be if you were given any items you wanted.  I found myself creating more recipes on the fly, and many turned out to be delicious.
  • Even though the coupon break was relaxing, I do enjoy couponing and finding deals, and am more resolute in making sure that I do it in a way to minimize the time and effort I spend on it.
  • ALDI, as great as a store as it is, simply cannot meet all of your grocery and drug store needs.  There are many holes in their inventory.  They don't always carry the same produce, and prices can vary widely from day to day.
How did the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge go for you?  What lessons did you learn?   Leave a comment below, or if you're a blogger, use the linky below to link to your post.  And please check out my fellow co-hosts at Shopper Strategy, Going Green Mama, Mrs. Happy Homemaker, and  Midnight Maniac as well!


So now that January is over, I'm on to my February challenge, the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge!  Because I used up all of my Extra Care Bucks from CVS and Register Rewards from Walgreens, I'm on a mission to build up the amounts I have, without putting a lot of money into it.  Join me!

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Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge: End of challenge inventory

If you've been taking part in the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge, you'll recall that at the beginning of the month, I suggested that you take inventory.  Now that the challenge is over, take inventory again to see what you managed to use up, and what still might be hiding in there!

Here's my list.  Items used up are crossed out.  Items where there are fewer items are in red.  Note that since I did some freezer cooking earlier in the month, the inventory on some frozen items is greater, not less.

Overall, I see that I did a good job of getting rid of lots of open packages of pasta, salad dressing, and open items in the freezer.  Not so good: I still have lots of canned soups, tomato paste, and seasonings that have been open a while.

Since I didn't use up some items, like the rice mix, I plan to now donate them to a food bank.  If I didn't use them this month, I probably never will.

Here's my updated inventory:

Fruits and vegetables:
tomatoes - 9 5
mandarin oranges - 8 6
mushrooms -  11 9
pineapple - 4 3
applesauce jars - 2
applesauce cups - 2 1 + 1 open
olives - 2
pickles - 2
apple juice - 1
raisins - 1 open
dried cranberries - 2  1 open
tomato sauce - 1
tomato paste - 2
pasta sauce - 7 5
lemon juice - 2

Soups
tomato soup - 4 3
cream of mushroom soup - 8 7
chicken soup - 1
ravioli - 1

Protein sources
white beans (cans) - 3 1
tuna - 4
peanut butter - 3 2
dried beans (bags) - 3 2
Parmesan cheese - 1
nuts - 3  1+ 1 open

Cereals and grains
cold cereal - 8 + 2 open
instant oatmeal - 1 + 2 open
instant grits - 1 open
crackers - 9  7 + 1 open
pasta - 12  6 + 8 3 open
brown rice - 1 + 1 open
rice mix - 2
bulgur wheat - 2 open

Baking goods
canola oil - 2 + 1 open
olive oil - 2  1 + 1 open
vinegar - 2 + 3 open
all-purpose flour - 1 + 1 open
sugar - 1 + 1 open
brown sugar - 2  1 + 2 open
confectioner's sugar - 2
dry milk - 1 open
bread crumbs - 1 open
honey - 1 open
baking soda - 2 + 1 open
baking powder - 1 open
vanilla - 2  1 + 1 open
yeast - 1

Seasonings
salad dressing - 4
worcestershire sauce - 1
soy sauce - 1
hot sauce - 2 + 1 open
mustard - 2
assorted spices
chicken bouillon - 1 open
onion soup mix - 1 open

Other
soda - 3
syrup - 2 1 open
tea - 4 + 3 open
marshmallows - 1 open
popcorn kernels - 1 open
coffee - 1 open
assorted cake decor
assorted Halloween candy

Refrigerator
mustard - 1
ketchup - 1
mayonnaise - 1
peanut butter - 2
salsa -1 
jelly - 1
Parmesan cheese - 1
salad dressing - 9 5
steak sauce - 1
barbecue sauce - 1
soy sauce - 1
alfredo sauce - 1
applesauce - 1
lemon juice - 1
wine - 1
pickles - 1
assorted leftovers

Freezer:
vegetable soup - 1
chicken soup - 3  6 + chicken soup ice cubes
orange juice concentrate - 1
blueberries -1 open
raspberries - 1
cranberries - 1
bananas - 4
fish fillets - 4
chicken breasts - 14 2
ground beef - 4 2 1/2-lb packages
pot roast - 1
skirt steak - 1
sliced turkey - 1 package
whole chicken - 1
chicken nuggets - 1 + 1 open
hot dogs - 1
ravioli - 2
sweet potato fries - 1 open
beans (cooked in the crockpot) - 1 5 packages
corn meal - 2 1 open
rye flour - 1 open
whole wheat flour - 1 open
yeast - 1 open


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Menu Plan 1/31/11: Super shopping / Super Bowl


Now that the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge is now over for me (look for my summary post coming soon!), I'm back to deal shopping - particularly at drug stores, where I'm doing the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge (join me!)

I'm also back to shopping at grocery stores, too.  (During January's challenge, I attempted to only shop at ALDI for dairy and veggies.)  So I'm excited to see what's for sale, and planning meals around those items!

For instance, there are red and green peppers for sale at a local grocery that has great deals on produce.  I'm going to turn those into a Red and Green Pepper Pasta.  I'm also getting some cans of tomatoes with green chilis, so that will make it into a chicken dish.

Still, believe it or not, I have a few items in the pantry that didn't end up getting used during the challenge.  I've had a pot roast in the freezer for some time; I'm going to try to cook it in the crockpot and see how that works!

And Sunday is the Super Bowl! Traditionally, I make a dinner out of appetizers - it's one of my kids' favorite meals of the year.  I'm getting hungry just thinking about it now...


Here's what's for dinner this week:

Monday - Red and Green Pepper Pasta, caesar salad

Tuesday - chicken with beans, tomatoes, and chilies, brown rice

Wednesday - pepper pizza on whole wheat pizza dough, fruit

Thursday - tilapia fillets, pasta with garlic and oil, salad

Friday - chicken soup with matzo balls, pot roast cooked in the crockpot,, carrots, challah

Saturday - grilled cheese and tomato soup

Sunday - Appetizers for dinner: Nachos topped with chili, jalapeno poppers, cheesy bread, cut-up veggies with onion dip, and whatever else I can come up with

If you're a frugal food blogger, please come and link up with Frugal Food Thursdays. And check out all of my frugal recipes!

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans!

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Walgreens: From 0 to $17 in RRs!

I'm doing the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge (join me!), where I'm trying to build up my collection of Register Rewards from Walgreens and Extra Care Bucks from CVS.

Unlike my trip to CVS, I had lots of success at Walgreens.  I came in without any RRs at all (due to doing the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge in January), and left with $17 in hand and a lot of products to boot!  (Get it?  "Boot"?)

I found out something important for doing Walgreens deals.  I already knew that Walgreens will only take one manufacturer's coupon per item, and that RRs count as manufacturer's coupons.  What I didn't know was that if you have a $1/2 coupon, it counts as two coupons.  So I had to make a quick change to my plans, which ended up costing me 40¢ more.

Here were my transactions:

Transactions #1 and #2 (identical transactions):
Buy 1 Natrol Melatonin (100 ct) at $3 (receive $3 RR)
$2/1 coupon from the 10/10 RedPlum insert
Total cost: $1.00
Get $3.00 RR
(total $2 cost, $6 in RRs)

Transaction #3:
Buy 4 Vicks Sinex at $5 (receive $10 RR)
Buy 2 Butterfinger Snackerz at 39¢ (with in-ad coupon)
Buy 1 Royal gelatin at 20¢ (with in-ad coupon)
Use 4 $4/1 Sinex coupons from the 12/26 P&G insert (expires 1/31/11)
Use 1 $1/2 Butterfinger Snackerz coupon from Coupons.com
Pay with $3 RR from Transaction #1
Total cost $1.03  (98¢ product and 5¢ tax)
Get $10 RR

Transaction #4
Buy 1 Arnicare gel @ $5.99 (receive $6 RR)
Buy 1 Blink Tears @ $7.99 (receive $8 RR)
Buy 2 Butterfinger Snackerz at 39¢ (with in-ad coupon)
Buy 1 Royal gelatin at 20¢ (with in-ad coupon)
Use $2/1 Arnicare printable coupon
Use $1/1 Blink Tears coupon from 1/2 SmartSource insert
Use 1 $1/2 Butterfinger Snackerz coupon from Coupons.com
Pay with $10 RR from Transaction #3
Total cost: $1.02 (96¢ product and 5¢ tax)
Receive $14 RR


Total RRs received: $3 RR from Transaction #2 and $14 from Transaction #4 = $17 in RRs!

My status for the Walgreens Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge:
Total cash paid: $3.94
Total tax paid: 10¢
RRs on hand: $17

Products purchased:
2 Natrol melatonin
4 Vicks Sinex
4 Butterfinger Snackerz
2 Royal gelatin
1 Arnicare gel
1 Blink Tears

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CVS: A slow start to the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge

I'm doing the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge (join me!), where I'm trying to build up my collection of Register Rewards from Walgreens and Extra Care Bucks from CVS.

It was a slow start to the challenge at CVS - no real moneymakers for me there. (My Walgreens trip was a different story - check it out!) There is a deal for Physician's Formula cosmetics, but only if you have a $10 or $3 off coupon from the in-store coupon machine. Since I barely stepped foot into CVS last month due to the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge, I didn't have that coupon.

But I am almost out of kids' shampoo, so here's the deal I did:

2 Herbal Essences shampoo @ 2/$5.97
B1G1 Herbal Essences coupon from the 12/26 P&G (expires 1/31/11)
$2.99 out of pocket, get $2 in ECBs.

I paid for this deal with a $1 ECB, and paid $2.29 ($1.99 product cost and 30¢ tax).

My status for the CVS Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge:
Total cash paid: $5.99 ($4 toward a $10 gift certificate)
Total tax paid: 30¢
ECBs on hand: $5.99 + $10 gift certificate

Total items purchased:
2 Herbal Essences shampoo

Check out Simply CVS for more great CVS shopping trips!

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Under Two Bucks at Target 1/30/11 - 2/5/11

Got a great Target deal?  Leave a comment below! 

Want to get a great deal at Target, but don't have the time to clip coupons?

Here's a list of some of the items at or under $2.00 this week at Target, according to the weekly ad. Some items may only be available at SuperTarget grocery stores.
  • 99¢ - Avocados, jumbo, each
  • $1.00 - Pepsi products, 2 liter
  • $1.00 - SoBe Lifewater, 20 oz
  • $1.00 - Aquafina water, 1 liter
  • $1.50 - Campbell's Chunky chili or soup, canned or microwaveable
  • $1.75 - Goldfish crackers, 6.6 oz
  • $1.75 - Selected Gerber Graduates finger foods
  • $2.00 -Kraft cheese, shredded or block, 6 to 8 oz
  • $2.00 - Nabisco Chips Ahoy cookies, 15.25 oz
  • $2.00 - Sweethearts conversation hearts, 8 pk
  • $2.00 - Brach's small conversation hearts, 18 oz
Click here for great Target deals at Frugal Follies, and check out Money Saving Mom for even more Target deals.

Link up your best deals at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!


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Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge (join me!)

Each month here at Frugal Follies, I plan to do a challenge related to frugality, organization, shopping, cooking, etc. I like doing challenges because it forces me to concentrate on one goal, and it makes me be more creative.

In January, I did the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge. It was easy at first, got more challenging during the middle of the month, and then seemed a bit simpler toward the end. But now, my shelves are quite empty, so I'm ready to fill them back up.

One problem with not doing any deal shopping during the month is that I ended up spending most of my Extra Care Bucks (from CVS) and Register Rewards (from Walgreens) back in December; as a result, I have no RRs at all, and $4.99 in ECBs ($3.99 from this deal and $1 from using my green bag tag a fourth time while doing that deal).

So in February, I'm starting the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge!

Bootstrapping comes from the phrase "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" - meaning to start a process without external help. When you start up your computer, a small program hard-coded in your computer's memory starts a much longer process to allow your computer to run programs - you are bootstrapping, or "booting up," your computer.

Similarly, my goal for the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge is to increase the amount of Register Rewards and Extra Care Bucks I have on hand, putting as little of my own money as I can into it. I'll do this by doing as many deals as possible which are money-makers or free to create more Register Rewards or Extra Care Bucks.

So here are my rules:
  • I can spend up to $10 of my own money per store on products.
  • Money paid in taxes does not count toward the $10.
  • I can use coupons from inserts, printable coupons, and in-store or emailed CVS coupons.  I can also purchase coupons (though I have never done so in my 1.5 years of serious couponing), but the purchase prices of the coupons will go toward the $10.
  • I can buy things that my family doesn't need, but I will give them to friends or family or donate them to charity.
  • I can use the $4.99 that I already have in ECBs at CVS; this does not count toward the $10 limit.
  • Last week, I did a deal where I purchased a $10 gift card to CVS for $4; the $4 cost will count toward the $10 limit, but the $10 on the card does not.
So, here we go!  Having already looked at the CVS deals and Walgreens deals for this week, I can see that I'll be able to get things rolling along easily at Walgreens - assuming I can find products in stock at my local stores -  but that CVS will be more of a challenge.

Each week on Monday, I'll post about how many ECBs and RRs I have, how much I've spent in cash, and what I got at each store.

Please join me!  Of course, if you'd like to use Rite Aid as your store instead of CVS and/or Walgreens, feel free to do so - I don't have that store in my area.  Leave a comment below if you'd like to join the challenge!


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Under a Buck at Rite Aid 1/30/11 - 2/5/11

Got a great Rite Aid deal?  Leave a comment below!

Trying to keep your Rite Aid bill low, but don't have time to clip coupons or fill out manufacturer's rebates? 

Here are some of the items that are at or under $1.00 without coupons this week. All you'll need is the weekly ad, which you can pick up in the store.  This list is based on an online ad scan; please check your own circular to be sure that the deals are available in your area.  You'll also need your Wellness+ card for these deals.

See the 1/30/11 - 2/5/11 Rite Aid ad scan here.
  • 33¢ - Valentine's Ring Pop or Sweethearts
  • 50¢ - Valentine or Easter single-serve candy
  • 50¢ - Mars candy bars
  • 75¢ - Russell Stover sugar-free bagged candy (buy four for $5, get $2 +UP reward)
  • 88¢ -Valentine's bagged candy, hearts, and novelty candy
  • 97¢ - Dawn dishwashing detergent, 9.5-10.3 oz
  • 97¢ - Joy dishwashing detergent, 12 oz
  • 97¢ - Angel Soft bath tissue, 4 pack
  • 97¢ - Bounty Basic paper towels, single roll
  • 99¢ - Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste (buy one for $2.99, get $2 +UP reward)
  • 99¢ - Edy's ice cream (buy one for $2.99, get $2 +UP reward)
  • $1.00 - Assorted Valentine's candy
  • $1.00 - Halls cough drops, 20-25 ct, or Halls Defense, 30 ct (buy two for $3, get $1 +UP reward)
  • $1.00 - Hershey's or Cadbury candy bars
  • $1.00 - Mars or Hershey's candy bars, 8 pack
  • $1.00 - Lay's Stax 5.5-5.75 oz
  • $1.00 - Gatorade, 32 oz 
  • $1.00 - 7Up or Diet 7Up (buy four for $5, get $1 +UP reward)
Check out the following for more Rite Aid deals:
Link up your best deals at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

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Friday, January 28, 2011

Elevate Your Finances in 2011 - January update

Welcome to Elevate Your Finances in 2011!

Time to update my financial goals, which I posted at the beginning of the year.

My main financial goal is to pay off 50% of the balance (as of 12/31/10) of our home equity line this year. Of course, we hope to pay it all off! But we are being realistic, and making a goal that is challenging, yet achievable.

In January, we paid off 1.2% of the amount remaining. This was a little disappointing. But there were lots of large expenses this month which we paid out of cash flow, such as car insurance.  (I know, I know... I should be saving 1/12 of the money for car insurance and other big, occasional bills, each month, so that I don't have to pay them out of cash flow.  But that didn't happen this year due to our wonderful yet expensive event last October.)

In the coming months, we'll be able to put more toward this goal - I sincerely hope!

I also set a goal to make a comprehensive list of all our financial accounts by the end of February. I did not work on that goal this month. So I guess I will be digging through papers to get that completed by the end of February.

How are you doing on your financial goals this year? Leave a comment below!

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Under a Buck at Walgreens 1/30/11 - 2/5/11

Got a great Walgreens deal?  Leave a comment below!

Trying to keep your Walgreens bill low, but don't have time to clip coupons?

Here are some of the items that are under $1.00 this week.  All you'll need is the weekly ad, which you can pick up in the store, and a pair of scissors to cut out the in-ad coupons.  A * means that an in-ad store coupon is required.  This list is based on an online ad scan; please double-check your local ad to see if these bargains are applicable in your area. RR = Register Rewards (coupons good for money off on your next trip to Walgreens).

See the 1/30/11 - 2/5/11 Walgreens ad scan here.
  • FREE - Natrol melatonin, 100 ct (buy one at $3, get $3 RR)
  • FREE - Blink eye drops, 0.33 or 0.5 oz (buy one at $7.99, get $7.99 RR)
  • FREE - Arnicare pain relief gel, 2.6 oz  (buy one at $5.99, get $5.99 RR)
  • 13¢ - Valentine's accessories *
  • 17¢ - Valentine's tumbler *
  • 20¢ - Royal gelatin, regular or sugar free *
  • 29¢ - Russell Stover chocolate heart, 0.87-1.25 oz *
  • 34¢ - Ajax cleanser, 14 oz *
  • 34¢ - Valentine's novelties *
  • 39¢ - Nestle or Mentos candy, 1.28-2.1 oz *
  • 50¢ -Kellogg's Pop-Tarts, 2 pack
  • 50¢ - Geisha mushrooms, 4 oz *
  • 50¢ - Madam mandarin oranges, 11 oz *
  • 50¢ - Van Camp's pork and beans, 15 oz *
  • 59¢ - Jell-O pudding, regular or sugar free *
  • 67¢ - Valentine's notebook or jumbo pencil
  • 79¢ - Walgreens water, 1 gallon * 
  • 79¢ - Green Giant vegetables, 14.5-15.25 oz * 
  • 79¢ - Renuzit adjustable air freshener,7.5 oz *
  • 89¢ - Chicken of the Sea chunk white tuna, 5 oz *
  • 89¢ - Puffs tissue, 56-100 ct *
  • 99¢ - Combos or Cracker Jack, 7 oz 
  • 99¢ - Quaker Quakes, 3.03 oz 
  • 99¢ - Lay's Stax, 5.5 or 5.75 oz
  • 99¢ - Palmolive dish liquid, 10 oz *
  • 99¢ - Valentine's candy
  • 99¢ - Valentine's gifts
  • 99¢ - IcyHot No-Mess vapor gel, 2 oz (buy one at $3.99, get $3 RR)
  • $1.00 - Evian water, 1 liter *
  • $1.00 - Powerade, 32 oz *
  • $1.00 - Vitaminwater, 20 oz *
  • $1.00 - Altoids or Ice Breakers, 1.2-1.76 oz *
  • $1.00 - Walgreens bleach, 96 oz 
  • $1.00 - Walgreens spray starch, 20 oz 
  • $1.00 - Valentine's gift bags
Of course, by using coupons and figuring out Register Rewards deals, you can get some of these items and many more for less or even for free!  Check out these great Walgreens deals at Frugal Follies, or these sites:
Link up your great shopping deals at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

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Under a Buck at CVS 1/30/11 - 2/5/11

Got a great CVS deal?  Leave a comment below!

Are you trying to keep your CVS bill low, but don't have time to clip coupons or figure out complex ECB deals this week? 

Here are some of the items that are on sale at or under $1.00 this week, without coupons.  The only thing you'll need is your CVS card. The information below is based on my local (South Florida) ad; please check your local ad to be sure that the deals are available in your area.  ECB = Extra Care Bucks (coupons good for money off on your next trip to CVS).

Click here for the 1/30/11 - 2/5/11 ad scan.
  • 40¢ - Friskies cat food, 5.5 oz
  • 50¢ - Campbell's chicken noodle or tomato soup, 10.75 oz
  • 77¢ - VO5 shampoo or conditioner, 15 oz
  • 88¢ - Select Valentine novelty or heart novelty, 0.8-5 oz
  • 97¢ -Dawn dish liquid, 9.5-10.3 oz
  • 99¢ - Valentine snacks - decorated cookie on a stick, sugar cookie w/ bits or chocolate chip cookies
  • 99¢ - Hershey's Drops or Reese's cup minis king size, 2.1-2.5 oz
  • 99¢ - Valentine novelty candy
  • 99¢ - CVS facial tissues, 80-200 ct
  • $1.00 - Puffs facial tissues, 60-108 ct
  • $1.00 - Select snack or grocery items
Of course, if you do use coupons and figure out ECB deals, you can purchase many other items for under a buck or even for free!  Check out some great CVS deals at Frugal Follies, or these sites:
Link up your great shopping deals at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Frugal Food Thursday: Pepper Steak

Welcome to Frugal Food Thursday!  If you have a great frugal recipe, please link up below! 

Here's another great recipe from my mom.  For those of you who are new to Frugal Follies, you might not have heard about the great project my mom did.  She compiled all of her recipes - those she modified from cookbooks or magazines, learned from her own mother, or created herself - bound them into notebooks, and gave copies to her two daughters and her daughter-in-law.  So now I have a wonderful book of my mom's recipes - and I've been adding to it, too!

So here is her recipe for pepper steak (with a few changes from me).  Yum, the sauce over rice is divine!  I haven't made this too often as I haven't had much beef in the house, but when I buy some (on sale, of course!) this is one of my favorite recipes to make.

PEPPER STEAK

1 pound skirt steak, cut into thin strips
1/3 cup canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
1 green pepper, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 4-oz can mushrooms, drained
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup water

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Brown steak strips in oil.  Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until softened; do not let garlic burn.  Add soy sauce, pepper, and 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low.  Cook, covered,  for 30-45 minutes until the meat is soft.  Add vegetables and cook 10 minutes longer. 

In a lidded bowl, combine cornstarch and water.  Put the lid on the bowl and shake until the cornstarch is combined well wth the water.  Remove the lid and pour the cornstarch-water mixture into the skillet.  Stir well.  Cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve over brown rice.


There are lots more cheap recipes posted here at Frugal FolliesClick here for the list!

Got a great frugal recipe?  Link below to your actual post, not your main page.  Please only link up recipes - contest entries and other posts are not allowed and will be deleted. I'd appreciate it if you would link back to Frugal Food Thursday as well!



For more great recipes, please check out the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Food Linkups. There are lots of great recipes on each blog and I'm sure you'll find some new favorites!

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Wednesday Weekly Shopping: A tale of two trips

I invite you to link up to your best grocery deals below, to inspire others to save more!

So this week I took two trips to ALDI, as well as three eensy teensy little trips to CVS (two trips) and Winn-Dixie (one).  There were great deals on Crest rinse and laundry detergent at CVS, and I just had to get them, Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge be damned!  (Also, I had Extra Care Bucks that were expiring.)

The two trips to ALDI were quite different from each other.  On the first trip, I couldn't find any green peppers, which is a mainstay of the dishes I cook.  They were charging a lot for the colored ones, so I just didn't buy.  Also, the fruit selection was limited - I was hoping to find grapes there, but there were none.  (Hence, the quick trip to Winn-Dixie.)

This seems to be another problem with shopping solely at ALDI - they don't have as good selection of vegetables.  I knew this going in, since they only have 1/2 aisle dedicated to produce.  But I guess you don't realize how limiting it is until you try to buy everything there.

Also, on the first trip, I found what I thought was a great bargain - 99¢ for a quart of cottage cheese.  I bought two, and was looking forward to buying more in future trips.

Things were different on the second trip - the green peppers were there, but the cottage cheese was back to normal price - $1.99.

So, my two trips led me to the following conclusion: You can't completely depend on ALDI for selection or price, even in the same shopping week.   So be grateful for the low prices on the items you can get, but have a backup plan in case things aren't available.

I'll be glad next week, when the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge is over - I'll only be buying the sale-priced produce at ALDI, and pick up produce at other grocery stores.

Overall, this week I spent $56.07 for items which retail for $77.21, or a 27% savings.  (But don't compare percentages!)  Of course, if I compared the ALDI prices to supermarket full prices, it would show a lot more savings.  And my savings percentage will definitely be higher next week!

For the year (4 weeks), I've spent $148.73 for items which retail for $186.14, or a 20% savings.  That's an average of $37.18 spent each week. 

See all my shopping here.

How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. The aim is not to brag, but to inspire!  Please link up directly to your post, not to the blog itself. I'd appreciate it if you put a link to Wednesday Weekly Shopping in your post as well. If you don't have a blog, please leave a comment!



For more great shopping deals and trips, please check out the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Shopping Deals Linkups. There are lots of great ideas on each blog and I'm sure you'll find inspiration for you to save even more!

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Shopping details 1/26/11

Here's what I got this week for $56.07:


Product Quantity Shelf Price Total - Coupon - Savings TOTAL Details
CVS






Crest rinse 1 $5.49 $5.49
$1.50 $3.99 $3.99 ECB
Xtra laundry detergent 2 $2.99 $5.98 $2.00 $3.00 $0.98
tax

$0.30

$0.30
$4 ECB


$4.00
-$4.00
Crest rinse 1 $5.49 $5.49
$1.50 $3.99 $3.99 ECB
tax

$0.24

$0.24
$3.99 ECB


$3.99
-$3.99








Winn-Dixie






bananas 2.51 $0.79 $1.98

$1.98
green grapes 2.06 $3.99 $8.22
$5.15 $3.07








ALDI






all-purpose flour 1 $1.48 $1.48

$1.48
whole wheat bread 2 $1.19 $2.38

$2.38
sandwich bags 1 $1.89 $1.89

$1.89
flour tortillas 1 $0.99 $0.99

$0.99
romaine hearts 1 $1.99 $1.99

$1.99
celery 1 $1.29 $1.29

$1.29
apples, 3 lb 2 $1.79 $3.58

$3.58
avocados 8 $0.99 $7.92

$7.92
bananas 1 $1.57 $1.57

$1.57
cottage cheese 2 $0.99 $1.98

$1.98
cucumbers 5 $0.55 $2.75

$2.75
eggs 4 $0.99 $3.96

$3.96
American cheese slices 1 $1.79 $1.79

$1.79
milk 2 $1.99 $3.98

$3.98
cottage cheese 2 $1.99 $3.98

$3.98 price increase
salmon fillets 1 $3.99 $3.99

$3.99
apple juice 2 $1.19 $2.38

$2.38
crisp rice cereal 1 $1.49 $1.49

$1.49
tax

$0.12

$0.12








Total Out-of-Pocket

$77.21 $9.99 $11.15 $56.07


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