It's not like somebody else can run a marathon for you. It's all you out there. Finishing means you can say, "There's not a lot I can't do."

Kenneth Feld, Owner, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus


Say prayers to the big man for us. Little J and I head off to Chicago tomorrow for the Rock N Roll half on Sunday. Which is also our run for autism.

Good reads

I read a lot both books, audio books (not technically reading but sort of right?), and blogs.  Sometimes you can learn really cool ideas or tricks you didn't already know or think of. Here's what I think is cool this week:


Regrowing celery that you get at the grocery store. Interesting, I never knew. I might have to try this.

Making cardboard castles. This might be super fun and therapeutic for me to do at work.

Christmas in July?!?!? I guess it's a good time to start thinking. 

Summer Squash Bread Sounds yummy and a good way to use up the lotsa squash we've got.


I am also reading "It's not about the bike."

It's a biography about Lance Armstrong. It's really good and with no disrespect I have absolutely no interest in biking.

What's cookin this week?

I am really slacking on my blogging this week. I am a bum. I don’t even have a picture to post. I think it’s because I am going to CHICAGO to run for autism this weekend. =) Oh, my. Anyway this is what we are eatin' this week.

Sunday: Hibachi with the families for birthday celebrations! Both Mr. C and Mama C.

Monday: BBBBQ pizza (boca/bacon barbeque pizza) with corn on the cob.

Tuesday: summer veggie pasta  

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday Chicago bound (Mr. c will be eating chili he makes himself and whatever else he can find himself. I fear it’s a whole weekend of Pasta Roni ahead.)

Friday Chicago

Saturday Chicago

Pick me up Wednesday

Yup, we're in a guillotine. But don't worry we didn't lose our heads. This was taken in Bermuda, the last vacation we went on with the Bailey family and where we got engaged. =) Isn't it funny? Of course I'm happy and Mr. C is looking at me crazy. Yup, that's most of our life. Happy Pick Me Up Wednesday!

Pick Me Up Wednesday

Isn't it pretty? This is where Mr. C and I got married. Happy Pick Me Up Wednesday!

Happy Birthday Mr. C

(Blogger and I are not friends today. Now lets try this again.)

Happy birthday Mr. C!

Yes, it's my wonderful, loving, enduring husband's birthday.

Look he got into this silly birds nest because I think it's funny. He's so wonderful to me. I am truly blessed that God created him. =)

Today we are both not going to work so we can spend the day hanging out with each other. I am making waffles for breakfast and sushi for dinner. We are going to see the Sorcerer's Apprentice at his request.

=)bridget

In the box this week

Oops, I forgot to add the pic of the veggies to the menu. Don't they look yummy?

Mega Krogering Again

Once again Kroger is doing the buy 10 items get $5 off. I looked at the sneak peak for the publix ad on Iheartpublix and nothing is too exciting at Publix. I will be Krogering this week. Here's what are good deals with printable coupons. The prices here are after the extra $5 off but before the coupon. FYI when the ring up they will ring up regular price and then at the end you will get the $5 off. Also, you can do more that 1 Mega deal as long as it rounds out to 10 for each.

Kroger Mega Event:

Kraft Miracle Whip or Mayo 22-30 oz $1.69 ea = Mega 1
-$1 off Miracle Whip printable ($.69 after coupon)


Idahoan Potatoes 49¢ =Mega 4 (buy 3 to use the coupon)
-.75/3 Idahoan product printable (makes it $.25 ea)

Red Gold Tomatoes 14.5 oz., 46¢ = Mega 7
-.75/3 Red Gold Tomatoes printable (makes it 21¢ ea)


Nabisco 100 Calorie Snacks $1.99 = Mega 9
-$1/2 Nabisco Multi-Pack Products printable

Oscar Mayer Deli Creations $1.99 = Mega 10
-$1 off Oscar Mayer Deli Creations printable (makes it 99¢)


Spaghetti O’s 14.75-15 oz 49¢ ea = Mega 12
-.50/2 Spaghetti O’s printable (makes both FREE)


Philadelphia Cream Cheese 5-8 oz 99¢ ea = Mega 17
Buy 5 + Kraft Cheese & Dairy items get $5 off your next order Catalina*
(makes 5 FREE)

 Breyers or Private Selection Ice Cream 48 oz., or Novelties $1.97 ea = Mega 18
-$1 off Breyers Smooth & Dreamy bars or sandwiches, printable

Tombstone Pizza 16-29.5 oz $2.49 ea = Mega 19
-$2 off Tombstone Pizza printable (facebook coupon, play game) (makes it 49¢)




Dannon Yogurt 4-6 pk $1.79 ea = Mega 21
Buy 2 Dan-o-nino, get $1; Buy 3, Get $1.50; Buy 4+, get $2 off your next order Catalina*
-$1 off Dan-o-nino printable
-Print 2 coupons and after the catalina it's $.29 each


Lysol Cleaners $1.99 = Mega 22
-.50/1 Lysol All Purpose Cleaner Pourable printable
-.50/1 Lysol All Purpose Cleaner Trigger printable
-.50/1 Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner printable
-.50/1 Lysol Bathroom Cleaner printable
-.50/1 Lysol Disinfectant Spray To Go printable
-.50/1 Lysol Disinfectant Spray printable
-.50/1 Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaners printable


Boulder Canyon Chips 5 oz 99¢ ea = Mega 24
-$1/2 Boulder Canyon Chips , 5 oz + printable


Q-Tips 375 ct., $1.50 = Mega 25
-.60/1 Q-tips Cotton Swab, 285 ct + printable


Dove or Degree Deodorant 2.6-3 oz $1.50 ea = Mega 26
-$1 off Degree Women’s product printable (makes it 50¢)

Soft Soap Body Wash $1.89 = Mega 27
-.75/1 Softsoap Nurti-Serums Body Wash printable


Midol 20-24 ct., $4.99 = Mega 28
-$1 off Midol 20 ct. + printable
-$2 off Midol Product, 20ct+ printable


Palmolive Dish Soap, 20 oz., $1.49 = Mega 29
-.35/1 off Palmolive Ultra Dish Liquid printable



Advil Pain Reliever 20-24 ct or Motrin PM Pain Reliever 20 ct $2.50 ea = Mega 30
-$2 off Advil PM Product printable (makes it 50¢)


Also if you don't want any of these items you can mix and match. You can also do multiple Lysol cleaning products or 2 litres of Pepsi products are still on sale to substitute if you would like.


- Don't forget about the cheap school supplies to pick up for donations.

* A catalina is a coupon that prints out at and can be used off any purchase the next time you come in. 

Thanks to Southern Savers for all of the coupon match ups and to see the full ad. Check here. 

What cookins' this week?

Sad, sad news last week you know I had a HUGE grillin' week planned. Well, last Sunday I decided to take the initiative and clean the grill since I hadn't in about a bazillion years.

Well, Since it had been a bazillion years it fell apart.

That was the end of grillin' week. =(

And all cooking went out the window at that time. I'm embarassed to even tell you what I fed Mr. C but it includes ramen noodles, tombstone pizza, and cereal for dinner. So, needless to say nothing to blog home about.

The only bright-ish spot is that I crockpotted Baba Ganoush it was amazing! Although I also attempted to make falafel and it was a total failure, which doesn't make much sense b/c I've made it before successfully. But anyway back on the saddle again this week.

Side note, I had a really hard time getting into the routine of doing a weekly menu and matching it up to what's available initially. But let me tell you last week I was lost. Hence why Mr. C ate junk food all week. It makes dinner so much easier.

What's in the box? squash, eggplant, corn, blueberries, peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes. Further my coworker gave me a HUGE bag of squash from her garden. So, this is squash week.

I already used the eggplant for baba ganoush. It's so tasty and I put the calories into Livestrong (my calorie counting website) and it's less that 100 calories for a serving. A serving is a super generous portion. I was happy.

Sunday: Oven Garlic Chicken/Tofu with saute squash and cheesecake. Oven Garlic Chicken is one of Mr. C's family recipes. He told me on Sunday is his favorite and he would really like for me to make it for his birthday. I had never heard of it before, further he never request foods so I jumped on it. It was tasty even though I'm pretty sure I messed it up. The cheesecake is for Mr. C's birthday but I couldn't handle it and sushi on the same day.

Monday: I am making Squash Parmesan. You know like eggplant Parmesan but with squash. I'll let you know the verdict.

Tuesday: Happy birthday Mr. C! To celebrate I am making sushi. This is an all day event and I'm not really even that good at it but Mr. C LOVES it and told me it's the only thing he wants for his birthday.

Wednesday: Scrounge

Thursday: Scrounge part 2 (I think we'll have plenty of leftovers.) Also, Happy birthday Mama
C!

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Heading to Nashville to celebrate birthdays.

=) Bridget

Back to School

Don't you just love back to school season? I know I do. All of the kiddos come in and pretend that they are so sad summer's coming to an end but love the idea of new teachers, friends, and even some a new school. Don't you remember the beginning of your Freshman year? Scared and intimidated about "seniors." Good times. You know what one of the things I loved? School supply shopping and new clothes. Wearing a new outfit on the first day of school but also trying to look "cool" by not making it look like a whole new outfit. Or going school supply shopping and begging for Lisa Frank. I remember Little J and I used to fight about Lisa Frank. Man, that stationary was so cool.

You say "Yeah, Bridget, that's fun and all but what's your point to all of this?"

Well, my point is even though I have the great memories of consumerism before the school year many kids do not get that excitement of purchasing new school supplies. With budget cuts we are no longer talking about a new binder and a couple of pencils. Now the list are 50+ items long. The list of required purchasing now is INSANE. That stuff can add up quickly. Lots of families struggle just to make ends meat much less buy $100+ in school supplies. It's totally ridiculous. And these families could use your help. If you look around many stores have amazing deals right now just to get you in the door. If you are smart about it you can easily pick up some stuff right for little to no money. Lots of places have deals so when you are shopping this week pick some up. Here some of the best deals.

Last week Kyle and I did a deal (that is still good) that if we purchased certain items we would get a 100% rebate back from Office Max HERE. So, we were able to get 125 folders and 2 packs of notebook paper to donate for free plus free shipping! (You first have to register for a Max Perks Card and wait about a month to get the rebate. We do this and then buy printer ink since we go through it so quickly.)

Southern Savers has a deal from Office Depot where you make money this week and still donate lots you can check it out here. After coupons and rebates you actually get $6 FREE!

My Kroger ad has Crayola Crayons $.25, Oxford folders $.15, and Papermate pens for 3 for $1

Publix right now has:

Crayola Crayons, 24 ct., 24¢ 
Dixon No. 2 Wood Pencils, 10 ct., 34¢ 
Top Flight Standards Subject Notebook, 1 ct., 34¢ 
Paper Mate Flexgrip Elite Ball Point Pen, 2 ct., 50¢ 
Paper Mate Write Bros. Ball Point Pen, 10 ct., 50¢
Elmer’s Glue Stick, 3 ct., 67¢
Pilot Pens 50% off
-$1 off Pilot Pens printable (makes it FREE)

Also, you may ask "But Bridget what do I now do with my fabulous finds?" Well, I know we are gladly accepting donations to distribute at my work. So, probably also your local mental health center is as well. Additionally, our church is having a drive and I even saw at the Publix I shop at this weekend a donation bin. Really, I'm betting most anyone who works with kids would love to help out.

Fresh & Easy Spaghetti Sauce

Tomatoes are in season here in AL. I love when tomatoes are in season. We have been getting them for a while now. Finally, I have managed to resist eating them to save up and make crockpot spaghetti sauce. I love homemade spaghetti sauce. I think you can definitely taste the difference. I'm not sure how I came about this recipe. I think was over reading lots of other recipes and trial and error (there was quite a bit of error in the beginning). This is simple and easy but definitely tasty.

What you need:

7 large tomatoes
3 heaping TBSP of honey
1 can of tomato paste
Oregano to taste (Not sure exactly how much I had it from my garden but my guesstimate is about 2 TBSP)
Basil to taste
1 onion
4 TBSP of minced garlic
1/2 c of water
3 TBSP of salt

Put tomatoes first and then all other ingredients in the crockpot. Try to put the others over the tomatoes. With tomatoes don't worry about cutting or dicing. just wash and cut off tops. Let cook for 6-8 hours on low (this is very forgiving if it overcooks it's no big deal). When you get home very carefully scoop into blender or food processor and blend. I used my immersion blender. It worked very well. Except for the part that I had it on the highest setting and sauce went EVERYWHERE, oops. Enjoy. Also, this easily can be frozen and eaten for later and it still taste good. Lots of people will freeze it in ziploc bags and throw them away when they are done. I freeze it in plastic containers so I can still reuse it again when I'm done. Just defrost the night before you are ready to use it.

****Update it's crockpot week at Ultimate recipe swap. So, I am adding this recipe. If you love your crockpot like I do. Check out others HERE

Pick Me Up Wednesday

The idea of hula lamps being fine art just makes me laugh! Happy pick me up Wednesday. =)

I'm going Mega Krogering

Publix's sale is puny this week. So, I'm going Krogering. Here's what's on sale with printable coupons that will definitely be worth making a trip. I think they have a really good sale this week. It's called the mega event. The mega event you buy 10 items on the approved list and get $5 off. It's kinda complicated but it can be figured out. I don't actually know what happens if you only get 9 I've never been brave enough to try it. Here's my idea of printable good deals.

Mega Event:


Welch’s 100% Grape Juice 25.4-64 oz, or Sparkling Juice $2.49 ea = Mega 1
-$1 off Welch’s Juice, 64 or 96 oz printable (makes it $1.49)


Lean Cuisine or Stouffer’s Entree 5-21 oz $1.69 ea = buy 2= Mega 3
-$1/2 Lean Cuisine Entree printable (makes it $1.19)


Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables 12 oz $1.49 ea = Mega 4
-.50/1 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers printable (makes it 49¢)

Boulder Canyon Chips 5 oz 99¢ ea = Mega 5
-$1 off Boulder Canyon Chips, 5 oz + printable (makes it FREE)


Aquafresh Premium Toothpaste $2 ea = Mega 6
-$1 off Aquafresh Extreme Clean product printable (makes it $1)

Dove or Degree Deodorant 2.6-3 oz $1.50 ea= Mega 7
-$1 off Degree Women’s product printable (makes it 50¢)

Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Lunchmeat 7-9 oz. $2.49 ea= Mega 8
-$1 off Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh meat printable (makes it $1.49)

International Delight Coffee Creamer $1.99 ea= Mega 9
-.55/1 International Delight Creamer printable (makes it $1.44)

L’Oreal Vive or Studio Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler 1.7-13 oz $2 ea= Mega 10
-$1 off L’Oreal Studio Line or Vive Pro Glossy Style Styling Product, printable
(makes it $1)


*If you don't like any of these pepsi 2 litres are also on sale so you can substitute those as much as you want to make it to 10.


Other good deals that are not on the mega event:


Silverbrite Salmon Fillets $3.99 lb
Milk gallon $1.98
Tyson Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, $1.99 ea   
Peaches 88¢ lb
Strawberries 16 oz., $1.68 lb
Zucchini or Yellow Squash 99¢ lb
Kroger Value Russet Potatoes 10 lb bag,$2.47 ea

To see the full list of coupons and deals go to Southern Savers. This is where I get the match ups. Thanks to southern savers for doing all the heavy lifting.

What's grillin' this week?

It is SO hot here. I actually have no idea of how hot it is as I never keep up with the weather but it feels like 100 degrees and it doesn't help that all the kids want to go outside to play while I'm bundled up for the artic inside my office. I don't know maybe I getting old because in the past I never really was bothered with the temperature and would cook elaborate meals despite the 100 degree heat but now I cannot stand the thought of cooking and I love cooking but it's just too hot. So, you may notice but this week my theme is "avoid turning the oven on" (except of course Monday which is my cooking extravaganza.) It's my personal mission to use the grill, crock pot, or microwave all week long. And that's just what I'm going to do.

What's in the box this week? Peaches, blueberries, blackberries, October beans, tomatoes, eggplants, squash, onion, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, potatoes

Sunday: Hot dogs with mac 'n cheese and grilled tequila peaches.
Monday: Green tomato pie (I never made it last week) with green beans. This is my one exception to using the oven.
Tuesday- Scrounge. I am going to yoritas (yoga + margaritas) at one of my work friend's house. I'm sure neither of us will starve.
Wednesday: october beans (in the crockpot) and cornbread (in the bread maker)
Thursday: Grown up Grilled Cheese (eggplant and shrimp, feta, spinach, tomatoes, homemade bread, grilled onions) with fruit salad
Friday: squash quesadillas
Saturday- Grilled pizza, maybe. I have put it on the list many times but never made it. Well, since it's grill week I've got to include it. But, Mr. C is going to poker with the men from his work. I might go too depending on my mood. If I don't go I get bored without him here. If I go I get antzy and get to a point where I just give up. There's really no pleasing me.

I'm linking this post up to Ultimate Recipe Swap BBQ edition!

Lotsa Cookin'

I am in the middle of a super long weekend. Because I work 4 days a week I got Friday off to celebrate the 4th of July. I celebrated by cleaning the house, my mom will be proud, I'm not the best cleaner in the world but anyway. As part of my super long week I will be doing a semi big cooking day on Monday. I've blogged before about how I really like to take a day a month and do a LOT of cooking. I do this so that I can have some quick foods here that I can grab at. Normally I cook a whole chicken and shred it up but we still have plenty from 2 weeks ago. Ditto on beans. I normally cook dried beans in the crockpot and freeze them for the month but right now we are a ok. I also normally make breakfast items for the month. I will be doing this. I have some mango and kiwi in the fridge that i'll be flash freezing and making smoothies. We have some fresh blueberries so, I'm thinking of making breakfast cookies. I'll also be making home made pizza sauce. Trying my hand at hamburger and hot dog buns and sandwich bread again. I have really been craving granola bars so I might try some from Heavenly Homemakers that i saw. I'll make ice cream like i do every week. Also, we have a good supply of potatoes. I'll make fries and freeze them for later. I would like to make more spaghetti sauce if i can get a hold of some inexpensive tomatoes. Finally, I'll flash freeze some veggies.

Coffee Creamer Ice Cream

I've had a revelation! Just now and it's amazing. I've been wondering if this is possible for a while now. It made sense to me. I looked all over the internet to trying to find a recipe but with no luck. I was unsure about it but decided to try anyway. Basically, I took a whole bottle of Bailey's Coffee Creamer and dumped it in my ice cream bowl for the kitchenaid mixer. I set it to churn for 25 min and tadaa! See it's that easy. I'm sure if you want to get fancy you can add other ingredients but you don't have to. See, it's the easiest homemade ice cream ever!

Growin' on up

Look at my watermelon. How it's grown! I'm happy to report that my oregano, mint, and basil are doing well, too. My tomato (that's one tomato off of 4 vines) is hanging in there but pathetically. My pumpkin vines are surviving but not doing much growing. I guess I need to fertilize them. I was trying to avoid using chemicals but i guess I'll have to break down. My watermelons are growing with just water, sun, and love.

Pick Me Up Wednesday

 

I promise not to only put animal pics on pick me up Wednesday but I just couldn't resist! Last year Mr. C and I went to Birmingham for one of his friend's wedding. Since I have an obsession with zoos we went to the zoo down there. Here is a mama and baby beaver that we saw and look they are "kissing." So cute!

Eating Locally

I have 2 best friends from high school. I love these ladies like they are my sisters. Heck, we've known each other so long I feel like we practically are. Well, one of my BFFs is a blogger too! She's just not a food and running blogger, she's an environmentalist. She's a scientist and likes to really analyze everything out there. Well, recently she wrote a review about local food. Now, I'm not entirely on the same page. I am a big fan of local food but she poses some interesting points. Check it out HERE and let me know what you think!

Saving $$$ 7/7/10

Here's what is on sale starting tomorrow (Wednesday) at Publix that has printable coupons and I'll be buying!

Nature's Own Bread, 100% Whole Wheat, 20 oz loaf, BOGO $2.85=$.67 after cpn
-$.75/1 Nature's Own (zip 23322)

Glass Plus Glass & Multi-Surface Cleaner, 32 oz bot, BOGO $2.49= $.25 after cpn
-$1/1 Glass Plus Cleaner ($.25 after coupon)

Cascadian Farm Frozen Vegetables or Potatoes 7.4 to 16 oz pkg, 2/$4= $1 after cpn
-$1/1 Cascadian Farms Product

Athenos Crumbled Feta Cheese, Traditional , Garlic & Herb, or Basil & Tomato, 6 oz cup, BOGO $4.59= $2.30

*no coupon but I NEVER see Feta on sale. 

Propel Water Beverage Mix, or Powder Packets, or Gatorade Thirst Quencher or G2 Gatorade Powder Packs, 8 or 10 ct box, BOGO $2.99= Free after cpns. You can use both coupons on one item b/c the target one is a store coupon and the other is manufacturer (publix takes target as a competitor)
-$2/1 G Series Pro Gatorade Product
-$1/1 Gatorade G2 8pk/20oz TARGET coupon

Free Canned Veggies!

Libby's is giving away free canned veggies. Just go here and print. You can print two of them. And to make it even better I think Libby's has an organic line. YAY!

Thanks to Amanda at A Few Short Cuts for this deal!

Saving $$ 7/4/10

Here's my first post. I think's it's simple to follow. I'm only planning on running to Publix this week. This is what I'm getting that you can get VERY easily too! These deals end on 7/5/10 and Publix starts it's new ad on 7/6/10.

Publix:

Kraft Sandwich Shop Mayo, BOGO $1.99= $1
-$1/1 Kraft Sandwich Shop Mayo Yellow Adv Buy Flyer (at the front of the store. It's yellow. Pick it up tear out this coupon and you have free Mayo)=Free

French’s Classic Yellow Mustard, 14 oz., at $1.79 (89¢)
-.50/1 French’s Mustard printable =Free

Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt, 4 pk., at $2.50 ($1.25)

-$1 off Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt Multipacks printable (makes it 25¢)

MorningStar Farms Entrees, 5.25-12 oz., at $3.99 ($1.99)

-$1 off Morningstar Product, any printable (makes it 99¢)

Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Light Ice Cream Bars, 15-21 oz., at $4.29 ($2.14)

-$1 off Breyers Smooth & Dreamy bars, (register) printable (makes it $1.14)

Bic Surestart Utility Lighter, at $3.49 ($1.74)

-$1 off Bic Multi-Purpose Lighter, SS 5/23, 6/06 or printable (makes it 74¢)
Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil, 12 in., 35-75 sq. ft., at $4.35 ($2.17)

-$1.25 off Reynolds Wrap Wrap Non-Stick Foil printable (makes it 92¢)

Washington State Sweet Cherries, $2.49 lb.

Sara Lee Desserts 7-30 oz., 50% off

-$1 off Sara Lee Desserts printable

I got my match ups from Iheartpublix and Southern Savers. Thanks to these ladies. They really did all the work.
BOGO-buy one get one free, you don't have to buy 2, if you buy one it's half the price. that's the final number there.
*Blue color after coupon is what you pay after sale and coupon price.

Saving A Little Money

So, my mom asked a while back why I don't blog about coupons. It's totally the hip thing to do these days. I feel like it's a new industry for women that has really exploded. I also feel that there is no need to do it because honestly there are lots of really good blogs already out there. But as I reflect on it I wonder if my family and friends really have time to deal with all of that. I have some busy and powerful women in my life I'm not sure they have time to do all of the clipping, hunting, and matching up that it requires to live on a $30 a week (or less) grocery budget like Mr. C and I do. But even if you don't really want to got to the extreme that we do you can always still save a little money. Really who doesn't want to save money? It's a lot easier than it used to be. Now it's SO simple. I heard that Publix recently reported a 150% upswing people who use coupons in the last year. I think the key to this is printable coupons. Printable coupons are coupons you find on websites that you can print out and use them just like coupons from the paper. There is no getting the paper, clipping, and organizing involved. You just print and take to the store. This is easy couponing. I was thinking "Well, I already make my grocery list and it has the match ups attached so I can just post it and if you want to use it it's easy peasy." So, I usually shop between Kroger, Publix, Target, and Earth Fare. Earth Fare is a regional chain and that no one who reads my blog has an Earth Fare. I won't bother listing that list. Now, I don't grocery shop every week, especially in the summer when we have the CSA. We get so much fresh produce that we don't always need to go. Also, with my bread maker I make all of our baked goods so I rarely buy those but I'll post great deals I see. I also don't go to all four of those grocery stores every week. I usually shop at Publix. 1. It's the closest thing to us and on my way home. 2. They have amazing deals usually. There's a Kroger by the library so I go there every couple weeks. Target I shop at sporadically. The problem with Target is I rarely go there and only get what's on my list. I end up coming home telling Mr. C I accidentally spent $150 because of all the "deals" I found and totally mess our budget up for the month. Which really sucks if it's like the 2nd of the month and I've been know to do this before. Anyway, I think I've got onto a tangent. So, I will start showing you the easiest way to save money at the grocery. You wont save the most money but you will save some. It's a start.

Oh, and I don't buy everything that's on sale. So, I won't post every deal available. If you are really wanting to look at more serious coupoing I suggest I Heart Publix, Southern Savers, and Organic Deals and Coupons.

What's cookin' this week?

We have tomatoes galore! Look at all of those. I even have quite a few left over from last week. I think this calls for homemade spaghetti sauce. YUM. And potatoes. We haven't had potatoes in a long time around here. I was initially disappointed by our box this week (it wasn't all the way full) but now as I gaze upon all my favorite veggies. I know exactly how to cook all of these.

Sunday: Happy Birthday USA! I'm not cooking any major cooking. We'll be in Nashvegas. I will be making 2 dishes for the places we are going. I don't yet know what I may be taking. I'm waiting on inspiration to come upon me. Any Ideas?

Monday: Stuffed peppers (using peppers, onions, and corn). I never made them last week. I've been a cooking bum but we did finally purchase a new fridge. =) (Actually, "purchase" is a very loose term as my wonderful inlaws gave us the money for it because they are wonderful and supportive like that. Thanks guys!) No more water leaking all over the kitchen floor. YAY.

Tuesday: scrounge

Wednesday: Crockpot spaghetti sauce.

Thursday: scrounge

Friday: Green tomato pie. (I have no recipe I'm just going to make it up. I'll post if it's a winner.)

Saturday: Grilled pizza. I've seen many forms of grilled pizza wandering around the blogsphere. Well, I'm jumping off the cliff too. I'm going to try it but I admit I have my doubts. I'll report back.