Adventures in Garage Sales

In an effort to raise some extra cash for our Vegas trip, we are going to be having a 2 day yard sale at my mother in laws, she lives on a very busy street, our plan is to just split the profits (at least I think thats the plan.) my plan is to use some of that cash for what I like to call "Vegas beer money" the rest we will just save for the trip. So I will let you know how it goes! keep your fingers crossed!

Happy Birthday....

To me!!! Thats right today is my birthday, I am not a fan of it, however I am a fan of the gifts!

Grumpy got me these which I LOVE! I have been wanting to get these for a while and now they are all mine**insert creepy laugh here** My Grama in CA also sent me 50.00 for a new crock pot, which I have been wanting FOREVER!! We are going tonight to get it. So I will post a picture when that happens...Snow White also sent me a card which was a great surprise!

OHHH editing to add this My wonderful Mother in Law herad me say "I am not cooking dinner" (of course I was joking) so when she came to pick up Jackie she brought us this for dinner! WOO HOO!!

grocery shopping

This past weekend was Pioneer Day and for those of you that don't know what that is, dont feel bad I don't either, its a UT thing all I know is we get the day off, but can run errands because the banks are closed, but the mail still comes....

We had a BBQ to celebrate this day and did some mega promo shopping I dont have any receipts because you know that would mean that I was organized and despite what the woman behind me in line at Smiths says, I am not organized... so our grocery budget for the rest of the month (well until the 15th) is 150.00 I dont think I am going to go shopping for this week, we have a ton of stuff here that I can throw together. We will probably go this Saturday (1st) and then we are going to get Snow White on the 7th so maybe we will go shopping again on the 10th. I am sure that 150.00 will be more then enough, thats 75.00 per week. And there are not any really good sales going on at Smiths or Albertsons this week, just the PG promo but all I need from there is Shampoo. I think I need to get some sort of HBA budget going on I will have to look into that.

Snow Whites Room

We have spent all summer getting Snow Whites room put together, now here we are 16 days before she comes home and we are finally finished! here are the before and after pictures...

before... We picked colors that were based off of those curtains and her IKEA bedding...

After... we moved her dresser onto the same wall as the tv....


This is her closet door before

and after we are going to put that mirror up on the wall and then I am going to get some more of those sticker that are above the window and put them around it...
Her old bed and dresser in the old spot

Her new bed with the dresser on the opposite wall, the stickers above the window I picked up at the dollar tree, they match perfect they say "if you can dream it.... you can do it" perfect for a little ladies room

I don't have the before but this is her door, I have the Twilight movie poster that will go here.

So that's it, she has been wanting a loft bed forever and my SIL was over hers so the traded. we cant wait until she gets here and can enjoy it!

Next on the list, the pink ugly bathroom!

more shopping??

Why is this turning into a shopping blog? I know that's not all we do.... is it? I have some before and after shots of Snow Whites room, now that it is finished, so maybe I will get those up soon. In the mean time here is another shopping trip;

Rancho Market
cabbage 1.23
1.69 # Fuji apples .56
1.82 # tomato .90
4 bunches spinach .99
1.50 # broccoli .74
8 cucumbers .99
2 orange marmalade preserves 1.98
2 apricot preserves 1.98
total 9.37
balance 254.09

and more shopping

Walmart

4 pints Starbucks ice cream 10.00

lactaid milk 3.38

4 bell peppers

-8.00 coupons

total 7.38

balance 263.46

some 'non' food highlights from todays shopping

*2-24oz Dawn pure essentials 2.25(4.50)-1.50 coupon(3.00) .75 each

*dog food 25.00 -5.00 coupon 20.00 (not a great deal but thats all we feed the boys)

*12 (5packs) mechanical pencils 2.44, (2 transactions)this is the first back to school sale I have been impressed with, last year we did a ton of shopping and we still have alot left if the penny sales start to pick up we will get more stuff other wise I dont think that we will be getting too much.

So Much Shopping

I dont know why but we have done so much shopping in the last few days heres what we bought...

Balance 372.00

Rancho Market
10.07 # Tunas (its a Mexican fruit) 3.33
2.09 # lime 2.07
2 # ham lunch meat 3.17
2# chicken fajita mix (meat seasoning and veggies) 4.88
1.04 # Roma tomato .34

total 13.79

Smiths Trans #1
3 Kleenex 4.47
4 Kraft cheese 5.96
2 3 packs gum 2.00
6 Cherry 7up 7.14
3 microwave pizza 2.97
2 keebler cookie 3.98
total 26.52
-10.00 Mega promo
-6.05 coupons
Total 12.90
Grocery total 10.50

Smiths Trans #2
5 3 liter water 4.95
3 Kleenex 4.74
4 Kraft cheese 5.96
4 ob tampons 12.00
2 Rolaids 3.00
milk 1.50
6 2 liters coke 7.14
4 microwave pizza 3.96
2 Keebler cookies 3.98
total 47.23
- 15.00 Mega promo
-12.05 coupons
Grocery total 10.94

Albertsons
10 # flour 3.89
3 can tomato 3.00
4 can small olives 4.00
3 can re fried beans 3.00
2 cans black beans 2.00
4 bags frozen stir fry veggies 4.00
4 frozen pretzels 4.00
2 el Monterrey taquitos 4.00
3 packs chicken breast 14.93
sirloin steaks (our dinner tonight SO GOOD, SO WORTH IT) 7.02
bunch broccoli 1.77
onion 1.76
bag salad 2.00
-4.00 coupons
total 51.37

Albertsons #2
8 nesquick 10.00
-4.00 coupons
-3.00 doubler's
-2.00 nesquick promo
total 1.15
(Grumpy paid so 0.00 out of grocery budget)

tenochititlan
avocado .99
watermelon 3.44
6# oranges .60
5 dozen eggs 2.99
.89# green beans 1.77
total 9.79

Sara lee bread store
3 loaves bread 3.00
1 hot dog buns
1 hamburger buns
total 5.00

total spent 102.00 (yeah I know thats alot, but we did buy alot of stuff!) Balance until 8/15 270.84

Tonights dinner

This week I have been working with what I have, I didn't make a shopping list last week that involved meal planning so I have been trying alot of new stuff tonight we are having Sausage Zucchini Skillet you are supposed to serve it over rice, but we had rice last night with Easy stroganoff so I made mashed potatoes, and I added frozen corn and since I didn't have any canned tomato (don't know how that happened) I cut up some Romas that I had and added that at the end. It smells delicious!

Grocery Shopping 7/15-8/15

So we are starting out another grocery month with 372.23 (5.23 was left over from last month)so roughly, 93.00 a week which should be pretty easy, we are eating alot of fresh fruits and veggies right now, because they are in season and fairly cheap and I have a ton of meat still in the freezer, I think we might just need to get some pork chops!

Smiths is getting in on the Mega Sale (like Albertsons Epic Sale that just wont end) So I will be doing a ton of transactions there this week, and since we found those 2.00 off 4.00 soda coupons we will be getting coke 2 liters for about .35 a piece! cant wait for that!

We are going to have soda for ever!

I don't really have to much other then that to write about right now, so I am going to take the beast for a walk before it is to hot to move....

Another busy weekend

So our weekend was CRAZY! Its Monday and we are both so tired! heres what happened;
we finished painting Snow Whites room
went to yard sales
took down SIL loft bed for Snow White
delivered Snow Whites old bed to SIL
searched for new screws for the loft bed since the old ones were striped
set up a pool at MIL's
Grumpy played a softball game
I walked 2 dogs
scrubbed the hall floor after gus couldn't make it outside (he was sick)
took Gus to the ER to treat a bacteria infection in his intestines
bbq the best dinner ever!

and of course did some shopping;
balance 32.34

Sunflower market
.52# granola 1.03
5.70# green grapes 4.39
5.91 # rice 2.90
2 eggplant 1.76
1.95 # red grapes 1.50
-.20 bag savings
total 11.38
balance 21.05

Target
12 sweet corn 1.20
2 # strawberries 3.98
- 2.00 strawberry coupon
total 3.18

Smiths
bread 1.00
6-2 liters soda 4.02
plain yogurt 2.00
3 cream of chicken 1.50
water 3.50
total 12.02
-2.00 soda coupon
total 10.02

Rancho Market
2 Cantaloupe
tomatoes

total 2.62
balance till the 15th 5.23

Grocery Shopping...

So for this week I gave us 36.04 (but we have 72.08 till the 15th)and I just went over by a little bit

Walmart
Lactaid Milk (if you know where to get coupons please let me know I already wrote the company.)

Total 3.38
balance 68.70

Albertsons (for the last Epic promo)
6 mac and cheese 6.00
5 Kraft Pasta mix 6.00
5 jet Puffed marshmallow 5.94
3 Ranch dressing 5.97
6 Zesty Italian 11.94
5 Raspberry vinaigrette 9.95
2 coffee mate creamer 6.00
10 Dannon yogurt 3.90
6 Lean pockets 10.00
4 pot pies 2.00
5.52 # bananas 3.53
celery .83
yellow onion .86

total 72.92
- 15.00 epic promo
- 19.66 coupons

Total 36.76

So we have 32.43 left for next week, or to roll into next months groceries. I think I got back into coupons at just the right time, in the summer and right before school starts is when most of the good sales are!

Grocery's

This weekend was filled with unexpected picnics! on Friday we went over to help MIL set up her pool so that led us to Walmart for some lunch for 6;

Maple Honey ham 3.69

hot pepper cheese 2.39

turkey breast 3.67

provolone 2.64

Watermelon 3.50

root beer .78

lettuce 1.00

tomato .60

coke .78

mustard 1.00

cherry coke .78

mustard .88

2 loaves bread 4.36

total 26.07

balance 87.81

then on Saturday we were going to go to a park but when we got there it was over crowded and there was no good food, so we ended up at Smiths to buy the fixens for a bbq if I would have planned ahead the items with stars I already had at home so we could have saved $

4 Kraft Mayo (for stockpile) 4.88 after coupons

3 Snickers 1.50

milk 1.86

*drumsticks 5.41

*hot dogs 1.09

hot dog buns .99

total 15.73

balance 72.08

could have saved 6.50

so that leaves us with 36.04 a week for the next 2 weeks, I will have more $ on the 15th but I am going to stretch our 72.08 till the 18th unless of course there are some good sales that are coming up, then I fully intend to do some stocking up.

food and shopping!

I did a little bit of fresh shopping on Monday and Yesterday, here are some totals;
Reams
Hit Cookies 1.75
1.17 # peaches 1.16
1.20# cherries 2.26
3 packs blackberries 5.00
italian parsley .59
total 10.76
balance 119.10

Target
10 sweet corn 1.00
2 pints blue berries 1.98
2.19# peaches 1.07 since the ones from Reams were nasty!!
2.38# plums 1.17
total 5.22
balance 113.88

Last night I tried another new recipe here is the link it was pretty good, I added bell pepper since I am adding that to everything right now! and topped it with sour cream.