Not an afternoon delight. That's different. I like the marshmallows*.
Anyway.
I've been really, really sick. You don't want me to go into details, but let me just tell you I've only been able to "eat" liquids for the past 3 days and I generally feel like my throat was attached by a pack of irate Rite Aid shoppers who just missed out on free cans of tuna fish. So I haven't been shopping (or doing much but sleeping) but do you know what this means? It means the batch of chicken stock I made last week was a LIFESAVER for me. I drank all of it over the course of 2 days and not only was it tasty, but I'd like to believe it was more nutritious than the other soup options I had in the house.
I decided to venture out into the world again this morning for a test run to see if I could re-enter the land of the living. I hit RA, and apparently I got there just after their most notorious smash & grabber left. I actually saw her, running (yes RUNNING) out of the store with a huge grin on her face, throwing a bag in the car, then heading right back in to do another transaction. When I got up to the register my resident MOLC (mean old lady cashier) confirmed my suspicions and told me that the last customer had just bought a ton of nail polish and lip gloss. Oh well. Funny to actually see it in person, when it's not me getting the deals!
I hit Stop & Shop and did much better. They're having a deal- buy 4 General Mills cereals, get an instant $6 off AND you get a catalina for a free gallon of milk. I had printed a bunch of coupons for different GM cereals off various sites, and was able to get all of the following:
8 boxes of cereal (Cheerios (different flavors), Chex, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
14 Yoplait Greek yogurts (regularly .99, sale .89, I had a total of $2.80 worth of coupons for these)
2 gallons of milk
-----------------------
total before coupons, sales & promotions: $49.76
I paid: $15.57 (and $9.66 of that was yogurt!)
That's .73 a box for the cereal, not even taking into account the 2 gallons of free milk you earn. And ALL of the coupons I used were internet printables, so you don't even need to hoard coupon inserts to get this deal!
*This is a Glee joke. Sorta. Sorry. Told you I'm sick.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
It's a cooking day for sure.
A week or so ago, I saw a great blog post about using 5 chicken breasts to make 5 meals. I'm all for stretching our grocery budget, and this article talks about how to use bone-in chicken breasts to the fullest extent. I had to hit Shaws yesterday, so I decided to take the plunge.
If you know me, you know that I'm bone-a-phobic. I never eat meat on the bone. It's not that I care that it's a dead animal-- it's that I'm too freaked out about chomping down on a piece of cartilage, or a splintered bone that'll poke me in the gums, or- God forbid- a vein. Ugh GROSS. So when I shop I buy boneless chicken breasts, boneless pork chops, and on and on. If I go to a restaurant I ask the server if the dish I want to order is boneless, and if not, I order something else. So this"experiment" is a biggie for me, and not easy!
First, I skinned the chicken and put the removed skin aside. I cut the chicken breasts off the bone and chopped them up into bite-sized pieces. These I split into 3 freezer baggies, labeled, and froze them.
The chicken ribs went into a stock pot with enough water to cover them, and I boiled them for 30 minutes until the remaining meat on the bone was cooked through. I then removed the ribs from the water, cooled them, and used my hands to pick the rest of the meat off the bone. This got me about 1/5 cups of shredded chicken, which I also labeled and froze for future use.
I then heated the oven to 475. I roughly cut up 3 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 onion. I threw all the veggies into a roasting pan along with the chicken ribs, and the skin I'd removed earlier, and 4 big cloves of garlic, and roasted all of it until the veggies were browned and the house smelled delicious.
I had kept the water in the stock pot from boiling the ribs, so I skimmed the gunk off the top of the water, then threw all the roasted goodies (except the garlic and the remaining chicken skin that hadn't cooked down) into the stock pot with the chicken water. I smashed the garlic cloves, then added them too, along with 2 bay leaves, a tablespoon of thyme, and 8 black peppercorns. I added more water, enough to cover everything in the pot plus another 2 or 3 inches.
I boiled all of this, then turned down the temp and got the stock to a good simmer. And that's where we are now. Simmer, simmer, simmer. It's been going for almost 4 hours now, and it looks (and smells!) great, but not tasting "done" yet so I'll leave it be.
Once I feel it's done, I'll strain it all through a fine strainer and put it in a bowl in the fridge so the fat will rise to the top and solidify. Once it's cooled, I'll remove the fat and then freeze the stock in small containers for future use. Awesome!
I don't think I could have gotten this much use out of boneless chicken breasts, and just looking at that simmering pot of stock makes me feel like some sort of kitchen wizard.
If you know me, you know that I'm bone-a-phobic. I never eat meat on the bone. It's not that I care that it's a dead animal-- it's that I'm too freaked out about chomping down on a piece of cartilage, or a splintered bone that'll poke me in the gums, or- God forbid- a vein. Ugh GROSS. So when I shop I buy boneless chicken breasts, boneless pork chops, and on and on. If I go to a restaurant I ask the server if the dish I want to order is boneless, and if not, I order something else. So this"experiment" is a biggie for me, and not easy!
First, I skinned the chicken and put the removed skin aside. I cut the chicken breasts off the bone and chopped them up into bite-sized pieces. These I split into 3 freezer baggies, labeled, and froze them.
The chicken ribs went into a stock pot with enough water to cover them, and I boiled them for 30 minutes until the remaining meat on the bone was cooked through. I then removed the ribs from the water, cooled them, and used my hands to pick the rest of the meat off the bone. This got me about 1/5 cups of shredded chicken, which I also labeled and froze for future use.
I then heated the oven to 475. I roughly cut up 3 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 onion. I threw all the veggies into a roasting pan along with the chicken ribs, and the skin I'd removed earlier, and 4 big cloves of garlic, and roasted all of it until the veggies were browned and the house smelled delicious.
I had kept the water in the stock pot from boiling the ribs, so I skimmed the gunk off the top of the water, then threw all the roasted goodies (except the garlic and the remaining chicken skin that hadn't cooked down) into the stock pot with the chicken water. I smashed the garlic cloves, then added them too, along with 2 bay leaves, a tablespoon of thyme, and 8 black peppercorns. I added more water, enough to cover everything in the pot plus another 2 or 3 inches.
I boiled all of this, then turned down the temp and got the stock to a good simmer. And that's where we are now. Simmer, simmer, simmer. It's been going for almost 4 hours now, and it looks (and smells!) great, but not tasting "done" yet so I'll leave it be.
Once I feel it's done, I'll strain it all through a fine strainer and put it in a bowl in the fridge so the fat will rise to the top and solidify. Once it's cooled, I'll remove the fat and then freeze the stock in small containers for future use. Awesome!
I don't think I could have gotten this much use out of boneless chicken breasts, and just looking at that simmering pot of stock makes me feel like some sort of kitchen wizard.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
It doesn't always work out.
I feel the need to share this story so you can see that, even with the best intentions, sometimes the deals don't work out for me (or you, or anyone- even the Extreme Couponers). Three weeks ago, before I left for vacation, Rite Aid was running a sale on Dove Invisible Solid deodorant- buy 2 for $4, get $2 +UP back. When the math works out, a customer would be getting this deodorant for $1 each, which is a good deal... but there's more. See, there was a $2 off any Dove Deodorant coupon out at the same time. Suddenly you could get both deodorants for free, THEN still get the $2 +UP back, for a profit of $1 per deodorant.
All of the deodorant I had in the house was men's, from the big Gillette/Old Spice sale a few months ago. I hadn't yet seen a good deal on women's deodorant, and once I'd gotten used to free health and beauty products, well, I just couldn't bring myself to spend money just to get girly smelling armpits. I was using a stick of Old Spice in the Fiji scent ("smells like palm trees, sunshine, & freedom" according to the label) and while it wasn't girly, I also didn't smell like I'd gone swimming in Drakkar. But a chance to get some free women's deodorant? I was ON IT.
I had ordered a few extra coupon inserts for the week that the Dove $2 off coupon came out, so luck was on my side when I went through my binder and found 8 coupons for the deodorant. I scoped out my Rite Aid in Saturday night- they had 13 Dove's in stock. "Great", I thought. "I have 8 coupons but I won't buy 8, I'll just buy 4 and leave all the rest for everyone else."
So Sunday morning rolls around, and I'm not able to go to Rite Aid when it opens, but I get there around 11:30. I go straight to the deodorant aisle and immediately see it-- the empty shelf where all the Dove used to be. Crap.
No worries though- I decide to just get a rain check. That way I can still use the coupon, and get the sale price, but I won't get the +UPs. And that's OK- I love "moneymakers" but I also love free! So from this point on, I dutifully check the Dove area every time I'm back in the store.
This past Saturday, I check RA one more time. They never got in any more Dove, and my coupons expire the next day, so I know I'm stuck. I've got to use the coupons or lose them. I head over to Shaws because I remember they were also running a Dove promo, and I'm not sure what the specifics are, but I'm hoping I can still snag a deal, even at the last minute.
As I browse at Shaws, I realize that the Dove promo had ended THE DAY BEFORE. The day before! The deodorants are on "sale" for $2.99 each now- but can you see how paying .99 each for them is so hard when I was originally going to be PAID $1 to take each stick home?
So what did I end up doing? I found a stick on "clearance" for $2.79, and I bought it. One stick. 79 cents. And threw away the other 7 coupons.
But, you know... 6 months ago, I would bought the deodorant at 2.99 and thought I was getting a deal. Heck, a year ago, I would have bought whatever deodorant I liked the scent of the most and not even LOOKED at the price! Deals don't always work the way you want them to, and it's just not worth beating yourself up over.
All of the deodorant I had in the house was men's, from the big Gillette/Old Spice sale a few months ago. I hadn't yet seen a good deal on women's deodorant, and once I'd gotten used to free health and beauty products, well, I just couldn't bring myself to spend money just to get girly smelling armpits. I was using a stick of Old Spice in the Fiji scent ("smells like palm trees, sunshine, & freedom" according to the label) and while it wasn't girly, I also didn't smell like I'd gone swimming in Drakkar. But a chance to get some free women's deodorant? I was ON IT.
I had ordered a few extra coupon inserts for the week that the Dove $2 off coupon came out, so luck was on my side when I went through my binder and found 8 coupons for the deodorant. I scoped out my Rite Aid in Saturday night- they had 13 Dove's in stock. "Great", I thought. "I have 8 coupons but I won't buy 8, I'll just buy 4 and leave all the rest for everyone else."
So Sunday morning rolls around, and I'm not able to go to Rite Aid when it opens, but I get there around 11:30. I go straight to the deodorant aisle and immediately see it-- the empty shelf where all the Dove used to be. Crap.
No worries though- I decide to just get a rain check. That way I can still use the coupon, and get the sale price, but I won't get the +UPs. And that's OK- I love "moneymakers" but I also love free! So from this point on, I dutifully check the Dove area every time I'm back in the store.
This past Saturday, I check RA one more time. They never got in any more Dove, and my coupons expire the next day, so I know I'm stuck. I've got to use the coupons or lose them. I head over to Shaws because I remember they were also running a Dove promo, and I'm not sure what the specifics are, but I'm hoping I can still snag a deal, even at the last minute.
As I browse at Shaws, I realize that the Dove promo had ended THE DAY BEFORE. The day before! The deodorants are on "sale" for $2.99 each now- but can you see how paying .99 each for them is so hard when I was originally going to be PAID $1 to take each stick home?
So what did I end up doing? I found a stick on "clearance" for $2.79, and I bought it. One stick. 79 cents. And threw away the other 7 coupons.
But, you know... 6 months ago, I would bought the deodorant at 2.99 and thought I was getting a deal. Heck, a year ago, I would have bought whatever deodorant I liked the scent of the most and not even LOOKED at the price! Deals don't always work the way you want them to, and it's just not worth beating yourself up over.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Yay for Sunday Rite Aid trips!
Florida has no Rite Aids. Sad, but true. So I missed the past 2 Sundays at my beloved Rite Aid. I was so happy to get back into the grind that I mentioned it at church, where someone quipped "church is over and now she's going to her REAL church." This is particularly amusing if you know that my husband is the minister!
This is a good week for freebies at Rite Aid. Unfortunately the freebies are junk food... but that's OK. In fact, I only used ONE coupon that I'd walked in with this morning, which means this is a great week for people to get freebies with very little work done beforehand.
Lay's Stax (similar to Pringles), TGIFriday snacks, Burger King snacks (who knew there was such a thing?) and Combos are all $1 each, get $1 +UP back. No limit.
Also, there's a Thermacare-type heat wrap called BodiHeat. It's on sale this week, but for some reason it's ringing up for $1, get $1 +UP back- AND many of the boxes have peelies on them for either .50 or $1 off each, making them a "moneymaker".
I also got a box of hair dye for .24 with a coupon. Something tells me I may never get the courage to actually USE this color, but hey... it's a fun story!
So I got:
4 BodiHeat Wraps
1 Natural Essence hair dye
4 Stax
5 Combos
2 Burger King snacks
---------
16.24
- 2.00 coupons (peelies)
-2.00 coupon (hair dye)
-------
12.24 OOP (paid $12 in +UPs, .24 in cash)
earned $15 +UP= $2.76 "moneymaker"
The shelves were full (for once!) and I could have bought a LOT more, but I just didn't want that much junk food- even free junk food. I do donate it to food banks, though it makes me feel weird to donate non-nutritious food. I find that they're good to have on hand for parties, church functions, etc. so I buy some every time a sale comes around, but I wouldn't stock up on freebies like I would for health & beauty care items or healthy foods.
Anybody out there have shopping success to share this week?
This is a good week for freebies at Rite Aid. Unfortunately the freebies are junk food... but that's OK. In fact, I only used ONE coupon that I'd walked in with this morning, which means this is a great week for people to get freebies with very little work done beforehand.
Lay's Stax (similar to Pringles), TGIFriday snacks, Burger King snacks (who knew there was such a thing?) and Combos are all $1 each, get $1 +UP back. No limit.
Also, there's a Thermacare-type heat wrap called BodiHeat. It's on sale this week, but for some reason it's ringing up for $1, get $1 +UP back- AND many of the boxes have peelies on them for either .50 or $1 off each, making them a "moneymaker".
I also got a box of hair dye for .24 with a coupon. Something tells me I may never get the courage to actually USE this color, but hey... it's a fun story!
So I got:
4 BodiHeat Wraps
1 Natural Essence hair dye
4 Stax
5 Combos
2 Burger King snacks
---------
16.24
- 2.00 coupons (peelies)
-2.00 coupon (hair dye)
-------
12.24 OOP (paid $12 in +UPs, .24 in cash)
earned $15 +UP= $2.76 "moneymaker"
The shelves were full (for once!) and I could have bought a LOT more, but I just didn't want that much junk food- even free junk food. I do donate it to food banks, though it makes me feel weird to donate non-nutritious food. I find that they're good to have on hand for parties, church functions, etc. so I buy some every time a sale comes around, but I wouldn't stock up on freebies like I would for health & beauty care items or healthy foods.
Anybody out there have shopping success to share this week?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
on vacation
We're currently in Florida, visiting family, which is why I haven't posted in a week. I don't have much to say about money saving while I'm here, except that visiting Publix with my "coupon eyes" was a whole new experience for me. Firstly, it seemed like every item had a peelie on it! Everywhere I turned, I saw a peelie or a tearpad. The prices weren't too different than what we see at home, but they sure make it a lot easier to save money here by handing you the coupon to use with the item.
I found a coupon book tearpad and took three of them to bring home with us. Oh, how my life has changed.
A couple of quick pictures to include you in the warm, sunny, beautiful joy that this week has been...
We'll be home Wednesday! I'll be glad to be back in our lovely house with our comfy bed, but right now I'm thoroughly enjoying soaking up the sun and watching the girls swim in the pool ALL.DAY.LONG.
I found a coupon book tearpad and took three of them to bring home with us. Oh, how my life has changed.
A couple of quick pictures to include you in the warm, sunny, beautiful joy that this week has been...
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