Monday, September 21, 2009

never a dull moment ~ seriously, never.


Hey, it's Monday again...already.  They just keep on coming, don't they?!

Weekends are usually so busy for us (dh working at a church and all), that Mondays tend to be our catch-up/catch-all days.  This Monday is a bit different though, seeing as how my dh is on vacation this week - whoo-hoo!!

Here's some craziness for ya:  we went coupon shopping last night, after evening church, with our FIVE children.  Yes, I know, not the brightest idea we've ever had.  Yet it was the *last* day to go shopping for that week's sales, with those particular coupons and deals - and we wanted to take advantage of those.  We had a very specific list, and thought we could manage it & the kids.  *ahem*  ya right.

Well, we made it (eventually) and managed to do pretty good on our very first coupon shopping trip.  Even with having to buy some needed items that were NOT on sale, or did NOT have a coupon (like juice, milk, etc.), we still managed to save over 50% overall.  Not bad!  Plus, I get a certain satisfaction seeing the pantry filled with numerous boxes of "stockpiled" foods.  It helps me feel like we're taking good care of our family with the money that we have been blessed with.  Amen!!


My dh took a pic so he could share with our facebook friends (one of which shared all this couponing stuff with us).  I know you can do *much* better, but for our first try, plus having to buy some needed items as well, I think we did pretty good!!  My husband and I both enjoyed figuring out all the best deals (as did our children, who got Pop-Tarts & KRAFT mac-n-cheese out of the deal!  **yes, we do occasionally feed them processed food.....all in moderation, eh ;)   **and in case anyone noticed, yes, the ice cream was one of those "needed" items *ahem*...but we did have a coupon....hehehe

One last thing for today, usually, on Sunday nights (or Monday mornings, just depends how on-top of things I am) I go to this site:  http://www.lotsofkids.com   I use their Meal Chart generator each week, adding in our specific meal plans for each day - breakfast, lunch & dinner.  I don't think I've ever stuck *precisely* to the list for each and every meal - but it definitely makes life easier for me.  Meals happen every single day, every few hours I am having to think about feeding many people.  This is just one way to make that easier!

So, I'm off.  I've got to figure out 2 meals using smoked sausage (we don't usually buy it, but it was a great deal!) - I'll probably go to my stand-by recipe site:  RecipeZaar.   Then I'll finish filling out my Meal Chart, nurse the baby and go out to the garage to help my hubby make it sparkle.  Well......at least make it cleaned-up and organized.  And get rid of some of the bugs.  Ewwww......

Have a great Monday~

8 comments:

Morgan said...

When is ice cream NOT a needed item? ; )

Brooke said...

Hey, thinking of trying the coupon thing. I tried to sign up but it is forcing me to pick Kroger....I'll have to figure that out.

Jessica D. said...

Great Job!! I'm happy for you. It gets easier each time you go!

Unknown said...

@Morgan ~ yes, ice cream is *SO* a necessity, at least around here!!

@Brooke ~ Hmmmm....that's weird. I can choose whatever stores I want (or all of them) for the free trial - once that's over, I'm gonna stick with just ONE store (I do NOT have time for many store trips!). I'll take a look at it, if ya want. Just let me know~

@Jessica ~ It actually *was* pretty fun! I bet it will get easier as time goes one - probably will be MUCH easier next time with NO children along for the ride. YIKES!! That was rough....;)

Kenni B said...

It kinda looks like everything on the counter is a processed food. But those are the cheapest foods it seems to me. :(

Unknown said...

Well, Kenni, I guess *all* the foods at your local grocery market are "processed" in some way. Yet when I'm talking about processed, I'm not talking about sausage, pasta, shredded cheese, bacon, milk, etc. - not even Nestle morsels (I'd rather make cookies than buy 'em, ya know?!). I guess those *are* all processed in some way - but I meant more like the mac-n-cheese, Pop-tarts & Hot pockets - those instant meal-type foods.

And the couponing *does* have fresh fruits & veggies on the list ~ I just didn't "need" any of that right now, and those "fresh" items you can't really "stockpile" (although some I could chop & freeze for later use).

Ya, it wouldn't be worth it to only be feeding my family "junk"...we'll see how it goes in the future~

Tess said...

Try cutting smoked sausage into bite size pcs. put in a dutch oven with 3-4 cans of green beans (don't drain) add cut up potatoes, season and simmer until pots are cooked thru. Yum!! This is a favorite of Dad's

Virginia Revoir said...

I know how you feel about taking kids to the store. It's hard for me to concentrate so I love to just go alone. There is a store about 15 min away I drive to because they watch your kids while you shop. My kids LOVE it because they have games, crafts, train, coloring, cartoons, etc while I shop. They beg me to go there so we drive a little farther for it.