Thursday, June 30, 2011

Earle Proulx's tips--Make it Last Book Review, All You Day 12

My Northern friends (esp) will appreciate Earl Proulx's book Make it Last. Earl was a native New Englander. I say "was," though I cannot confirm if the man is dead or not. In typical New England fashion, he doesn't show up on google except as an author. Anywho...Earl was a regular writer for Yankee Magazine for years and is a master at frugal living, particularly when it comes to creative recycling and making things last. The man has tips for every possible subject. When I was little, my dad subscribed to Yankee, and even then, I would read Earl's articles--guess I've been a tightwad all along! So, it was with much excitement that I picked up a copy of Make it Last at a yard sale last week. Here are a few tips just to give you an idea:

1. Use oil from a walnut to conceal surface scratches on wood furniture. Crack the shell and rub a piece of the walnut meat in the scratch. Polish the area with a soft rag, and the scratch should be nearly invisible.
2. If you have a drawer that sticks, rub the sliders with a bar of soap.
3. To reshape a shrunken woolen sweater, boil it in one part vinegar and two parts water for 25 minutes, then  re-block the garment and do not remove it until it is dry.
4. To remove microwave odors, boil a cup of water with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice in it for 5 minutes, then wipe down.
5. Always use warm water for a vase of fresh cut flowers.

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine! Please know that for grocery purchase totals, I round to the nearest dollar.


Day 12

Breakfast: (whole wheat) toast with peanut butter, fried eggs, milk
Lunch: pizza, green salad, potato salad, soda (all leftovers from the last two nights)
Dinner: chicken on the grill, green beans*, cukes* and tomatoes*, fruit salad (cantaloupe/strawberries), (brown) rice, (pumpkin* and carrot) cake leftovers, milk


I had to take Abby in for an early appointment this morning and since we were going by Bottom Dollar, I decided to stop. I correctly remembered that their meat is marked down in the AM and I was met with a sea of orange discount stickers. This is meat that expires soon, but if you use it the same day or freeze it, you should be good. Once again, I might shop here monthly, if that, but I was going by. I got about 3.75 pounds each of steak (for July 4th celebration) and boneless, skinless chicken breasts and a pound of ground pork for approximately $1.35 a pound...total out: $10.00.

Laundry day, then picking produce...and having a friend over for dinner tonight! Always nice to share the bounty.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

You might be too cheap if....All You Day 11

So today we celebrated my youngest 13th b'day. It's actually on the 10th of July, but we are always in Maine and he wanted to have a party in NC with his buds. I was planning to try to do something this weekend, but then it dawned on me that our church was having their annual pool party tonight and we could just combine the two events...maybe I'm getting too frugal....nah...kids loved it and Lee had a great time also. It was a bit challenging to keep in budget. I decided on Lil' Caesars, my new favorite (cheap) fast food. Large pepperoni pizzas, hot and ready all day for 5 bucks. Nice!  And we even have enough left over for lunch tomorrow:)

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine! Please know that for grocery purchase totals, I round to the nearest dollar.



Day 11

Breakfast: I was at work, not sure what the kids had:)
Lunch: Cheese quesadillas, fruit, pretzels
Dinner: Lil' Caesers, home made birthday carrot cake, soda

Money out:

Lil Caesars: 5 large pizzas $27.00
CVS: four 2 liter Pepsi products (BOGO), 10# bag of ice-- after ECB coupons: $2.00

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Free Pantene, cheap Bath and Body; Deals by the Road; All You Day 10

Last night Mike and I went for a walk and found this nice cedar glider in a junk heap. Needs a pressure wash, but it works great! Always be on the lookout for deals, where ever they may be:) Cedar lasts forever. You never know when a trip around the block on trash night might yield a treasure!

Started the day off with a 4 mile run at Jamestown Park...lovely morning.  Visited good friends in Thomasville, picked up our boat in Colfax and are having dear friends over for a cookout tonight. How blessed can one person be??!!

Great coupon for $10 off a $30 purchase at Bath & Body. This is perfect because they are also having their summer clearance sale...check it out. Coupon is good until July 5th. Time to get ahead on Christmas gifts! (Think teachers)
http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=11764584

For Vocal Point members, free sample of Motts for Tots:
http://www.vocalpoint.com/mottsfortots/address.aspx

And another great coupon for a free full size Pantene product. If the page doesn't load, just wait a couple of minutes and refresh the page...that worked for me!:
http://www.facebook.com/PanteneNA?sk=app_170871922977146

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine! Please know that for grocery purchase totals, I round to the nearest dollar.



Day 10

Can't believe that we are more than a third of the way through the challenge. Time flies. Today I did a run to Holly Hill Salvage. I wouldn't make a special trip, but it is near some friends of mine, and I really needed to visit them. Nothing too remarkable: 3 bags of chunk chocolate, 30oz jar Miracle Whip, 10 individual applesauce cups, 2 boxes lime jello, box Nestle hot chocolate, beef jerky, box of cinnamon roll mix. Total out: $8.00  I also stopped by the Merita bread outlet and picked up 2 loaves of whole wheat bread and 3 packs of whole wheat hamburger buns for 80 cents each, then got an angel food cake and (guilty) a box of Hostess cupcakes for a buck each. Total :$6.00 I don't go to either of these stores often, but since I was in range, I stopped by. Also got 2 gallons of milk and 1 dozen eggs at Walgreens for $8.00.


Breakfast: coco wheats, OJ, milk (I had a 32g protein shake)
Lunch: box mac n cheese, ham, nectarines/plums/apples, water/lemonade
Dinner: burgers, dogs, baked beans, green salad, potato salad, lemonade, iced tea, pumpkin* cake (the pumpkin came from my brother's garden in Maine last fall. We made a jack-o-lantern here in NC, then toasted the seeds and pureed the "meat." It was in the freezer:) with cream cheese frosting

Monday, June 27, 2011

BOGO frappes and free Tena sample; All You Day 9

Today Abby and I went to her prosthodontist; her partial was loose--so much so that it fell out on one of the rides at Universal. (Thankfully, we found it!) Come to find out, her original bone graft has resorbed to the point that her gum line has changed and she needs a new partial. The good news is...we really like Dr. Martinez and would recommend him to anyone (Kelcy, if you're reading this, make sure you tell him!!) and it won't cost nearly as much as we anticipated. We go back on Thursday and they will do the new molds. This evening I want to put in my second planting of  green beans and cucumbers; gotta love the south! Also might try to take a trip to the local "bent can store."

This isn't a real freebie...but it is a BOGO for Mickey D's smoothies or frappes (which I happen to think are very yummy) and since it doesn't expire until 7/31, I can wait til after the challenge is over to use it for a cheap date night:)!! http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/promotions/Smoothies.html



And here is a link for a free sample of children's Tena pads:
http://www.tena.us/children/product-pavilion/free-samples-for-children/

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine! Please know that for grocery purchase totals, I round to the nearest dollar.



Day 9


Today I went to Harris Teeter and picked up a few items that were great deals after the super double coupons: two 5lb bags of sugar, pancake syrup, 1 big box of organic arugula,  family size bag of mixed baby salad greens, 2 # of heirloom tomatoes (these last 3 items were in the discount produce bin) and 2 boxes of Reynolds 50 ft aluminum foil. I saved $16.00...Total out: $8.00

Breakfast: french toast (whole wheat bread), coffee, milk, OJ
Lunch: tuna (with light olive oil mayo on whole wheat), green salad, granola bars, water
Dinner: white chili (made with ground turkey and great northern beans that I soaked overnight) corn muffins, milk, (sugar free) jello

I found a two pound bag of beans in my pantry and made that the basis of two meals this week: the chili tonight and made- from- scratch -New England -style -baked -beans- like- my- mama- used- to -make to have at the picnic for our friends tomorrow. Dried beans are one of the cheapest forms of low fat protien that you can possibly buy. I use pintos, black beans, kidney beans and white beans.

My son informed me that he wanted carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for his birthday. I think I have all I need to make it...that's next on the agenda, and since the baked beans are in the oven, it's time to take advantage of the heat and make a couple of cakes and muffins....in fact, I hear my duaghter mixing up a pumpkin cake as I write. Thanks Ab!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Radical; All You Day 8

Our Sunday School class has been reading the book Radical by David Platt; a book I would recommend if you need to be shaken up a bit in your devotion for Christ and how that all comes in to play with the "American Dream." Today we finished up the last chapter and were challenged to do 5 things:

1. Pray for the world. Literally. http://www.operationworld.org/
2. Read the entire Bible in a year. http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/
3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose. (Not just give out of excess, but sacrifice.
4. Spend time in another context. (Maybe a short term mission, or feeding the homeless...)
5. Commit your life to a multiplying community. (Think small group of like-minded believers)
Mike and I will be discussing over the next few weeks what this might look like individually and for our family. I have been convicted, and that is good. I think anytime I am comfortable in my Christianity, it's time for God to do something in my life. For me, comfortable always equals less reliance on Christ.

This happens to flow nicely into the All You Challenge as I am already learning more ways to cut back and do without. My motto: Stretch money so I can live better, save wisely and give generously. Soooooo...

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine! Please know that for grocery purchase totals, I round to the nearest dollar.



Day 8:

Breakfast: homemade banana and chocolate muffins, fried eggs, milk, coffee, OJ (I even made enough muffins to share with our Sunday School class!!)
Lunch: stir fry veggies (cabbage, onions, mushrooms, carrots, summer squash*) in (light) olive oil over noodles, milk/water
Dinner: linguni and clams (in garlic and light olive oil), cantelope, milk/water, (1/2 Hershey's bar)

I have been diligently trying myself to drink water with more meals. At lunch--well, except for today--I have been serving water to everyone with rarely a complaint. I've also been going light on desserts. And good news! My boys only paid to eat out at one meal on their trip...their coach paid for pizza (thanks, coach!!) for the other meal. They also came home with quite a bit of the food I sent with them and a little extra--hence the Hershey bars.

Looking forward to a great week: 13th birthday party for my youngest and a farewell dinner for friends of ours who are going to...AFRICA!


Money out today: Lunch for the boys @ Taco Bell: $8.00

Saturday, June 25, 2011

All You Day 7--the week's totals

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine! Please know that for grocery purchase totals, I round to the nearest dollar.


Day 7:

I have to admit, this All You Challenge is more difficult than I thought it would be. I have always been very frugal with my grocery budget, but I never include eating out in that budget as that comes under the "entertainment" tab at my house, and even then it is rare. (However, in my normal grocery budget, I include toiletries, paper products and cleaning suppllies, and in this challenge, these are not included) Of course, we had to start on a week when there were two (not ONE but TWO) trips planned and I really didn't have a choice. Now that it's over, I'm glad though. It just made me that much more conscious of what I was buying.

Breakfast: whole wheat pancakes, milk, OJ
Lunch: ham and pepper jack on whole wheat, nectarine, diet coke (just me!!)
Dinner: chef's salad with ham, eggs and cheese, milk

My totals out this week (rounded to the nearest dollar)

Complete Total for Food this Week: $127.00 new update $112.00! (the coach paid for pizza)

Groceries Total: $70.00
CVS: $1.00
Harris Teeter: $17.00
Walgreens: $7.00
Aldi: $38.00
Dollar Tree: $6.00
Walmart: $1.00

Eating Out Total: $57.00 (new update: $42.00)
Grove City College Cafeteria: $15.00
Boys camping trip meal one $15.00 
Abby/Mike meal one(Primati Brothers Gorve City): $15.00
Abby/Mike meal two(McDonalds): $5.00
Abby/Mike meal three(Arby's):$7.00

Friday, June 24, 2011

$30 is $30, freebies! All You Challenge, Day 6

I read an interesting article some time ago about how we assign different values to money based on the cost of what we are purchasing. Consider this: You stop into your favorite shoe shop and find the sneakers you want on sale for $50.00. You're happy about that and are all ready to buy them when a lady walks up to you and says, "Did you know that Super Shoes two blocks down has those same exact shoes on sale for $20??? Dude! How awesome is that??? You happily walk the 2 blocks and save yourself 30 bucks. It seems like a fabulous amount of savings...over half off!!

Now consider this scenario: You are purchasing a new living room suite for $1000.00. You've been saving for quite some time now and are ready to buy. You make your way to Joe's Furniture with your thousand big ones in hand. Your buddy Tom walks in and tells you that the same set in on sale 2 blocks away for $970.00. You think about it for a second, but decide that 30 dollars really isn't worth the hassle of going to the other store. You fork over the 1000 bucks.

So what's the difference?? 30 dollars sure did seem like a bunch of money when you bought those shoes. I'd like to think that I would be the one to walk away from the furniture and buy elsewhere, but the reality is, I do this, as do we all, in different situations. I happen to get lax on vacation...spending more on one meal than I do all week at home. Apparently others do also: While Mike and I were eating in Epcot a few weeks back, a British couple with two kids sat down at the table next to us. The kids wanted to order milkshakes to drink and ice cream for dessert. The Dad looked skeptical. "Oh, whatever," said the mom, "we are on vacation after all!"

I'm not saying this is always a bad thing, but the article has caused me to rethink purchases and not be so quick to blame my lack of money on higher gas prices or increased electric bills. Maybe I should just pay closer attention to the cost of the items I do buy!!

Free sample of  Splenda: https://www.splenda.com/freesamples/coupon (love this stuff!)

Free sample of Glade trash bags (vocal point members...sign up for free):
http://www.vocalpoint.com/glad/address.aspx

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine! Please know that for grocery purchase totals, i round to the nearest dollar.



Day 6:

Breakfast: cold cereal, milk, toast with peanut butter and honey, coffee
Lunch: grilled ham and cheese on (wheat), cukes*, orange slices, pretzels and (sugar free lemonade)
Dinner: Since it's just the boys and I, I decided to use 4 coupons I have for Chick-fil-A, two for free chicken sandwiches and two for free shakes, we shared and rounded out the meal with nectarines, pretzels and sugar free lemonade. Not the healthiest meal, but a nice Friday night treat.

And today was my shopping day. This week is proving to be a challenge because I will have to average in Mike and Abby's eating out on their trip and then tomorrow the boys--all 3 of them--are going on an overnight camp out for cross country. While we are sending food for breakfast and lunches, I need to send enough money for two meals out for each boy. I am only going to give them $10 each ($30 total) and they will have to use their own money if they want to spend more than that.

Today I went to Walgreens, and after regular coupons & WG coupons (for $37.00) and a $5 rebate I'll be getting back, I only spent $7.00. Here's what I got: three 12 oz canned hams, two 10 oz packages of Oscar Meyer ham, 3 Gatorade G 03 products, 2 cans mushrooms, 2 cans mandarin oranges, 10 boxes sugar free jello, 9 oz can almonds, bag of candy, 1 gallon drinking water(for the camp out).

At Dollar Tree I spent $6.00: 2 loaves of whole wheat bread, 2 quart jug of vinegar, 3 bags of sunflower seeds.

Aldi: 2 gallons milk, 2 bags of apples, 6 lbs of nectarines, 2 lbs of plums, 10lbs of potatoes, fresh garlic, 2 cans of frozen OJ concentrate, 1 cantaloupe, 1 lb strawberries, 1 lb macaroni, 1 lb of spaghetti, 2 cans of tuna, 3 "gatorade" type drinks-32oz, 1 box granola bars, 2 packages cheese/crackers Total: $38.00 

Walmart: baking soda, 10oz diet coke (free!) $1.00


Happy Weekend! Remember how good God is:)!!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

What do you do with leftovers?? All You Day 5

I knew this would happen, and even when I know it's going to happen, it makes me feel old. I'm just whipped out when I work the three 12 hour nights in a row. 12 hour day shift isn't nearly as taxing. I don't sleep as well during the days as I did at one time. Anywho...I'm exhausted and will hit the bed soon.

I remember one time way back when I was engaged. We were visiting family and after dinner, the cook just threw all the leftovers (and lots of them) in the trash! I was shocked. I come from hearty Maine stock who waste nothing, especially food. I use leftovers for lots of things--meals at work, snacks, or a "buffet," which is what we had today. Tomorrow I will go grocery shopping, and as part of the All You Challenge here's the update:

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine!

Day 5:
Breakfast: cereal, eggs, milk
Lunch: egg salad on (whole grain bread), cukes*, peppers, celery, tortilla chips, sugar free lemonade
Dinner: clean-out-the-fridge-day buffet: leftover pasta bake, fried taters with onions, cucumbers*, ice cream sandwiches and milk  (for the boys and I)



Mike and Abby left today for a college preview day at Grove City in PA. He just called; they arrived safely and are staying at the FREE (love those points!!) hotel with FREE breakfast. They will have to eat out for two meals and will also have to pay for lunch at the school, so I told him to keep all the receipts to add to my total.

Just so you can visually see that I am not one of those extreme hoarders, here are a few pics of my fridge and pantry. We do have a big freezer in the basement, but at this time, I am not using it. Here's the fridge, pathetically empty: only a half gallon of milk left--just enough for breakfast.



one side of the pantry: spices, baking stuff, cookbooks, condiments

cereal, pasta, canned goods, snacks, coffee/tea

freezer: bread, rolls, meat (chicken breasts, ground beef, ground turkey, hot dogs, pepperoni, small pack of steak), shredded cheese, butter, ice cream, about 8 bananas (time to make banana muffins!)




And time for me to go to bed!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Fix It !!, All You Day 4

We seem to have had quite a few things go "bad" as of late:

Computer: paid shop guy $60 and it froze the next day. Finally figured out that my antivirus had a virus...removed it, added Norton 360 for $26. Total out: $86.00

1991 Honda Accord: transmission switch, speedometer, oil change: Total out: $396.00 (but no new car payment!!!!)

15-year-old vaccum: Fix it man hubby says it's beyond repair. Trying to convince him that we can just use the ancient one that was in the house when we bought it. He wants a new one with better attachments. Cost: working on it

Washing Machine: repairs would have been $264. Did convince hubby to hook up the old Maytag that was left here. Repairmain says it was built to last and we can run over it with a tank. Small, but runs great. Cost: $85 service call.

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine!



Day 4:

Off to my last 12 hour shift...woot!

Breakfast: cold cereal, milk, OJ
Lunch: cheese quesadillas, cukes*, lettuce*, OJ/water
Dinner: baked pasta with Italian sausage, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots (thanks, Debbie:), homemade rice pudding  (my comfort food), milk

Purchases: Harris Teeter Super Doubles (to $1.98, 20 coupon max): I'll detail later but spent $17.00 on food and saved about $40.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

All You Challenge Day 3, free cone, netipot

Not much to report today. I'm working three 12 hours nights in a row this week. I realize this is normal for some of you, but since I generally work part time, by the time Thursday morning rolls around, I'll be very tired.

Just as an aside: What do teens do all summer when they only get 1 hour of TV and/or computer a day?? Abby is making minature dolls out of clay and the boys are creating landscapes for their game. They also read A LOT!

One nice little freebie for a Nestle Drumstick ice cream cone (yummm....I really like these!):
http://www.facebook.com/drumstick

And if you haven't received your free netipot yet, the promotion is running again:
http://www.neilmed.com/usa/facebook_freenetipot_18062011.php

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine!

Day 3:




When mama's working in the summer,  Mike and the kids are on there own for breakfast and lunch, so....

Breakfast: cold cereal (including homemade granola) and other generic cereals like raisin bran, cornflakes and cheerios, boiled eggs, OJ, milk
Lunch: ham and cheese sandwiches, leftovers, fruit
Dinner: steamed tilapia with garlic, green beans*, cucumbers*, brown rice, homemade pound cake with strawberries, milk

This photo is of today's garden harvest: cukes, red cabbage and green beans. We do not have a huge garden, and we pretty much eat whatever it produces on a daily basis. I learned long ago that making a menu and then buying the food is not the best way to save money in the long run. I check my freezer and pantry, then buy (or pick from the garden) what's on sale, and then make a menu from that!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Free summer reading programs and movies for kids, All You Challenge Day 2

It's been one of those days that feel pointless. I was busy all day and feel like nothing was accomplished! And now I'm going in to work a 12 hour night shift at the hospital. I did get a wonderful 3 mile run in today with (behind) the cross country team. Love the trails at Jamestown Park.

Here is a link outlining many different summer reading programs. My kids have aged out of most of these, but loved them when they were involved. Thankfully, our library has a teen program with some worthy prizes (or, at least they always have in the past, they haven't started yet this year):
http://www.southernsavers.com/2011/06/free-kids-summer-reading-programs/

Be sure to call your local movie theater to find out when they are having free kid movies. Great chance to hang out at the big screen.

In honor of the first day of summer, tomorrow is free entrance to National Parks day at MOST parks. Be sure to call ahead first to make sure.

Great freebie: Tide Stain release sample worth 3 bucks:
http://www.facebook.com/Tide?sk=app_120573308019722

Free sample of Jif-to-Go peanut butter: http://samples.target.com/

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.)  Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine!


Day 2:


Breakfast: (whole wheat) chocolate chip pancakes, OJ, milk, coffee
Lunch: Tuna (made with reduced olive oil mayo) on (whole grain) bread, (fresh fruit salad), chips, (water)
Dinner: BBQ grilled chicken breast, Italian style summer squash* baked with bread crumbs/parmesan, beets*, homemade pound cake with strawberries (sweetened with splenda), milk


My kids absolutely loved the pancakes. I have made them with whole wheat flour before and they didn't go over so well. I think adding a few chocolate chips was the key to success! I have started just serving water at lunch. We normally have Kool-Aid or juice, but I know water is better for you and it's something that I've been wanting to do all along.

As a side note, we LOVE milk, and will easily drink a gallon a day in our family. For years I purchased powdered milk, until the cost of powdered actually equaled that of regular milk, as it does now. For me, it is not only a cost factor, but a convenience issue as well. I don't like to shop more than once a week, and I can't fit 7 gallons of milk in the fridge!! Determined to find a better/easier way, I started mixing powdered milk half strength, but then mixing that half and half with whole milk, aggressively cutting down on fat content, but giving my kids all the protein and calcium. They don't mind the taste...not even my foreign student who absolutely refused the plain powdered stuff.


Purchases:
CVS: Protein Power bites: $2.49 -$2.00 coupon. 52 cents out of pocket

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Tribute to Bob Moores (my dad), All You Challenge, Day 1

Dad and I in June 1989...I had just had surgery on my foot; he had had a stroke.

It's Father's Day, and I am feeling more nostalgic than usual about my father; I'm guessing this is because my mom is gone also. Dad died in 1989, not even a month after I turned 21. He was 73. I will be 43 this year--which means that I have been without him longer than I was with him, an interesting fact to contemplate.

No one is perfect, and my dad was no exception, but I'm choosing today to remember what I loved about my dad.

My dad liked thunderstorms. I remember sitting on our dusty old porch during the short Maine summers under some impressively huge gray spider webs with even bigger gray spiders. I would curl up beside him, watching the sky light up and hearing the thunder crack. From the porch, we had the vantage point of watching the garden drink in the rain;  I suspect this is why he liked the rain so much, that and the fact that it greatly reduced the dust clouds that rolled up from the ancient gravel road when the cars passed by on Lowell Hill. Like most Maine men, Dad never said much. We would just sit quietly and watch until the rain passed by. In the evenings, this would be repeated as we looked for the moon "rising" over the pine tree at the back of the garden. I always felt very safe, and still feel strangely safe whenever a thunderstorm arises.

Dad was a lumberjack his whole life. It was a hard living. Though he was a very intelligent man, especially with numbers, he left school after 9th grade to work on the family farm and in the woods. At the heighth of his gainful employment (1978), he brought home a whopping $150 a week. He couldn't wait to retire because his social security check was more than his paycheck. He loved the woods as much as his garden, and these two loves were the common themes in any given conversation with just about anyone who happened by. The woods kept us warm in winter and provided his livelihood year round. And just as thunderstorms give me an odd sense of comfort, the smell of the pines and the warm earth bring me great pleasure and make my heart smile.

Dad had his first of several strokes in 1981, when I was 12 and he was 64. (Yes, the math is correct...he was 52 when I was born.) The doctors told him to quit drinking and smoking. He started chewing instead of smoking, but he never could seem to conquer the booze. In 1988 and 1989, he had several exacting strokes that messed with his vision and ability to walk. In the winter of 88, I stayed home from college with him and mom, then in the summer of 89, he had another stroke that put him in the hospital for several weeks. It was during this hospitalization that dad made a profession of faith in Christ (thanks Pastor Waite). Dad was NOT a religious man, and this came as quite a shock. Even then I wondered at all. Was it fear of death that drove him there, or wanting to give some level of comfort to his family...or was it a genuine need for the Savior? I am no judge. I was beyond ecstatic. I over heard him a few days later while I waited outside his door as he talked with the social worker who was asking him about his "religion." "Well," said dad matter-of-factly, "it was never important to me before, but it is now. I'm looking forward to getting out of here so I can go to church." Wonder of wonders.

It was also during this time that I found myself sitting alone with him one night, watching the moon out the hospital window while he slept. (Before the above incident, actually) All at once, dad awoke--apparently from some evil dream--very frightened. Unable to control his left arm, he flailed helplessly until I grabbed his hand. His eyes adjusted in the dim light and his line of vision went from the floor up to my face. As his eyes fixed on mine, his grip loosened and his breathing relaxed. I think it was the only time I ever looked into his eyes. We didn't say the words, "I love you;" we didn't say anything at all.

Dad died several days later, just a few days before he was to come home again, the result, presumably, of a massive stroke. It was 5 days before his 50th wedding anniversary. I left a small pine branch beside him in the casket so maybe the moonbeams would reach even there.

Thanks, Dad, for all the good things you taught me. I honor and love you this Father's Day.

Since I have joined the All You grocery challenge, I will be updating daily. I have decided to add a picture from one of our meals and will post the (healthy changes) I attempt. An * denotes garden food.

Day One:
Breakfast: home fries from leftover boiled potatoes, scrambled eggs and ham. OJ, milk and coffee
(I only used egg whites in half the eggs and sliced 2 slices of lean ham into the home fries rather than have one slice for each person. I also cooked it all in light "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter," and tried black coffee. The last one was the toughest change...oh my.)
Lunch: Stir Fried veggies (cabbage, carrots, summer squash* and onions) in light olive oil served over oriental noodles, cukes*, tomatoes, milk and very small slice of chocolate cake in honor of Father's Day.

Dinner: homemade veggie/pepperoni pizza on whole wheat crust, pretzels, sugar free lemonade
(whole wheat flour added to the mix and sugar free drink mix over soda)

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Homemade Dishwaser Detergent; free dog food & coconut milk

Nothing brings me satisfaction like canning our produce. The first 5 quarts of the season!

Free Alpo Sample: http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid82797.aspx#/homergent

Coupon for a free coconut milk product: http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/share/

TCBY is offering a free cup/cone of yogurt to dads on Father's day!

This is a great deal on ALL YOU magazine: 88cents an issue. You won't find it cheaper and 40% of the total goes to help tornado victims. I just renewed my subscription. (I don't get anything for this, BTW, just thought you might like a heads up!):
http://freebies4mom.com/2011/06/09/all-you-0-83issue-plus-support-tornado-relief-efforts/

Here's a recipe for Homemade Dishwasher detergent. I just mixed up my first batch because I actually had all the ingredients in the house. I'll try it out tonight. I'm guessing the cost for this size batch is about 80 cents if you use generic salt, baking soda and drink mix, which would be way less than even generic brands. I'll let you know how it works. I've seen many different recipes...do you have one that works for you??

1 cup Borax
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1 pckt unsweetened lemon drink mix (think kool-aid)

Use 1 tablespoon per load

Frugal Stuff: I went to a few yardsales this am. Picked up a mirror that I plan to paint for the upstairs bathroom. I just finished picking about a half bushel of beans and now it's time to get laundry on the line and possibly paint the rocking chairs on my porch. We'll see how the day goes...

Friday, June 17, 2011

All You grocery challenge and neighborhood cookout.

Tonight (in 1.5 hours), we are hosting a cookout for the neighbors. If everyone we invite shows up, we could have 40 or so, but from past experience, we have found that we generally have 25-30. We provide drinks, (12 packs of Pepsi on sale this week 3/$8.00 at Rite Aid),burgers, dogs, tater salad and baked beans. I also serve my all-time favorite summer dessert: ice cream sandwiches. Like my mom, I never cared too much about things being name-brand. Relationships are what it's all about...and we have great neighbors!! I always enjoy it...I hope they do also!

Tomorrow there is a new game afoot: I have signed up to join the ALL YOU (magazine) grocery challenge, which runs June 19 - July 16.  The winner gets $1000 grocery gift card. I really like All You magazine. It has tons of coupons and articles for real people. Basically, the "challenge" is to spend $25 per person for one week of groceries. For me, that adds up to $150.00 a week. Since I try to spend $100 for 7 during the school year (when we have an exchange student), I don't forsee this being a problem. The challenge will be cooking healthy meals for my crew...so blogging it will keep me focused. The second challenge will be my schedule. Next week I am working 4 (possibly 12 hour) nights in a row and I am always tired when I do this. The last week of the challenge, we will be travelling to Maine and having to buy my groceries up there.  BUT I can do this!!

Want to sign up yourself? Check out the link: http://www.allyou.com/sweepstakes/grocery-challenge-00411000072299/

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

I do have issues!! really!! And new freebies

Just to let you know that I do make some pretty stupid money blunders sometimes:

A few posts ago, I told you about a great deal that 123injets was having, and I ordered $70 worth of ink (which is about $120 retail for my printer).  I had ordered from them before and had never had a problem, but that was prior to this new printer that I have. Recently I tried to install the ink, and I kept getting an error message. Generally speaking, you can just bipass the screen that says "This is not genuine HP ink," but this time, it would not let me. Finally today I called 123injets. Of course, The nice lady tried to get the printer to work, but after about 15 minutes, she gave up to. I shipped the ink back today, but had to pay $12 to do so with insurance. I'm hoping I get the refund, but even if I do, I'm out about $12.

I also signed up for Weight Watchers online about a month ago. I wanted to lose a few pounds, but more importantly, I wanted to do better tracking my intake and eating healthier. It cost me $55. My computer has been a mess lately, and I really don't have time to track online anyway. I cancelled today, but only get $5 back. 50 bucks and for what?? Stupid tax.

Our washing machine, car and computer have all been on the fritz....

But overall, life is good! Here are a few freebies for you:

Coupon for a free Lipton Ice Tea :
http://coupons2.smartsource.com/smartsource/index.jsp?Link=YWND74GRSNJ2W

Coupon for free Phenom Coconut water at GNC:
http://phenomwater.com/phenom-coupon-3.pdf

Free sample of Rachel Ray Nutrish dog treats:
http://switchtonutrish.com/

Free sample of Dove Conditioner:'
http://www.dove.us/Offers/Latest-Offers/hair-care-daily-treatment-conditioner-sample.aspx

Coupon for free Hershey's bar at CVS:
http://www.coupons.com/Couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=14415&nid=10&zid=oj97

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

I need a marriage answer!

So, my husband and I come home from our anniversary date last night and he tosses me a printout of a recent BreakPoint (Chuck Colson's daily "devo") titled, "Inflated Expectations." It begins, "In a 1999 film titled 'Music of the Heart,' a character named Roberta begins a relationship with a man named Brian. At one point, Roberta--whose husband had left her--asked Brian a question: If you ever meet a woman who fulfills your needs better than I can, would you leave me for her?' Brian's answer: 'Theoretically, yes'."

The article goes on to say that couples today often have too many expectations of their new spouse, wanting them to fill every void in their lives and then leaving at the first sign that this is not occurring, or at least when they meet someone who seems to fill a few more voids. The conclusion is that no one person can fulfill all our needs, only God can do that.

I finished reading and said something like, "Well, you KNOW that isn't my problem. I had NO delusions coming in to our marriage." (Probably the partial result of watching so many divorce around me.)

"Oh, I know," said Mike a little sadly, "but sometimes I think you had no expectations at all."

I snorted, taken aback, but when I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out. Doggone it...he was right, or at least mostly so. The only real expectation I had was that I wouldn't have to work, and oddly enough, that is the one thing I have had to do. See what expectations get ya??

"I think I had a lot more expectations than you did," he said, and again, he was right.

Of course, we all have blind spots, and in my self-righteous self, I'd like to think that's it's better not to have any expectations at all, then there's no disappointment . But not having expectations can lead to apathy; not the best thing in a marriage.

So I'm curious: What about you? Did you come into your marriage expecting too much? Did you divorce and try again, only to have the same disappointments? How have you dealt with these issues?

Monday, June 13, 2011

Free stuff for As!

Don't forget that Krispy Kreme gives you a free doughnut for each A on your report card...up to 6 per kid! We just came home with 2 dozen doughnuts. Nice:). I think I've heard that Dunkin Donuts does this also...will let you know for sure tomorrow. Family Video also gives free movie vouchers for each A for the month of June, so we'll be watching free movies this month also. Thanks kids!!

Today we had a staff meeting at work and they served us a wonderful breakfast, which translated into leftovers for lunch.  Two free meals today. This was for reaching the 99th percentile in our patient satisfaction surveys. Yep. It's true...I really do work with the best!!

Today is our 19th anniversary. We are going to Yamatos with a BOGO free coupon. Tightwad anniversary:).

More tomorrow...it's good to be back. Tell me some deals you've scored lately!! Share the love.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Hello Again (an update in photos!)

Where to begin? My goodness, it's been such a long time. I have really missed writing. Putting my thoughts down on paper helps me sort things out and "see" things more objectively. So I am back. I have contemplated how to bring you up to date on the Cliff household and have decided the best way to do so is in pictures. Here are our highlights:
We planted and are now harvesting from our little garden; here's a shot taken several weeks ago. We have been eating beets, cukes, lettuce and green beans and summer squash. Nothing better than fresh from the soil and into the pot. Mmmmmmm.

The boys finished school and a great season in track...undefeated conference champs! They've already started training for cross country in the fall:
Here's Will in the pole vault! (The doctor finally cleared him after having the broken back...)

Abby graduated as Valedictorian of her class. She rocked the night with her speech (no bias, of course), and you can see from the picture that she got some good laughs! We had a wonderful open house for her and she is so glad to be done. We have decided to postpone any major surgery on her face/mouth this summer as the general consensus is that it is going to be a very complicated and drawn out process (as long as 2 years), so we are opting to just get her wisdom teeth out and have one of the lower implants done at this point. She'll keep her upper "dentures",or flipper,  for now! She is excited to go to Grove City College this fall and study her passion: literature & writing. Wonder where that gene came from?

Will turned 16 on his Dad's 48th birthday, May 30th. He has his permit, Abby has her license, Aaron is taking driver ed next week and I have a higher insurance payment! Yikes!

We were given a wonderful old boat by my dear cousins, Carl and Marge Monroe. It's a beauty, a wooden classic built by his own hands in the early 60s. We look forward to hauling it to Maine and dumping it in Duck Lake this summer. Here are the kids checking it out, Carl is in the background. At 90, he still goes in to work everyday. How's that for work ethic?? He also gave us the little sailboat in the foreground:

We sent Young Meen back to South Korea after spending 2.5 years with us. It sure is going to be strange without her! I miss her already.


We had a huge yard sale after I saw an ad in the paper that my neighbor was going to have one...free advertising! My skeptic husband was impressed that we only had a few boxes to take to the Salvation Army, and I am very happy that my house is decluttered and we had a sweet $260.00 to spend in FLORIDA!! Yes, my deal for the 6 free airline tickets worked (see post with the photo of Alec Baldwin) and I also scored Discovery Cove tickets that are normally $169 (for a non-dolphin swim) for $69! I'll share my secrets in a later post. We went on an airboat cuise on Lake Toho and the kids held baby gators...and we topped it all with a trip to Universal (Mike and I did the old person thing and went to Epcot...advantage of older kids!):
There you have it: an update to the present. I will try to be more diligent...to tell you the ups and the downs and the greatest of frugal moments!!