family

3 Ingredient Chocolate Cake!

Abby H.3 Comments

I love this cake recipe. It’s quick, easy, and it disappears so quickly! And the best part, it’s loaded with pumpkin, so you don’t have to feel bad about serving it to your family. It’s easy enough that you can let even the littlest chef help you prepare it without risking a total cake failure!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

Screen Shot 2015-04-10 at 10.50.18 AMIngredients:

  • 1 Cake Mix (chocolate or Devil’s Food) I prefer the mix with pudding it it- the cake is moister
  • 1 small (approx 15 oz.) can of pumpkin
  • 1/2-1c chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)

 

Directions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix and pumpkin. I used an electric mixer, but you can always mix it by hand.
  2. Add chocolate chips, stir to combine.
  3. Bake as directed on cake mix packaging. If making cupcakes, do not use cupcake liners, use spray release. Remember, there is no added fat in the recipe, so you’ll need the spray release, or you’ll be picking muffin-y goodness off the cupcake liners!

Screen Shot 2015-04-10 at 10.50.28 AMThis is the yummiest, fudgiest cake you’ll ever have. This is a great cake to take to potlucks!

  • Vegan Option: Use a vegan Cake Mix, and Vegan Chocolate chips
  • GF option: Use a GF cake mix

It was so good that we snuck some cupcakes for breakfast!Screen Shot 2015-04-10 at 10.50.41 AM

We also shared it with our friends at a play date! Even our pickiest eaters gobbled up the cupcakes!

Shopping Online to save big!

Abby H.3 Comments

One of the ways I am able to keep us so well dressed (or in kiddos case, just dressed- that kid grows like a weed!), is I am always on the hunt for a good deal on clothes.

Here are a few ways we save:

I am always looking for coupons for department stores. JCPenney’s and Kohl’s are notorious for having dollar off (for example $5 of $25+ purchases) or percent off coupons. These coupon are either paper coupons mailed to you, or available to print on their website. In the case of JCPenney’s, these coupon codes can be used online too! Both Kohl’s and JCPenney’s give you the option of ordering online and having items shipped to the store closest to you for either free or a reduced shipping.

I order most of our clothes online, for a few reasons:

  • Better selection than most stores, in terms of sizes and clearance goodies.
  • I can search for extra discounts and coupon codes while I’m online.
  • I can shop whenever (yes, even at 2am!).
  • I can go through a shopping aggregator for extra savings.

Which brings me to my next tip: Use a Cashback/Points site. Two of my favorites are Topcashback or Mypoints. You will earn cash back in the form of a paypal payment,  an Amazon.com gift card, or points that can redeemed for gift cards. You can use these sites along with a coupon code to save even more!

Most of these sites work with thousands of stores, so you’ll find a store that you like to shop!

If you have a rewards credit card, use that too.  I do not ever use ATM/Debit Card online. While our bank account is FDIC insured, there is a long process involved in getting your money back in cases of fraud, whereas with our American Express, I make a few calls, and fill a form out online, and it’s done. PLUS- I earn extra cash back when I shop online at certain retailers or types of retailers.

Use Gift Cards (or Paypal)! If you have a pre-paid gift card from a rebate or gift, or if you have a Paypal Balance (I usually have a few bucks in my paypal account from doing surveys online), use it! Most online retailers accept Paypal.

Screen Shot 2015-04-08 at 8.08.32 AMHere is one of my last JCP.com purchases, using some of the tips above:
Kiddo needed new shorts. He keeps growing, so it was time for new shorts!

 

 

 

3 pairs of shorts $5.49/each
Polo Shirt $8.99
Subtotal: $25.46
Sales Tax .80
S&H: $3.95
_____________________________

Discounts:
-$10/$25 purchase coupon code (was available on the JCP website)
-$10 Gift Card (from the JCP rewards program)
Total Out Of Pocket $10.21 (I used my Paypal Balance to pay this)

I shopped through Topcashback to earn an extra 3% cash back (approx. .15.  Every penny helps!)

Now hopefully the kid will stay the same size long enough for him to wear these new clothes out!

 

Sales Cycles: When are items on sale?

Abby H.

file0001262541721Sales are cyclical- certain items are on sale during specific times of the year, either due to holidays or special events. For example- Barbeque sauce is on sale in the summer, when people barbeque a lot. Manufacturers and stores will put out coupons and places items on sale to entice shoppers to spend more. Use this to your advantage. Combine sales with coupons and increase your stockpile and plan your menu.

Here are some examples (but not a complete list):

JANUARY

Diet Food and Weight Loss Equipment (New Year’s Resolutions)
Gyms have sales and free trials
Healthy Food including Veggies
Television and other Electronics (Super Bowl Sunday)
OTC Medications (FSA’s expire in Jan./Feb.- Use it or Lose it!)
Winter Clothing and Shoes (Formal clothes are usually 75%+ off)
Organizers (totes, Christmas ornament storage containers)
White Sales (Sheets/Towels)
Snack-y food for Super Bowl parties: chips, dip. Velveeta, salsa, taquitos. There are often times really great rebates for snack food and beer or soda around the Super Bowl.
FEBRUARY

Diet Food and Weight Loss Equipment (New Year’s Resolutions)
Healthy Food including Veggies
Furniture and House wares
Candy and Chocolates

MARCH

March is National frozen food month. Many Stores like Albertson’s have a “fill a bag” sale where you are given a paper or plastic bag and you receive a discount (typically 15-25%) on each frozen item in that bag.
Spring Apparel (Easter Dresses and Suits)
Depending on when Easter falls, look for sales on Easter Dinner food: Ham, Prime Rib, stuffing, veggies, eggs, and Easter Basket Supplies.
Luggage and Travel (Spring Break)
Spring-cleaning sales will start and there will be rebates for cleaning supplies- especially with SC Johnson Products.
Between March 13-17th (St. Patrick’s Day) Corned Beef, Potatoes and Cabbage are all Dirt Cheap. Stock up!
During Lent, seafood is inexpensive.

APRIL

More Spring cleaning sales and rebates
Paper products (plates, napkins) start to have really good sales.
Paint & Wallpaper (In the same vain as spring cleaning, a lot of people start to spruce up their homes in the spring)
Jewish Foods and Eggs (Passover)

MAY

May is the start of picnic season. Barbeque food, Hotdogs, hamburgers, ribs, condiments will all be on sale throughout the summer and will be until September.

Auto Maintenance (tires, oil changes, tune ups)
Beverages, Hot dogs, Ground Beef, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Ribs (Often times there are some really great rebates WYB beer or soda)
Bug repellents – Sprays and Candles
Home Maintenance (carpet cleaning, duct cleaning)
SPF and After Sun products (like Aloe)

JUNE

Summer Clothes
June is National Dairy Month- Dairy Products
Summer Activities (local attractions sometimes have “locals only” days or rates)
Beverages, Hot dogs, Ground Beef, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Ribs (Often times there are some really great rebates WYB beer or soda)

JULY

Air Conditioning units
Summer Sports Equipment & Craft Supplies (things for families to do together)
Beverages, Hot dogs, Ground Beef, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Ribs (Often times there are some really great rebates WYB beer or soda)

AUGUST

BBQ and Patio Equipment (Just in time for Labor Day!)
White Sale – Linens and Towels
Back to School Supplies – Sales may Start in Late July, Depending on when school starts in your part of the world)
Bathing Suits and the last remnants of summer clothes
Back to school clothes
Jackets and light coats for fall
Beverages, Hot dogs, Ground Beef, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Ribs (Often times there are some really great rebates WYB beer or soda)
Breakfast foods (cereal, oatmeal, juice, bars) Cereal sales will start this month and continue into September as school starts up.
Lunch box food- juice boxes, lunchables, snacks, chips, yogurt

SEPTEMBER

The traditional Back to School Sales will start. For most school, classes begin the Tuesday after Labor Day. This is a great time to stock up on snacks that are healthy and shelf stable. 100 calorie snack packs, fruit leathers, 100% juice boxes, bottled water, peanut butter. Watch the inserts for Lunchables coupons too- they will start going on sale!

Back to School Supplies (Office Depot, Staples, and Walgreen’s often have Freebies)
Canned Goods. Canned soup and spaghetti sauce also starts to go on sale in September.
Frozen Pizza

The last three months of the year are packed full of holidays. Now is the time to stock up on “holiday foods”- Stuffing, turkey, instant mashed potatoes, broth/stock, cranberries (you can freeze the real ones for up to 6 months!), marshmallows, pudding, gelatin, flour, sugar, French fried onions, cream of mushroom soup. These ingredients can be used in everyday foods, not just once a year. Stock up when they are cheap (OR free!) and you will eat well all year.

There are LOADS of rebates during the last three months of the year for “holiday” foods, especially food that is usually served when entertaining, like crackers and cheese.

OCTOBER

Home goods such as serving dishes, and glassware (to prepare you for the onslaught of entertaining you will be doing for the holidays)
Candy, nuts
Baking/candy-making items (choc chips, sprinkles, vanilla, corn syrup, nuts, etc)
Fall/Winter clothing
Fabric, Patterns, sewing machines (Halloween)
Coats/Jackets

NOVEMBER

Winter Clothing
Blankets and flannel sheets
Heating Devices (space heaters, in wall heating units)
Turkey, ham
Canned goods (soup, chicken broth, condensed milk, veggies etc)
Baking goods (flour, sugar)
Baking wear
DECEMBER

Toys –Coupons.com usually has coupons for Fischer Price Toys in December
Gift Items There will be a lot of TMF offers and rebates on personal care this time of year. Stock up and fill your stockings and keep your wallet full.
Post-Holiday Sales I like to stock up on plain colored paper goods after each holiday and stockpile them to use throughout the year for parties and events. No one will know the red napkins are from Valentine’s Day, not from Christmas. Light Blue gift paper from Chanukah will wrap a present for a baby shower gift just the same.
Party Foods, Baking Goods, and Various Meat There will be a lot of rebates, keep your eyes open!
Canned goods (broth, soups, etc)
Prime Rib, Turkey, Ham

Year-round after a holiday, you can always pick up cheap cookie dough. Cookie dough freezes really well for about two month. You can also find plain colored paper goods, including plain colored wrapping paper and tissue paper after each holiday in the clearance section.

Beer Bread: Quick, Yummy Food!

Abby H.3 Comments

Lil’ Man and I love to cook together.  Recently I was fortunate enough to receive a Danish Dough Hook from the nice folks over at Kitchen Simple and Tomoson. Since it’s been pretty warm recently, we decided to skip making a complicated recipe that would have us in the kitchen for a long time. We opted to make beer bread!
Screen Shot 2015-03-31 at 8.56.32 AM

Beer bread is an amazing, easy to make, versatile food. It can be made to go with any meal, or it can be a meal itself! For this batch, we used Butterscotch Beer (it’s actually soda), butterscotch chips, and semi-sweet chocolate chips,  in addition to the basic ingredients below.

It was a very sweet, light dessert bread. Lil’ Man ate 3 pieces before the bread cooled!

If you’ve never used a dough hook before, it’s a kitchen tool that’s great for mixing up bread, cookies, even batters! It has a long, sturdy handle, and a wire loop that helps incorporate the ingredients. It’s a great addition to any kitchen, whether you are an every day baker, or only bake during the holidays. If you’ve got a cook in your family, they make a great gift too!

The basic recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

  • 3 cups self rising flour (sifted) (Or if you don’t have self rising flour, mix together: 3 cups flour (sifted), 3 teaspoons baking powder,1 teaspoon salt)
  • 1/4 cup white or brown sugar
  • 1 (12 ounce) can beer or other carbonated beverage- See below*
  • ½ stick melted butter

Directions

  1. Sift the flour and sugar together.
  2. Slowly pour the liquid over the dry mixture and mix until combined. We used the dough hook, but you can use a strong wooden spoon.
  3. Pour dough into a greased Dutch oven or a greased bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes-1 hour or until when inserted, a knife comes out clean.

You can add any one of the following before your mix it together:

½ cup of the any of the following (feel free to mix and match).  If you want more “stuff” in your bread, feel free to add more than 1/2 cup:

  • Dried fruits (make sure it’s bite sized!)
  • nuts
  • chocolate chips or any other kind of chips (white chocolate, cinnamon, butterscotch)
  • shredded or cubed cheese
  • chopped onions (raw or carmelized)
  • shallots
  • green onions
  • chives
  • To make it a main dish, pour 1/2 of the bread dough into the pan, pour in a layer of cooked meat (I like taco seasoned beef, or cut up/shredded cooked chicken breast cooked with ranch dressing powder or herbs), then top with the remaining bread dough. Bake as directed.

Any of the following spices are delicious (add to your taste):

Cinnamon, nutmeg, apple pie spice, Pumpkin pie spice, Italian seasoning, Mural of Flavor, garlic powder, onion powder. Add the herbs/spices into the flour before you add the liquids.

If you want to make a sweet dessert bread, make a crumble to top the bread with prior to baking:

  • ½ C. flour
  • ½ c. brown sugar
  • ½ c. softenened butter
  • Spices (I like Apple Pie or Pumpkin pie spice)
  1. Combine all of the ingredients together.
  2. Top the uncooked bread with this mixture.
  3. Bake as directed as directed above.

 

*For a different texture, try different varieties of soda (fruit or cream sodas are great), soda water, light beer, Guinness or other dark beer. Match the type of beer with the other added items.  When using soda, add 2 teaspoons of yeast so you get the correct rise (beer contains yeast!).  Feel free to use whatever beer or soda you have in your house!  I don’t recommend using Root Beer- it makes the bread bitter.  Don’t use diet soda!  Baking with artificial sweeteners other than Splenda can make the bread bitter.

Yummy combos:

  • Orange soda goes great with chocolate chips and orange zest.
  • Light beer, sharp cheddar cheese, Mural of Flavor and caramelized onions are great together.
  • Lighter beer (I like Stella Artois), Italian Seasoning, shredded mozzarella cheese or string cheese cut into cubes, and chopped dried tomatoes.
  • Chocolate stout beer, dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries.
  • Sam Adams Summer blend with apple or pumpkin pie spice, chopped dried apples, and dried cranberries.

 

I want to thank the great people over at Kitchen Simple and Tomoson for the chance to review this product. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a Danish Dough Hook for free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.

Clothing Swaps: Family Frugality at it’s best!

Abby H.4 Comments

VRj6VzFtGot piles of clothes stashed in a closet that the family has outgrown or are no longer worn? Have you thought about participating in a clothing swap? For those who aren’t familiar with clothing swaps, it’s a pretty cool concept:

Gather friends, family, co-workers and everyone brings their unwanted clothes, shoes, and accessories. For each item you bring, you receive 1 ticket. Each ticket is exchangeable to another piece of clothing, accessory, or pair of shoes. You bring ten items, you get ten tickets, you leave with ten items.

You can do kids clothing, women’s, men’s, whatever your group of friends is interested in doing.

There are a bunch of already established clothing swaps in San Diego.

Kinders Keepers is a fun clothing swap group in San Diego that meets quarterly.  You can learn more on their Facebook page here.

The Sonrise Church in Santee has a clothing swap too! One for kids clothes, and another for women’s clothing. Miss Charity’s Closet & Little Blessings Boutique 2nd Saturday of every month at 9:00 am
Contact Charity Murphy for more info clmurphy71@gmail.com

Not strictly clothing related, there is the San Diego Really, Really Free Market. They also meet about once a quarter in various areas around town.

Also not strictly Clothing Related, but one of my favorite give back orgs is the Buy Nothing Project. There are chapters all over the US, and we have a few here in San Diego.  I’ve been able to share clothes, panty staples we no longer needed, Lil’ Man’s outgrown toys and clothes.

If you don’t want to wait for an upcoming swap, check out consignment or resale shops! Just last week, I took some items over to Conceptions Children’s Resale. It’s a nice resale shop in Santee, I take a lot of Lil’ Man’s outgrown clothes and toys. In exchange I get 50% of the price they will sell the items for when I chose to receive Store Credit. Since #2 is on the way, I’ll usually take store credit. You can keep credit on file too. I’m saving mine up! There are tons of kid’s resale shops across the US, I bet there is one close to you. There are consignment or resale shops for adults too!

And of course… don’t forget Freecycle. Do a quick google search for Clothing swap + the name of your city.

What are some of your favorite money saving strategies when it comes to keeping the family clothed?

Review: Reusable Baby Food Pouches

Abby H.

When Lil’ Man was younger, that kid was all about the squeezy pouches, which was great! They are easy to carry, come in lots of varieties, and are overall a million times more convenient than glass jarred baby food.  HOWEVER, they make a lot of trash.

Recently I discovered the Easy Anywhere Reusable Baby Food Pouches. These pouches are incredible.  IMG_2886
You can refill the pouch again-and-again. No accidental spills with the reinforced double zipper. No more spending a lot of money on store bought pre filled pouches (over $1.00/each at most stores!).  It’s made of sturdy but very flexible material that’s environmentally friendly (BPA-free, PVC-free & phthalate-free).

If you’ve got kids that don’t eat a lot in one sitting, you’ll never waste food in a pouch again with the convenient window at the back of the pouch!

They are easy to use too. Pour your delicious homemade purees (Or you could use pudding for a fun dessert) easily into the large opening on the top of the Pouch. You don’t need any special appliances to fill the pouch. No weird, rounded corners that are difficult to clean. Just use a bottle brush to clean the pouch and pop it into the washing machine.

We used ours at the zoo last week. I filled one with chilled pudding, and a second with homemade applesauce.  These pouches would be great for backpacking or camping as well.

I’ve already picked up another set to share with a friend who is expecting soon! These make a pretty cool gift.

I want to thank the great people over at Easy Anywhere Brands and Tomoson for the chance to review this product. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a four pack of Easy Anywhere Reusable Baby Food Pouches free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.

San Diego, CA families: Complimentary Water And Energy-Savings Kit from SDG&E

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2015-03-19 at 9.01.32 AMA freebie from your utility company? Sounds weird, but it’s true. If you live in San Diego County, you can score a Complimentary Water And Energy-Savings Kit. It includes a brochure with tips, three faucet aerators, and a low-flow showerhead to help you save energy and water. These devices allow air to enter into the water stream, maintaining a high-pressure flow while reducing water usage.

To get started, fill out the form here.

Try Products for free with BzzAgent!

Abby H.1 Comment

I get asked a lot, “How do you get so much awesome stuff for free?” I could lie and tell you it’s my good looks, but really, it’s because I belong to a couple of  really awesome Word of Mouth Marketing companies. Word of Mouth (WOM) Marketing- It’s not a new concept, but nowadays companies are starting to realize how powerful consumer recommendations can be.  Remember the “I told two friends, and they told two friends” commercial from the 1980’s? That’s word of mouth marketing.  Since the invention of the internet, WOM marketing has been amplified.

There are companies that connect consumers with companies and products looking to market directly to a specific cross-section of the population.  What does that mean for you?  Sign up with a WOM Marketing company and when they have products that someone like you would like and use, and they will have you complete a brief survey and send you the product.

Often times, the product they will send you will be full size.  Additionally, they will send marketing materials with talking points for you to share with friends.  Depending on the product, samples and coupons may be included! Once you receive your kit, you try out the products and “bzz” about them by posting on FB, Twitter, G+, or on your blog. You can also “bzz” face to face. When I get a lot of coupons in a kit, often times I’ll “Coupon Fairy” when I’m at the store (that’s a term for leaving coupons on the shelf next to the corresponding item). You report back to Bzzagent when you share/”bzz”.

bee_logo_100px
The BzzAgent bee looks Angry, but he’s just determined to find some sweet deals

My favorite WOM Marketing by far is Bzzagent. Bzzagent was founded in 2007 and they work with a lot of great national brands. In the past I’ve received diapers, wipes, beer, frozen food, razors, cereal, and tons of other awesome stuff to try and share with my friends.

The Campaign I’ve got right now is for Kroger brand products. For those of you who are thinking, “Kroger??” Kroger is the company that owns a bunch of grocery stores across the US, including Ralphs and Food4Less here in So. Cal. Like most major grocery store chains, they have quite a number of private label (formerly known as generic or store) brands.

Kroger is no slouch, check out the wide variety of their Private Label Brands:

Kroger® Brand: The classic Kroger® Brand has you covered with the products you love most in every section of your local store.

Private Selection™: Each Private Selection item has been carefully crafted to delight your senses — from the artisanal breads and cheeses to prime meat cuts and decadent desserts.

Simple Truth™ & Simple Truth Organic™: Every Simple Truth product is free from 101+ artificial preservatives and ingredients — taking the worry out of what’s in your food.

HemisFares: Kroger’s culinary explorers traveled the globe to bring you an extraordinary collection of authentic, regional food specialties.

Everyday Low Price Brands: On a tight budget? Look for P$$T…™, Check This Out…™ and Heritage Farm™ items throughout your local store to discover great prices on everyday essentials.

My BzzKit contained:

  • Kroger® Brand Tomatillo Lime Flavored Tortillas
  • Simple Truth™ Banana Chips
  • P$$T…™ Brownie Mix
  • Private Selection™ Coffee (I got Breakfast Blend)
  • Coupons for FREE Bacon, Pasta, and Mexican Cooking Sauce

This morning I made the Brownies up as cupcakes (perfect for portion control). They are super fudgey and chewy- YUM! I’m setting the rest aside for dessert tonight- I’ll be pairing them with fresh berries and Fat Free Cool-Whip.

I’ll be cutting up the tortillas and baking them to give them some crunch to top our taco salads tonight.

There are quite a few other WOM Marketing Companies such as Smiley 360, Houseparty, Influenster, MomsMeet, and VocalPoint, but I find that overall Bzzagent provides the better campaigns and they have more kits to supply so more people can try out products. Some other WOM Marketing companies make you jump through hoops to get campaigns for example:  Locate products on shelves and take a selfie with them in store, post to your blog, FB, or other Social Media outlets before you are considered or approved for a campaign. That’s just too much work for my tastes, especially when you aren’t guaranteed a spot if you do all of those things!

WOM Marketing is just one way I score free stuff to share with others and stretch our family budget.

 

Military Families: Save money by shopping at the Commissary!

Abby H.

deca_logo

For those who do not have a close friend or family in the military, the commissary is the on-base grocery store. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) operates the military Commissaries throughout the world. Active duty military, guard and reserve members, retirees and qualified family members may shop there. Authorized shoppers need only show proper military ID to use the commissary.

There are 5 commissaries in San Diego:

MCAS Miramar (Mira Mesa/Miramar), Naval Base 32nd Street (Downtown), North Island NAS (Coronado), Imperial Beach, and Camp Pendleton. There is a Commissary withing 30 minutes of where ever you live in San Diego. There is also a small PX/snack shop/gas station in the military housing up at Murphy Canyon (off interstate 15 at Aero Drive).

If you don’t live in the San Diego, CA area, don’t fret there may be a commissary close to you! To find the commissary closest to you, visit here.

Commissaries charge the wholesale price +10-20% for goods sold in the commissary, and there is a 5% surcharge at the end of your order. What this means for military families is that you can buy food and toiletries for much less than you can at the civilian grocer. The surcharge covers the payroll for cashiers, the electricity bill and other administrative costs.

Without using coupons, the average commissary shopper saves 30% over civilian grocery prices. When you combine the lowered prices at the Commissary with coupons, you will be saving 60-70% over civilian grocery prices. To learn about the coupon policy for the commissary, visit this page.  It also includes a lot of great FAQ and some videos.

If you are new to base shopping, here are some things you need to know:

  •  There is no sales tax on taxable items at the commissary: Toilet paper, cleaning supplies, dog food, etc.. There is no tax on food in CA.
  • The commissary gets crazy busy the weekend of payday. As in you’ll wait in line for upwards of an hour to check out. It’s seriously insane. Try to go a few days after payday to avoid the craziness.
  • The baggers do not make an hourly wage. They work only on tips. Keep that in mind. There are tip boxes at each checkout stand. My mom generally tips $5-8 for her monthly grocery trip, but she pushes her own cart to the car and loads her car up herself.
  • There are a large number of tear pad coupons available. They usually have a long expiration date, and are only good at the commissary. Usually, these items that have a pad of coupons next to them are on special, so when you combine the sale price with the coupon, it’s a steal. In that case, buy a couple extra of the items that you find to be on your list or that you know you will use.
  • You can use manufacturer coupon (from newspapers and printable coupons) at the commissary.   State-side locations only accept valid, in date coupons.  Overseas locations accept expired coupons, up to 6 month after their expiration date.
  • Right inside the door of most commissaries is a newsstand type rack with coupon inserts and circulars. Take a minute to pull your cart over, and flip through them. There are always great coupons in them. Don’t forget a tiny pair of scissors!

The commissary has a website. DeCA’s website has a lot of great info, including sales information, shopping lists, and did you know that the commissary also has a savings card that you can load e-coupons onto? You can pick the card up in the commissary, and register it online, load coupons and you’ll be saving even more in no time.

rewardscard-web

The commissary is a full service grocery store. Most larger locations have butchers and grind their own hamburger/ground beef several times each day, a full produce department (with limited organic produce), a bakery, and a service deli where you can get meats and cheeses sliced, and even a deli sandwich made to order! Most commissaries have organic food, gluten free food, various ethnic foods (South American, Pan Asian, European), and a large variety in name brands. There is no generic brand as DeCA does not manufacture food.

Most commissaries are very large. At MCAS Miramar for example, if you are to walk up and down each aisle in the entire store, you will have walked 1 mile at the end of your trip.

Most Commissaries have a case lot sale each year. Commissary Case Lot Sales are held during both the May and September timeframe each year. The sale dates for each store will be available at least a few weeks prior to the sales commencing. Check your local store during the April and August timeframes for more information.

If you have never shopped at a commissary before and you have base privileges, I recommend that you go at least once. You’ll be surprised.

Oh, one last thing… Don’t forget the scratch and dent section! The one at MCAS Miramar is pretty big.

How do I know so much about the commissary? I grew up in a military family, in a military town, and I grew up shopping on base with my mom. Occasionally when she has a large shopping trip, I go with her as her guest and push the cart (it gets really heavy too!!). I can’t buy anything, as my military dependent ID card has long since expired, but I get a good insight to prices, deals, and sales.  It’s a very fun store to coupon fairy at!

Shopping for healthy food with coupons: It can be done!

Abby H.

One of my goals for this blog is to show you all how to save money and continue to eat the same healthy foods you already eat, or give you new avenues for saving so you can afford more of the healthy foods you like that you can’t find coupons for.

Today I went to Ralphs. For $7.30, I bought all of this:IMG_2850

That’s 10 1 lb. packages of Driscoll’s Strawberries and 3 cartons of Dream Blends nut milk.  I used ten Driscoll’s coupons I earned from the Driscoll’s Advisory Panel and three Dream Coupons that I printed from a recent Facebook Campaign (they are no longer available). 

The Strawberries were $1.48 on sale and I used a .75 off coupon on each package, for a total of $.73/each.

The nut milk was marked down to $1.79/each and I had $2.00 off coupons. Because the coupon price was greater, the cashier adjusted the amount of the coupon on her register, so I received the nut milks for free.

But, what am I going to do with 10 lbs of fresh fruit? I’ve already chopped up 5 lbs and put them into snack size Ziploc bags. They are chilling in the freezer, perfectly portioned for smoothies or to go into yogurt.

Henry is taking two pounds to school tomorrow to share with his class (his school has a no baked goods/candy for birthday celebrations rule).

One pound we will eat tonight, and the remaining two will be served at Henry’s birthday party on Saturday. Ten pounds of fruit doesn’t go all that far when you have two guys that LOVE fruit!

If you follow a healthy diet and are looking for more coupons on the products that you regualrly purchase, here are a few suggestions:

  • Check the websites of the products you like. You’d be surprised how many have printable coupons on their websites! That’s how I found out about the Driscoll’s Advisory Panel!
  • Don’t forget to check websites like Coupons.com, Redplum, Smartsource, CommonKindness, and Hopster for healthy printable coupons. Common Kindness and Hopster specialize in “whole” food coupons.
  • Don’t skip out on the money saving apps! This article has a pretty comprehensive list of money saving apps.