One of my favorite website is the Sunday Coupon Review. It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks!
Here are just a few of the new coupons that have me excited:
Most of us Costco shoppers love it for the good deals (and the samples- COME ON!), but ever wonder if there is a way to save more money at Costco?
First off, let’s be clear: Costco doesn’t accept coupons, other than their own. So don’t pick up a Sunday paper and get clipping thinking that you’re going to save a ton of cash at Costco that way, because… no. Not gonna happen. And most of the time, you don’t actually need the paper coupons from the Costco Flyer/Coupon book. The coupons come off at checkout OR the checkers all have the coupon books at their registers.
Here are my tips for saving money at Costco:
Keep a Price book. You can learn more about them here. It will tell you if that 5 gallon drum of hummus is a better value than the small 16 oz tub at your regular grocery store. Sometimes bigger isn’t better. Top money savers at Costco for my family include Fat Free Milk and PB2.
Make sure to use money saving and rebate apps! There is a full list here, but my favorites for Costco include Mobisave and Ibotta. Any rebate app that is not store specific can be used to save extra cash at Costco. I cruise all my apps before I hit up the store. It takes just a few minutes, and I usually save $5-$10!
Shop from a list. I know it’s an oldie, but a goodie. And it will help you save money.
Don’t shop hungry. Or with hungry kids.
If you’ve never had a membership, before you shell out the cash, check Groupon and see if they are offering their discounted Costco Memberships. A few times a year you can get a membership for $55 (which, btw is the regular price), but it comes with a $20 cash card, and a booklet of coupons for free merchandise- including their rotisserie chicken, which we love. You can only buy it if you’ve never had a membership. TRUST ME.
Talk Back: What are your tips for keeping the grocery bill down at Costco?
One of my favorite website is the Sunday Coupon Review. It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks!
Here are just a few of the new coupons that have me excited:
It’s back! After a long hiatus, I’m back to meal planning! If you are new to meal planning, check out my article on how to get started here.
This week I’m starting off by doing a quick fridge and pantry inventory, and making a batch of cookies.
Monday:
D:Baked Ziti, steamed veggies
Tuesday:
D: Indian food (Chicken Korma, steamed rice, steamed veggies)- I have a kit!
Weds:
D: breakfast for dinner (probably pancakes, eggs, and sausage) and fruit salad
Thursday:
D: Salsa Chicken with brown rice
Friday:
D: Bean and veggie enchiladas, green salad
Saturday:
D:Veggie and cheese egg bake
Sunday:
D: Leftovers
Lil’ Man has started eating a small toasted bagel with cream cheese for breakfast along with yogurt and fruit. Mr. C has been eating Oatmeal (from a awesome recipe I found online and altered) every AM, and I usually have an HMR Protein Shake, or I’ll make myself a bagel too.
Lunches for Lil’ Man are usually a grilled cheese, yogurt, a granola bar, and fruit (cut up apple, orange, or banana). I have leftovers or a frozen entree, and Mr. C usually a salad or leftovers or an HMR protein shake (He did the program last year and really digs on the shakes), or he has a business lunch and opts for a salad and lean protein.
This is one of the most popular recipes that I’ve ever cooked! It is a family favorite and is very popular for meal trains and freezer meal swaps!
I’m constantly tweaking and improving my recipe, so I wanted to share this recipe with you. I cook this all day in the crockpot and it makes the house smell sooooo good!
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (rule of thumb for this recipe 1/4 lb of meat per person, plus an extra 1/4 lb of meat for leftovers or seconds)
3 cups of your favorite salsa
1 bag frozen tri colored peppers and onions
Optional ingredients:
1/2c. chicken broth
1 cup rice or 1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 C shredded cheese
Directions:
In a crockpot, place the first four ingredients.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
(If you opt to add the last two ingredients) About an hour before serving add rice or quinoa to the crockpot along with the broth and turn crockpot up to medium or high. Meal is done once grain is done to your liking.
Stir before serving.
Ladle into bowls.
Top with cheese (optional, but tasty) and serve.
Makes 6-8 servings. Sometimes I turn leftovers into quesadillas, or add more broth and some C&W Southwest veggie blend and it transforms into a hearty soup! It’s so versatile and easy to make!
Have You heard of Freshly? It’s a gourmet fresh meal delivery subscription service. Every Freshly meal is free of gluten, wheat, refined sugars, peanuts, artificial colors & artificial flavors. And as a bonus, most of the meals are Paleo too!
Packed with veggies and lean proteins, these meals are low in calories too, especially when compared to other fresh meal delivery services. What I love about Freshly is their four company tenets:
It’s nice that a company is concerned about what goes into it’s food! We tried six meals, and here are the two I was able to photograph before they seemingly evaporated (into our tummies, that is).
Grilled Chicken Breast FajitaGrilled Chicken Breast FajitaGrilled Chicken Breast Fajita
Chicken Rustica with Roasted CauliflowerChicken Rustica with Roasted CauliflowerChicken Rustica with Roasted Cauliflower
The Grilled Chicken Breast Fajita was very moist and juicy- and the chicken breast was HUGE! The rice with the sauce was super tasty!
Hubs gobbled down most of the Chicken Rustica with Roasted Cauliflower– The sauce was so rich and creamy!
They have breakfast entrees too!
While I love to cook, I know that some people don’t. And for those people who crave healthy food and either can’t or don’t cook, Freshly is a great option! They are a bit pricey compared to frozen entrees in the grocery store, but honestly, the portions with Freshly are 2-3 times bigger that that frozen entree in your freezer! And they are delivered FRESH to your door! These entrees were perfect for the week when Hubs was working 14 hour days, between his day job and rehearsal for the play he is in.
To check out their current offering of entrees and any deals, visit their website at https://www.freshly.com. I don’t have a coupon code to share with you, like I usually do with my reviews, but you may be able to find one with a quick google search.
Disclosure: I received six meals free from Freshly in order to facilitate this review. I received No financial compensation, and all opinions are my own.
The price per unit helps you determine if the jumbo sized drum of applesauce is a better deal than a regular sized jar. How to determine the price per ounces is easy, most of the time stores do it for you! Take a look at the shelf tag- it should give you a price per unit, usually in ounces (oz.) or pounds (lb.).
If the price per ounce/pound on the larger container is smaller, then it is a good deal. When comparing, make sure both containers are using the same unit of measurement
Here is an example of what the shelf tags can look like:
The majority of shelf tags will list:
The Item
The size of the container (in ounces, pounds, or units)
The Price of the item
The price per unit (in ounces, pounds or units)
This is also a great strategy to see if the store brand or a brand that isn’t your usual brand is a better deal than what you normally buy.
If your store doesn’t have shelf tags that break down the price per unit, here is how you can figure it out- I recommend using a calculator.
Take the price of the item and divide it by the number of ounces/lbs/units in the package.
Let’s use for our example the Uncle Ben’s Buttery Ready Rice, pictured above on the left.
$1.93 divided by 8.8 ounces equals .219, which is 21.9¢ per ounce.
If you keep a Price Book, you might want to include a space for unit price, you would write 21.9¢ in the Unit Price Column. You can round up, or leave it as a fraction of a cent, to get an exact price for comparison. Learn more about price books here.
I’m no doctor, but I do know that when we don’t feel good, nothing is more soothing than lemon and honey.
I recently made a very soothing syrup, and I had to share it with you. I put 1/3 cup of the syrup in the bottom of a coffee mug and pour boiling water over it. I have been drinking a mug full twice a day.
It’s quick and easy to make!
Ingredients:
2 C honey (real honey, none of that honey flavored syrup junk!)
Juice of 10-12 lemons (reserve two lemons and chop them up)
A Thumb sized knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
Directions:
In a saucepan, combine the honey, juice, and ginger.
In a jar with a screw on lid, pack in reserved chopped up lemon pieces.
Cook on low for about 20 minutes. Do Not boil!
Pour honey mixture over lemons.
Screw lid on and let sit on counter until it reaches room temperature.
Store in the fridge.
Waiting for yummy syrup!Hunks of ginger
If you’re looking for the science behind all of this, Lemons contain a lot of vitamin C! Honey is very soothing and coats a sore throat. Remember that honey should not be consumed by anyone under 12 months of age. And ginger contains anti-oxidants.
Henry loves to garden. He loves planting seeds, watering, talking to the plants , and harvesting the fruits and veggies (even if he isn’t too hip on eating them all-yet!)
I think that it’s because of our heritage. My Maternal Great-Grandfather was a farmer in Minnesota.
Since we live upstairs in a condo, we don’t have 40 acres to plow and sow. So, like many urban farmers, we turn to container gardening. I have a growing Pinterest Board dedicated to container gardening, and I encourage you to join it!
Here are a few ways that we were able to start our garden on a budget:
I kept my eyes peeled on Craigslist free section for pots, I also put feelers out on social media for anyone getting rid of pots. That’s how we scored an awesome clay pot for our wild flowers!
We purchased heavy duty plastic pots at 99 Cents Only. They have a great selection of basic gardening tools, pots, planters, and tomatoes cages- all for $1.49 or less!
I found a great deal on seeds at Dollar Tree. I was able to pick up this box of seeds for only $1.00! I only used part of the box, since we don’t have a lot of room for our flowers. In addition to American Seed brand, they also had some Burpee brand seeds!
Most gardening stores are having sales right now- check out your local shop and see what kind of plants are on sale! We picked up a huge bag of soil, organic tomatoes (complete and in a planter with a cage), Green Bell Pepper, a 6 pack of strawberries, and a lavender bush for less than $50. We opted to purchase some plants in addition to seeds, just so Henry doesn’t lose interest in our garden (waiting for a tomato seed to grow into a bush is mind-numbing).
We are saving money on water too! Whenever it rains, we get out our rain buckets and collect as much as we can. It usually is only a few gallons, but we are able to use that water and not turn on the tap.
If you are new to gardening and aren’t sure what to plant or where to plant, check out Sunset Magazine’s Climate Guide. It will give you the ins and outs of when and what to plant. Luckily here in San Diego, it’s pretty temperate all year, so we can plant a lot of different plants.
Some of you may be wondering why we are growing wild flowers and lavender, since neither will produce any food. Well, no food for us, but food for bees! Without bees to pollinate the flowers on our fruit and veggies plants, there would be no food for us to harvest and enjoy! I try to plant flowers each year to entice the bees to visit our garden!
Our Garden Stones!
Last year we hand garden stakes with the names of our crops written on them. The sun faded them in no time. This year, we opted to do garden stones. I found a great project on pinterest and changed it up based on our needs.
We were recently gifted with two HUGE boxes of craft supplies and they contained these really cool wooden Whirligig/spinners (kinda like these). All we had to do was paint them! We quickly painted them up and added them to our planters!
I think gardening is a wonderful project for any family. It can be as small as a tomato plant on your patio, or as big as renovating your backyard to have a mini-farm! Gardening teaches kids about the life cycle of plants, and how to care for something else. I think it’s important that everyone know where food comes from, and how hard it can be at times (especially when you are waiting for it to ripen), so that we don’t take for granted our food.
Talk Back: I’d love to see your gardens too! Please comment with a photo, or let me know what you are growing!
We eat a lot of protein bars, especially when when we are on the go on the weekends and on busy school mornings. I love a cup of black coffee with a protein bar in the morning!
Right now you can score a free box of pumpkin pie Quest bars from Vitacost.com when you use code FREEPUMPKIN at checkout with any $25+ purchase.
I love Vitacost- They have great deals on vitamins, supplements, and natural skin and body care. They usually have great promotions and freebies too! Just type in Free Sample into the search bar here.
Oh and it gets better! Free Quest bars, Free Samples, and $10 off!! Sign up through my link here (I get a $10 discount off my next order of $30 or more too) and you’ll get $10 off your order of $30 or more.
Here is your monthly reminder! A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!
Most of us Costco shoppers love it for the good deals (and the samples- COME ON!), but ever wonder if there is a way to save more money at Costco?
This is one of the most popular recipes that I’ve ever cooked! It is a family favorite and is very popular for meal trains and freezer meal swaps!
The price per unit helps you determine if the jumbo sized drum of applesauce is a better deal than a regular sized jar. How to determine the price per ounces is easy, most of the time stores do it for you! Take a look at the shelf tag- it should give you a price per unit, usually in ounces (oz.) or pounds (lb.).
I’m no doctor, but I do know that when we don’t feel good, nothing is more soothing than lemon and honey.
I recently made a very soothing syrup, and I had to share it with you. I put 1/3 cup of the syrup in the bottom of a coffee mug and pour boiling water over it. I have been drinking a mug full twice a day.
We were recently gifted with two HUGE boxes of craft supplies and they contained these really cool wooden Whirligig/spinners (kinda like 
