We are back! After a bit of a blog break, we are now trying to post (much) more often here at the blog! Today we are starting off with a post that has to do with a strategy we have found helps us save a ton of money on our grocery bill each week. We used to decide what we were having for dinner each night that afternoon - causing multiple trips to the grocery store each week, and a lot of wasted groceries each week. When we tried planning out a weeks worth of meals at a time, we found that we did much better with our diets:) and our budget!
So here's this week's menu -
Breakfasts: (nothing formal - we grab what we feel like, and Connor eats whatever Grandma offers to cook him!)
Eggo Waffles
Cereal
Blueberry Muffins
Fruit
Cereal Bars
Dinners:
Monday: Grilled Turkey Keilbasa, Grilled Potato Wedges, Green Beans
Tuesday: (Golf Night) Sub Sandwiches from Wegmans
Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas w/ Rice and Salad
Thursday: Lunar Pizza(Family Recipe for Italian Calzones)
Friday: Barbequed Chicken, Macaroni Salad and Baked Beans
Saturday: To be decided
A few notes:
- I don't ever plan dinner for Saturdays, we sometimes go out, eat with family or friends, or else we throw something on the grill - easy. Plus, sometimes we have something pop up unexpectedly, so we have to change dinner plans. If that happens, we have that meal on Saturday.
-Lunch - I don't plan lunches because I know Brian takes leftovers from the previous night's dinner. I don't eat leftovers, so I keep a supply of yogurt, cheese, fruit, crackers, and the like in the fridge for my lunches. Connor and Grandma eat lunch at home - whatever Gram makes that day - PB and J, mini pizzas, homemade "lunchables", etc.
-Leftovers - Brian takes leftovers for lunch the next day. We don't ever eat leftovers for dinner. I don't like leftovers, and I have found its easier for me to make four/five servings of dinner - and send the extra serving with Brian for lunch, than it is for me to deal with leftovers in my fridge. We are really good with portion sizes and have learned over time how much food feeds our family for a meal - another budget helper.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
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Freebie Fun....
So, I should probably tell you all that I am a Coupon Clipping Freak....I love the forums at Hot Coupon World and A Full Cup. I scour my feed reader for new deals constantly and I can spend hours in Target, Rite Aid, CVS and Walmart with my coupons, searching for hidden deals! I love getting free trials and coupons in the mail - ever since I was a little girl I would RUN to the mailbox to look for mail - and now I am getting great stuff - samples, coupons, full size products and more, all for free! I thought this would be a great place to share some of my favorite deals and freebies with you - there are plenty of GREAT coupon and deal blogs out there, and I am not going to list everything that is available, but I did want to share some of the highlights of each day with you.Brian is really great at finding these deals and freebies too, and we generally receive two or three products or coupons each day along with a great variety of magazines - we get Family Fun, Woman's Day, Weight Watchers, Golf Digest, Bass Master, Shape, Glamour, Taste of Home - a TON of magazines, all for free because of the deals we see online. In addition to the major coupon savings we receive, its such a great way for us to try out new products. Keep checking back for my favorite deals of the day!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturdays...
So another Saturday has rolled around...we've been on vacation from school this week, so it kind of felt like every day was Saturday, except for the fact that OUR Saturdays are usually pretty action packed!
Today will be spent at Connor's Soccer Game at the YMCA, then Gram and I will take Connor with us while his Daddy goes to the Golf Show that is being held this weekend. I intend to do our shopping for the next week while he's gone, pick up all of the coupon match ups I have on my list, and maybe squeeze in a stop or two at a few thrift stores in our area, then come home and finish cleaning out my closet! Tonight we will return to the YMCA as they are having a Roller Skating Party and that's what we chose to do as our Family Fun Night.
Family Fun Nights are pretty big for us - the event is often simple, many times we just stay home, but we like to have "something" planned to look forward to. We think its really important to spend some time together as a family each week doing something that we can all enjoy, without other pressing obligations, invitations or friends involved. Since we spend so much time during the week after school at meetings, we often get home later than normal, we often have work such as plans or grading to do, and it significantly cuts into the time we have to spend together as a family. Then, add in our weekend schedule (usually we have a birthday party or two to go to as well!) and visits with family, and its very easy for the time to get away from us. So our Family Nights are one of those things that we block out time for each week - usually Saturday night is when it happens but it is somewhat flexible.
I will post some of the things we have done for Family Fun Night activities later this week. The other aspect we like about our nights is that they are very inexpensive - often free...and living on a budget, well, who doesn't like that? It's a long way from when we were dating and newly married - our Saturday Nights generally consisted of dinner out, movies, basketball games, maybe a trip to the casino nearby, or occasionally, "downtown" with friends....all costing at least $100.00 each night - now we are really trying to make each penny count and with a four year old, well, we are much more interested in spending our nights with him!
Today will be spent at Connor's Soccer Game at the YMCA, then Gram and I will take Connor with us while his Daddy goes to the Golf Show that is being held this weekend. I intend to do our shopping for the next week while he's gone, pick up all of the coupon match ups I have on my list, and maybe squeeze in a stop or two at a few thrift stores in our area, then come home and finish cleaning out my closet! Tonight we will return to the YMCA as they are having a Roller Skating Party and that's what we chose to do as our Family Fun Night.
Family Fun Nights are pretty big for us - the event is often simple, many times we just stay home, but we like to have "something" planned to look forward to. We think its really important to spend some time together as a family each week doing something that we can all enjoy, without other pressing obligations, invitations or friends involved. Since we spend so much time during the week after school at meetings, we often get home later than normal, we often have work such as plans or grading to do, and it significantly cuts into the time we have to spend together as a family. Then, add in our weekend schedule (usually we have a birthday party or two to go to as well!) and visits with family, and its very easy for the time to get away from us. So our Family Nights are one of those things that we block out time for each week - usually Saturday night is when it happens but it is somewhat flexible.
I will post some of the things we have done for Family Fun Night activities later this week. The other aspect we like about our nights is that they are very inexpensive - often free...and living on a budget, well, who doesn't like that? It's a long way from when we were dating and newly married - our Saturday Nights generally consisted of dinner out, movies, basketball games, maybe a trip to the casino nearby, or occasionally, "downtown" with friends....all costing at least $100.00 each night - now we are really trying to make each penny count and with a four year old, well, we are much more interested in spending our nights with him!
Friday, February 19, 2010
So here we are...
Hey there...
Welcome to our new project! Brian and I decided to start a blog...well, ok, I decided and he's along for the ride...to journal our year. As a (on hiatus) scrapbooker, this is one way I've found to keep track of our life in a format I can do everyday. If we aren't near our computers, our iPhones are always handy and we can pop in and post easily - love that about this day and age we are living in - easy access to technology!
So a little more about us...
Cheryl...In addition to being a wife, a momma and a teacher, I'm... a Mac Addict, permanently attached to my IPhone, a crafty girl and a really good cook. I am the baby of the family and l love to drive my brother and sisters crazy with my antics. I have no patience. I have two tattoos and am adding a third. I over analyze, over commit and over plan. I have a really big vocabulary. I despise poor grammar and bad manners. I say what I think before I think about saying it. I love shopping and a good sale. . I'm superstitious. I love a good glass of white wine...or two. My brother is teaching me how to be a gardener and I'm getting pretty good at it. I am very chatty, yet antisocial, a chronic worrier, extremely sarcastic, high strung, a shopping fanatic, decidedly indecisive, highly caffeinated, shoe obsessed, slightly crazy, overly hyper, completely sassy, fiesty, green eyed girl - totally living my happily ever after.
Brian...I'm "the man of the house". I teach urban high schoolers - freshmen to be exact, and I know a lot of Biology stuff. I grew up in the country, I drive a truck, I golf, I drink beer and actually, I like to drink beer while I golf. I can waste hours on the Internet. I do manly things like watch sports and use power tools. I also shop with Cheryl and know my way around the mall (Note from Cheryl - Bonus Points for that, B!:)). I like traveling, camping and getting muddy. Did I mention I like golf?
So, check back...you can look for posts from me and from B...giving a working mom and dad's perspectives on juggling life's curveballs, DIYing a house, living on a budget, and growing a boy.
Welcome to our new project! Brian and I decided to start a blog...well, ok, I decided and he's along for the ride...to journal our year. As a (on hiatus) scrapbooker, this is one way I've found to keep track of our life in a format I can do everyday. If we aren't near our computers, our iPhones are always handy and we can pop in and post easily - love that about this day and age we are living in - easy access to technology!
So a little more about us...
Cheryl...In addition to being a wife, a momma and a teacher, I'm... a Mac Addict, permanently attached to my IPhone, a crafty girl and a really good cook. I am the baby of the family and l love to drive my brother and sisters crazy with my antics. I have no patience. I have two tattoos and am adding a third. I over analyze, over commit and over plan. I have a really big vocabulary. I despise poor grammar and bad manners. I say what I think before I think about saying it. I love shopping and a good sale. . I'm superstitious. I love a good glass of white wine...or two. My brother is teaching me how to be a gardener and I'm getting pretty good at it. I am very chatty, yet antisocial, a chronic worrier, extremely sarcastic, high strung, a shopping fanatic, decidedly indecisive, highly caffeinated, shoe obsessed, slightly crazy, overly hyper, completely sassy, fiesty, green eyed girl - totally living my happily ever after.
Brian...I'm "the man of the house". I teach urban high schoolers - freshmen to be exact, and I know a lot of Biology stuff. I grew up in the country, I drive a truck, I golf, I drink beer and actually, I like to drink beer while I golf. I can waste hours on the Internet. I do manly things like watch sports and use power tools. I also shop with Cheryl and know my way around the mall (Note from Cheryl - Bonus Points for that, B!:)). I like traveling, camping and getting muddy. Did I mention I like golf?
So, check back...you can look for posts from me and from B...giving a working mom and dad's perspectives on juggling life's curveballs, DIYing a house, living on a budget, and growing a boy.
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