In The Next 30 Days

A 30-Day Challenge Closer to Brighter, Shinier, & Happier.

Archive for the ‘30 Days | Coupons’ Category

February 19th, 2012 by anna

My Unnamed Pot and Dinners for the Week

Do you name your favorite things?

And I’m not talking about my children or my pets, although, yes, they have names. I’m talking about my non-living things. For example? My iPod is Trixie: she’s uninhibited, fun loving, and knows all the best music. My car is Juanita because she’s Salsa Red. (I’ve also owned a Pearl.) And this, is my yet-to-be-named, brand-new, porcelain-enamel-on-cast-iron Dutch oven. LOVE. She (and I do think she’s a she) arrived as a beautifully wrapped birthday present last week and has yet to be used.

So now the real challenge begins. (I’m sure her name will reveal itself in time.) I need the very perfect recipe to christen my Dutch oven that also takes advantages of this week’s sales at the grocery store. Here’s what’s on sale: whole chicken, ground turkey, salmon fillets, pork ribs, ground round, pot roast, chicken sausage, lots of amazing veggies. And I’m willing to try something new.

I’m just a girl with a shiny new pot and a dream. Any recipe ideas for me? And please, please share any names you have for your very favorite things.

Tags: home, kitchen, red
Posted in 30 Days | Coupons, 30 Days | Dinner Simplified | 4 Comments »

February 17th, 2012 by anna

How I Made My Husband’s Day

I typically save my Target and grocery store trips for when Julia is in school and I only have one baby to wrestle. But today, Julia’s preschool took a long weekend, so a group trip it was. My list was short, but I save things like conditioner and dish washing detergent for Target because they have good prices. Plus I had a $5 gift card that I earned from diaper shopping last week.

Turns out, it was well worth wrangling the kiddo combo into the car seats this morning, bribing them with whole-wheat frozen waffles, and listening to “Hippo in the Bathtub” on repeat. You see, my Target is getting a makeover, and they’re going Super and adding groceries. All of their stock that’s not Super enough is on clearance, including the dish washing detergent. Score! Then, when I visited the conditioner aisle, I was offered a $5 gift card if I picked up three bottles. I did, and it didn’t matter to me that this isn’t exactly my usual conditioner. (How different can Dove conditioners be?)

So how did I make Jason’s day? I guess I channeled his inner hoarder. (Is this possible?) I brought home four packs of detergent (I might have gotten more if there was more) and the three bottles of conditioner. I think his words were, “Hey! Good job, Baby!” While I might not have a lot of room for boxes and bottles in my kitchen, I do have room in the bathroom. And I’ll make some room under the kitchen sink. Maybe I can get the hang of this. Maybe?

Tags: home, kids
Posted in 30 Days | Coupons | 2 Comments »

February 15th, 2012 by anna

Trip to the Grocery: A Post in Pictures

Tags: grocery, kids
Posted in 30 Days | Coupons | No Comments »

February 15th, 2012 by anna

The Results Show

Bottom line? I saved $60.10 today at Publix. My total bill was $152.65. That means I saved 39% of my bill. Yay! (The Fine Print: $20 of that total savings was from gift cards I earned from previous shopping trips. It’s still 26% savings. And, the grand total includes $17 worth of lobster I bought for Valentine’s dinner that’s typically not on the shopping list.) I feel good about the money still in my wallet, gift cards or not. And I think I have everything I need for the week with dinners planned and everything. The only thing I know I forgot is sandwich cheese. Peanut butter it is.

Tags: grocery, money
Posted in 30 Days | Coupons | 2 Comments »

February 14th, 2012 by anna

Clipped and Clip Boarded

This is what I look like organized, or at least trying to be organized. Today I sat down and looked at the grocery store sales and available coupons. With this information, I planned my dinners for the week (including a special Valentine’s dinner), and made my shopping list. I cut coupons and clipped it all to this cute green clip board, you know, so I look all official tomorrow at Publix.

One thing I discovered: Southern Savers only lists the sale and coupon combinations that make the prices the lowest they ever are. So today, when I checked, the sales they had listed were limited. In fact, there were really only four products that we even use on the list. Instead, the Publix web site was much more useful, and I was able to make and print a shopping list on the site. I collected coupons that I had-cut from boxes, printed from e-mails (more on this to come), and found on the Internet.

Here’s my coupon dream: I save money from the sales information I collected today, learning that it’s not necessarily the available coupon, but that it might be careful planning and forward thinking that do the most good.

Hey, a girl can dream, right? I’ll update you tomorrow when my coupon adventure continues.