NYRS Update

I forgot to update my New Years Resolution. My official weigh in day is on Saturday and as of Jan. 30, 2010, my total weight loss is 9.5 lbs!! I'm so happy about that! I have 5.5 more pounds until I reach my first goal of 15 lbs by March 1, 2010. I think I will be able to do it!

I have to be honest and say I have not stuck to my exercise 5 times a week resolution. I decided that I needed to start 1 thing first and then add more "resolutions" after I accomplish one. Right now, I feel like I have conquered some food issues and know how to deal with them when they come back (think the hungry monster from the Weight Watcher's commericals). So, this month, I hope to exercise more.

As I have said before, I'm not following a plan, but I am waiting for Dr. Oz to contact me!! I am melting a bunch of great advice into my plan. Here are some of my melting pot diet secrets (OK, they aren't secrets, but I just could find a better word):

1. Eat more fish. (2-4 times a week, either for lunch or dinner)
2. Eat more vegetarian meals (2 per week for dinner or lunch, if leftovers)
3. Cut out as much sugar as possible.
4. Limit Sodium (I try not to have more than 1000mg per day, some days it's easy, some it's really hard)
5. Eat the same thing for breakfast (either steel cut oats or cheerios with my son)
6. Increase healthy fats (olive oil, salmon, almond butter, nuts, canola oil)
7. Limit or eliminate refined/processed foods
8. Whole wheat/grain everything (bread, pasta, flour)
9. Cheating is OK in moderation
10. Watch Dr. Oz once a week (he scares me a in a good way, motivating!)

OK Dr. Oz, I'm waiting!

NYRU

Well, Dr. Oz's people haven't contacted me yet, but on Saturday, my official weigh in day, I was down another 2 lbs! Making it a total of 7.5 lbs since January 1! I am very encouraged and am happy to say that my pants are a wee little bit looser!

Two years and counting.......

Two years ago today, I married a man. He's not the man that I had conjured up in my childhood dreams. He isn't even the man of my adult dreams. He's the man who is far more dreamier than any of those dreams of past. Far more handsome, loving, supportive and all and all, amazing. Far more of a better parent and I love him so much!

Happy Anniversary Babe!

NRYU

I can't believe it's Saturday already! This week went really quick, but I guess it would since we were trying to stay warm and cozy at home due to the cold weather!

Well, today is my weigh in day and I am happy to report I am down 4.5 lbs this week, for a total of 5.5 lbs since January 1!!! This makes me feel so much better! I was feeling a little discouraged the first week with only losing 1 lb, but was determined to keep going. It really makes me want to do even better this coming week!

To make it easier for me to stick with, I have made little goals to accomplish. My first goal is to lose 10 lbs by March 1, and then keep going! My second goal is to get my "numbers" down by April 1, meaning, waist size, blood pressure, LDL and triglycerides down (yes, I do sometimes watch Dr. Oz and am going to re-read his book "YOU on a diet". He scares the crap out of me, and that's a good thing).

Does anyone have any other New Year's Resolutions to share? I'd love to hear them!

I have not started a designed diet program (i.e. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc) and am not being compensated (with money or free products) to mention or review any Dr. Oz products, these are my own thoughts and feelings, but if Dr. Oz's people would like to get in touch (which would be awesome!), my email is listed on this blog!

Thank you

Hi everyone!!!

I hope everyone is having a great week! I just wanted to write a note to ask you a favor. I know I do not have a very large following. With that said, I want to ask you each to help me out! I'd like this to be a great blog, dedicated to finding the best deals out there to save all of us some money. I'd also like this blog to have some substance as well, with recipes, my weight loss (success) story, how we can impact our world and so forth. So, here's what I'm asking:

1. Tell as many people about my blog as you can. If you have your own blog, please post a link to my blog on yours. If you don't have a blog, then word of mouth, facebook, email, etc. are really awesome tools too!

2. Tell me what you want to see! If you shop at Walmart all the time and want to see the coupon matches and such, then let me know! If you want me to start shopping at other places, like Sharp Shopper, Amelia's so you can find good deals, then please tell me!!

You can email me at frugalistainpa@gmail.com or you can leave a comment (just click the comment word below and it will prompt you further on how to do it!).

I'm really looking forward to hearing from you!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Grocery Roundup

As you know, our weekly family grocery budget is $40. I have to admit that in the month of December, I went over, a lot, preparing for our holiday and splurging a bit on things we normally don't buy. So, out with the old and in with the new. I stopped by Giant on Saturday to use the $1 double coupons and pick up some groceries that we needed for the week.



Green Tea-$2.29
4 Gerber Baby Food Packs: $1.03 each
Martins Chips: $.99
Giant Bread: Free
Canola Oil: $3.55
2 Sardines: $.95 each
Olive Oil: $6.99
Steel Cut Oats: $2.99
2 Light Bulbs: $1.49 each
2 Blueberries: B1G1 $3.99
Bananas: $1.69
6 Dannon Yogurt: $.40 each
9 Chobani Greek Yogurt: $1.00 each

I had coupons for almost everything except Olive Oil & Steel Cut Oats.

Total before coupons & Bonus Card Savings: $60.38
Total Bonuscard Savings: $24.57
Total Coupon Savings: 7.60
Total OOP: $28.27

I also went shopping last week, but wasn't able to post it. Here is the breakdown:

Total before savings: $56.77
Total BC Savings: $19.97
Total Coupon Savings: $3.00
Total OOP: $33.99

Right now I'm $17.74 under budget!

Did you get any good deals this month? Post them here!

New Years Resolution Update

From now on, this will be called NYRU.  It's been 1 week since I blogged about my resolution.  I have to say the beginning of the week was great!  The end of the week, not so much :(  But, I managed to lose 1 lb, which is 1 lb closer to my goal!  I was hoping to lose more due to my eliminating sweets & refined carbs, but the last 2 days weren't that great in that regard and I wasn't able to exercise 5 times this week, only 2.  But I am not giving up.  Yes, I slipped up, but I am not letting it me get down (OK, I am beating myself up a little). 

Thanks for indulging me and reading this post. 

How has your NYR going?  Let me know!

Another tidbit on lowering Grocery costs

I wanted to share another tidbit with you about lowering grocery costs, which I have been doing for the past couple of months.

I write down every single item we need and then shop off the list. BUT, say we need peanut butter. I will not buy it until I have a coupon and it's on sale, so it stays on my list (sometimes for weeks) until I can buy it cheap. It's not something that we must have at that very moment, not like say milk or yogurt. It's something that can wait until there is a good sale and then I stock up on them. When I say stock up, I don't mean 1 or 2, I mean as many as I have coupons for. So, I might buy 6 peanut butter jars at once.

I know what you are thinking, 6??? How can we possibly eat that much? Well, the expiration date is usually a year or so from when I buy it, so we do eat it all. It's also a very good item to donate!

Bringing Down your Monthly Grocery Budget

Over the past couple of months, I have been talking to a bunch of people about their grocery budgets, or lack thereof. What I heard is that those that have a grocery budget, try to stick to it, but feel it's OK to go over about $20 a month and those that have no budget feel they don't know how to get themselves on a budget.

Well, here are some practical steps I took to getting my family on a budget and keeping that budget every month.

1. Make a budget, even if you think it's ridiculous. Before we had our son, I was spending over $100 each week at the grocery store for 2 people. I didn't really use coupons and I didn't pay attention to sales. So as my son's due date approached close and closer, I knew we had to do something so I could stay at home with him. So, I told myself that our budget would be $90 a week (again for the two of us). I did that for a month to see if I could do it and you know what I did it. So then I kept lowering it and lowering it and soon, I was at our current budget of $40 a week, but now it's for the 3 of us.

Even shaving off $10 a week really adds up. That's an extra $520 a year that could be used towards car insurance or whatever else you might need.

2. Start clipping coupons. I heard from my friend that she's picky in terms of the groceries she buys and cannot clip coupons because there aren't any for what she needs them for. OK, I say. But are you picky about what kitchen cleaner you use? The Sunday coupons are generally heavy with cleaners, personal hygene & yes, food products. If you aren't picky about the cleaners, start clipping those coupons. Use them when they are on sale to get a greater impact on your grocery budget.

I used to think I wouldn't use any of the coupons in the paper until I started looking at them each week to see and compare what I bought each week.

Also, did you know most companies post printable coupons on their websites? So, if you have a food allergy or like to buy organic, then check out their website for either printable coupons or sign up for their mailings or emails and they will either send them to you in the mail or email you about promotions, like printable coupons.

3. As I said above, pair coupons with sales. I have scored a lot of free or under $1 name-brand items this way.

4. Take it slow. If you don't have a budget, try one for a couple of weeks and go from there. If you do have a budget, try not to go over for a couple of weeks. Also, if you know there will be a time when your food bill will be more, say like around the holidays or so, factor that in to your budget.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

As you may have noticed, I've been MIA for the last month or so. I apologize, as we had some family stuff come up and I needed to take a small break from the blog. Over the past month, I have been thinking a lot about this blog and I want I share and not share on it. There are some great ladies out there that do a much better job at getting all the great deals know than I am, so I want to do something that I am passionate about. Something that means the most to me. So, as the new year is here, I am going to change my blog a bit.

I am still going to have deals listed, retail, groceries and more, but I also want to include recipes, financial information and most importantly, my diet.

Now, I have some disclaimers to provide to you.

Recipes. I have already been doing the occasional Tuesday Treat Day, which I will continue, but it might not always have a treat listed (see below). It might be what I'm making for dinner or something of the sort and I would encourage you to email me with a recipe and picture of something you make and I can post those as well.

Financial information. I don't have a degree in finance, but what I want to provide to you is what my family is doing in terms of finance. How much we spend on groceries each week, how much we're saving on them with coupons and sales, etc. It's not something you must do in your family, but I have found that I have learned what works for us by hearing from other people. So hopefully it will help you as well and if not, then that's OK too.

Lastly, diet. I went to the doctors a few weeks ago and found out I had startling blood work results. It has really opened my eyes and I can longer say, "I'm going to start my diet tomorrow." So, I have already started my diet. I am a self professed sugaraholic, so this is my first battle to overcome, eliminating sugar/baked goods from my diet. Now, again, I don't have a degree in nutrition, nor am I a doctor, but I know for me to be healthy, I will need to eliminate sugar and baked goods, at least as much as possible. I also need to lose a lot of weight, so I hope you will indulge me and help me stay accountable. While I am doing this for me, I also want to make sure I meet my grandchildren and grow old with my super husband.

So, with that said, my January goal is to work out 5 times a week (week is from Sunday to Saturday) for 60 mins and eliminate sugar slowly. Hopefully, I can lose about 5-8 lbs this month. I am taking the mindset of "1 day at a time".

Blessings to you all on this New Year!

Sorry.......

I haven't been around a lot lately! Things are a bit hectic in the household at the moment and I am going to get back to blogging great deals and interesting tidbits! Thanks for your support and come back soon to check up on the new posts!

Karen

Tuesday Treat Day

Being from Amish Country, I thought this would be an appropriate recipe to share. This is truly the best wet bottom shoofly pie we've ever had! And trust me, there is a lot of competition around here for the best!

This is a great pie to give away for housewarming or holidays because it stays longer than a regular pie if you wrap it correctly!

Enjoy!

Wet Bottom Shoofly Pie

Topping:

3/4 c. brown sugar 1 TBSP. Crisco

1 c. flour 1/8 tsp. salt

Bottom (filling):

1 c. water 1 large egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 c. molasses (old barrel or turkey)

Mix flour, sugar and salt. Add crisco and mix thoroughly. Save 1/2 c. crumbs for the top of the pie. Bring water to a boil, add soda and stir in molasses. Cool slightly and add beaten egg. Stir Mix crumbs and liquid together Pour into unbaked pie shell and top with reserved crumbs.

Bake at 350 for 50-55 mins. Test with a cake tester.

Posting

Sorry I was VERY lax about posting over the weekend. It was Michael's first birthday on Friday and we had a party for him today, so I was baking and making food! I will be posting more tomorrow!!

I'd like to hear from YOU!

Hi everyone!

Thanks for checking out my blog! I want to make sure you are finding helpful information, so I'm wondering if you could help me out? Let me know what you like, what you don't like and what you'd like to see in the future! I really want to make this friendly for everyone and hope to get a bunch more people visiting and subscribing to this blog!

So, below this entry, click on the comments (you don't have to leave your name or anything, just let me know what you think!) and let me know or you can always email me at frugalistainpa at gmail dot com!

I look forward to hearing from you!

Fall Cleaning

It's cleaning day today. I have to admit that things have gone by the wayside here in the Horn household. With having a baby and then dealing with back issues and surgery, it's no wonder! But, I am starting my "spring cleaning" in the fall and it feels good to have things neat, clean and I love the smell of a clean house when you walk in the door! Now, if only I could remove all of the furniture and paint the entire house! Babysteps......

Accountability

So, as some of you know, I try to keep to a $40 per week grocery budget (including diapers, wipes and formula). To stay to that, I am going to write about my trips. I hate to say it, but as of right now, I'm over budget this week/month :( But I know I will make up for it this week, and the following weeks because Stauffers has a great $10/$50 coupon!! It's also Michael's 1st birthday in less than 2 weeks, so I know I need to buy some things we wouldn't usually eat due to his party.

OK, so this is how it broke down this weekend. I don't have any pictures because I was in a hurry yesterday to unpack and get some things done and Michael to bed.

Giant (I'm not fan of them right now):

6 Yoplat yogurts, 6 gala apples, 5 pears, 3 oranges, grapes, 2 cans Red Pack tomato sauce,

8 boxes of Green Giant frozen veggies, 1 lg can of Bushes black beans, 2 cans of carnation evaporated milk, 1 cereal storage container (you will see why I need this here), 3 bags of Hershey's semi-sweet chips (for Michael's cake), 3 Lean Cuisines, 320 count Pampers Wipes

2 boxes of Beachnut cookies, 2 Hallmark cards, 3 Hallmark sticker sheets

Total before savings: $86.16

Total coupons used: $19.68

Total bonus buy savings: $26.34

Total OOP: $40.74

Weis:

4 boxes of Cheerios, 4 boxes of Fiber One cereal

Total before savings: $27.92

Total coupons used: $15.00

Total club card saving: $11.92

Total OOP: $1.00

Darrenkamps:

10 cans of Carnation evap. milk, 1 lb. Clearfield White American Cheese, Rotisserie Chicken

Total before savings: $26.03

Total coupons used: $6.00

Total club card savings: $2.00

Total OOP: $3.55 (we had a $15 GC to use)

Total spent on groceries this week: $44.55

So, I'm over $4.55 this week :( But I know I will make it up next week! Thanks for keeping me accountable!

Catching Up

Do you ever feel like you have a million things to do and you can never get them all done because as soon as you check on off the list it's dirty again? That's how I feel today. You know, you get all the laundry done, only to find a big pile in your kids room or the bathroom.

Today, I've been taking some time to make a "to do" list and let me tell you it's LONG! I'm trying to cut myself some slack because about a month ago, I had back surgery. I wasn't able to clean much of anything when my back was really bad, so things have gone by the wayside and now, I'm overwhelmed.

Does anyone have a good system to stay on top of things? I'd really like to be able to sit in a comfy chair and not feel guilty because something needs clean. Let me know how you keep it together!

My Saving Story Part 2

Shopping a multiple stores.....HUH?

I know what you are all thinking...I don't have time to shop at one store, let alone 3 or 4. I used to think the same way, not to mention there are times I hate to go shopping! But, one major way I have found to save money is to shop the sales, not the stores.

Now, if you are still thinking you can't do one more thing in your schedule, just continue to read. If you haven't read my coupon article yet, please do because what I'm about to tell you will hopefully save you time and money!

Here's my routine: Once I make my list (grocery and otherwise), and clip my coupons from online and the Sunday news, I review the sales. I tend to look at Giant, CVS, Walgreens (Wags), Rite Aid, Family Owned Markets, Weis, SKH and Target. (WHAT? Yep, I look at them, but most of the time I go to about 4 stores in 1 week, and depending on our situation, I might only go to 1 store.) Now, I go back to my list and coupons and do match ups. I write a list for each store I want to go to and then I file the coupons that I need for that store in my coupon organizer. I probably have 10 items or less on each stores list, it will be different each week and different for everyone (I have a 3 person family). Knowing what I need ahead of time and organizing my coupons really saves me money at the store (plus I don't get sucked into buying items we really don't need) and once you get your own system, it won't take you long to organize your coupon match-ups!

I know what you are saying, "I'd rather just shop at one store than go all over the place, I'd rather pay for the convenience of it." I used to think that way too. I never thought I'd be one of these people making multiple trips to the store or mall, but I saw the results. It's worth my time to save $60+ a week in groceries a lone. I honestly spend no more than 20 mins in each store and you don't have to go to the most beautiful Giant or the biggest Weis. Sometimes, the stores I need to go to are within a mile from each other, so I just go to those places because that will save me more time (not to mention gas)!

One other thing I do: Sometimes, stores will offer a high value coupon, such as $10 off $50 or 40% off one item. I don't spend over $50 because I will go back and use another coupon to get another $10 off my purchase because I stockpile (I will write more on this). If the coupon is for 1 item, I only purchase 1 at a time. Sometimes you will get a nice cashier and they will let you split your order so you can use 2 coupons, so it doesn't hurt to ask and if you don't have time to go back to the store, just get back in line!

Still skeptical? Just try it for a few weeks to see if this will work for you!

Do you have any great tips? If so, please share them with us!

Couponing

Don't get discouraged if at first you only save a few dollars (which is fabulous already)! Your savings will ebb and flow. I know I went to the store once and my total was $130.57 before coupons and I walked out the door paying only $18.98. I haven't been able to do that well since, but I am still saving money. Any money saved while shopping is money in your pocket to do something else with.

How I save at the grocery store using coupons!

I'm sure there are many ways to organize and use coupons, this is my version. Once you get the hang of it, you will create your version, but hopefully this helps get you started!

I bought 2 letter sized plastic coupon organizers, I'm sure you have seen them, you can get them anywhere (but the key is letter-size). I placed labels on each divider (frozen, breakfast, Cleaners, Hygiene, Snacks, Baking, etc). Normally, I get a few Sunday Newspapers if I like the coupons and I cut out the ones I know I am going to use. The others that I haven't cut out, I place in a binder, just in case I hear about a good deal or a friend needs them. Next, I sort my coupons from online and the Sunday News and place in the appropriate area, making sure I place like coupons with each other.

Next, I make my grocery list, normally this is everything, what we need, what we would like to have and things that we maybe don't need right now, but we're running low. Now comes the fun part..... I check out the store circulars--all of them! From there, I widdle my list down. If we need something because we're running low and it's not on sale, I don't buy it. If we want something that we haven't had in a while as a treat and it's on sale AND I have a coupon, I buy it. Things that we need that usually don't come with coupons, I buy anyway, i.e. milk, produce, etc. But typically, I wait for a sale to pair with coupons and stock up (I will have another article on this soon!)

Next, I organize the coupons I am going to use that week and place in another coupon organizer. I find this to be extremely helpful, because everyone is busy, you don't have to fiddle around finding a coupon you want to use, it's right where you need it and you don't have to get them out and carry them around the store, just open up your organizer and give the stash to the cashier. I have labels on my organizer, such as: "This Week at XYZ", so I can get what's on the list and check out!

Since I'm a complete nut about organization, I also like to type my list out on Numbers (we have a Mac) and figure out the cost of each item and then subject the sub-total with my coupons to make sure I don't go over budget. (You must think I have a ton of time on my hands, but I really don't. Once you set up the spreadsheet, it takes about 5 mins to input each week. PLUS, it's a really good list to have if your husband goes shopping for you!)

Don't be discouraged if at first you are only saving a few dollars. The more you use coupons, the easier it will become to save and reduce your monthly grocery budget!