Menu:

• Breakfasts: Cereal, Yogurt and Granola, Waffles, muffins, oatmeal
• Lunches: sandwiches and leftovers
• Dinners:
  • Monday: BLTs and roasted acorn squash
  • Tuesday: leftovers from last week
  • Wednesday: Grilled chicken, basil, and tomato sandwiches, asparagus, grilled sweet potatoes
  • Thursday: BBQ pork sandwiches, potato latkes, salad
  • Friday: hotdogs and chips, leftover veggies
  • Saturday: frozen meal
  • Sunday: Chicken and rice casserole with beans and corn, chips and salsa

Grocery:

Publix - Lots of fruit and veggies, and basic items for the week.  I did get some free Chex Mix, and some very cheap (3 of them for $4.50) Voila! frozen meals, which are always handy to have around - and the UPCs from the frozen meals will be sent in to get a free Charlie Brown DVD (I personally LOVE Charlie Brown’s Christmas, although I think I may get the Thanksgiving one).  Also got 2 bottles of olive oil with a rain check from last week’s sale.  It would have been an amazing week of savings if I could have used all the internet coupons available for the sales, but you can read about my woes on that here.

• Spent: 55.75
• Full item value: 81.31
• Saved: 25.56 (31%)

Kroger - Stocked up on yogurt and granola (the kids LOVE eating this for breakfast), as well as Hunts tomato products - great sales with coupons.

• Spent: 20.87
• Full item value: 41.02
• Saved: 20.15 (49%)

Drugstores:

CVS trip 1: A good week to roll over my Extra Bucks, which I needed to do by the 25th.  Also made quite a few more, and came home with some free products - yeah!

• Spent: 0.00 out of pocket (.80 on gift card, and 12.48 in ECBs)
• Full item value: 24.28
• Received: 18.99 in ECBs
• Saved: 24.28, plus 6.51 more in ECBs than I started with (127%)

CVS trip 2: I forgot to print out my $2 off coupon, so would have done a bit better, but no way was I going to go home to get it and go back since this was already my 2nd trip for the week.  Got a few ECB items, then a couple non-sale, non-coupon items that I needed at home, since I had ‘made’ money already this week.  Since I still came out ahead for the week, I can’t complain too much about that extra $2.

• Spent: 0.00 out of pocket (2.57 on gift card, 17.98 in ECBs)
• Full item value: 29.80
• Received: 11.99 in ECBs
• Saved: 29.80 (100%)

Walgreens: No deals this week, just used my gift card to get a couple needed items.

• Spent: 0.00 out of pocket (6.57 on gift card)
• Full item value: 8.96
• Saved: 8.96 (100%)

Weekly Total:

• Spent: 76.62
• Full item value: 185.37
• Saved: 108.75 (59%)

… you know that the kids are up to something.  How come the only time they aren’t fighting is when they are getting into mischief together?

yes, the clothes went all the way around the other side of the dresser, which I couldn’t capture in this shot.  All of Morgan’s summer clothes, some of last year’s winter ones that she may still fit into, and some for this fall that I had pulled out.  All emptied onto the floor, waiting for me to organize them… again.

Well, I figured it would happen eventually, and it did while we were in China.  My beloved Publix has put restrictions on the coupons that they accept.  I have known for a while that the Publix I go to accepted more coupons than others in the area, and have been wondering if they would eventually change their policies.

The changes are in the areas of internet coupons, and they now no longer accept anything printed from the computer with a value of over 50 cents.   It’s quite unfortunate, because the reason all these stores are starting to have limits, or have policies where they don’t accept internet coupons at all, is because there is so much coupon fraud out there when it comes to internet coupons.  Despite the fact that most internet coupons are printed through some software that limits the number you can print (and puts a unique code on each so that you can’t photocopy them), this certainly doesn’t stop people from modifying things, photocopying, etc.  And the store won’t know that it’s not a valid coupon until they submit to the manufacturer and then do not receive their money back.

But for all of us honest coupon users out there, it really is a bummer.  At least half of my savings each week come from internet coupons, as well as all of my Walgreens and CVS $2, $5, and $10 off.  They will no longer accept these either.  Also, only a small percentage of internet coupons are actually 50 cents or under - they tend to usually be around $1 or so (although I personally prefer the 50 cent ones, because when Publix doubles them, they come to $1 anyway).

So what does this mean for me?  I actually figure that it’s going to “cost” me close to $10/week by not being able to use internet coupons anymore at Publix.  That’s how much I used them!  So, my weekly grocery budget has just become a much bigger challenge, and we’ll see if we can remain at $75/week without me getting completely frustrated (which is not the point of the challenge!).  We do have a pretty strict budget, so increasing means decreasing somewhere else, so I’m still going to do my best with the coupons I do have from the weekly circular books and pay even more attention to matching my meals to the sales.  I also may end up doing more shopping at my local Kroger, although I need to double check that they still accept internet coupons.

So, just a little heads-up for any of you, that a store has the right to change their policies overnight.  It’s too bad there are so many people who use illegal ways to ’save’ money, because it just ends up hurting so many more in the long run.  One other side effect of this is that there have been a couple times recently where I have handed my wad of coupons to the cashier, and each one was scrutinized, sometimes a manager was called over, etc., before they finally accepted them all.  I was made to feel as if I was doing something wrong, when in fact I am always extremely careful about only handing them the ones for items I actually purchased and that are valid.  But it’s to the point where they have to check to make sure they don’t end up losing money.

It really is a bummer.

Just a quick post to say that the tortillas were super easy to make and very yummy.  I had no idea how many one batch of dough would make, and it turns out it makes about 12, so I went ahead and did a 2nd batch and put it into the freezer.  They take about a minute each, and the dough just squishes down flat immediately, then the bottom part of the tortilla maker is like a griddle, where it cooks for 30 seconds on each side.  They came out soft and thin, just how they are supposed to be.  The tortilla maker has lived up to my expectations, and will become a regular part of my monthly cooking, I’m sure!

Last weekend we went down to the park right by our house with an old loaf of bread, and decided to feed the geese.  It didn’t take long before they found us, and were almost attacking Jackson to get the bread!  He was good at throwing them little bits (once he got over his initial scare and had thrown them a whole piece!).

Here he is telling the geese theat the bread is all gone!

Meanwhile, Morgan enjoyed the slide, and would go around to climb back up over and over.  Her hair would fly out all over the place because of the static on the way down.

Then we headed over to the swings, where Morgan enjoyed just sitting on a big-girl swing (we would push her just a tiny bit and she would just giggle).

Jackson was doing a great job pumping his legs, and could keep himself going for a short while.

And probably inevitably, Morgan fell off the swing, and needed some Mommy-loving to make everything all better.

We are loving the fallish weather!!

Well, the one word that best describes our little girl right now is WHINY!!  I don’t know if it’s her age, or a frustration with not really being able to talk or express herself yet (Jackson went through a phase like that), or if we just were not so good at tackling the whinyness earlier on, and now it has become the way she communicates, or what, but it can make for some rough days, for sure.  The face below is what we see a good part of the time:

She and Jackson seem to have a love/hate relationship, as do most siblings (if not all), but lately it seems to be more in the hate part!  Gavin and I have determined that while they were very different babies, they actually have very similar personalities in a lot of ways, so I think it just makes them clash.  And they are at the ages where they both want what the other one has, regardless of what it is, and Jackson often wins those battles which leaves Morgan screaming.  *sigh.  So we’ll see what a 3rd one brings into the mix with these 2 - maybe they will latch on to each other and become best buddies!

On the other hand, Morgan does have her sweet moments, and so often I look at her and realize she’s turning into a little girl right before my eyes!  She is a cuddler, and LOVES to be held, while she puts her head on my shoulder and sucks on her finger.  She still needs her cuddle ‘fix’ at least once an hour, if not more, and generally only wants me!  At the same time she does really well when I drop her off somewhere - like for my Bible study on Wed she goes into a little class, and she often will walk right in without any problems.

She has also lately become obsessed with using a spoon or fork (preferably both - at the same time - if i I will give them to her).  She is actually quite good with a spoon, and I think the only reason she can’t do the fork as well is because I have been unable to find small metal forks - I only have those silly worthless plastic ones that won’t even stab a piece of pasta!  We have one small good fork, that was actually my Dad’s baby fork, but it’s what Jackson uses most of the time.  If you know where I can find decent kids forks, let me know, I’m on the hunt! (And I know Babies R Us has those metal ones, but they are so blunt I can’t imagine they would stab anything either).

So the other day Jackson had left some of his cereal sitting on the table (no milk in it), and had used a large spoon that morning - I came into the kitchen to find Morgan sitting in his seat, shoveling what she could into her mouth with the spoon.  She will literally eat *anything, as long as she can use a spoon or fork.  Here she is, caught in the action:

She is not talking yet, but likes to say a few things here and there, mostly that don’t make any sense to us, but I’m sure she’s trying to communicate things!  Oh, and one more thing - I like to call her the ‘Segway’, because just like the vehicle, she makes herself go faster, almost run, by propelling her uppper body forward, and her feet have to just move to catch up.  It’s very cute.  But unlike the segway, she falls over sometimes.

Her hair is also getting crazy long, but I don’t want to cut her bangs, so I’m trying to keep them off her face with a barrette or a rubber band.  The barrettes don’t last very long, but if I wind a rubber band around quite a few times, then it’s a lot harder for her to pull them out.  I think it’s really cute, and it’s fun to try and do her hair, even if she fusses at me for doing it!

Well, as adorable as Jackson looks in this picture, his face pretty much sums it up - he hates soccer.  Well, that’s not really true - he enjoys soccer when it’s just he and Gavin, but won’t participate in any of the team stuff - the exercises, kicking drills, etc.  Gavin says it’s like pulling teeth to get him to do anything.  We don’t really want to just quit, but at the same time don’t want to make him do something that he doesn’t enjoy doing, especially when it’s an ‘extra’ activity for him (and supposed to be fun!).  Also, Gavin volunteered to help out with the group when the season started (soccer is his sport),  and the next week was handed a t-shirt that said ‘coach’! :)  So… we’re going to continue for the remaining 6 weeks, but may just have Jackson sit on the side and watch.  It generally takes him quite a while to warm up to things anyway, so maybe by just watching, and not being forced to do anything, he’ll want to join in later on.  Or, maybe not, and we’ll just know that we shouldn’t sign him up again next season!

Update: After practice today, apparently Jackson did much much better, and seemed to actually enjoy it (although it was torture getting him out the door)  So maybe he will come to enjoy it after all!

Starting next week I’ve decided to change my shopping day to Monday, rather than Sunday, now that I’m no longer working part-time.  Shopping onn Monday I would either be alone, or have only Morgan, and I can still do the 1 cent item at Publix that day as well.  So, my menus will generally go now from Monday to Sunday (I will make an exception for my shopping day when, for example, Walgreens has a $10 coupon for Fridays or Saturdays, which is happening often these days - since I can use it at Publix, it makes it worth it to go ahead and do my shopping.)

Weekly menu:

• Breakfasts: cereal, oatmeal, waffles, english muffins, homemade muffins
• Lunches: sandwiches, chips, leftovers
• Dinners:
  • Sunday: Chicken Sausage Jambalaya and salad (we never ate this last week)
  • Monday: Fish tacos and black bean salad
  • Tuesday: black-eyed peas, collard greens, homemade cornbread
  • Wednesday: leftovers
  • Thursday: Homemade pizza and salad
  • Friday: Beef nachos and refried beans
  • Saturday: Dinner at friends
  • Sunday: Dinner at friends

Grocery:

Publix: Stocked up on coffee creamer, and got tons of fruits and veggies this week.

• Spent: 55.81
• Full item price: 77.82
• Saved: 22.01 (28%)

Kroger: Chicken was on sale for 1.99/lb this week, so got 4 packages to last us for a few weeks, plus a few other items that were on sale there for less than Publix, since I was making a trip anyway for the chicken.

• Spent: 19.87
• Full item price: 49.63
• Saved: 29.76 (60%)

Drugstores:
Walgreens:  Got a couple rebate items, and was able to ‘make’ $3 by buying Pantene shampoo and conditioner.  Seems there are often deals on hair products - I have way more than i know what to do with, so time to give some away!

• Spent: 0.00 Out of Pocket (7.83 on gift card)
• Full value of items:  15.46
• Received: $2 in Register Rewards (to use on next visit) (and 12.99 of the full value were rebate items)
• Saved: 17.46 (113%)

Weekly Total:

• Spent: 75.68
• Full item price: 142.91
• Saved: 69.23 (48%)

Ok, so I may be a little odd since the only thing I could think of that I wanted for my birthday was a tortilla maker.  But I had had my eye on the thing since I went to the Bread Beckers class back in April, where I also learned how to grind wheat and make my own breads and stuff.  It wasn’t something I was going to run out and buy for myself, but I really did want it.  I really don’t like the store-bought tortillas, especially the whole-wheat ones - they are dry and don’t fold well, and taste way too bready.  I generally buy the white tortillas, but they are full of hydrogenated oils.

So, I’m SO excited to start making my own!  I have a recipe from the BB cookbook, and on Sunday night we’ll be making some tacos, so I’ll have my first shot at it.  It is a bit more time consuming than say, bread-making, because you do have to flatten each tortilla.  But I can make about 20 or 30 (not sure how many the recipe makes), and what we don’t eat right away I can refridgerate for 3 weeks, or freeze.  So I don’t see having to make them but maybe once a month, unless we have a Mexican-heavy month (which is very possible in this household - it’s our favorite type of food around here!).

I’ll write after I use it - a lot of the reviews talked about the dough exploding when pressing it down, but I’m hoping that the Bread Beckers recipe, as they developed it to use with this particular machine, has already accounted for that, and I won’t have to muck with anything too much.  Will let you know later how they come out!

(oh, and since my birthday was while we were in China, Gavin got creative and wrapped up a tortilla between 2 pieces of cardboard, wrapped it in paper, and gave me my gift while we were there! )