Money Saving Monday #24 - Grocery Store Savings

You can't get away from spending money on food, and it can be time-consuming to plan purchases to save the maximum amount of money. I haven't been as diligent as I should be about groceries -- I used to keep a price book; shop only sales; use coupons religiously. I have gotten sloppy, and our grocery budget reflects it!

I decided to get our food budget back under control this fall, and started with my shopping trip last night.

I couldn't get a better picture, but this is a shot of my receipt from last night's grocery run. I saved $135.65 between coupons and store specials, and spent $193.06.  I purchased 103 items, so it averaged out to about $2/item. I bought only things that we would regularly purchase, and everything that we'll use.  I was fortunate that I had a few coupons for free items, which helped bump that figure up.

I had a coupon for free bacon - which was worth $4.69 and a free Oscar Mayer Lunchable - which was worth $3.50.

It also helped that the store was offering quadruple coupons this weekend (up to $1) and also accepted competitor's coupons.  I had a bunch of coupons that were about to expire, so I used them and enjoyed the savings.

One thing that I noticed is that stores are definitely starting to limit the brands they offer. I had coupons for Musselman's applesauce, but the store I visited only stocked Mott's and the store brand. That happened with a frozen treat as well -- they only stocked the Dreyer's brand of whole fruit bars.

The thing that helped the most was that my sister came shopping with me.  She usually does, and it helps because she helps keep Lydia entertained while we shop. If I hadn't her help, there's no way I could have successfully used coupons last night.

I feel like I know many of the money-savings tactics for groceries, but the time factor required has overwhelmed me recently. I need at least an hour each week just to plan grocery trips -- reviewing ads, planning meals, reviewing coupons.  And then it's always at least 90 minutes in the store.

How do YOU find the time to save money at the grocery store?  I know the mechanics of saving money (coupons, where to find more coupons, sales, price books, price matching, loss leaders, etc.) Even though I know that, I'm not putting the things I know into practice right now. I'm curious about your strategies and would love to hear from you!

Seasons of Life

I often hear about the "seasons of life" when mothers are making sacrifices for their families and they're offered encouragement by saying that it's just their season at the moment. I've realized in the last couple weeks that I'm headed into a new season, and I confess that I'm a bit excited by it.

For the last decade or so, I've been primary caretaker of my family and children. It's a role that I enjoyed (most of the time) and accepted and reveled in (at times.)  The last year has been one of changes, and I think I'm only recently realizing how big they've been.

In the past few years, Bo has had opportunities to travel and while I've always encouraged and supported him - I admit that part of me wondered if it would ever be my turn again. The last month has shown me that my turn is coming and we'll all have to shift a bit in our ways to accept it.

In the last year, I've started and expanded a freelance writing career, pushed my blog to bigger & better, returned to training on a part-time basis, put my children with a sitter when necessary, gone away overnight with my hubby, taken an online class to improve my writing skills, taken a short vacation with my sister, traveled to General Mills to learn more and share my viewpoint . . . all of which has been made easier by a supportive husband and a good circle of friends.

I fumbled through a good portion of the last year, reaching out and doing new things as a necessity in the economic downturn. I want to be more aware in the next twelve months -- be more specific in my goals and straightforward in my intentions.  I don't see myself returning to a stay-at-home mom again; but instead I see myself continuing to grow in career choices and developing a part of my life that has been dormant for a while.

It's not easy, and I still have huge gobs of mommy guilt some days when I drop the kids off at childcare, or turn on the TV at home because I have a deadline to meet.  I'm also tired, and frazzled, some days as I try to juggle all the different roles. I'm going to keep asking for help. I'm going to keep striving for more. I'm going to keep reaching beyond the status quo to see what is possible!

I don't have all the answers. I can only do the best that I can for my family -- as we are at any given moment. Right now -- that means I have to go dance with my 2yo's Barbies!

Review: "Why Do We Have To Go To Mass?"

It seemed appropriate that I review this pamphlet on a weekend, because that's when you'll usually hear this question if you're Catholic.  The Catholic Company sent me a copy of "Catholic Parent Know-How, Why Do We Have to Go To Mass" for my honest review.

This is an 8 page pamphlet that contains many short articles explaining more about the Catholic faith and our reasons for attending Sunday mass.  I choked a bit when I read in the introduction about answering "Because that's what this family does!" or "Because that's what the Church says we have to do!"  I choked a bit because I have answered that way in the past when asked about attending Mass.  This pamphlet provides information, answers and guidance so that the question can be answered in ways to "encourage and inspire."

I especially liked the 2 page spread entitled "Ten Good Reasons to Go To Mass," as it provided simple, but thorough, reasons we choose to attend weekly Mass.  Number 9 jumped out at me because it was "We need ritual in our lives."  One of the things I tell my boys is that the ritual of Mass has always been very comforting to me - especially knowing that the Mass is performed the same way across the world, down to the exact same readings being read to everyone attending Catholic Mass.

I also appreciated the short blurb about taking infants and toddlers to Mass.  Right now, Lydia is a handful during Mass and we have struggled attending as a family. My husband and I have discussed splitting Mass times so that everyone except Lydia attends until she gets a bit older, but some friends have discouraged that approach. This article encouraged me as it mentioned that it is imperative that adults and children of the age of reason (7 years old) attend, but it is not imperative that younger children attend. Even if we attend once or twice a month as an entire family and split the family on the other weeks, I think it will be easier on all.

I would recommend having this simple pamphlet in your home as part of religious instruction, and just available for those times when attending Mass seems a burden. It only costs $1.95, but I think it's worth much more!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Catholic Parent - Why Do We Have to Go to Mass-10.

Disney on Ice Discount Tickets!

In April, we attended the Disney on Ice show as it came through Phoenix and had a fantastic time. I was amazed at the athleticism of the performers, and was happy to find it entertaining for all ages.  We had never attended a Disney on Ice show before, but we will definitely watch for future shows.

These shows are not inexpensive, however!  I was grateful this year that Feld Entertainment and Mom Central sent us to the show in exchange for blogging about it.  If you live in an area where the show hasn't arrived yet, I'm excited to share these special discount codes from Mom Central.

Look for the box marked "MC Promotion" when purchasing tickets:

• *Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.
• *Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price
• Offer #3: Get the best Front Row and VIP seats available – We have reserved seats in the Front Row and VIP sections just for you! No discounts available on these seats. Use the code MOM.

*Not valid on Front Row or VIP seats or combinable with other offers including opening night offers. Other fees may apply.

The above offers are good in the following cities:

• St. Louis: September 3-6, 2009
• Chicago: September 8-13, 2009
• Sunrise: September 17-20, 2009
• Dayton/Cincinnati: September 17-27, 2009
• Miami: September 23-27, 2009
• Auburn Hills: September 30 – October 4, 2009
• Charlotte: October 8-11, 2009
• Philadelphia: October 14-18, 2009
• Atlanta: October 14-18, 2009
• Oakland/San Jose: October 14-25, 2009
• Fairfax: October 21-25, 2009
• Sacramento: October 28 – November 1, 2009
• Baltimore: October 28 – November 1, 2009
• Uniondale: November 10-15, 2009
• Houston: November 11-15, 2009
• NYC: November 17-22, 2009
• East Rutherford: November 24-29, 2009
• Denver/Broomfield: December 3-13, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/12/09
• St. Paul: December 9-13, 2009
• Los Angeles: December 17-20, 2009
• Toronto: December 18-27, 2009
• Anaheim: December 22-27, 2009
• Philadelphia: December 23 – January 3, 2010 *available for purchase on 10/12/09
• Boston: December 26-29, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/3/09
• Ontario: December 30 – January 3, 2010
• Cleveland: January 8 -18, 2009 *available for presale on 10/2/09

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Feld Entertainment. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Review: Atkins Products

While I haven't followed the Atkins diet specifically, I know that eating more protein and less carbs makes me feel better - especially when I was dealing with gestational diabetes. In an effort to eat healthier, we've been taking a look at all our eating habits and trying to incorporate better choices into our meals.  When Mom Central asked if I'd like to try some Atkins products, I was willing to give them a shot. They sent me a box of penne pasta and a bag of baking mix to use in our kitchen.

We tried the penne pasta first.  It cooked up the same as traditional pasta, and I didn't notice any difference in the taste.  You can see our dinner from the other night -- steak, chicken (we didn't have quite enough of either meat for the 5 of us, so cooked both), watermelon and the penne pasta sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and Italian dressing.  I notice from the website that this is something they recommend for the final phase of their program, as I imagine the carbs are too high for the earlier phases.  I admit that I was worried it would be gummy or odd, but everyone in the family ate it without complaint.

Each serving contains 140 calories and 37g of carbohydrate, and 18g of fiber.  That compares to 210 calories, 42g of carbohydrate and 2g of fiber in a competitor's penne pasta.

A couple days later I made pancakes with the baking mix.  Once again, there was no noticeable difference in the taste or texture of the pancakes.  Again, these were higher in fiber than competitor's products. 

If you were following the Atkins diet, these products would fit easily into your plan.  They are also a great alternative for those trying to watch their carb intake and increase their fiber intake. There were no strange ingredients in either product, which I appreciated.

Atkins is currently running a recipe contest! Develop a new recipe using one of these two new products during the month of September, and have a chance at winning some fabulous prizes -- including an assortment of Atkins products! There are a variety of different categories, so try out your recipe-developing skills and submit a recipe!


*I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Atkins.  Mom Central sent me products to review and a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.*

Ringling Bros. Ticket Discount Codes

In late June, we had the pleasure of attending the Ringling Bros. Circus when it came through Phoenix.  Thanks to Feld Entertainment and Mom Central, my entire family was able to attend the show, and Lydia still talks about the tigers she saw in the dark. It was the first time any of my kids attended the circus, and they all thoroughly enjoyed it.

The circus is still touring, and I'd like to share some special discount codes from Mom Central you can use if it's still headed to your area.

At Ticketmaster, look for the box marked "MC Promotion" when purchasing tickets, and enjoy one of these exciting offers:

• *Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.
• *Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price.
• Offer #3: Get the best Circus Celebrity, Front Row and VIP seats available – We have  reserved seats in these sections just for you! Enter the code MOM. No discounts available on these sections.

* Not valid on Circus CelebritySM, Front Row or VIP seats and may not be combined with other offers including special Opening Night pricing.  Other fees may apply.


The above offers are good in the following cities:

• Denver: September 30 – October 11, 2009
• Boston: October 14-18, 2009
• St. Louis: October 15-18, 2009
• Cleveland: October 21-26, 2009
• Rosemont/Chicago: November 5 – 29, 2009 *available for purchase on Sept. 8. 2009
• Auburn Hills: November 18-22, 2009
• Charlotte: January 27-31, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 12, 2009
• Atlanta: February 12-21, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 12, 2009
• Cincinnati: March 10-14, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009
• Dayton: April 29 – May 2, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Feld Entertainment. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Listen to Me!

I talked with the lovely Chele over at Moms Love Shopping earlier this week and was able to give the scoop about how my Frigidaire refrigerator is working out, as well as my fabulous trip to General Mills and the Betty Crocker kitchen!

You can search for Moms Love Shopping podcasts on iTunes, or download the podcast right there. 

It's always fun to talk with Chele and you'll find out some exciting news of her own that she shared! 

Vacationing in Arizona

In this economy, you read more and more about people staying close to home for their vacations -- calling them stay-cations or sometimes state-cations (staying in their own state.) While the economy has definitely limited our vacation possibilities, we are lucky to live in Arizona where there are tons of interesting places within a few hours to visit.

Just last week, my husband and I discussed our wishes to get away for a weekend as a family. We're expecting our temperatures to start cooling off soon (well, next month), and decided to plan a short vacation to Tucson. It's only about 90 minutes away, but by staying the night we can visit more places and it'll feel more like a vacation. We'll visit the Morenci Copper Mine, the Pima Air & Space Museum and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

Bo & I visited the first 2 places a little over 9 years ago (pre-kids) during a weekend in Tucson. I have wanted to visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for many years, but just haven't made it there yet. I think the kids will enjoy all 3 places!

Holiday Inn is encouraging families to consider staying with them during their state-cations. With over 2,500 locations, you're bound to find one near you. A quick search at their site showed me that there are 9 locations in the Tucson area! They've redecorated and remodeled many locations, so you're bound to find yourself surprised you're in a Holiday Inn!

Do you have a stay-cation planned as the summer winds down? Where will you go?

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Holiday Inn. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Tell Me Thursday - General Mills Table Talk Trip

While I liked Kraig's guess yesterday that this was a new kitchen Bo built for me, this amazing kitchen is actually Betty Crocker's kitchen at the General Mills company in Minneapolis. I was one of a group of lucky bloggers who were invited to General Mills' Table Talk event to find out more about General Mills, learn some ideas and tips for making dinners easy and fun, and share our thoughts. It was a fabulous trip and I learned so many things!

Not only was I able to see the Betty Crocker kitchen, where they cook and test new recipes, I was able to cook in the Betty Crocker kitchen! My group made Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders and they were scrumptious and easy!

The shot of the kitchen above is only a portion of the kitchen. There are many more stations -- all equipped with sink, stove, rangetop, microwave and individual refrigerators. The huge windows allow in a ton of natural light, which makes the kitchens bright and cheery.

Did you know they have one person on staff who ONLY does grocery shopping? Every day she heads out to regular grocery stores to purchase groceries for all the recipes they prepare. This way, they make sure that the ingredients they choose are easily available to the average cook. I wonder if that employee dreads her own grocery shopping trips?

Here's a shot of Toni & Nicole breading the tenders: (Amanda was also in my cooking group, but I didn't get a shot of her)


And here's a shot of the tenders after we sampled them:



If you want to make them yourself -- here's the recipe straight from Betty Crocker's kitchen!

Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Start to Finish: 30 minutes

1/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 T water
1 cup Progresso Panko crispy bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmsan cheese
1 package (about 1 1/4 lb) chicken breast tenders
2 T butter, melted
Favorite dipping sauce (we tried bbq sauce, honey, and a really yummy peanut sauce)

1. Heat oven to 425 F. Line cookie sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray.
2. In shallow dish (we used pie plates), place flour. In another shallow dish, beat egg and water. In third shallow dish, mix bread crumbs and cheese. Coat chicken with flour; dipe into egg mixture, then coat with bread crumb mixture. Place on cookie sheet. Drizzle with melted butter. (We drizzled half the chicken with butter to see if it was necessary. I understand they included the butter to help brown the bread crumbs, but we didn't notice much difference. I will leave this step out to save the calories and the time to melt / drizzle.)
3. Bake 15 - 20 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in center and coating is golden brown. Serve with dipping sauce.

4 servings

1 serving: Calories 330, Fat 18g, Protein 18g
Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 2 lean meat, 2 fat
Carbohydrate Choices: 1.5

Even though I was only at General Mills for a few hours, I learned so much that I have a bunch of posts planned for the next couple weeks. I also did an interview about my experience for the Moms Love Shopping podcast that should go live tomorrow. Come back over the next couple weeks and read more about my experiences!

Did you play Wordless Wednesday yesterday? If so, don't forget to tell your story today & link to Tell Me Thursday!

Wordless Wednesday - MN Trip

Play along at Wordless Wednesday, then head over to Tell Me Thursday tomorrow to share the story behind the picture!