Tips Tuesday - Grocery Shopping

Welcome to the FIRST edition of Tips Tuesday!

This week, we're sharing our tips for grocery shopping!

Here's my general process each week:

Monday:  Grocery list is published on iheartpublix.com.  I usually just kind of glance through it, print out the coupons that look like good deals, but don't make too much of a list yet.

Tuesday:  The Super Deals come out on iheartpublix.  This is the point I really make my list!  I usually buy anything that's more than 90% off and/or under a quarter (you never know when you can use/donate some things!).  I also look through the regular ad for things I might need or definitely use.

Wedneday: Grocery shopping day!  This used to be on Sunday, but they changed the penny item day.  I'll admit, it is a little inconvenient to shop on a work day, but something for (almost) free is definitely worth it!

Sunday:  I usually go back and look at the deals that have been posted since the ad started.  If I can wait until the next shopping day, I do, but I usually make a small run on the weekend for a few really good deals!  I also buy my newspapers there too on Sunday (cheaper than gas stations!)

Here are a few extra tips for grocery shopping:

-Go in with a list.  Don't try to just shop for whatever - you WILL waste money!

-Organize your coupons, from one side of the store to another (I usually go from right to left).  That way, you aren't digging through trying to organize in the store!

-Don't buy it if you can't use/donate it.  Even if you buy it for 5 cents, that's a wasted 5 cents if you don't put it to use!

-Write down the price after coupons on your grocery list.  That will give you a pretty good idea of how much you're going to spend. 

-Organize your coupons.  The only coupons I actually buy are in the newspaper each week (I get 2 newspapers on Sundays - 1 Tuscaloosa News, 1 Birmingham News).  If you write the date on the front of each ad booklet, and put them in order of date, you'll be able to go back later when you find out when that coupon came out and find it!  I also save the Publix flyers, and any random ones I find.  I Heart Publix has all of this on their site!

-A lot of people have asked how I make menus with the stockpiling method of grocery shopping (buying when it's on sale, instead of when you need it).  I usually wait until after Wednesday to make my menu for the next week.  I go through what I have and see what works.  The ingredients tab of allrecipes.com will let you put in your ingredients and show you what recipe will work with them.  It's great!

I think I could write a book about this, so if you have any questions, put them in the comments and I'll try to answer!

Now I want to see your ideas!  Just link to your post about grocery shopping tips below.  I can't wait to see what you have to say!

Note:  If you put the button in your post, the link was wrong.  It's fixed now, so you can just repost it!

All You Ever Needed To Know About Tips Tuesday

I'm so excited that I'm finally doing this!  I've been wanting to do a blog hop about fun tips for awhile, but didn't know if anyone would participate.  So you guys, please participate. :)

Here is the schedule, in case you missed it last week:

Tuesday, February 9th - Tips for Grocery Shopping
Tuesday, February 16th - Tips for Cooking
Tuesday, February 23rd - Tips for General Cleaning (what cleaners to use, how to use them, schedules, etc.)
Tuesday, March 2nd - Tips for Doing Laundry
Tuesday, March 9th - Tips for Staying Organized
Tuesday, March 16th - Tips for Decorating
Tuesday, March 23rd - Tips for Clothes Shopping (how to save money, staples to have, etc.)
Tuesday, March 30th - Make-Your-Own Tips (how do you make your own food/household items?)

And that gets us through to April.  If we have enough people participating, I'll continue the schedule from there!

I'm going to post the Mcklinky at some point tonight...I'll try to post it on Monday nights for the most part, so all of the working girls can participate too.  You can link up on Monday nights, or you can do it Tuesday...it's up to you!  When you link up, please link to the blog post and not your blog.  I want people to find these if they ever need to go back and get tips!  And if you would link back here in your post, that would also help everybody find all the good tips they could ever want. :)

These tips can be much more than just saving money...I want to know anything that works for you!  If it helps you accomplish this part of your day in a better/easier way, let us know...we could all benefit from it.

I also made a button, for your blog or the actual post!  Just copy and paste what's in the box below the button to your "edit html" part of the post or your layout tab in Blogger.

<br /> <a href="http://www.lambertslately.com"><img border="0" width="200px" src="http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww307/LeslieFLambert/Blog%20Items/tipstuesdaysbutton.png" target="blank"/></a>

This is also on the sidebar now.  You can refer back to it if you ever have any questions or need the button!
Thanks to everyone who participates tonight...I can't wait to see those fun tips!

Mini Grocery Run / New Blogs

 

I'm so far beyond budget this week, it's not even funny.

I had a few really good coupons for this week's sale that I didn't want to waste, so I did a little mini run this afternoon.  This week's budget is officially SHOT.  I'm just starting over fresh next week.

7 Boxes Nature Valley Peanut Bars - Normally $3.19 each, on sale for $2 each, had 4 $.40/1 coupons (which did NOT double for some reason) and 3 $.50/1 coupons (which DID double...I don't know) - $9.40 for 7 boxes

4 Boxes Uncrustables - Normally $2 each, had 4 $1/1 coupons - $1 for 4 boxes (considering I eat PB & J's for lunch every day anyway, this is an awesome deal...25 cents per sandwich!)

1 Bag Fisher Fusions Snack Mix - Normally $1.79 each, on sale for $1.50 each, had $1/1 coupon - 50 cents total

1 Bottle Frank's Red Hot Sauce - Normally $1.09, had a $.50/1 coupon (which doubled) - 9 cents total

2 cans Diamond Crystal Salt - Normally 89 cents each, had 2 30 cents/1 coupons (which doubled) - 58 cents for 2 cans

4 tubs/blocks Philadelphia Cream Cheese - Normally $1.89 each, on sale for $1.25 each, had a $1/4 coupon - $4 total

So, for $18.50 (pretax), I got $42.75 worth of products...57% savings!

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It's going to be a rough 24 hours.  I just worked for 5 hours on blogs, and I have to be up at 5 to be to school by 6 in the morning to work.  I have a faculty meeting tomorrow until 4, then more than likely will go back to working at school for another hour or two.  Come home, work on blogs some more, rinse, repeat...you get it.  Gotta make that money though! :)

Here's what I did tonight.

I also did the drop-down menu for this blog (which, if you've ever made a drop-down menu, you know that it takes a little while...I consider that a blog design within itself!).  Did I mention I've finally figured out how to do those? I need to put those on the blog page!

I also did some graphics for another blog that I'm about finished with...I'll try to put that up this week!

For now, I'm going to sleep.  Happy Monday to everyone!

Girly Day

Noah had to go out of town yesterday afternoon, so I decided to have a pretty day!

I got my toes done.  That might sound weird, since I don't like paying someone else to do something I can do, but if we're being honest...that's NOT something I can do.  It seriously looks like a five year old did it when I try to paint my own nails.  So I GLADLY pay the $9 (with tip) a month for it...well worth every penny!

 

I thought it was a cute color for Valentine's Day.  Like how I'm rocking the fake flip flops still?

I also did my hair.  I do my own color, since I just use one solid color all over my head.  I DEFINITELY wouldn't try it if I had highlights!

I thought it would be cute to do a before and after.  GET READY FOR IT.  You ready?

 

BEFORE.  Geez, I know.  Looking a MESS.  Sad thing is I didn't realize how bad I looked until I took the after picture.  Noah's a saint for waking up next to that each morning.

And, after...

 

Not a huge change, it never is.  I really don't have to color it I guess, I just don't want to be one of those girls walking around with the root line halfway down around her head.  I hate that!  And I do get roots if I don't color, so I've just kept on doing it.

Sidenote - anybody know if you can color your hair when you're pregnant?  (I'm not yet, I was just wondering.)  I've heard both, and since I do mine at home I really don't have anybody to ask!  Any hairdressers out there?

After I cleaned myself up, I went to a friend's house for the night!  I work with the SWEETEST girls, and I'm so lucky that they have become my friends!  We have a great faculty. :)

The Cranium teams for the night...

 

  

 

Fun day!

Saturday Morning Magician

Only a magician could turn this

 

into this

 

and this

 

into this.

 

Furthermore, it must take a magician to turn this

into this

 

  

and this

 

into this

 

  

I love making breakfast on Saturday morning!

 

(And, by the way, I'm the kind of magician that can turn the picture above into this...

...in about 5 minutes.)

Breakfast was great, but hanging out with these guys was my favorite part of the morning.

  

  

 

Show Us Your Life - Beauty Tips

I love my bathroom.  I have since the second I laid eyes on it.  It cleans up really nice for pictures, but if I'm being honest, this is what it normally looks like:

 

That would be because I have far too many beauty products for my own good!  But in all fairness, I do actually use (most of) them.  I don't normally have brand loyalty, but there are a select few hair/makeup products I can't do without!

 

This blog renewed my love affair with this stuff:  Freeze It.  I used it in high school for danceline, and had terrible memories of it shellacking my hair into place, only to have to chisel it out the morning after a performance.  That was the Mega Hold - don't get that.  It's no good.  Get the ORIGINAL hold, and it will change your life.  Best. Hair. Spray. EVER!

(Speaking of changing your life, check out the Hair Poofing 101 blog post...your hair will never be the same.)

 

I have been loyal to Redken's Anti-Snap for years....my hairstylist got me hooked on it.  It's a leave-in conditioner that smells awesome and keeps your hair manageable!  I have a whole lot of really thin hair, so it gets tangled underneath really easily if I don't use this.  It's a lifesaver!

 

If you're ever used Chi products, you know how awesome they are.  I had the Chi Straightener first, then got a Chi Hair Dryer for Christmas a couple of years ago.  If you use the hair dryer right (actually use a brush to blow your hair out), you don't even need the straightener!

 

My makeup bag is a big, terrible, hot mess.  I've tried a lot of makeup that I just didn't like, so it's stuck in the bottom...and I just can't make myself throw it away.  I do have a select few things that I like now, and I pretty much stick with those!

I LOVE eyeslipsface.com...it has super cheap makeup that is really comparable to the big brands.  I used Bare Escentuals for FOREVER, mostly because I'm bad about washing my face at night, and mineral makeup is okay to leave on your face overnight.  ELF has a really good mineral makeup line that is A FOURTH of the price of Bare Escentuals!  You can usually always find a discount for ELF on retailmenot.com too.

 

And, last but not least, the ever-growing lotion and body splash collection.  I VERY rarely buy these for myself, yet I have this much!  I don't think I'll ever run out of lotion (which I guess is a good thing).

The pink bottle I did buy for myself though.  I worked at a tanning bed in college, and this lotion is made by the same people that make the really expensive tanning lotion you buy at the tanning bed.  It's my favorite lotion ever!  It is silicone-based, so it's really silky, and has a really mild self-tanner in it.  It's called Tangelic, and it's by Designer Skin.

So, needless to say, I need to stop buying beauty products! :)

For more beauty tips, visit Kelly's Korner!

Groceries - February 3rd (and a whole bunch of randomness)

Ok, I have finally come to the realization that I am not going to be perfectly at $25 every week.  This is a big step for my type-A planner personality!  If I can keep it at $50 every two weeks, I'm ok with that.  I think that's more realistic anyway!  But I am adamant that I want to stay at $100 a month...it's a big goal, but I think I can do it!

This week, I spent almost my $50 limit for 2 weeks...boo.  Our Food World had a good deal on ground beef, so I stocked up, and this was a REALLY good week at Publix!  So I might just go over for this two weeks.  It WILL be alright (at least that's what I keep telling myself!).

(Approximately) 5.75 pounds ground beef (Food World) - $1.79 a pound - around $10?  I can't remember.

1 Pack Nature Valley Peanut Bars (Noah LOVES these) - Normally $3.19, on sale for $1.99, had a 40 cents/1 coupon (which doubled) - $1.20

TGI Fridays Mozzarella Sticks - Normally $3.59, on sale for $1.80, had a $1/1 coupon - 80 cents total

1 Marie Calendar's Pasta Al Dente TV Dinner - Normally $3.49, on sale for $1.75, had a coupon for 75 cents/1 - $1 total

2 Bags Pup-perroni Dog Snacks - $4.93 each (didn't give me the BOGO for some reason, I just noticed it) - had 2 $1/1 coupons - $7.86 total (I'll be checking on that.)

Publix Eggs - $1.69

2 Boxes College Inn Broth - Normally $2.49 each, on sale for B1G1 free, had 2 $1/1 coupons - 50 cents total

4 Blocks/Tubs Philadelphia Cheese - Normally $1.89 each, on sale for 4/$5 - $5 total (I know, I should have printed one of those $1/4 coupons!)

2 Muir Glen Tomato Sauces - Normally $0.89 cents each, had 2 $1/1 coupons - OVERAGE!!

Publix Milk - $1.59

2 Cans Campbell's Select Harvest Soup - Normally $2.39 each, on sale for B1G1 free, had 50 cents/2 coupon - $1.39 for both cans

2 Blocks Velveeta Cheese - Normally $3.85 each, on sale for B1G1 free, had 2 $1/1 coupons - $1.85 total

2 Tubs Heluva Good Dip - Normally $2 each, on sale for B1G1 free, had 2 $.50 cents/1 coupons (which double)- FREE!

2 Jiffy Corn Muffin Mixes - 86 cents total

Publix Freezer Bags - $1.99

2 6-packs Yoplait Trix Yogurt - Normally $2.79 each, on sale for B1G1 free, had 2 40 cents/1 coupons (which double) - $1.19 for both packs

2 Bags Kraft Cheese - Normally $2.99 each, on sale for $2, had 2 $1/1 coupons - $3 for both bags

2 Tubes Arm & Hammer Toothpaste - Normally $2.99 each, on sale for $1.49 each, had 2 $1/1 coupons - $1 total

4 cans Hunt's Tomato Sauce - 60 cents each, had a $1/4 coupon - $1.40

So that was 33.24 (pretax) for $78.32 worth of groceries - a 58% savings.  Not my best week (partly because of those stupid Pup-perroni things), but not bad either!  And I got a LOT of stuff we could use.

____________________________________

So you might have noticed a lot of tomatoes - I made ketchup tonight.  Sounds weird, but it was NOT that hard (kind of like making tomato sauce).  I priced it...to make 40 oz. (roughly) of ketchup, it was about $1.50.  Considering that even on the BOGO this week at Publix, ketchup was still $1.70 for 40 ounces, not too bad!  And it was made with mostly organic sauces/pastes, so better for you.

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Several people wanted to try the Mcklinky for tips that we all have, so I think it's a go!  Here are the details:

-I want to try to do it on Tuesdays and call it Tips Tuesdays (I do love me some alliteration).

-I'm going to make a button tonight...I'll put it on here when I get it finished!  I thought we could break it down by household chores for the first little while.

-Here's a schedule:

Tuesday, February 9th - Tips for Grocery Shopping
Tuesday, February 16th - Tips for Cooking
Tuesday, February 23rd - Tips for General Cleaning (what cleaners to use, how to use them, schedules, etc.)
Tuesday, March 2nd - Tips for Doing Laundry
Tuesday, March 9th - Tips for Staying Organized
Tuesday, March 16th - Tips for Decorating
Tuesday, March 23rd - Tips for Clothes Shopping (how to save money, staples to have, etc.)
Tuesday, March 30th - Make-Your-Own Tips (How do you make your own products that are usually store-bought, like my ketchup above?)


And that gets us through March.  I know I'm probably missing tons of things we can talk about, so leave me a comment and let me know what you'd like to see!

Wordless Wednesday: The Many Faces of Hardy

 

  

  

  

 

A Proposition

Ok guys, I have an idea.  The survey I did yesterday said that there were several people liked the money-saving tips.  Would anybody be interested in doing a MckLinky next Tuesday where you could post your Money-Saving Tips?  I'm learning, but I don't know it all by any stretch of the imagination.  I think everyone would benefit from us all sharing ideas!

I was thinking we could do a different theme each week - maybe food tips one week, cleaning tips one week, baby tips one week ,etc.  If you would participate, let me know in a comment on this post.  We could even call it Tips Tuesday.  I'll get a schedule together if y'all want to do it!

I think it would be fun!

Awards, And The Rules That Follow

I have always, always been bad about posting those that give me awards. I feel really bad about it too...I feel like, if someone takes the time to give me an award, I should at least acknowledge them...but I'm really bad about forgetting about the whole thing.

So my new friend is Google Blog Search.  All you have to do is enter the name of your blog, and you can see every time someone has mentioned you.  It's pretty cool - you should try it if you have a blog!  So, without further ado, here are the lovely ladies (maybe some gentlemen?) who have given me awards over the past few months.  If you gave me one and I don't have it on here, PLEASE please let me know and I'll add you!  I don't want to leave any sweet readers out. :)

 

Nic @ Low Expectations  

 

Crystal @ Crystal's Life

 

Susannah @ The Edwards Edition

Mrs. B @ From Our Place to Yours

 

Stormy @ Life: Stormy Style  

No award from this blog, but she talked about how hairy Noah is.  I thought it was absolutely hilarious...he is literally the hairiest person I've ever met in my life.  And I get to vacuum his house forever (jealous, aren't you?). :)

 

Moi @ Toddler Awesome 

I know that some of the awards have you tell a few things about yourself...how about 10?

1.  I change into my pajamas pretty much when I hit the door every afternoon.  It's the first thing I do when I get home.  I'm in love with pajamas.

2.  I have a weird obsession with baby registries.  If I know someone is pregnant, I pretty much always go to the Target or Babies R Us websites to see if their registry is up.  I'm going to be SO prepared when the time comes...

3.  I used to have a single piece of notebook paper that was my to-do list every week.  If I lost it, I was completely lost and panicked - it was my life.  I'm glad I broke that habit.

4.  Some people get a rush from illegal, non-healthy things...I get a rush from saving money.

5.  I'm about to start working a minimum of 50 hours a week.  I'm not going to lie, this scares me a little, but I'm also excited about the extra moo-lah! :)

6.  I'm not a schedule kind of person.  I like being able to make my own schedule, and do my own thing.  If you say I have to be somewhere at a certain time, I get a little antsy.  I'm working on that...I know I have to.

7.  If I can make it rather than buying it pre-made (food or not) for cheaper, I'm probably going to do it.

8.  I love the E-Trade commercials, with the baby talking.  If they're on, I will stop whatever I'm doing.

9.  My two Achilles's heels in my house are dishes and laundry.  I can make myself do anything else, but those two thing I just can't take.  There's a full overflowing basket full of laundry in front of the dryer as I type.

10.  At any given time, I could eat at La Fiesta in Tuscaloosa.

And as for re-gifting these puppies...I give them to all of you!  If you see an award you want to give a whirl, I want you to accept that award.  Let me know if you do accept it/do a post on it, and I'll include you in this post!

Just Because I'm Curious...

Since you are the ones that have to listen to me ramble all the time, I want to know what you think!

What are your favorite things I talk about on here?  If your favorite isn't in this list, you can leave a comment letting me know. :)

Get This - Survey Results - GlowDay.com

Let's Be Honest Here...

I'm having kind of a blah day today.  I've mentioned before that Sunday's are hard for me sometimes.

Well this one is definitely one of those Sunday's.

I am trying to get some laundry done, my house clean, and my blogs updated.  I had to go through and do the books on the blog design business yesterday - can somebody say yuck??  I was once an accounting major...it's a good thing I got out of that.

I'm just ready to be caught up with life again.  I feel like I'm constantly fighting from behind.  There's ALWAYS (and I do mean always) work to be done.  I've just been feeling lately like I never get a break, and it's just hard right now.  I'm trying my best not to complain because I've got it SO good (good family, good husband, good house, financially stable when so many people aren't. etc.), but even the good life can get hard sometimes.

I'm so thankful for this blog, especially right now.  It's nice to have something to complain vent to.  Thanks for listening to me ramble and be a brat every once in a while. :)

How I Made My New Camera Strap Slipcover

I got into a sewing mood last night...enthralling Friday night, I know.  I had an old camera strap slipcover that I had made, but it was looking kind of ratty.  I still had some of the fabric from that, so I made a new (and improved) one!

Here's how I did it.

(Excuse the dog in the background and the toys.  Somebody was obviously hanging out with me last night.)

 

1.  Cut 2 strips of fabric and 1 strip of quilt batting to fit your strap, with a 1" allowance on the sides and a 1/2" allowance on the ends.

 

2.  I also cut a pocket for my camera lens cover...width the same as the strips, and length 1" more than the lens.

3.  Put the batting on top of the thinnest piece of fabric.  Pin 1/4" down on all of the ends of the fabrics.  Sew the ends down.

 

 

4.  Put the batting/fabric piece with right side facing up.  Lay the pocket on top of that in the position you want it, then lay the other piece of fabric on top of that, right side down.  Pin together.

5.  Sew together on long sides only...

...and flip inside out.  Put on your strap at this point to make sure it fits and to see how wide the top stitch can be.

 

6.  Put a top stitch on both of the long sides ( mine had to be pretty narrow...allow the pieces of fabric to be wider for a wider top stitch).

 

And presto...new camera strap cover (without having to pay $25 or $30 on etsy for one)!  I think I paid maybe $2 or $3 dollars for the materials...I might even go this week and get some different fabric and make a  new one!  (Yes, this is the fabric I used for the coupon organizer...it's overkill, I know, but I had it lying around.)

Ballin' on a (Teacher's) Budget

Kelly is doing a blog hop for fashion tips this week.  I know I have several teachers-in-training that read my blog, so I thought I would do fashion tips for teachers!

Here's what I've learned so far about teacher clothes:

• Wear flats.  Flats, flats, flats...I can't say this enough.  I wore heels to work one day, and it was the most miserable day of my life.  I have two good pairs of black flats and two good pairs of brown flats.  I also have Sperrys and (when I can get away with them) Rainbows.  I'd say those 6 pairs are the ones I wear 95% of the time.
• On a similar note, buy several good pairs of pants and mix and match shirts.  I don't really skimp when buying pants.  They don't go out of style, and the right colors (brown, black and gray) go with everything.  Now I don't really spend a lot on shirts...mostly because they go out of style so easily.  Spend a lot of money on the things that will last!
• I absolutely love Forever 21 for dresses and shirts.  It is so super cheap, and they always have something cute for everyone!  They also have a new line called Love21 that is more contemporary (i.e. older)...so you don't look like you're trying to be a teenager.  Plus the sizes in that line always fit me better.
• Invest in one good pair of jeans.  Most schools have a jeans on Friday policy, so you won't wear them that much.  I don't skimp on jeans either...if you buy the right pair (and don't yo-yo diet like I have lately), they will last you for so long!
• Don't wear white/light colors...it just isn't a good idea, especially if you're in primary grades like me.  You will usually have something on your clothes when you get home (mine is usually coffee from sucking it down as quickly as possible every morning).
• I consider this fashion, because it's really an accessory...get a good lunch bag.  They have the insulated ones that are GREAT...especially if you forget to put your lunch in the fridge 70% of the time like me.  Also, make sure it's big enough to fit what you eat.
• Don't get shoes that your children can play with...I have a pair of really cute flats that have a bow on them, and whoever is sitting in front of my chair always plays with the bow.  Go simple, not busy.
• Avoid the teacher sweater at all costs.  Especially at Christmas and (in my area) football season, these are popular.  They just aren't flattering on most people (sorry if you're a teacher sweater fan...I'm just not).  I had a teacher in college that was retired from the school system that, as a end-of-the-semester present, gave us all of her teacher flair - Christmas ornament earrings, Halloween pins, you name it.  It was hilarious!
• And, last but not least...hand sanitizer is your best accessory. :)

Groceries - January 27th

Good week!  I ended up saving 78% this week, paying $19.85 for $69.21 worth of groceries.

4 Cans Rotel - Normally $1.33 each, on sale for B1G1 free - $2.66 for 4 cans

2 Boxes Alka Seltzer - Normally $4.89 each, on sale for $3.79, had 2 Publix $2/1 coupons and 2 Manufacturer $1/1 coupons - $1.58 for both boxes

2 Jars Salsa - Normally $2.79 each, on sale for B1G1 free this week - $2.79 for both

2 Bagged Contessa Green Steam Meals - Normally $7.99 each, on sale for B1G1 free this week, had 2 $2/1 coupons - $4 for both meals

1 Bag Chex Mix - Normally $2.50 each, on sale for $1.25 each, had $.50/1 coupon (which doubles) - 25 cents total

Publix Coffee - Normally $2.99, penny item this week

4 Bags Eight O'Clock Coffee - Normally $4.99 each, on sale for B1G1 free this week, had 2 $2/2 coupons - $6 for 4 Bags

2 Bottles Hidden Valley Ranch - Normally $3.59 each, on sale for B1G1 free this week, had 2 $1/1 coupons - $1.59 for 2 bottles

How Very June Cleaver Of Me

I've been in a cooking mode lately.  I get like that sometimes.  There are times where I just like to have those bagged frozen meals to drop in the microwave and not even think about, but then there are times where I like to be very Food Network-ish with my cooking.

This weekend, I made up my own recipe for something!  It's not something I do a ton, because I figure if someone else has already made the recipe, tried it, and liked it enough to share it with others, then it's good enough for me...most of the time.  But I was feeling adventurous (and wanting to clean out my pantry a little), so I went for it!

I have LOVED Rotel Chicken since college.  My sorority served it, and it was always my favorite meal!

You need:

1 lb. pasta

2 lbs. chicken

1 big block Velveeta

1 can Rotel

1 can diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted.)

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 onion

1 can Chicken Broth 

1/2 cup butter

First, get the pasta going.

(I did 2 lbs., but it was a little dry, so I would go with 1 lb. next time I try this.)

Then, saute your onion in a little bit of oil...olive oil is my favorite.  I use it for EVERYTHING!

After the onions are sauteed, drop in your Rotel, tomatoes, soup,  and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then drop to low while the pasta finishes and you get everything else ready.

 Cube up your Velveeta.

 

And roast your chicken in a 450 degree oven.  Preferably, thaw out before roasting (something I didn't do.  Whoops.)

Drain your pasta, and spread in your BIG casserole dish (I had to use 2 because I had 2 lbs. pasta, but you could probably get away with one if you only used 1 box).

Mix together cheese, chicken, and pasta in the dish.

Pour sauce mixture over the top and (wait for it)...pour melted butter over that.  I know...just pretend like you didn't do it, it will be okay just this once.  Plus I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, so I guess that's a little better.  (I also used 2% Velveeta and reduced fat Cream of Mushroom soup.)

Drop oven temp to 350 degrees and bake (covered) for 25 minutes.  Uncover, and bake 20 more minutes, until bubbly.

Makes a TON of food!

I also made my own bread yesterday.  It sounds really hard, but it was seriously easy...just time consuming!

(I got the recipe here.)

You let the yeast rise in warm water with some sugar for 10 minutes, then mix in flour and salt.  Let this rise

and it becomes this

Poke that down, then roll it into balls on a greased cookie sheet.

Cover with warm, wet paper towels

and let it rise...again.  Like I said, a little time consuming.

They will become this.

Bake, and they are super yummy!

I like to break down cost of each meal...it's just something I do in my head every time I cook.   I try to never go above $2 a serving, and I've gotten it to where our cost per serving is about $1 - sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.  Here's how these broke down, including my sale prices.

1 lb. pasta - I paid $.80 for 2 pounds, would be less next time around.

2 lbs. chicken - $3.40

1 big block Velveeta - $2.85

1 can Rotel - $.40

1 can diced tomatoes- $.40

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup - $.50

1 onion - $.25

1 can Chicken Broth - $.10 (I use chicken bullion.)

1/2 cup butter - $.20

So that's $8.90, and it makes 12 meals (6 per dish...I froze the other one.)  That's  74 cents per serving...not bad!

And the rolls:

Water - free

Yeast - 50 cents

Sugar - 5 cents

Olive Oil - 10 cents

Salt - 5 cents

Flour - 40 cents

So (about) $1.10 for 20 rolls.  If you have 1 per meal, that only adds 6 cents to each meal!

I've been reading this blog a lot lately.  I don't agree with a lot of the ways she does things, but I think some of her cost cutting methods are just FASCINATING.  I really like how she makes a lot of the foods we buy pre-made, like tortillas, salsa, and bread.  I think I may try some of it!  

One thing I am definitely trying is making my own garden this summer.  I have ALWAYS wanted to do this!  My grandparents had a garden when I was little...I spent many summers on my grandmother's back porch shelling peas and cleaning corn.  You have NO idea how good fresh garden vegetables are until you try them!  And it cuts way down on your produce bill...especially when you use free Amazon gift cards to pay for them.  So I'm ordering all of that within the next week...I'll be sure to put it all on here when I get started!

Numbers

4 Blogs. 1 Day. 1 Tired Lady.

These are the ones I finished today...AND I started 2 more!  I'm worn out, but I got a lot done.  Very productive feeling!

See what I've been up to today...click the headers to see the blogs!

 

 

 

A Very Birmingham Saturday

It's been a busy and fun day!

We had to go to Birmingham this morning so Noah could rewrite the insurance on a house for a friend. While we were up there, we had lunch with them! We ate at this cute little Greek place (can't for the life of me remember the name - started with an N - in Homewood - any of my Birmingham friends know what I'm talking about?).  I had hummus and and chicken salad pita - SO good!

I haven't seen my good friend from college, Nicole, in a long while, so we met up with her and had coffee after.  She was my maid of honor in my wedding, but living an hour away has just kept us from seeing each other as much as we'd like.  I got to meet her boyfriend and we just caught up for awhile...it was so nice! 

Her quote before taking the picture..."this is going to end up on the blog, isn't it?"  Yep, it did. :)

Since we've been home, I have been a complete BUM.  I need to work (and have every intention to work after I finish this post), but it's just nice to sit around every once in a while.  I'm trying to take a more "stop and smell the roses" approach to life lately, so that's my excuse for doing nothing this afternoon and I'm sticking to it! 

But there are currently 7 blog designs that are calling my name.  Stopping and smelling the roses will have to wait a little longer.