A Yummy, Good 4 You, CHEAP Breakfast!

I hate Sunday nights....that means Monday morning is coming up!!  I've had a good weekend celebrating hubby's birthday as well as snuggling w/ my furry babies!  No reality!!

My Sunday night ritual is to sit in front of my Excel spreadsheet and ponder over the food in our house.  From this, I create our weekly meal plan.  I was doing it 2-3 weeks at a time when I first started the Pantry Challenge, but now that I'm having to be creative, a week is all I can do!  I have had to go buy a few things here and there but I have saved AT LEAST 75% of my monthly grocery bill since I've started this!  :)  Awesome!  Oops...ADD moment!

Anyway...most Sundays I make a large pot of my "gourmet" oatmeal.  I wasn't an oatmeal person until the last few years.  I started buying Quaker Instant Raisins and Brown Sugar (or something like that).  At $3 for 8 packets (I think it has 8), I decided I had to do something different!  Now, I LOVE Oatmeal and HUBBY DOES TOO!!!  Wow!!  I also love starting the day w/ something warm on those cold mornings.  Here is my breakdown:

Oatmeal (Aldi) – 2.03 (tax inc) for 42oz. = 30 (1/2c)servings = .07 per serving

Walnuts (Aldi) – 2.34 (tax inc) for 8oz. =  8 (1oz) servings = .29 per serving

Golden raisins (Aldi) – 2.03 (tax inc) for 15oz. = 14 (1oz) servings = .15 per serving

Brown Sugar (Aldi) – 1.32 (tax inc) for 36oz. = 36 (1oz) servings = .03 per serving

My pot of oatmeal:

3c oatmeal - .07 x 6 =.42

2oz walnuts - .29 x 2 = .58

2oz raisins - .15 x 2 = .30

2oz brown sugar - .03 x 2 = .06

Made 6 servings

1 serving =  .22 per serving!!

VERSUS Starbucks @ $2.65 per serving AND theirs is instant…it’s good but mines better!

VERSUS McDonald’s @ $2.15 per serving…I’ve never had it.  I am not a McD’s fan unless it’s their unsweet tea w/ Equal. :)
                                                           My 6 meals of Yumminess

                                                               The finished product!

With Visions of Sugarplums Brown Sugar Dancing in my Head,

Joy

SERIOUS Bargain ALERT!

I just got the following for $9!!!

2-$25 gift certificates for Backyard Bistro
1-$10 gift certificate for El Havanero
1-$10 gift certificate for Cleveland Draft House

Yep, you read it correctly: $9  I'm a happy girl right now!

Use coupon code MEAL to get 80% off restaurant.com restaurant gift through January 31.  Make sure to read the fine print such as with the Backyard certificate you must spend $35 to use it...okay!!! 

Debating what to eat first!!!

Joy

Free Flu Shot, Anyone?

FREE flu shot at many Harris Teeter stores: The flu shot is $12.95 and you get a coupon for $12.95 to use the next time you shop. This is good at all HT stores in Raleigh that have a pharmacy.   I would also give them a call on the way there to be sure they have someone there qualified to give shots (usual the pharmacist has been trained) as well as be sure they will offer that coupon!  To check stores in your area, go to http://www.harristeeter.com/ and find a store!  

Keeping the Bugs Away,

Joy

Cheap Mulit-Guitar Stand!! DIY

As many of you know my hubby is a musician.  He only has about 482 guitars...so maybe I'm exaggerating a little but he has A LOT!  He has a guitar stand that holds 5 but he had outgrown that.  He went searching for multi-guitar stands online but they were right at $100!  He knew I'd have a baby cow so he went searching for a way to cut costs....did I tell ya' I taught him right!?  

He found the instructions on how to create one online using PVC piping.  He made me a list and I went to Lowe's and picked it up because I was off work that day.  You will not believe how little this thing costs!  It would also make a great gift for any friends/family that you have who are musicians.  Check out the break down:

All Piping and fixtures are 3/4 inch in diameter.

1  10 Ft PVC Pipe  $1.68

5  caps  .20 each = $1.00

1  piece (6 ft) insulated pipe wrap  $1.18

14  T's  .29 each = $4.06

6  elbows  .28 each = $1.68

4 oz (smallest you can buy) jar of PVC cement  $3.38 for the jar, he used 1oz = $.95

GRAND TOTAL (tax included because I had to pay it too) $11.29

Estimated Savings = $88.71 = almost 89%

How cool is that?!?!  As I mentioned, this is a GREAT gift idea!  It took hubby about 1 hour to complete it and it looks awesome as you can see below:

If you want to cover the white piping you could always do so with all of the various colors of Duck Tape they have out now.  I suggested the Tie-Dyed one to hubby.  I think that will probably be done later! 

NOW for the PIMPED out Guitar Stand....

We have some kinda black n' white zebra thingie going!  CUTE!!

Until Next Time...Rocking Out w/ Our Cheap Guitar Stand,

Joy

FREEBIE - Candle Holder

Supplies are limited so go now!  Tip:  I get a TON of freebies in the mail so I have created an email addy that I ONLY use for that!  No spam in my "real" email inbox!

Free Candle Holder - Mother and child metal and rattan candleholder. There is no commitment and no charge to receive this item.

Bargain Recipe: Ham & Pasta Skillet...YUMMY & EASY

I sit here and type with a full belly and ponder about how slack I've been when it comes to updates about the Pantry Challenge.  I will hopefully be able to sit down and update tomorrow since it IS the beginning of week 3.  I do apologize!  That thing called work keeps getting in the way!  In the mean time, I have to share a new recipe with you.  That is one part of this challenge that I am DEFINITELY enjoying:  Trying new things.  I love trying new things but hubby is not quite so adventurous.  He has been the past couple days because he wants to eat!  :) 

In my stockpile in the freezer I had 3 packs of sandwich sliced ham.  I had gotten it marked down because the sell by date was 2 days away from the date I bought it.  I paid .49 for a 12oz pack of lean ham...name brand at that!  The negative is I should have opened the packages and put 2 pieces on wax paper to separate for sammies.  Since I was so close to the sell by date, I don't dare leave the package in my fridge after defrosting for more than a day.  Rich has already been food poisoned by a ham sammie his sister made for him...years ago, but he won't let her live it down!  Anyway, I needed a recipe that I could chop up the whole pack in.  So, I turned to my friend google.  Those of you who know me well know that I can never make a recipe exactly as directed...that's boring!  So, I'm going to give you my version of the recipe because it was good!  I'm not a huge meat eater and could totally enjoy it without the ham...in fact, my dogs ate the ham out of my serving.  Hubby loved it! Oh, by the way, I was in the kitchen from start to finish for 20 minutes (not counting clean-up...hubby does that).

Ham & Pasta Skillet
all measurements are approximate - I don't usually measure - except for the liquids
 
10oz chopped, cooked ham
1 med onion, chopped (I used red)
3/4 c frozen, green peas
8 oz of cooked pasta (I used penne, org called for egg)
1.5 c fat free half n' half (the original recipe called for light cream)
4 slices (thin) swiss cheese (org. called for .5c cheddar)
3oz cream cheese, cubed
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp dried parsley
fresh cracked black pepper to taste (recipe called for salt but I didn't use any and it was perfect)

In a large skillet on med/high, saute onion in butter until the onion is soft.  Add chopped ham and stir.  Add peas, half n' half, cheeses, parsley, and pepper.  Reduce heat to low/medium and simmer until the sauce has started to thicken (this only took about 5 min).  Stir occasionally so it won't scorch.  Add warm pasta and stir....DONE!!  :)  Whoohoo!  ONE dish...love it! 

I had 3 hamburger buns that needed to be used so I put a tiny bit of butter, garlic powder, and italian seasoning on it and stuck it under the broiler.  I took it out when it was almost done and added a little cheese and placed it back in the oven, turned off.  Because the rack is so close to the burner when you're broiling, be sure NOT to catch your mitten on fire when getting the baking sheet out...NOT that I did this or anything.  ;)  And now for the finished product w/ my crappy cell phone...

Don't be jealous of the fine china plates!!  Give this a try and let me know what you think.  It was a winner here!!

Dreading 5:20 am,

Joy

Cheap Recipe Alert! Cheesy/Garlic Flatbread

Summer...WHERE ARE YOU?!?!  I miss you, my friend!

Okay, now that I've gotten THAT off my chest...I can continue!

I had to share this cheap recipe real quick with you all.  It's cooking now so pics will be added in a bit!  For those of you who have ever been to KickBack Jack's Restaurant, you will def appreciate this!  One of my BFFs gave me a big bag full of "stuff".  Her dad's friend works at a grocery store and right before the bakery stuff goes out of date, he gives all of it to my friend's dad.  I get to reap the benefits sometimes!  This time she gave me 2 peach pies, a bag of flatbread, a bag of wraps, and pita pockets.  I tossed all of it in the freezer not really knowing exactly what I would do with it yet.  That's when the ghost of Kickback Jack came into my mind!

They make a cheesy flatbread to die for!  It's also CHEAP!  I defrosted the wheat flatbread my friend gave me in the microwave.  I placed it in a single layer on a baking sheet (had to do this in batches) and a spread a little butter on top.  I put it in the oven on 400 for about 5 minutes, took it out and added crushed garlic.  Add some grated cheese...don't be stingy!  Place back in oven and turn oven off.  Let set for 4-5 minutes.  YUM!!
Side note here...If you do not have a Pampered Chef Garlic Press you don't know what you're missing!  You know how cheap I am and I gladly paid my $17 bunches for it.  I know I got my money's worth in the first month of owning it!  You don't have to peel your clove or anything...pop it in the little spot, squeeze handles and you have freshly crushed garlic!

Cost Breakdown:
Flatbread -  free for me!
butter - I buy it from Aldi by the pound.  1 lb = $2.33, 1 stick = .58, 8 Tbsp in a stick = .07 and I probably used 2 Tbsp on all 5 pieces, so .14 butter
cheese - Bought it BOGO so 1.63 for the bag, 2 c in a bag and I used about 1/2 c for all 5 pieces.  .41 cheese
garlic - I buy my garlic at a local produce stand for $1.50 for 5 bulbs. 1 bulb = .30, I used 3 cloves and there are about 10 cloves in a bulb so .09 for garlic.

Cost for 5 large pieces of garlic/cheese bread = .64 which means each piece is a little less than .13.  WELL worth it!!

************************UPDATE*************************

So, after eating it for the first time I would make a couple of changes for next time.  I would use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.  The powder can be more evenly distributed.  I think this is the ONLY time you will hear me say powdered over fresh!  The other thing...MORE CHEESE!!  :)  You can never have too much!!

Dreaming of warm, tropical beaches...and cheese bread,

Joy

Beautiful, "Thrifty" Bow

Are y'all thawing out?  I'm not!  It didn't get warn enough here today.  It like I have an ice skating rink around my house and down the street...hence why I've been inside in sleep pants all day!

Before I get into the meat of this post, I gotta fuss!  Did you notice my title of this entry?  Thrifty.  Yeah.  Thrifty = Cheap.  Some people are so offended by the word cheap.  I am NOT one of those people!  As long as I am saving money, who cares?!  Stepping off my soapbox....

Okay....for the REAL reason I posted...I FINALLY took down my tree today.  We have been so busy and I have never left it up this long before BUT it was VERY pretty!  :)  Anyway, my niece was helping me and said, "Aunt Joy, I love the bow and tiara on the top of your tree."  She was amazed when I told her I made it myself....for around $1.10!  She immediately said, "You have to take a pic and put it on your blog!"  I love that girl!

Now, I am NOT a bow maker....as a matter of fact, I normally fail miserably when I try.  I went to Dollar General and bought 2 rolls of mostly pink ribbon w/ a little blue trim....sparkly, of course!  It also had flexible wire in it.  They were $1 each.  I figured if I messed the ribbon up or got mad and threw it away, I was only out a couple of bucks.  I left the store having NO CLUE how I was even going to approach this task!

To make a long story short, the only material I purchased was the ribbon to make the bow.  I used one whole roll and make several large loops....think puffy.  I then twisted the middle.  I didn't know if that was going to be strong enough to hold it so I had a moment of genius (Hahahah)...I had just bought a bag of ice from Smithfield's Chicken and BBQ (more on my ice addiction later) and I was about to throw the tie away that kept the bag close.  I used the tie to give the bow some extra insurance and wrapped about a 12 in piece of the second spool of ribbon around the middle for 2 reasons:  To hide the twisty part/bread tie and to keep the bow together.  I left the streamers longer so they could flow down my tree.  Sure beats $20 for a bow!  Grant you, it's not as big or a full or as pretty, but I LIKE it!  :)

If I can do this, anyone can!!  Tell me what you think!  Again, please excuse the cell phone pic.  I will find my digital one day!  I also included a couple of pics of my tree so you could see how it matched.  :)

AWESOME Recipe: Sausage & Stuffing Criss-Cross Pastry

What a cold, yucky day!  Here in NC we have snow and ice...ugh!  I do want to start by remembering my cousin, Annette.  Friends and family said "good bye, for now" to her today.  We will meet again on the other side.

As you know, I've been living off my pantry and fridge/freezer for a little over a week now.  In the process, I have tried to be creative with recipes to use up things I have.  I found a WINNER!  I googled Puff Pastry and was given a sausage recipe.  Oh. My. Gosh!  It made me mad that I had eaten a BIG salad while the pastry thingie was cooking because I only had room for 2-3 bites!  My niece ate a big ole' piece and hubby ate 1.5 pieces and went back for seconds.  It ROCKED!  His words were, "I will definitely be asking for this again."  The best part:  EASY!!

I did make a few substitutions because of what I had on hand so I will tell you within the recipe what they were.  Also, a fresh jalapeno, finely chopped would be bangin' in this!

Sausage & Stuffing Criss-Cross Pastry

Ingredients

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed * I used both sheets
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage  * I used 1 roll of Paula Dean Sausage (.99 on sale a while back)
1 cup Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)  *I had a purple onion, so that's what I used
1 cup chopped mushroom (about 3 ounces)  *did not have so I omitted...don't think it needed it at all!

Directions

Heat the oven to 375°F.  Beat 1 egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.

Mix the sausage, stuffing, remaining egg, onion and mushrooms in a large bowl.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Cut slits 1-inch apart from the outer edge to the fold mark on each side of the pastry sheet.  Spoon the sausage mixture down the center of the pastry. Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the sausage mixture, alternating sides, to cover the sausage mixture. Place the pastry onto a baking sheet.  Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the sausage is cooked through.  Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

**Mine ended up making 2 rolls since I had extra sausage...we ate 1 whole one (3 of us...HUNGRY people) and have a whole one left. I'm one of those weird people who pretty much remembers how much I pay for almost everything.  My husband just asked how much dinner cost...based on what I paid for the ingredients when I purchased them, BOTH rolls came out to be around $3.40.  That is 2 meals for 3 people.  That's .57 per meal per person!  :)  I'll take it!

My husband is emailing me 2 pics that I took from his phone because I have a POC phone!  It takes FOREVER to get then though.  I will add them as soon as I receive them in email.  

Trying to stay warm,

Joy 
                                                               Sorry for the bad pic...love the camera phone!  Not!

90% OFF!!

Just wanted to remind you the most stores are at 90% off of Christmas stuff right now!  Grant you, it's slim pickins' but you may still find something good!  I'll update later and let you know about my .10-.15 Target deals! 

Candy Bouquet Instructions

Sorry it has taken me so long to get these directions out for the candy bouquet...can you say EXAM WEEK?  Ugh...I thought that actually being the teacher during exam week would be MUCH less stressful...NOT SO MUCH!  I will blog either tonight or in the morning about how we're going on the Pantry Challenge!  :)

Cursing the EOC Exams, 

Joy

Candy Bouquet Instructions

Materials Needed:

*6 full size candy bars (or more depending on your container)

*2-3 fun size candy bars or other small candy treats

*bamboo skewers (1 for each piece of candy/candy bar)

*vase or other container that you like or find at a bargain!

*tissue paper-various colors; its very pretty with the shiny cellophane stuff too

*hot glue gun

*glue sticks

*foam block – size depends on your container

*curling ribbon bow or the ribbon to make your own bow

Directions:

*Hot glue bamboo skewers to the back of your candy by placing a long, thin line of glue wherever you’d like the skewer to go.  Gently lay skewer in hot glue.  I glue mine about 1.5-2 inches from the top of the bar just to give it support.  The small pieces were glued almost to the top of the piece of candy.  After you have the skewer on, take a small (probably 2x2 in) of tissue paper and poke a hole in the middle with your skewer.  Push the paper up to the base of the candy.  Place a VERY small amount of glue on 2-3 places around the candy and secure the tissue paper to it.  You want this to be very free flowing so just kind of scrunch it! 

By the time you have finished gluing your last piece, your first piece will be ready to use! 

*Place the foam block in your container so that it fits snugly.  Mine was very tight and didn’t go all the way to the bottom, so I wrapped the foam with tissue paper before putting it in the clear vase.  I also placed small hard candy pieces in the bottom of the vase that was empty.  If your foam does not fit snugly, simply put a few drops of hot glue on the bottom.

*I started my bouquet by “fanning out” 4 -6 candy bars in the back (think of the flower arrangements you have received).  Gently push the skewers into the foam…don’t push them all the way through.  :)  I ended up breaking off only about 2 inches of the skewer on these because I wanted them tall.  Next, using your other pieces fill in the empty spots, placing shorter ones towards the front. 

*The final step is to hot glue your bow to the front!

The thing I love about this idea is it’s SO easy (even I can do it), it’s cheap, and you can do SO many different things with it.  Whatever is on sale can go in it.  You could make it colored themed such as orange and black for Halloween, etc. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!  It is SO MUCH easier than it sounds!!

The finished product again!

All You Magazine and Pantry Recipes

I forgot to include this in my last post but I wanted to share a magazine with you that I have just ordered a yearly subscription of.  It's called All You and it has great coupons and cost-cutting tips.  It's only available at Wal-mart and the newstand price is around $2.30 after Wal-marts magazine discount.  I think I am paying around $1 an issue with my subscription.  You will definitely recoup that with just 1-2 coupons! 

I also signed up for their email newsletter which brings me to another tip.  You know how you have to enter your email address for almost everything online such as coupons?  Well, I have a separate email addy to use for those offers because I don't want my inbox bombarded!  Yahoo and google are great for free email accounts.  Anyway...as I was looking at the newsletter, something caught my eye!  RECIPES "SHOPPING FROM YOUR PANTRY"!!  How cool is that?!?!  I am sharing the direct link to that article below.

Get out there and save some $$$
Joy

http://www.allyou.com/food/one-list-five-meals/1-list-5-meals-week-15-00400000054129/

Pantry Challenge Days 1-3

I have been extremely busy with work so I do apologize for the delay.  Also, to those who have requested directions on how to make the candy bouquet, it's coming...I promise!

The Pantry Challenge is going GREAT!  It's day 3 and I haven't gone to the grocery store - that's a huge accomplishment for me.  I take after my daddy...I love the grocery store - not to mention Harris Teeter is having Super Doubles right now!  Ugh!

We've pretty much stuck with our meal plan.  I did have to sub tonight because there was a container mix up this morning and hubby took the leftover broccoli to work along with the leftover burritos makings!  So, we had instant mashed potatoes in place of the broccoli casserole and I will use the broccoli tomorrow night when he brings it back home.  It's all good!

Some have asked to see my meal plan.  I will post for week 1 tonight and post for week 2 on Sunday.  I will also let you know how well we have stuck to it!  It has actually been nice not having to play the guessing game of what's for lunch and dinner.  We already know!

It will look kind of weird because I am copying and pasting from Excel.  Also,  I used my own version of shorthand to fit everything in the blocks.  R stands for Rich and J stands for Joy!  On Saturday and Sunday we basically eat the same thing except for the mussels...yuck!
How are you doing on meals this week?  Are you trying to use any of your stockpile items?  Share some of your recipes from this week with me please!   :)

Planning, planning, planning,

Joy

WEEK 1  MEAL PLAN

1.3.11-1.7.11

Breakfast

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

J

HB muffin

HB Muffin

HB Muffin

oat. w/ raisins

fruit waff cer

sau,egg,che

stk, egg

R

poptarts

poptarts

poptarts

poptarts

brkfst cass

bis w/HB

toast

Lunch  J

leftov chikrice

ham meal

leftovers

leftovers

mini pizzas

leftovers

HBH, can

R

ham meal

leftov chikrice

leftovers

leftovers

mini pizzas

leftovers

gb, gb*

Dinner

Baked Chicken

Burritos, SC,

filet

s N b chicken

*chick tacos

chuck roast

*saus puff

cabbage

blk olives, lettuce

broccoli cass**

stuffing*

ricearoni

carrots, pots

pastry,

salad

broccoli

carrots (2)

froz gb w/ garl

salad

pearl onions

sopapillas

Snacks

nabs 5

TJ crackers

wk 1

hostess 2

oranges

cookies

trailmix

ritz 1 sleeve

choc ball

After Christmas Sales

While I cherish the true meaning of Christmas and celebrate the birth of our Savior, I must admit that I look forward to the days AFTER Christmas the most!  Why?  Sales!!  I started stressing on Christmas Day when I realized that I may be snowed in for the big sale day.  So, I sent my friend, Tom, a text.  He is from up north and loves the white stuff...snow that is!  He asked what time I wanted to leave and I sheepishly replied that Wal-mart opened at 6am.  He replied that I owed him big!  lol

He was at my house at 5:40...what a true friend!  :)  He did get treated to breakfast (with a BOGO coupon) and a White Mocha (aka heaven) from Starbucks (w/ a gift card).  He was laughing because by 9:30 we had:  Been to 2 Wal-marts, had breakfast, grabbed Starbucks, and were on our way to Target #2!  Not to mention that the store were empty so I didn't get stressed out!  I don't do crowds very well!

I now have napkins, paper towels, paper plates (2 sizes), Ziplocs, and dish washing liquid to last for at least 6 months...longer on some of the things!  I don't care if my dish washing liquid has ornaments on it...not for 1.32 for a huge bottle anyway!  Paper plates ran me about $1.50 for 60.  I don't care if they're red!  I am a State fan so there ya go! I also picked up a couple of dishtowels, Club crackers, and odds and ends for half off.  Since we don't have kids, hubby and decided to fill each other's stockings after Christmas.  One day doesn't matter when you're eating a Lindt chocolate!

I stopped into Walgreens Friday because my hubby had seen a dancing Elvis doll there before Christmas.  When he got home the day he saw it, he told me about it and said he was going to check after Christmas and see if it was half off.  I have taught him well!!  That was a proud wife moment!!  So, anyway, I ran in yesterday and he waiting in the car...it was 75% off!  I ended getting a $30 item for $7.50.  He was so excited that he sent me back in to get one for a gift for his mom!  I also picked up Lindt Chocolates, gift bags, and a few small Russel Stover's pieces.  Most of these are happily residing in my freezer.

Remember these tips:  If the candy is wrapped in red, Valentine's Day is coming up.  And green could be for St. Patrick's Day.  Also, may of the gift bags I bought are solid colors...birthdays, Mother's Day, etc.  Lots of items have Christmas decorating on the packaging but the actually item is plain.  All occasion!  I froze candy last year as soon as I bought it and it was fine this year.  I did a lot of baking for gifts and used lots of it there.  Tasted good to me!

What are some of your after Christmas deals??

Dreaming of chocolates and bags....for next year,
Joy

Bargain Crafts - Candy Bouquet

I mentioned earlier that I love to give things to people for no special occasion.  I especially like homemade stuff!  :)  I have a friend (you KNOW who you are) that is SO creative you just wanna smack her!!  lol  BUT you wouldn't because she's so awesome and generous.  :)

I wanted to share with you something I made recently for "someone" special for a birthday (I haven't given it to him/her yet).  I have had several people try and convince me I needed to give it to them!  It was so much fun and cheap to make - if you know where to go for supplies.  I'm going to list the supplies needed, where I got them, and how much I spent.  I'll be glad to tell you how to make it...just comment and let me know!

Candy Bouquet

9 full size candy bar (including a pack of reese's pieces) $1.50 (6 for $1) @ Michelle's Grocery

3 pks of Oreos (2 in a pack) .15 (20 pks for $1) @ Michelle's Grocery

4 little individually wrapped candies less than .01 each=.02 (a huge bag for .49 after Christmas) @ BJ's

3 Lindt Chocolate Truffles .24 (30 pk for $2.50 after Christmas) @ Walgreens

10 hard candies in the bottom of vase .14 (bag of about 70 for $1) @ Dollar Tree 

2 sheets of colored tissue paper .05 (40 ct. for $1) @ Dollar Tree

1 vase $1 @ Dollar Tree (and it's heavy glass)

1 squiggly bow .25 (4 on card for $1 after Christmas) @ Big Lots

19 bamboo skewers .37 (50 in pack for .99) @ Wal-Mart (I think..I've had them for a while)

2 mini glue sticks .10 (20 in pack for $1) @ Dollar Tree

1 small foam cylinder .50 (2 in pk for $1) @ Dollar Tree

Total (including tax on the items I was charged it on) =  $4.51  :)  VERY happy with that total!!

What are some other ideas you have for cute gifts on a budget?  Please share them!

Still peeling glue off my fingers,
Joy

Pantry Challenge - My Inventory

As promised, I'm going to post my inventory, no matter how scary it really is!  I will post the freezer inventory here along with what I've gotten done of the fridge.  If you would like to see the pantry stuff, just let me know and I'll share it.  I'm not going to post it now because its lengthy and I'm afraid it will bore you!  As you will see, I did a column for the item, another for the quantity I have, and the last one for quantity used.  This will help with my meal planning.  It may look like I have things written in the "used" category but I don't yet. Its the formatting having had to transfer it from Excel.  I guess I should feel blessed but I kinda feel like you need to call Hoarder's on me!  No, really, that's not necessary! 

We are going to start with the freezers.  I  have a small, chest-type freezer and the small one above my fridge.  Here it goes....

Meats Quantity        Used BBQ apprx 2c Split Chicken Breast 1 pk Sliced Ham 3 packs Link Sausage aprx 1 lb Steak 2 Mussles 2 packs Chuck Roast 1 Whole Chicken 1 Bologna 2 packs whole beef filets 2 sausage rolls 2 B/S chkn breast 4 packs Turkey Tenderloin 3 Taco Meat 1 Qrt Brats 1 pk Pork Tenderloin 1 Ground Turkey Rolls 4 Fish Filets 1 box Smoked Sausage 1 lb 1 lb Grd Beef 2 pks Bulk Sausage aprx 1 lb meatballs 1 bag cubed steak 1 pk of 2 red hots 4 dogs hot dogs 4 dogs sage sausage 1 roll sirloin 1 italian sausage 1 pk
Fruits/Veggies Quantity    Red Peppers aprx 2 c Brussel Sprouts 1 bag Blueberries 1/2 bag carrots 2 bags broccoli 2 bags Artichoke Hearts 1/2 bag mixed berries 1 bag green beans  3 bags peas 1 bag asparagus 1 bag cherries 1 qrt corn 1 bag green peppers aprx 1 c Mixed peppers 1 bag collards 1 bag pearl onions 1 bag black-eyed peas 1 bag mushrooms aprx 2 c mini yogurts 2 mashed potatoes 2 servings fresh onions 6 fresh potatoes 5lb bag fresh garlic 5 heads Misc quantity     Used rolls 1 bag pierogies 1 box Tater Tots 1/2 bag French Toast Sticks aprx 7 sti cinnamon rolls 1 bag hashbrowns big box puff pastry 1 box Daq Mix 1 1 lb butter 2 english muffins 6 french fries 1 lrg bag philly chsstk minis 2 bags

 

Desserts	quantity	Used
mini ice cream sammies	3
slice pie	1
candy	8 pieces
fudge	aprx 20 ps
Cookie Dough	4
strawberry sauce	1 c
smart ones	2 in a pk
brownies	aprx 10
baklava	aprx 10
Hostess	11
cool whip	1 tub
mini pie shells	6
gingerbrd cookies	1 baggie
oreo balls	1 baggie
Reeses Trees	6
Misc candy chips and nuts

Meals	Quantity	Used
Tenderloin meal	2
Chili	Lrg Bag
soft taco	1
hot pocket	2
breakfast casserole	1 serv
WW meal	2
shrimp fettuccini	1 bag
zucch casserole	1 serv
2 pk breakfast pockets	1
2 pk saus. Cross.	2 pks
bowl spaghetti sauce	aprx 2 c
2 pk twice baked pot	1 pk
mini pizzas	4
sm. Potato soup	2
egg rolls	4
baked ziti	1 meal
mini burritos	aprx 7
rib patties	1 lrg box

Here's what I have gotten done of the fridge:

FRIDGE	quantity	Used
Sour Cream	1/2 conta
Flour Tortillas	lots
milk	2/3 gallon
half n half	2 qrts
pickles	some
eggs	12
bbq sauce	1 bottle
salad	lrg bowl
jalapenos	10 whole
choc chip ball	2/3 left
cabbage	2/3 head
canned biscuts	1
cheese	lots
tater sauce
pepperoni	sm amt
cream cheese	3 blks
canned cinnamon rls	1
pickles	5 lrg

Keeping mind that the formatting looks kind of weird here.  I used Excel so mine looks different!