April Budget Summary

Well, as I said the other day, I had $3 left in my grocery budget for April. We managed to finish the week with no emergencies, so for the first time ever, we came in under budget!

Woohoo!

One would think that only spending $200 a month on groceries would mean empty cupboards at the end of the month. This is definitely not true at our house! My pantry and cupboards are packed. The fridge and freezer are looking a little empty, but I have to go tonight and pick up some produce, so it won't look that way for long!

We did make a quick trip to Target last night. Even though it was still technically April, it won't come out of my bank until May, so it's going towards my May budget. Here's what we got:

Skippy Peanut Butter $2.04, Used $1/1 peelie = $1.04
KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce $1.42, Used $1/1 here = $0.42
Heinz Relish $1.22, Used $0.50/1 (no longer available) = $0.72
(2) Heinz Vinegar $1.19, Used $1/2 here = $1.38/both
(2) Mission Tortillas $1.97, Used 2 $0.75/1 here = $1.22 each
(2) Nescafe Taster's Choice Sticks $1, Used B1G1 & $0.75/1 newspaper coupons= $0.25/both
(2) Stouffers Corner Bistro Subs $2.50, Used 2 $1.50/1 here = $1 each
(2) Yoplait Simply Go-Gurt $2.19, Used 2 $1.10/1 (no longer available) = $1.09 each

Total: $12.43, Saved $12.92 AND got a $1/1 Target Catalina for any Mission Product

Remaining May Budget: $162.57

Free Food Friday - 4/30

Auntie Anne's Pretzels - Sign up for "pretzel perks" and receive a coupon for a free pretzel every month!

Baker's Square - FREE pie on Wednesdays with any purchase!

Buffalo Wild Wings - Buy 8 boneless wings, get 4 FREE OR Buy 6 traditional wings, get 6 FREE OR $5/$25 food purchase. Valid through 5/7.

Carrabbas - Become a fan on Facebook to receive a coupon for a FREE mini dessert with the purchase of an entree! Thanks Couponing to Disney!

Einstein Bros. - FREE bagel on Fridays until 11 a.m. through 5/19.

Ruby Tuesday - B1G1 entree when you sign up for their "So Connected" club

Steak n Shake - Kids eat free all weekend!

Sweet Tomatoes - Sign up for Club Veg to receive monthly coupons.

Be sure to check out my growing list of Kid Freebies as well!

May Freezer Cooking

As I mentioned earlier this week, I'm planning to do a freezer cooking day in May. As the weather gets warmer, I find that I have less desire every day to spend time in the kitchen. That, along with the fact that my kids experience "monster hour" every day at 5 p.m., has motivated me to do a big does of freezer cooking on Sunday & Monday. Here is my plan so far:

Chicken/Bean Burritos - This coupon for $0.75/1 Mission Tortillas came along just in time!!
Chocolate Butterhorns
Seasoned Ground Beef - For tacos, meat sauce, nachos or chilli
Waffles
Chicken Tetrazzini - Gonna base it off of this recipe, with a few additions & substitutions.

That's the plan for now. I'll let you know if I make any changes.

Almost there!

With three days left in April, I've spent $197 on groceries...$3 left. Think I can make it?? Hope so! Got worried last night when we realized we only had one roll of toilet paper to share between two bathrooms! Yikes! But, I made a quick trip to Meijer and the problem is solved.

I'm shocked and amazed that we're under budget and my pantry is full to overflowing!! I think we'll be doing a lot of cooking from the pantry in May. I'm also hoping to do a freezer day (or two) because lets face it: summer is coming and I don't want to be stuck in my kitchen when it's 90 degrees outside!

I'm going to try something new in May...I'm going to blog about every shopping trip I make and let you know what I bought, how much I spent, and most importantly, how much I saved. I think it will be interesting, because I've never really kept track of how much I've actually saved in a month. We are headed to Colorado for 4 days near the end of the month, so I'm going to be brave and drop my budget down to $175. We'll see how that goes!!

So Excited - New Desk!

So after using the same Ikea table/desk for the last 8 years, we finally broke down yesterday and bought a new desk.

(No, that's not my office...I wish!!) It's part of Peter Walsh's new "You.Organized" Collection at OfficeMax. My favorite thing about it is the file cabinet ottoman. I love functional furniture! We ordered it yesterday and should be able to pick it up sometime early this week. Yay! My husband is hoping that this desk will keep me more organized with all of my "couponing". We'll see. :)

FREE Bagel & Schmear at Einstein Bros. Bagels

Einstein Bros. Bagels is once again giving away a free bagel and schmear, no purchase necessary! Go here and click on offers to print the coupon! It is good through 5/2.

Meal Plan Monday

Whew...these weeks just fly by! Here's my "plan" for this week:

Monday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Green Beans

Tuesday - Saucy Franks (recipe from my childhood! Will post this week!)

Wednesday - Mom's Night Out! (Frozen Pizza for everyone else)

Thursday - Grilled Marinade Chicken & Sweet Potatoes

Friday - Chicken Strips & Macaroni & cheese

Saturday - Out (Church)

Sunday - Leaving this one open for now...I need to try to find something new to try this week!