Update that does not include snot or saving money

I'm finding it hard these last couple of weeks to post any sort of update that does not include something to do with saving money on food or the snot that will not politely exit my head. 

Let alone meet writing deadlines, work, and actually cooking the food I saved money on for my family.

I am, however, catching up on all of my Bravo TV and the Real Housewives of New Jersey, New York and Miami. 

Somehow, my life seems so much easier now. 

This Week's Jeff's Market Savings...

Just so you know...I'm down with a cold this week.  Not feeling like shopping for much more than chicken soup. 

But I didn't have to shop for it.  Because I had it in my cupboard from when it was on sale last week. 
Yeah. 

So I'm not up for cooking much right now, but looks like a bunch of baking items are on sale this week at Jeff's.  So that's what I'm gonna buy. 

Cuz pretty soon, I will be baking a bunch for Christmas parties and cookie exchanges and all of that calorie-packing nonsense. 

ON SALE NOW:
Flour
Sugar
Butter
Powdered Sugar
Assorted baking chips
Eggs


MAGNIFY THE SAVINGS:
If you go to magnifythesavings dot com you can find a coupon for flour and eggs I think.
You can also find one for the Our Family Bread Dough which is on sale this week. 

Clip some other coupons of stuff you normally use while you are there but save them for a few weeks to see if they will make it to the sale flier...which will save you more. 

I'm clipping the Paper Towel coupon and some soup coupons.  (As in Chicken Noodle Soup)

MEAT ON SALE:
T-Bone Steak $5.99/lb.
Center Cut Rib Chops $1.99/lb
Chicken Breast $2.49/lb.



2 RECIPES BASED ON SHOPPING LIST:

I'm not gonna bake, but here is what I would if I felt good enough:

Oh forget it....i will share this all purpose cookie dough one later.

I have to cook for the kids...so here is a marinade recipe that I have used for pork, beef and chicken.  Use it for any one of the meats on sale this week:

Please keep in mind that these measurements are approximate:

1 C. Oil
Almost-a-Cup Soy Sauce
Few T. Worcestershire sauce
Rounded spoon of mustard
Salt
Pepper
1/4-ish C. vinegar
Some lemon juice (1 lemon or maybe like 3-4 T.)
Parsley (because it just looks green and pretty and should be added anyway)
Garlic Powder (this one is totally to taste as well. I like garlic)

Mix it and marinade for at least an hour.  More is better. 

Happy Feeding-Your-Family.....cuz food is sposed to be fun. 


I'm wondering.....how do you save money while shopping locally?

Happy 12th Birthday, Claire-Bear!

I want to sing Happy Birthday to you.

But a different song comes to mind.....

You are my Sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are grey

You'll never know dear

How much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away.

Today you are an even dozen.

12.

I've said it like a million times...but it seems like only a blink ago that you arrived in this world.

And you turned the world as I knew it upside down.

But you were used to doing that even before you were born.

You were due to arrive on the 19th of October.

Thanks to the track record set by your older siblings being such big babies (term used in the literal sense), when they were born, we got to schedule your birth date for the 11th of October.

But YOU had other plans.

You decided you had enough of the life-in-utero and made it known on October 6th that you were coming...ready or not.

I got to the hospital and labored in the way that I had hoped to avoid thanks to drugs and and epidural that could stand up to a c-section.  

The doctors asked me if I  would like to let nature take it's course since you were so much earlier than expected.  

Besides the fact that this was not a part of my "birth plan" with you and I was not mentally prepared for nature to take it's course...something told me that you were a big girl.  To go ahead with the surgery.  Hand over the epidural, please.  

Within minutes of that decision....on October 7....all 9 pounds and 8 ounces of you came into my world.

And captured my heart.

Ever since you were born I would sing the Sunshine song to you before I laid you down to sleep.

And I love it that you still want me to do this.

As the 3rd child, sometimes I couldn't always rock you to sleep....you had to learn how to fall asleep on your own.

And you did.

I've always felt a sort of mommy guilt over this.  But it was what it was and you were fine with it.

And you have sort of grown up to be this brave girl who isn't afraid to travel her own path, even if it is not the same as your older brother and sister.  

I can't hardly type out this birthday letter to you anymore without getting all emotional.....

But here it goes:

Happy Birthday 

My dear, sweet Claire

I'm sorry if sometimes 

Things don't feel fair.

But you are special

You were meant to find your way

It may be different from others

But God's best for you, I pray.

You have changed my world

Challenged things I thought to be true

Made me grow as a mama

And made me better too.

This world is better

Because you are in it

I know God has big plans for you

From way before you were knit.

And whatever path

He leads you down

I feel blessed and honored

That I get to be around.

From molding and guiding

and helping you out

To stepping back and watching

You find your way about.

My instincts were right

On who you were born to be

My big girl with a big heart

Not one who knows you could disagree.

As we venture in

To these next handful of years

And go through everything

From laughter to tears.

Please don't ever 

Ever forget

There are two things on which

You can place every bet.

You've got God on your side

Ready to help you decide the way

And your mama who believes in you

Every 

Single

Day

Here's to the girl 

who started me singing "You are My Sunshine"

I thank God in heaven

For letting me call you

Mine

Happy Birthday, Claire

Love, Mama

Oh Snot.

I have a cold.

A lot of snot.

I can't go more than a few steps without sneezing.

And I sort of have to squeeze when I sneeze.

Or change my pants if I don't.

(if you don't get it then you either have never had children or you did your kegal exercises after you had children and therefore i think you are an overachiever who probably wouldn't really get along with me very well.  excepting for the fact that I get along with most people so i forgive you for being so type A)

Anywhoo.

Usually when I get a cold it settles in my ear.

Which means I have a lot of snot and I can't hear myself (or you) talk.

Which means when I talk to myself I actually have to talk a little louder to myself which sort of sounds like I am shouting out an imaginary conversation.

Which doesn't really make me look very good or sane to the nice people who are walking by on such a nice day. 

I mean...you know me, so you know that I'm "okay." 

But imagine what it looks like while I am "talking" something in my head out while simultaneously trying to not pee my pants. 

oh snot.

Hey Kids...before you do your homework, climb the tree so I can take some pictures before all the leaves fall out

Tips and a Recipe or 2 on saving some $ at Jeff's Market

I got tons of feedback based on my TOP 10 post for reasons I love to shop at Jeff's Market.

So much so, that I could probably make it a TOP 20.

Maybe another time I will make a new TOP 10.

One of the common themes behind some of the messages I got regarding this post was people asking me how I really did save money shopping here.

The answer is sort of simple:

1) I shop for and cook meals around the sale flier.

2)  I have ADD.

The two may seem unrelated.  But I assure you they are.

Let's start with #1....the sale flier:

I plan my shopping list around this.  This is not money-saving, late-breaking news to anyone who shops the sales.  But it may be something you didn't consider doing at your small-town grocery store.

But I do...and this is how:
The next time you pop in for a gallon of milk, pick up the sale flier.
Go home and circle the things that you or your family would eat or use.  This includes things like toilet paper and laundry soap.
Go back to the store and buy these things.

Take your savings up a notch:
Once you circle the things you eat/use, go to magnifythesavings dot com
Print off any coupons that coincide with the items in the sale flier that you circled.
Take them to the store with you and get an even better deal.
(not to mention impress the people that you are holding up in the line behind you.....i call this "extreme couponing--Jeff's Market-style. People that just came for a gallon of milk will ask you how you saved that much money.  Every. Time.)

Give Back:
So maybe you won't circle everything on the sale flier because not everybody in your house likes everything. But it is just too good of a deal.  (sale + magnify the savings coupon)
Get it anyway.
Give it to the food bank.
Or a food drive.
Or a college student you know who would love the gift of ravioli or mac-n-cheese.

#2:  I have ADD:
I have ADD.  True story.
Which is why the Jeff's Market sale flier works really well for my personality (disorder?).
Each week I get the flier.
It is a folded newspaper sized flier.  With no inserts.
I circle the things I like, get the coupons, and buy these items.
I may not use everything I buy each week I buy it....but it stores in my cupboard.
The sale fliers from super-stores in town have too many pages for my personality (disorder).
I spend too much because too much is on sale and I like lots of stuff so it is hard to stop.....

I admit it would be different if I only needed to shop once a month.
But I have kids.  This is not the case.
I need a sale every week that doesn't push me too close to the edge of a phone call from my bank.  (another fabulous thing about living in a small town!)

RECIPE based on LAST Week: 
Mini-Muffin Pizzas:

Please note that not all of these items were on sale last week.  But all items were made or purchased when they were on sale.

English muffins (last week)
Mozzarella (last week)
sausage/pepperoni (in my freezer from when they were on sale)
sauce (i made it and froze it because i like it)

There you go.

If you want to take another step to "magnify the savings"....you could

buy the english muffins that were on sale for $1 a package.
Fry some eggs that were in the coupons last week or the week before
pick up the kraft cheese slices on sale last week

and then:

fry some hard-cooked eggs
toast some english muffins.
put the fried egg on an english muffin and top with a slice of cheese
wrap it up in aluminum foil and store all of these in a freezer bag in the freezer.

THEN:
When your kid needs a breakfast-to-go:

Take what you need out of the freezer and heat it up in the oven while your wildcat is getting ready for school.  
It will be ready as he walks out the door.  


So...I realize that you may need an idea for next week's sale flier since this one is about over.
Here you go:   French Dip Sandwhiches

buy-
Go get a rump or bottom round roast.  $3.29 a pound.
And a loaf of french bread located on the table or in the shelves right next to the regular loaves of bread.

on hand-
onion soup mix
beef bullion cube or can of beef broth
can of beer

cook in a crockpot-
roast  with a pack of onion soup mix, beef cube or can of broth and a can of beer.

serve
meat sort of shredded up on the loaf of bread that is sliced to use as sandwhiches.  use the broth in the crockpot as a dipping sauce.

Why I Love My Small-Town Grocery Store

Jeff's Market

That's where I do 90% of my shopping.  For the last 14 years.

It has about 9 aisles.  I think.  Produce and meat/deli counter included.  Plus you can get your morning coffee  or a lunch there too.  Or pick up some fried chicken for supper.  Or something for the potluck-dinner that you need to bring-a-dish-to-share.

It's the only grocery store here in my small town.  I know a lot of people who shop the big supermarkets which are about a 20 minute drive from here.  Some things would be cheaper to buy at, like, walmart.  And Hyvee definitely has more produce and choices.

But I prefer my small-town grocery store--Jeff's Market.  And my system for shopping here has actually saved me some money over the big stores.  Here's my TOP 10 REASONS why I love my small-town-grocery-store over the big super-centers:

10.  I SAVE $:
Let's face it...sometimes the bottom line is about the bottom dollar.  I get that.  Actually, much of my life is like that.  Here is how I save money at Jeff's Market:
They have a weekly flier and coupons in the mail.  I plan my grocery list every week around this.

I shop every week and buy things I use that are on sale.  Even the items that you would think are cheaper at walmart, like laundry soap and toilet paper.  When these things go on sale, I buy more than I need for that week.  It lasts me till it goes on sale again.

I have actually thought about sharing recipes here based on things I buy on sale at Jeff's Market.  I've got some good ones.  Anyone interested?

9.  WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE SOMETHING I NEED, I ASK:
When my babies were actually babies, I remember going through the check-out line and mentioning that if they sold "Luvs diapers in size 4" I would never need to leave town.  (that was the only thing I really needed that I couldn't get at the store).  The next week, there were the exact diapers I needed on the shelf.

Now I ask for my favorite bread (nature's pride, nutty oat) and when I need a certain cut of meat....they cut the meat.

8.  LESS IS MORE:
Sort of going back to #1 here....9 aisles doesn't hold as much as the big grocery stores in town....but I find what I need and I don't spend as much as I do when I am in town.

7.  IT'S GOOD FOR MY DIET:
One of the kids came home from school full of nutrition/health/diet information.  She asked me what "diet" we were on in our house.  I explained we were on the "Jeff's Market" diet.  Whatever is on sale at Jeff's Market fits in to our diet.  You won't find this in any diet book, but it works.

6.  IT'S OKAY IF YOUR KID PUKES IN AISLE 9:
I have 4 kids.  Sometimes one of them gets sick, but you still need to feed everyone else.  I have been at walmart and had a kid throw up.  It was okay....they don't make you clean it up or anything.  They just loud-speaker "clean up in aisle 9" and you walk out of the store with no food and a sick kid.

I have also had a kid puke in the last aisle at Jeff's Market.  That means my cart is full of food...but I have to leave it there because my kid got sick all over the floor.  (i'm sorry)  I took my girl home and cleaned her up. Less than an hour later I get a knock on my door.  Someone from Jeff's Market is standing there with her car filled with my groceries.  She carries them in to my kitchen and tells me to stop in the store later on and pay my bill.

Walmart didn't do that.

5.  SPEAKING OF BILLS AT THE STORE:
So there was this time when I was in a hurry to run to the store and get a few items.  I put my debit card in my pocket and ran out the door and into the store.

At least I thought it was my debit card.

Turns out my debit card looked a lot like my victoria's secret credit card.

Unfortunately I didn't realize this until I was at the check-out counter with all of my things scanned.  I doesn't really work to buy groceries with your underwear credit card.

I'm not sure if this sort of thing happens all the time at Jeff's Market....but they acted like it did.  I took my stuff and ran home and grabbed the right card and ran back to the store and paid my bill.

Don't think hyvee does that.

4.  MY GROCERIES ARE IN MY CAR BEFORE THEY ARE EVEN PAID FOR:
Even after having #5 and #6 in my history of shopping here.....often times one of the high school kids who works at the store will start carrying bags of groceries out to my car even before all of them are scanned and paid for.  If one of the kids are not available, sometimes Jeff (as in Jeff-from Jeff's Market) will carry them out.

3.  THEY KNOW WHEN TO LAUGH AND WHEN TO NOT SAY A WORD:
I love the cashiers here.  They get me.  They know when I show up at opening minute to pick up 4 boxes of fruit snacks or cereal bars.  This means that I forgot about snack day at school and laugh.
And they know when a candy bar, a bottle of wine and a box of kotex crossed the scanner that I may not speak without tears.

Both scenarios happen on a regular basis.  They get me.

2.  IT'S GOOD FOR MY EGO.
I like to visit with people that I grew up with, am neighbors with and do business with.  I like it when I pick up a loaf of bread and someone who is there having a cup of coffee tellS me that they read the article I wrote earlier in the week for the newspaper and they loved it....and they are wondering when I'm gonna write a book.

Admittedly, it is hard to fit my ego out of normal sized doorways after this....but I still love it.

1.  THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY I LOVE SHOPPING AT MY LOCAL GROCERY STORE:  EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME:

Can I get the "Cheers" theme song into your head here?  Because it is totally appropriate.

When my youngest child was the only one home, I decided to take her with me to Hyvee.  She got to ride in one of those fun carts.  I even took a picture of her because it seemed like such a huge outing for her!  We finished shopping and were in line at the checkout when she got all nervous and needed to talk to me.

She said:  Mama, what if they don't know our name?!
and she was worried about this.

Because everybody at the local grocery store....the place she had been used to shopping since she was born (and vaguely remembers puking in)......they always knew us and addressed us by name.


So that's my top 10 for "Why I Love My Small Town Grocery Store."  I'm not kidding when I say that I could add to this list and start mentioning people by name.....
....but not without the "cheers" theme song playing in the background.