Many people that I have met over the last year have wanted to save money, but I hear the same complaint, no one has enough time.  I should warn you now that you will have to adjust your thinking on this topic.  You should be thinking, I don’t have enough money to throw away. In the Savvy Shopping class we teach you Seven Secrets that you can use to save both time and money.

I asked Julie to share with our readers how much time and money she spends.  Julie is a SAHM with 3 kids (10,8,2).  Her husband works with computers and she loves to scrapbook and read in her spare time.  She volunteers in the community and at the local school.  Julie came to one of the first Savvy Shopping Classes when it was offered over a year ago.

I am so honored to get the chance to share a little with you about what I am doing to save money.  Before I became a Savvy Shopper, I cut coupons.  I remember my mother doing it, and I think I began as soon as I got out of college and started getting the paper.  When I stayed home after having my first child, I was smart enough to compare prices.

I went back to work part time for a few years.  When I decided to stay home with my third child, I realized that I was spending thousands of dollars on grocery shopping and eating out every month.  I was shocked, and so happy that I found Savvy Shopping pretty quickly. I really believe that the key to my success has been the menu planning.  I am going to give you a “run down” of what I do each week with a time estimate.

I usually begin my week on Saturday. I have the Savvy Shopping web site saved to my home page, and I check it every day.  Quite often on Saturday, there is a list of what will be in Sunday’s paper. I look over the sites they recommend to see what my family might use.  I imagine I spend 30 minutes or less on this task, though I tend to get sucked into email and Facebook and spend an hour on the computer! This is also the day that I usually have time to plan the next week or two. I glance through my freezer.  I try not to have the same meat two days in a row. Also, on the meal plan spreadsheet that I made for myself I have a space for the activities of the day or evening.  I spend about half an hour looking at my calendar and writing in the activities for the week, and then writing the corresponding meal for each day.  On Tuesdays my daughter usually has lessons and Girl Scouts.  This means that I have 45 minutes to prepare dinner and eat it.  On those days I put into my menu something I can cook during the afternoon and heat up quickly, a crock pot recipe, or something I’ve already cooked and frozen that can be reheated quickly.

Sunday after church is usually the time that I can get at the Sunday paper.  I pick out all of the ads and coupons, get some paper, and get to work.  I spend an hour looking at the ads.  I judge whether or not I think something is really a good price and check to see if I have a coupon for the item. I try to only cut coupons that I am pretty sure I will use. I give the rest to some friends so they can go through them, too. When I am finished I usually have a list of 20 items that I want to “stock up” on, the price of each item, and the store where it is located.

My shopping day tends to fall on Tuesday.  I almost always have a free morning.  I can usually get all of my shopping done in two or three hours.  I take my time in each store looking at the offers and my coupons.  Every once in a while I find something at a great price which was not advertised. If I’m in a hurry I just stick to my Sunday list and I can get in and out of all 3 or 4 stores in less than 2 hours.

There are many more things that I could do to save more money. I have not spent any time buying coupons.  I rarely get a stack from a friend. I haven’t started using “SWAG bucks”, which Savvy Shopping recommends.

One company that has really been worth my time is Grocery Coupon Network.  I get an email from them about once a day listing some coupons.  Sometimes the email has nothing that I am interested in and I just delete it, but normally there are two or three deals that really help me. I also get an email from my local grocery store every Wednesday that gives me their circular for the week.

I would have to say that I spend a minimum of 4 hours a week, and that includes my shopping time, on  Savvy Shopping.  It’s hard to judge the amount of time I spend printing coupons.  When they come to my email, I print them out.  I spend about 15 minutes at cellfire.com and shortcuts.com every two weeks putting coupons on my shopper’s card. My biggest chunks of time are my menu planning, going through the Sunday paper, and the actual time I spend in stores shopping. It is well worth the four plus hours a week.  I have cut my grocery spending in half, and my eating out budget is about one third of what it was.

Grands Little Pies

Cinnamon Crunch Cobblestone Muffins

Do you have a recipe you would like to share with us?  Please send it in.

Mexican Chicken

3 Chicken Breasts – I use boneless and skinless

3 cans corn

2 cans Black Beans – rinsed well and drained

1 jar of Salsa – whatever you like

1 can of green chilies

1 can of diced tomatoes

Diced Onion – I used 3 Tbsp of Dried Onion (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste – I don’t add this until I taste the finished product

(I added another chicken breast and the can of tomatoes after I had it in the crockpot.)

Pour all the ingredients, do not drain corn or tomatoes, into your crock pot and cook on low for 3-5 hours.  Take the chicken out and shred and then add back in.  We use this for several different meals.  We top our nachos with this.  You can make burritos or tacos with it also.   It made the whole house smell wonderful and the kids can help make it since it’s so easy!

I was able to feed my family of 6 last night and have enough left over for 4 more meals!

Total $60.13 – $8.00 (coupons) = 52.13 OOP

As you can see I bought lots of apples this week since they were on sale for $.99 lb.  Not great, but something the kids can munch on between the 8 meals they eat.  I am also going to make homemade applesauce. I found Huggies wipes on closeout for $1.53 and I had coupons that made each tub only $.53.  I also found my milk on Manager’s special for $1.99 and the date to be sold by was 4/2!  I know I will have to run and hit the store again sometime this week.

Menu for the Week

Breakfast -

Cereal, Fruit, Homemade Yogurt (you’ll find out how it worked later), Cinnamon Rolls) Cinnamon Bread

Lunches -

Leftovers, Turkey Sandwiches, Chili, Mac and Cheese

Dinners-

Mexican Chicken, Spanish Rice, Chips

Sizzling Rice Soup

Pork Chops, Rice, Veggies

Hamburgers, Tater Tots, Corn on the Cob

Chef Salads (if I can find a deal on salad)

Baked Pasta

Mystery Night (aka I have no idea)

I will be posting recipes for the Mexican Chicken and Sizzling Rice Soup later today.  I hope?!

This week I spent $61.78 – $22.86 (coupons) = $38.92 OOP

I will be spending a little bit more for some last minute items needed for this weekend.

Not pictured – Lots of things for the cats.  (food, etc…)  I picked up more fruit at another store.  Our local store had the Healthy Balance Juice on sale for $1.69 with $.55 peelies on them making them $.69 each.  I picked up a few more bottles for my stockpile.  The Dannon yogurt was also free.  The four pack is $1.00 with a peelie for $1.00 off any multi-pack.  Go figure?!

Menu

Breakfast -

Cereal, yogurt, fruit, cinnamon toast

I am going to try making homemade yogurt this week.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Lunches -

Leftovers, Eat out x 1, Sandwiches, Pasta

Dinner- even though I don’t post sides, we have fruit and/or veggies at every dinner

Chili

Homemade Pizza

Taco Salads

Eat at church

Chicken Alfredo / salad / bread

Eat out ( I hope.  The kids all received a free meal at Applebee’s for a good check up, so we just have to pay for mom and dad.)

Potluck dinner (I am in charge of hamburger buns, cheese, pickles)

Total $82.34 – $24.70 (coupons) = $57.64 OOP

Disclaimer – I will go over budget this week.  I forgot to buy a few things at the store, but I think I can keep it under $5.00.  I hope!

I usually don’t buy so much juice, but I found a really good deal on Healthy Balance Juice.  It has half the sugar of your regular juice.  On sale the 64oz bottle was $1.78 and there were $.55 /1 coupon hanging off the product.  $.78 for 64 oz of juice, not bad and it will be a good surprise for the kids.  I also picked up Gold Medal Flour for $.99 each.

Did you find any good deals this week?  Let us know.

Menu for the week – Not too exciting, just trying to use up some odds and ends in the pantry.

Breakfast-

Yogurt, Cereal, Scrambled eggs and toast, fruit,  French Toast

Lunches -

Leftovers, Sandwiches

Dinners -

Chili dogs, Chips and Steamed Veggies

Chicken and Noodles

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Rice and Asparagus

Baked Pasta w/ meat sauce, salad and french bread

Hamburgers w/mashed potatoes and gravy and corn on the cob

Eggs, sausage, toast and fruit salad

Pizza Crust (1 large  Pizza)

1 Tbsp Yeast

1 cup Warm Water

1 tsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Veg. Oil

2 1/2 – 3 cups of flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let it proof for 5 mins.  Add 2 cups of flour to begin with and add more until the dough forms a nice ball.  Knead for 5 mins on a floured surface.  Roll or press into the shape or your pan.  (Grease your pan well, I also sprinkle corn meal on the bottom to make sure nothing sticks.)

I bake my crust for 5 mins in a 400 degree oven before I add the toppings.  Then I bake the pizza until the crust is crispy, around 15 mins.  For the last 5 mins of cooking I flip the pizza out onto the rack in the oven.

Idea – I sometimes add garlic powder or Italian Seasonings to the dough.

This makes a great pizza for Family Night!

Have fun and be creative.

Carmel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls - from The Finer Things in Life

Creamy Garlic Alfredo – thanks to Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Crispy Chicken Tenders – thanks to Good and Cheap Eats

Beef Stew – thanks to $5 Dollar Dinners

Peanut Butter Brownies

OK, now that your really hungry go out there and try something new.  Surprise your family with something special!

Walgreens – 6 boxes of Kleenex and a newspaper

Total – $9.39 – ($6.00 coupons and RR’s) = $3.39 OOP w/ $4.00 in RR’s back

Sorry no pic – Kids had to restock school with Kleenex

Target -

Total $38.08 – $16.95 in coupons = $21.13  OOP  I was over charged for 1 item and they forgot to deduct 1 coupon.  Not worth going back when you have 4 children with you!

Aldi and Dillons

Aldi Total $12.59 OOP

Dillons total $37.22 – $6.00 coupons = $31.77 OOP I was overcharged AGAIN for apples. I will go back, w/o children,  since I will get back about $2.00.  I was able to score 1/2 gallons of Chocolate milk for $.50 each and some reduced bananas.

Total for the week $68.88.  I had an extra $10 from last week to add to this one, for a total of $70 for the week.

Menu for the week

Dinners

Breakfast Stuff ( I have no idea what to call it.  I’ll post the recipe and picture and you can help me name it!)

Bratwurst, Chips and veggies w/ ranch dip

Calzones w/ salad

Eat at church

Pork Chops, Rice, Steamed Veggies

Sausage and Biscuit w/ scrambled Eggs

Potluck with church group (I’m in charge of drinks)

Breakfast - Cereal, Yogurt, Fruit, Cinnamon Rolls  FYI – I only have 4 boxes of cereal in my stockpile.  There had better be a sale soon!

Lunches – Leftovers, Pasta, Turkey Sandwiches

Part of menu planning is to first look at your coupons, sales ads, and your family calendar.  This is definitely where flexibility comes into my plan….  As I sat down late Sunday night and Monday morning, completing the tasks of menu planning and making my grocery list, I had everything planned out – I had even consulted our local meterologist and had planned to grill!!   Tuesday was grilling night, and it turned out drizzily, grey, and COLD!  I was not about to ask my husband to step foot on the patio, so plan B.  Next, Wednesday evening was actually free on our calendar, a very rare occurrence, so I had a more time consuming meal planned that we had been wanting for a couple of weeks.  So, I get an email from Kevin Tuesday afternoon telling me of plans that he was making, and he needed dinner squeezed in between the end of my daughters dance class (5:45) and the time he was to leave…you guessed it, 6:00!! So, plan C…

Do you ever have weeks (or years) like this??  So, here is our menu, as it stands now; subject to change yet again.

Breakfast:  sausage and biscuit piggies with orange slices

                      cinnamon rolls with fruit smoothies

                      sausage, egg, and cheese bagel sandwiches

                      pancakes and fruit (twice)

                       cereal

                      baked oatmeal and yogurt 

Lunch:       Macaroni and cheese with hotdog circles, carrot sticks, and pear slices

                     Lunchables for 3 (found on clearance and they think this is a treat!?!?! ), Arby’s for my husband (between meetings), and soup and sandwiches for me and my son

                     leftover soup, chips, quesadillas, and orange slices for kids, my husband had a tunafish sandwich (or 2) for a brownbag with fruit, salad, and cottage cheese

                     Pizza Hut (using our Book-Its, and our 3-yr-old is still free!! ), Kevin had a lunch appointment at a school, & I had a salad at home

                     Pork Stir-Fry over Rice with Mixed Veggies

                     Saturday – we are at a basketball tourney, so tortilla wraps in the van while traveling, and Arby’s coming home 

                    Sunday – potluck at the church.  I think I’m bringing a fruit salad and a potatoe dish

 Dinner:    Sandwiches, veggies with dip, and sliced fruit (in a cooler at basketball game)

                     Chicken Enchillada soup*, chips, salad   (first change)

                     Pork chops, sauted mushrooms, oven fries, salad, and brownie sundaes  (cooked in the afternoon, and eaten in shifts)

                     Homemade chicken* pot pies, cottage cheese and peaches 

                     Homemade pizza, salad, carrot sticks, and fruit

                     Arby’s (traveling home… we have great coupons for different sandwiches for $1.00 each

                    Sunday – leftovers, or pasta bake.  We have small group that night, so it has to be fast, and not create too many dishes!

              ***The chicken used in these dishes was a whole chicken that I cooked and deboned Friday afternoon.  I made chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, salad, and homemade rolls for 21 people.  Our family finished the leftovers from that Sunday night.  As you can see, this chicken made 3 different meals, with leftovers each time, and made close to 4 dozen servings of food.  Yes, some meat portions were small, but when combined with other ingredients, no one noticed (or at least complained:)  ).  Once I get my receipts together, I will share with you how I did.  I had to go to WalMart for the first time in a few months and by things like vitamins, halogen lightbulbs, and an a/c filter, so that hurt.