Kroger: my new workout

I stumbled upon some helpful couponing sites (this one and this one) a couple months ago and started using more coupons. Red Plum coupons come in our mailbox (and I grab extras from the trashcan in the mailroom). A quick stop at Walgreens on our way home from church will secure me a Sunday paper with loads more. And, there are so many printable ones online too. Even downloadable coupons are available that I can put directly on my Kroger card at home. When I buy an item that cooresponds with a downloadable coupon, the register automatically "uses" that coupon. The ultimate kicker for me was when I learned that Kroger doubles manufacturer's coupons up to 70 cents AND that I can use a paper (manufacturer's) coupon and a downloadable coupon on the same item. Wowsers! This is a game I want to play.

My plan is to buy items on sale that I have coupons for. Sometimes a lower priced item will still be a great deal not on sale only if I have a paper coupon (usually doubled) and downloadable coupon. Of course, sometimes there are things I need that I just have a coupon for or are simply on sale and I don't have a coupon. Usually I don't buy ANYthing full-price at Kroger unless I need it immediately (which almost everything can wait). Here's a couple samples of my Kroger deals today ...

Yo-Plus yogurt (4pk)...regular price is $2.49, paper coupons $1, downloadable $1 = final price 59 cents. I actually made money on these a couple weeks ago when they were on sale.

Nestle refrigerated cookie dough ... sale price was 2/$4. I bought 3 packages since I had 3 paper coupons $1 off 1 and 3 downloadable coupons for 55cents off 1. That's 45cents each. As much as I like to bake, it sure is nice to only bake what we need to eat at that moment. ;) It's those leftover ones that are lying around that tempt me (and it's nice to tell the boys "there are no more" instead of "you can't have more"). Wink.

Quaker and GM cereals ... special deal. Started out at $20.29 for 8 boxes (that was already a sale); after coupons & even better buy 4 deal, I paid 9.54. That's about $1.20/box for name-brand cereals that we all like.

Some pros to coupon shopping like this ...

1. We get more variety in our life. Most of the items with coupons would not normally be on my shopping list because of price.

2. I've been happy to find out that some of the things that I feel like my boys have been missing out on because of price ... they don't like anyway. I loved Toaster Strudels and it was a treat when I convinced Mom to get them for me as a kid. They are not a very healthy choice, and I wasn't disappointed to see the boys' turn up their noses at them. Nice.

3. I don't have strong opinions about Walmart, but I'm happy that money that I have to spend goes to support someone besides Walmart. Probably the best part is that I have a choice, because I haven't always felt like I've had a choice about where to shop for groceries and still stay within the budget.

4. It's a welcome challenge (sometimes feels like a gamble) to wait for the best sale or simply find some really great deals. This is my way of making some cash for our family.

5. Now that I pack lunches for the boys almost every day, I can get many "convenience" items inexpensively that are perfect for the mad morning rush to pack a healthy lunch for each of them (i.e. granola bars, yogurt, fruit snacks, cheese sticks, crackers usually are less than a buck for most).

6. Lots of coupons are out there for items that have BoxTops which help the boys' school. Zach has started to spot BoxTops. I love that they can cut and paste them before turning them in to the school. It's a "craft" at our house.

7. Kroger gave me 24 cents today simply because I brought my own bags (which, btw, are essential if you want to carry all your groceries in less than 5 trips up two flights of stairs).

8. I can earn points towards a 10cents off/gallon of fuel at the Kroger gas station. Crazy.

9. When I use a specially designated Kroger gift card to make my Kroger purchases (groceries and fuel), the boys' school gets 1% cash of my purchase. Sweet.

10. Kroger stores are prevalent here ...three within several miles of my normal weekly commutes. The Super Walmart is a 20-minute round trip from home.

11. It's easy to pick up extra non-perishables when they are super-cheap. My plan is to empty the extras from the pantry regularly and give them to the local food bank.

A couple cons ...

1. It takes time. I spend about twice as much time planning my grocery list than when I did a weekly trip to Walmart.

2. I'm still trying to figure out how to plan meals around what's on sale and the items I've purchased using coupons. This is much different than making the weekly menu and simply buying what you need for those meals.

So let's see ... here's my mental checklist when heading to the grocery store ...

• Kroger ad scoured for sale items that I have coupons for.
• Paper coupons piled together.
• Downloadable coupons downloaded.
• Kroger Plus card on keyring. (that's easy unless I take Doug's jeep by accident)
• Recyclable bags. (I've left them in the van so many times.)
• Load up Kroger card w/money before purchase. (so Terry benefits)

And if that's not enough of a workout, I get to carry all the bags (and Eli) up two flights of stairs. It's not so bad. The best part ... checking out the receipt afterwards. Today my total savings was $41.81, and I paid 28.83. It's a workout that's worth it.

Things that make me smile

I picked up this pack of three a couple weeks ago and the boys have been re-using them ever since. Sam is Spiderman. Zach is Captain America. Eli is Wolverine (but he usually just drinks from whichever one he can get his hands on). It made me smile to see them all lined up on the living room table. My guess is this is Zach's work who get great joy when sets of things are together.

Little blue box

Since I've learned to use cloth wipes with my cloth diapers, I've also found it super handy and easy to have another plastic box of damp baby washclothes on our kitchen table. Now that Eli is eating solid foods, these make it easy to clean him and his bib before getting up. The older boys are learning to grab one when they need it too. Most of these washclothes were given to us, although I purchased a box of 4 at Dollar Tree to add to my stash. I never understood what to do with so many baby washclothes anyway, so I was happy to find a "green" alternate use that works for us. When they're dirty, I simply throw them in an empty bucket which sits on top of my washer that holds all the "needs to be washed soon" items from potty accidents, special stains, wet towels from spills, etc. After they're washed, I add them right away to the bottom of the box. It's important to use them often and regularly when they're damp since mine did get stinky while we were gone on vacation.

Pumpkins and puree

While in PA, we picked two pumpkins from the orchard that we visited and brought them back home with us. I didn't have much plan for them, until I realized they might actually last until Halloween. Since we're not at the pumpkin carving stage with our kids yet, the picked pumpkins have simply set on our front porch. We used them for decorations at two church events over the weekend, and they came home with us again. Yesterday, I decided to cut one up, bake it, puree it, and I even toasted the seeds (now that will be a tradition-yum!). Our family really digs pumpkin pie and with Eli eating baby food, I figured it was worth it.

Now, what to do with the six cups of pumpkin puree. Well, first on my list was to make these fabulous-looking pumpkin chocolate chip muffins this afternoon, which were declared "delicious" by all three of my tasters. The rest will be for other pumpkin recipes. I'll make a pumpkin pie, but it will be curious to see if it's enjoyed as much as Libby's pumpkin pie.

And, since I was in the kitchen a lot yesterday, I pureed more foods for Eli. Now I've got cubes of sweet potatoes, peaches, pears, apples, green beans, and pumpkin in my freezer. The next ones on my list are carrots, broccoli, and squash. And, I guess I need to figure out how to make prunes. Smile.

Gardening efforts

As a result of the "homemaking" chapters in the Woman's High Calling Bible study I'm a part of, I decided to invest some cash into some vegetable and herb plants to see what I could grow. Having grown up with family gardens, I've always thought that rows and rows of produce was the only way to really have a garden. However, our little family couldn't handle the wealth of harvest such a mass could produce, besides the fact that our yard isn't big enough or sunny enough for such an endeavor. So, at the advice of one of the "older" women in our study, I decided to go with just one plant of some of the basic veggies and herbs I use most frequently. In case it all goes badly, I'm only out about $15. And, if we only get one "fruit" from each plant, then I'll probably have gotten my money's worth. Besides, it will be fun to teach the kids where all those yummy veggies really come from and to watch them grow. When it's so blastin' hot this summer, it will give us an excuse to go outside even for just a very short while to check, water, and weed.

My choice of herbs are sweet basil, curled parsley, and cilantro (may get some mint too to add to tea). The veggies are cucumber, tomato, eggplant, sweet green bell pepper, and zucchini (wouldn't mind adding summer squash to the mix). All the plants I purchased are Bonnie plants from Wal-mart. I've already learned a lot from their website, especially about container gardening. Since our yard is super-shady from mature shady trees, it will be nice to have them in containers to move them in case they need more/less sun than what I intend when I plant them. Plus, our house's previous owner left some great containers that will totally work for my little adventure.

Although I'm hoping for success ... my motto has been, "When you're growing children (young ones at least), don't grow plants." This came about after all my plants on our apartment's patio died within the first year of Sam's life. But now I have two little waterers, so we'll see what happens.

13 Notes of Interest

1. Butterflies haven't emerged yet. It looks like the chrysallises have turned a little brown, but it's been 9 days since they "hid".
2. Lilies aren't blooming, but are still growing taller. Hooray.
3. Sleeping at night has become a practice of Lamaze for me ... changing positions seemingly every half-hour and frequent trips to the bathroom. :)
4. Couches were cleaned today ... whew, they look and smell delightful again, instead of just stained. Hopefully, we'll get a couple more years out of them.
5. I got my hair cut yesterday... definitely look like a mom of three boys now. :)
6. A pedicure appt. is set up for tomorrow at a fancy schmancy place on Magazine. I'm finally using a giftcard given to me over a year ago. Yikes.
7. We finished our taxes electronically last night, and they've been "accepted". Joys. Thankfully, we didn't just break even.
8. We're deciding to become even more energy-efficient and plan to spring for a new washer and dryer with the extra Economic $ coming from the our President. Because of our plan for cloth dipes & wipes, it seems crucial. Our current laundry facilities are probably the worst possible in the energy efficient category. Front-loading, here we come!
9. We're talking about the possibility of leasing solar panels too ... evidently, our city is one of a handful chosen in a program to cut energy costs.
10. I saw my OB today ... he says I'm 1-2cm dialated and the process has begun! I guess the irregular contractions I've been half-sleeping through at night have been doing something. Since all this is usually fast for me and once it starts, it doesn't stop -- every morning I wonder if they'll continue. So far, no luck. Perhaps my OB will actually deliver this baby since both boys were born on the weekend, he hasn't been on call. But, he's on call next weekend (DD is 4/5).
11. Friends are coming for dinner tonight ... pesto chicken florentine, caesar salad, garlic bread and pumpkin pie are the menu.
12. "Rocket" has been at the mechanic since last Thursday. A scary knocking sound has caused him to have an extended stay and us with a high "hospital" bill. Ugh.
13. I'm not sure if I'm really nesting, but the boys' clothes are switched to summer, sheets are clean, laundry is done, and the house is straightened. I just don't want to come home to clutter. I'm a little worried that I might just throw something away in the next couple days that I'll really want or need. I keep looking around the house and thinking, "we don't need that -- who can I give it to?" Hmmm. Not sure if I'm in the right state of mind to be purging.

Simple and green

We've been talking a lot about living more simply, using our resources more wisely, becoming even more thrifty, and helping our environment ... at our house. I'm sure some would think that the things we've talked about are teeny-tiny steps in this process, but we're excited about how this new framework of thinking is playing itself out.

We heard about a movement called the Advent Conspiracy around Christmas and were drawn to it. We struggled to implement some of those ideas in 2007 as we were already in December, but this year we'll be able to do it even better. I've already planned some of our homemade Christmas gifts.

I've already talked about cloth diapers and will probably use cloth wipes too ... at least when we're at home. I'm pretty excited about the little toilet sprayer that connects to the toilet to help with cleanup. And, who knew, that you could sew your own all-in-ones. Amazing.

Another sewing project I'm thinking about is to sew cloth grocery bags.

We found some other ways to save money lately and make some too ... selling books on half.com and nearly new toys or unwanted gifts on ebay, cancelling our home phone after signing up w/T-Mobile HotSpot at Home, cutting off cable in order to use an rooftop antenna, etc.

As I've mentioned before, I'm spending more time baking from scratch in order to save cash on the pre-packaged stuff or bakery items, besides the added benefit of no extra preservatives that are in all that stuff. In the past month, I've made at least three different kinds of muffins in a quest for the perfect muffin for our family. None have wow-ed all of us yet. Along the healthier strain, I'm determined to use the whole 5lb. bag of whole wheat flour I bought ... before the expiration date. I made angel food cake for the first time (Mimie's birthday) and some Irish soda bread for a St. Patrick's Day themed dinner. I hope to try these baguettes soon.

I'm sure there are other things that aren't coming to my preggo brain right now. I'd love to hear ideas of ways that your family has found to cut back on the extra fluff and live more simply -- not necessarily out of necessity, but out of choice.