Do you like my new background?

I like it and I had a hard time choosing it. It was free and she has lots and lots to choose from.
For a not very savvy computer user, I even figured out how to install it.

So check her out if you want a new and free blog background.

Izzie Grace Blog Backgrounds


This is what it says on her page

""Welcome! I love creating blog backgrounds and I thought I'd share them with others. This is a fun way to be creative with your blog and show your personality with a custom page. Check back frequently, as I am always coming up with new designs. Feel free to make a request by leaving me a comment. All of my backgrounds are FREE! Thanks! *Izzie Grace*""

Week #4 - 2009

Actual meals
Jan 21
Roast beef with mashed potatoes, carrots and peas
Jan 22
a really awful meal from a Burger King after a very busy day
Jan 23
cornflake chicken strips with sweet potatoes and green beans
Jan 24
pancakes for breakfast
leftovers and snacks the rest of the day
Jan 25
eggs, sausage, toast and OJ for breakfast
Smoked turkey, baked beans and salad for lunch
pizza for supper
Jan 26
oven fried chicken with corn, green beans and a big salad
Jan 27
Smothered steak with a big salad

What I bought

1 pound butter
2 gallons Orange Juice
1/2 gallon milk
pack of cheese slices
3 whole chickens (no water added and health- fed kind)
3 pounds chicken breasts - boneless and skinless
1 pack Healthy Ones franks
1 pound sharp cheddar
1 bag chips
1 loaf wheat bread, 1 pack wheat hot dog buns
red grapes
spring mix
romaine hearts
2 bags frozen vegetables
case of water
sandwich bags
2 rolls paper towels
5 bottles Dawn dishwashing soap
2 boxes Electrosal dishwasher tabs
1 mouthwash
2 Rolaids
1 bag dog biscuits

Walgreens deals - 3 sodas, 2 tissues, 1 toothpaste and 4 face creams

Walgreens 1/23/2009

Walgreens deals are complicated but since Walgreens is the only chain drugstore in my town, I have been shopping there and playing their game.
Walgreens deals involve Register Rewards, 7 day coupons, Easy Saver coupons and rebates and manufacturer coupons. I read about the future deals on Money Saving Mom, SlickDeals.net and Money Common Sense.
My routine is to go over the specials, then plan my shopping. We usually stop at Walgreens on our way to church every Sunday morning. Walgreens is not always stocked enough for the sale items to stay on the shelf all week so that is why I like to shop their on the first day of the sale.

If you not familiar with how these deals work, the above 3 links can explain it better than I did.

My purchases yesterday would of totaled $34 but after I used Register Rewards from last week, a 7 day couponon the Puffs and some manufacturer coupons on Puffs and Colgate, I paid $5.51 cash and got back $4 in Register Rewards to use next week.

Ponds is on sale this week, 2 for $4.99 - you have to buy them in pairs because they are buy 1 get 1 free. Ponds is my very favorite facial moisturizer and I have been using it for years. Jeff and Jimmy both like it too. So if you are looking for a new moisturizer, this might be a good week to try some. No coupons or gimmicks needed on this one, you can just buy 2 and get the sale price.

Homemade syrup on Oatmeal Pancakes

Our breakfast this morning was oatmeal pancakes with homemade syrup.
I don't like the taste of the last syrups we bought so I have been making this small recipe and we really like it. It is not thick like storebought ones but we think the taste is great.
Homemade Pancake Syrup
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C white sugar
3/4 C water
1/2 C light corn syrup
1/2 t maple flavoring
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 t butter flavoring
Bring the first 4 ingredients to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let cook for several minutes until all the sugars are well dissolved. If you want it thicker, cook for up to 10 minutes on low.
Remove from heat and stir in flavorings.

Store the leftovers in the fridge. I use a microwave safe pitcher and just reheat it when needed.

The extracts are not cheap, but they will last a long time.

Valentines tree

For most of 2008, I followed Heidi's plan of celebrating the seasons, enjoying the current season and not rushing to the next one until it was time for it. I usually put up snowmen and snow-themed decorations in January when I pack away Christmas. But we have already had so much bitter cold weather that when I looked at my box of snow things, I was not amused and did not smile.

So for 2009, I went straight from Christmas to Valentines.

Nina collected these little guys when she was in high school but she left them here when she moved out. Aren't they cute? She may want them back when she sees them.


I bought this silver tree at Pier 1 a few years ago. My mom crocheted the doily. I hand sewed the ornaments from felt and sequin.

Making the morning a little easier

Just about every evening, I set up coffee in one pot for Jeff and tea in the other pot for me. I put in the water and the coffee and filter/tea bags in each one.
Then whenever I wake up, I just push the button for my tea to start and I start Jeff's coffee just before he wakes up.
I'm a morning person so I could do this then but it just takes a minute to set them up, usually when I clean up the supper dishes, and it is very nice to push those buttons each morning for our beverages.

Yes, both pots have timers and I could set them and not even touch the buttons in the morning, but I prefer to just turn them on when I want to. And looking close, it looks like I need to clean a little around both pots. Coffee and tea both leave stains on everything but the stains come up easily with a little spray cleaner.

Praise for the Day

Each day we go about our business,
walking past each other, catching each other's
eyes or not, about to speak or speaking.

All about us is noise. All about us is
noise and bramble, thorn and din, each
one of our ancestors on our tongues.

Someone is stitching up a hem, darning
a hole in a uniform, patching a tire,
repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere,
with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum,
with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky.
A teacher says, Take out your pencils. Begin.

We encounter each other in words, words
spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed,
words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark
the will of some one and then others, who said
I need to see what's on the other side.
I know there's something better down the road.
We need to find a place where we are safe.

We walk into that which we cannot yet see.
Say it plain: that many have died for this day.

Sing the names of the dead who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges,
picked the cotton and the lettuce, built
brick by brick the glittering edifices
they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day.
Praise song for every hand-lettered sign,
the figuring-it-out at kitchen tables.

Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself,
others by first do no harm or take no more
than you need. What if the mightiest word is love?

Love beyond marital, filial, national,
love that casts a widening pool of light,
love with no need to pre-empt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air,
any thing can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,
praise song for walking forward in that light.

Copyright © 2009 by Elizabeth Alexander. All rights reserved. Reprinted with the permission of Graywolf Press, Saint Paul, Minn. A chapbook edition of "Praise Song for the Day" will be published on Feb. 6.

Week #3 - 2009

Actual Meals

14th

Baked chicken with sweet potatoes and green salad

15th

Spanish Rice and Green Salad

16th

supper at Louie's, a new restaurant in our town

17th

Sausage biscuits

Sandwiches

Turkey Tacos

18th

Coffeecake with OJ

Burgers and oven fries

Snack Supper

19th

Mexican Casserole

20th

Smoked Pork Loin

Spinach salad

What I bought

I took advantage of some this weeks Walgreens specials

8 Skippy Peanut Butter

8 100 count Lipton tea bags

8 bags choc. macadamia nuts

4 packs razors

bread- 1 loaf wheat, 1 wheat sandwich buns, 1 raisin English muffins

2 gallons milk

1 box sweetener

5 boxes breakfast bars

Cure 81 Ham

1 bag chips
my fridge and pantry still had plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables from last week's shopping

For more real menu plans and shopping results, go to Gayle at Grocery Cart Challenge

Stripes for the breakfast nook

Before

After

I am a little grumpy because I'll end up working about 27 hours this week. I work part-time and shorter work hours really suit me best. I like it best when I work 15-18 hours a week. But then I read where my friend Susan is working 12 hour shifts this week, yikes! I don't know how she does it.

The hours I have been home, I've cleaned most every room, did all the laundry and kept meals prepared.
And I recovered the chairs and a bench in our breakfast nook. The chairs came with white seats and they were pretty when they were new, but after 4 years, they were a bit spotted. The piano bench is only used when we need some extra seating.

I got the fabric at a little fabric -sewing machine shop near my office. This piece was a remnant and the owner did not want to sell it to me because she kept pointing a spot on it and telling me it would not be enough for this project. But it was just big enough, I worked around the spot and I really like how the stripes look with the toile curtains.

The fabric name is "beach umbrella"

Week #2 - 2009

Actual meals
Jan 7
Mac and cheese with ham cubes
cabbage, carrots and spinach
Jan. 8
Pork Loin
carrots and corn
Jan. 9
Burgers
sweet potato oven fries, carrots
Jan. 10
biscuits, sausage, eggs and OJ for breakfast
Olive Garden for lunch
ham and cheese sandwiches for supper
Jan. 11
bacon, eggs, toast and OJ for breakfast
Healthy Joes and big green salad
Jan. 12
Chicken tacos
corn and big green salad
Jan. 13
leftovers and big green salad


What I bought
grapefruit
oranges
field greens salad mix
fresh spinach
italian salad mix
cherry and slicing tomatoes
carrots
potatoes
red and yellow onions
ice berg lettuce
9 bags frozen vegetables
4 12 ounce packs lean bacon
1 pound cheese slices
2.5 pounds low fat cheddar
24 string cheese
1 pound butter
3 cans grands biscuits
3 boxes cereal bars
gallon skim milk
2 gallons orange juice
2 ounces vanilla
mini chocolate chips
garlic powder
1 bag tortilla chips
2 boxes saltine crackers
Bread - 1 loaf wheat and 1 bag wheat buns

1 jug bleach
3 boxes freezer bags
2 boxes laundry soap
1 bag coffee filters
2 large shopping bags at Aldis


see more real shopping and menu plans at Grocery Cart Challenge

About my meals, we like to have a big salad almost every evening so that is why I have so many fresh vegetables. My goal is an average of $75 week, so some weeks will be higher and some lower. I buy fresh stuff weekly but other things, I buy on sale and with coupons and usually have a small stockpile of things we use regularly.

House for the newlyweds!

Nina and John got married in July 2007 and have been living in an older rent house ever since. They are now both in stable jobs and with house prices and interest rates low, they started house hunting to purchase a home a few weeks ago. They found this one at a real bargain price and after showing it to Jeff and I and both sets of John's parents, they put in an offer.
It was accepted and they will close on it during the first month of March.

It has a nice, big kitchen that looks over the family room. Nina and John both like to cook so I think they will have a great time in this big, pretty kitchen.

Congratulations John and Nina!

saved fruit

I need to buy produce soon and while I was looking in the fridge for fresh veggies for last night's supper, I found 4 grapefruit and 5 clementines. They did not look so pretty on the outside anymore, kind of bruised and wrinkled, and I wondered if they were still good.
So I got out a knife and cutting board and ten minutes later, I had a nice bowl of peeled and diced grapefruit and a bowl of peeled clementines. They taste great and look so much more appealing to eat when they are ready-to-eat than how they looked starting to shrivel in the crisper drawer.

I still need to go shopping soon, but now we have fresh fruit to eat today when I thought we didn't.

How I kept track

It was really not much effort at all to keep track of our 2008 household spending and coupons.
Whenever I had a new receipt, I stuck in under a magnet on to the side of the fridge.
Then usually on Sunday afternoon, I went through each ticket, added up the coupons and totals, then posted it here on the blog.
Because it was posted on the blog, it was a great incentive to stay with the record keeping.

I'll be doing the same thing this year but so it will make more sense with my budget and when our pay periods start and stop, and when grocery ads run, my "week" for this budget will start on Wednesday.

My first week started off great! I only spent $40.08.

I am starting off the year with a well stocked kitchen and that should help with totals.

Here is what I bought last week. I know it does not represent a balanced menu, but I had lots of things already on hand.

Walgreens
4 Garnier hair products and 2 Electrosal - with coupons and sales, all were very cheap

Walmart
1 gallon milk
4 pounds rice
1 box Saltines
24 count corn tortillas
2 pounds tomatoes

Food Pyramid
1 gallon milk
1 loaf bread
11 pounds ground sirloin

Dollar Tree
corn chips

Actual meals
1st
Sausage biscuits for breakfast
black eyed peas, ham, rice and stir fried cabbage
2nd
whole wheat waffles
pizza with turkey pepperoni
3rd
New York Crumb Cake (half recipe)
Chicken and noodles
4th
eggs, toast and sausage
vegetable beef soup
5th
Mexican casserole with green salad
6th
turkey chili with corn chips and green salad

Summary of Grocery spending for 2008

Even though I averaged a little more on my weekly spending than I hoped to, I think keeping track of everything was a success. I hoped to spend $100 or less a week, my average was actually $112.
My pantry and freezer ended 2008 very full and I am hoping to continue with keeping track of household spending and keeping the totals low.
I have been using coupons all of my married life, sometime more seriously than others. My town does not have a CVS or grocery stores that double or triple coupons (except for 50 cents with a one like coupon limit) I mostly use coupons at Walmart and Walgreens. My coupon savings for 2008 was almost $2400 - and I am very pleased with that.


Weekly goal for all household spending $100

amount spent and coupons used
Week 1 $82.40 / 23.90
Week 2 $85.30 / 43.32
Week 3 $91.97 / 50.62
Week 4 $162.90 / 108.25
Week 5 $155.55 / 23.90
Week 6 $94.66 / 60.90
Week 7 $64.53 / 28.01
Week 8 $128.52 / 53.30
Week 9 $71.38 / 19.48
Week 10 $159.90 / 98.44
Week 11 $80.07 / 26.10
Week 12 $185.24 / 58.50
Week 13 $89.56 / 62.40
Week 14 $125.95 / 16.78
Week 15 $53.16 / 43.16
Week 16 $147.78 / 50.68
Week 17 $116.83 / 19.08
Week 18 $131.16 / 9.09
Week 19 $96.44 / 63.50
Week 20 $116.39 /40.54
Week 21 $126.59 / 53.50
Week 22 $112.78 / 52.60
Week 23 $124.74 / 11.58
Week 24 $111.17 / 68.25
Week 25 $105.59 / 90.20
Week 26 $120.52 / 58.97
Week 27 $86.77 / 42.21
Week 28 $72.69 / 41.73
Week 29 $76.04 / 117.50
Week 30 $99.75 / 145.70
Week 31 $49.92 / 49.59
Week 32 $135.74 / 106.24
Week 33 $138.73 / 24.00
Week 34 $96.80 / 38.34
Week 35 $68.53 / 19.25
Weed 36 $132.37 / 0.00
Week 37 $85.58 / $19.00
Week 38 $221.68 / $30.00
Week 39 $90.99 / 16.00
Week 40 $136.87 / 40.40
Week 41 $97.75 / 0.00
Week 42 $48.68 / 16.40
Week 43 $202.64 / 30.00
Week 44 $188.77 / 23.62
Week 45 $57.81 / 7.62
Week 46 $112.47 / 49.25
Week 47 $95.94 / 2.00
Week 48 $166.03 / 25.45
Week 49 $115.16 / 40.98
Week 50 $200.03 / 12.00
Week 51 $90.83 / 9.25
Week 52 $ 224.67 / 24.15

Weekly spending average $112
Coupons used $2384.25
Total spent $5824.39

Shaker Spice Cookies with Recipe

Madison, a brand new blogger, requested I post the recipe for Shaker Spice Cookies that Nina and I baked before Christmas.
And since I have not updated my blog in a week, this seemed like the perfect time.
I have been baking this recipe for about 10 years. We used to live in the country and one day I wanted to bake cookies but had no butter or shortening on hand. I did an internet search for cookie recipes that use oil and found this one.
I think it is originally from a Marion Cunningham cookbook.

 Shaker Spice Cookies 

   2/3 c  Vegetable oil
    1 c  Sugar
  1/4 c  Molasses
    1    Egg
    2 c  Flour
    2 ts Baking soda
  1/2 ts Cloves
  1/2 ts Ginger
    1 ts Cinnamon
  1/4 ts Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the vegetable oil, sugar, molasses and egg into a mixing bowl and
using a spoon, beat until well mixed.
(No need to use a mixer unless you just want to)

Combine the flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and salt in
a bowl and stir with a fork until well mixed.

Add to the liquid ingredients and stir until blended.

Make tablespoon size balls from the cookie dough - I use a small Pampered Chef cookie scoop.
Roll each ball into sugar and flatten just a little.

Bake for 10 or 11 minutes.
(Bake just until they start to look done, they will be chewier if not over-baked.

  Yields 48 cookies

PER COOKIE: 65 calories, 1 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (0 g
saturated), 4 mg cholesterol, 47 mg sodium, 0 g fiber,

Happy 2009!

January is a fun month because it is a great reason to bring out this silly New Years ceramic piece of bricabrack. I found it at a thrift store, it is about a foot tall, and we can't decide if it is a girl or a boy.
But whatever it is, it is cute and it makes everybody smile.
We spent New Years Eve with Nina and John at his mother and stepdad's beautiful new home. We had pizza and salad. Nina took hot spinach and artichoke dip with pita dippers.
I got Trisha Yearwood's cookbook for Christmas from my brother and I made Cheese Straws from her recipe. They are mostly cheese, butter and flour. They are very tasty but they are not low cal, low fat, low carb or low cost!
The recipe made a lot. Jimmy took a can full of Cheese Straws to wherever he went last night and he said they all got ate.
Cheese Straws would be a good homemade food gift when you don't want to do something sweet.