Home Preschool

Next year, I am going to start our oldest child in 4k. So, this will be the last year that I will have all of my little ones with me all day. In a way, I am looking forward to having a child in school. I like alot of the things that go along with school. I am okay with having a set schedule, I look forward to making new friends, and I like having alot of books around (I know... weird). With all the good things that come with school, it is a little hard to let go of my girls as they grow up. Even though I would not want them to be underfoot forever, the idea of me sending them into the big world without me is a little scary.

For now, I am doing some home preschool activities with our 3 and 2 year old. I have some fun "field trips", crafts, learning activities, and playdates in mind for this fall. My biggest tip for home preschool is to make learning fun! I'm going to enjoy my 3 daughters all day, everyday. Home preschool Works for Me.

-Robin

Mint Lemonade

This is a frugal cool drink for the end of the summer. I am usually able to get a large bottle of lemon concentrate at the drug store for free - $1 making lemonade super cheap. We grow mint on our porch, so it's free.

Mint Lemonade





6 cups of water


1 cup lemon juice from concentrate


1 cup sugar


Fresh mint leaves





Heat water and sugar on the stove until sugar is dissolved. Remove from stove and pour in a 2 quart pitcher. Add lemon juice and fresh mint. Stir. Serve over ice.





Thanks Sara for inspiring this recipe.



For more frugal recipes, go to $5 Dinners for the $5 Dinner Challenge!


-Robin

Menu Plan Monday 8/30

It's a busy week for us! We are going to have lots of company this weekend. I'm making a menu plan, but it will likely change on Wednesday when I see what is on sale.

Monday: Beans and Rice

Tueday: Lasagna made with Freezer Pasta Sauce and Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Wednesday: Church dinner

Thursday: Chicken casserole with a vegetable side

Friday: Pork Barbecue and Stuffed Banana Peppers

Saturday: Chicken Tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa

Sunday: Steak and Potatoes

I hope you all have a great week! For more menu plans, go to Orgjunkie.com

-Robin

Happy Sunday!

I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. Psalms 123:1 NIV

Clipping for College

Yeah! My July Single Check Rebate check arrived this week! Last month, Rite Aid shopping was awesome! I got lots of stuff for free when you consider my $40 SCR check.

Here are my Clipping for College totals:

Publix: $7.98

Rite Aid: $21.00 + $40.96 SCR check = 61.96

Total: $69.94

I hope you saved a lot of money using coupons this week! Do you do anything special with the extra cash you save?

-Robin

Friday Finals- Publix

This wasn't a great week at Publix, but I did get a few good deals . We bought lots of fresh produce!

Total: $24.96

Saved: $24.66

It is nice to save so much money by buying items on sale!

For more Friday Finals, go to Southern Savers. Have a great weekend!

-Robin

Appreciating Every Day

I was sitting here at my computer looking for a picture that I remember taking of the girls last year. As I flipped through the many pictures, I could not believe how time has changed my little girls so quickly. Just a year ago, I had a 1 year old, a 2 1/2 year old, and I was pregnant with our third child. It seems like just yesterday! I have begun to realize how fast little ones grow up! I'll have to admit, when I first became a mother, I thought that 18 years seemed like it could take forever. Amid the constant feedings and diaper changes, my minds eye was clouded with thoughts of How am I going to do this for the next 18 years?

Now, what seems like yesterday has now been 3 1/2 years ago since I was so BLESSED to become a mother. After looking at these pictures and the changes that have taken place, I again realize that the kids will not be kids for long. I have learned to appreciate every day and that Works for Me!

Does it seem like your kids are growing up fast?

-Robin

Fresh Basil Pasta

My husband made a wonderful side dish of Fresh Basil Pasta the other day. It was incredibly easy to make and I loved using the fresh basil that came right from our back porch.

Fresh Basil Pasta

4 oz vermicelli

6 fresh chopped basil leaves

2 T butter

2 T grated parmasean cheese

Sprinkle of garlic powder

Cook pasta as directed. Drain pasta and add butter, cheese, garlic powder, and basil. Serve warm.

We ate this side dish with chicken and it tasted wonderful! For more great recipes, check out $5 Dinners for the $5 Dinner Challenge!

-Robin

Menu Plan Monday 8/23

Today is a very special day for me. My husband and I have been married for 7 wonderful years. We took the kids out to eat with us last night, so it's back to a regular week of dinners.

Monday: London Broil, Fried Okra (from our garden) and Baked Potatoes

Tuesday: Pizza with Economical Pizza Sauce (Pictured)

Wednesday: Dinner at Church

Thursday: Chicken and Dumplings

Friday: Meat Loaf

Saturday: Leftover Buffet

Sunday: Beef Roast

I hope you all have a great week!

For more Menu Plan Monday, go to Orgjunkie.com

-Robin

Happy Sunday!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 NIV

Clipping for College Week Four

I got a great deal on this gift card! A few weeks ago, I traded in my greenbax at Piggly Wiggly for a $50 gift card. They were running a promotion that allowed you to spend 25 greenbax and get a $50 gift card. Greenbax are usually valued at about $1.50 depending on where you use them. This was the best deal that I had ever seen for trading them in. Not to mention, I acquired them by using "free" coupons! So, I actually made $50 by using coupons at Piggly Wiggly. Awesome!

I'm going to save it for Christmas Shopping!

This was a slow coupon week for me, but I did add $10.62 to my Clipping for College fund!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

-Robin

Friday Finals - Publix

This was not a very exciting grocery week, especially after last week. I did make it to Publix were I purchased $23.87 in groceries for $6.12.

We stopped by Bi-Lo to stock up on meat and veggies.

I hope you had a good week shopping!

For more Friday Finals, go to Southern Savers!

-Robin

To see my Clipping for College progress click here!

Giving Back

Since I started couponing on April 4, 2010, my stockpile has grown like crazy! I have been able to pick up lots of food and personal care items for cheap or in some cases free! So far, I have enough room to store it.

A few weeks ago, our neighborhood had a food drive. They brought paper bags around to each house to fill up. I was super excited to fill the bag with some of my stockpile. Since then, I have acquired more stockpile items to donate.

Couponing is a great way to save money for your family and give back to the community. Anytime I see a free or cheap deal, I grab it. If we don't use it, I keep it to donate.

Giving back Works for Me!

-Robin

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Cubed Steak and Tomatoes (pictured)

Tuesday: Breaded Cod

Wednesday: Leftover Buffet

Thursday: Creative Concoction

Friday: Turkey and the Trimmings (our friends are coming over)

Saturday: Eggplant Mozzarella

Sunday: Once a Month Out to Eat (My 7th wedding anniversary)

For more great menu plans go to Orgjunkie.com

Check out this week's $5 Dinner Challenge Recipe- Homemade Character Birthday Cake and Icing

-Robin

Homemade Character Birthday Cake

My husband and I have always made our children homemade cakes for their birthdays. As they get older, we are finding that it is becoming increasingly challenging. When our middle child turned 2, we surprised her with a Swiper the Fox cake. Needless to say, she was thrilled. She went around saying, "Swiper no Swiping" and "oh, man." She had lots of fun!

Here is how we did it:

My husband drew a sketch of Swiper from one of our Dora books. Then, we cut the cake and added the icing.

Sour Cream Cake

1 c. butter softened

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 pint sour cream

3 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Then, add sour cream to mixture. In a separate bowl, mix together baking powder, flour, and baking soda. Add the dry mixure to the wet mixture and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into 2 nine inch round pans or one sheet cake pan that have been greased and floured. Bake on 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Birthday Icing

1 lb confectioners sugar or 3 3/4 cups

3/4 c. crisco

1/4 c. cream or liquid

1/2 tsp flavor (vanilla)

Beat until smooth.

*We usually double the recipe*

Making your child's birthday cake is fun. It doesn't have to look perfect. They will think it is special just because you made it especially for them.

For more great frugal recipes, go to $5 Dinners!

-Robin

Happy Sunday!

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 NIV

Clipping for College Week Three

I saved lots of money this week at Harris Teeter and I was able to hit a couple of other stores for some good deals.

Coupon Totals for Week Three: $61.14

Publix: $11.94

Harris Teeter: $33.23

CVS: $15.97

Wow! I hope you saved alot of money with coupons this week too! Check out Friday Finals!

-Robin

Friday Finals - Super Doubles

I love super doubles at Harris Teeter. I'm always able to get items for FREE! Our Harris Teeter is running a promotion on prescriptions. If you fill a prescription, then you get $20 off of your next purchase! So, I saved my coupon until yesterday for super doubles. I was able to get 18 lbs of chicken legs and the above pictured items for $4.37!!! Wow, what a savings! Honestly, I have never bought chicken legs before, but when they are this cheap... I'll take them!

Did anyone else enjoy Super Doubles at Harris Teeter this week?

Thanks Southern Savers for the coupon match-ups! To see how everyone else did this week, go to Friday Finals!

This week's Clipping for College totals.

-Robin

Fall Garden

I was afraid that we were going to be late planting our fall garden. We didn't even plant the seeds until August 1st, but luckily the seeds grew fast and we were able to plant them yesterday. I really don't know how long it takes seeds to grow because they always grow so fast in the warmth and sunlight of our back porch.

I started the seeds is some recycled yogurt containers and a disposable/ reusable Glad container. This is a great use of them instead of throwing them away.

This is the first time that I have planted a fall garden. We planted sunflowers, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash. I hope it works out. We'll see if the fall garden Works for Me!

We are currently harvesting alot of cucumbers and banana peppers.

How is your garden growing? To see what other gardeners are havesting, go to $5 Dinners!

-Robin

Grateful for Peaches

A few weeks ago, we picked 1 1/2 bushels of peaches for $.32/ lb. We ate so many of them, I wasn't sure if we would ever want peaches again. A few weeks later, we are ready to use all of those peaches that we put up in the freezer. I am so grateful for the work that we put in to freezing those peaches. Now, we can relax and enjoy! We have made peach pie, peach bread, peach jam, peach muffins, and peach cobbler so far.

If you have any great peach recipes please share!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

-Robin

One-Skillet Pasta

Since I started couponing, I have had a big increase in the amount of stockpile food in my pantry and freezer. I really like having lots of food around. It comes in handy when we have been busy all day and I can put a meal together quick.

When my Taste of Home Magazine came this month, I found a few great stockpile recipes. One was for a One-Skillet Pasta dish, view recipe here. Our whole family enjoyed this meal. It was a great substitute for spaghetti.

What are your favorite stockpile meals?

Check out more Menu Plan Monday and $5 Dinners!

-Robin

Clipping for College Week Two

Pictured is my Lowe's purchase. Yes, I use coupons at any place that allows them. We bought some air filters... and a garden stool for me! There was a $4 rebate for the air filters, but we had already used it earlier this year.

I used $53.04 in coupons this week!

Rite Aid $18.74

Bi-Lo $20.30

Lowe's $14.00

Wow! I am always surprised at how many coupons I use.

If you are Clipping for College, leave a comment, so we can see your progress! Check out Friday Finals.

Happy Clipping!

-Robin

Friday Finals 8/6

It was a great week at Bi-Lo. I bought several stockpile items for the pantry and freezer. I spent about double my budget, but it was worth it!

My total before savings was $174.40

I paid $87.05

The order included: 11 lbs of bananas, 23 oz of cheese, 3 gallons of milk, 4 lbs of rice, 3 lbs of beans, 7 lbs of beef, 5 lbs of chicken, mushrooms, almonds, grapes, eggs, applesauce, a ham shank, juice, soda, tea, butter, peanut butter, olive oil, and whipping cream.

Join me tomorrow for a Clipping for College update.

Thanks to Southern Savers for the coupon match-ups! For more Friday Finals click here!

-Robin

Freezing Tomato Paste

About a month ago, I made another batch of freezer pasta sauce. We have made that recipe about five times now and each time we make it a little different. We have thought that the sauce was sometimes a little too runny, so this time I made it with 3/4 of a #10 can of tomato paste. We have tasted it and the additional tomato paste has made the pasta sauce a little thinker and it still tastes wonderful.

I really didn't know what to do with the extra tomato paste, since we did not have enough leftover for another pasta sauce recipe. So, I froze the tomato paste in ice cube trays (like homemade baby food). It has worked out well! It is perfect for when you only need a few ounces of tomato paste... you don't have to buy an expense tube or waste most of a can for just a few ounces.

This method would also work well when you have to open a can but only need a few ounces. Don't throw out the remainder of the can, just feeze it!

Freezing tomato paste using the food cube method Works for Me!

-Robin

Vintage Baby Doll Bed for $5

It has been a long time since we have had time to do some thrifty shopping. So, over the weekend, we stopped in on an estate sale on it's last day.

My husband and I used to frequent auctions and estate sales, before we had kids. We used to have a friendly competition between him and me. We would see who could get the best bargain and make the most money off of it's resale..... just for the record, I was ahead when we quit!

My dad has always been interested in antiques, so I have been around antiques all of my life. Since I have had a house of my own, I've wanted to decorate with aniques and unusual finds. I have a few pieces, but not too much so far. I really like to go look, even though I don't buy alot. At the estate sale over the weekend, this baby doll bed caught my attention. I have no idea how old it is, but it is cute and in pretty good condition. It was marked for $15, but they gave it to me for the $5 that I offered them. I haven't decided what I am going to do with it, but it was fun to buy!

For more interresting finds, go to Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday!

-Robin

Peach Cobbler

My family and I recently went peach picking and picked 1 1/2 bushels of peaches for $.32/ lb. At this great price, you can make a peach cobbler for less than a dollar! Here is the recipe I used:

Peach Cobbler

1 cup sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup of milk

3 cups of sliced peaches, lightly tossed in sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 casserole dish. Combine sugar, flour, and milk in a bowl and pour into the bottom of the casserole dish. Then, pour the peaches in the middle of the dish on top of the batter. Bake the cobbler for approximately 55 minutes.

You can subsititute many fruits in this recipe. Check out the Blackberry Cobbler guest post that we did last year on $5 dinners.

For more great recipes, go to Menu Plan Monday or $5 dinners!

-Robin

Happy Sunday

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Psalms 95:1