Mystery Fruit Revealed

Since we used compost to plant our garden, we sometimes get "mystery plants." Several weeks ago, a plant started growing in our garden that we had no idea what it was going to turn out to be. We had several people guess what it was. The guesses included: watermelon, pumpkin, and acorn squash. Being the rookie gardeners that we are, it was not until the outside really started looking like a cantaloupe that we knew what it was.

We are really enjoying our garden. The compost has given us additional fun. Several times we have had to guess what was coming up. It has been great to get some FREE plants!

-Robin

Clipping for College

After 4 months of perfecting my coupon clipping game. I am ready to keep track of all of my coupon savings. Over the past four months, I have saved lots of money... probably over a thousand dollars with sales and coupons.

While saving all of this money, I have been kidding my husband that I could save enough money to send our kids to college. So, I have decided to keep track and see how far I get. We currently have a 3 year old, 2 year old, and a 6 month old which means that we have several years to save, but we will need alot of MONEY all at one time!

My totals will include coupon and rebate savings only. I will update you weekly on money I have saved. The totals will include Extra Care Bucks, Up Rewards, and Register Rewards... as I use them, not as I receive them. Remember, they are only savings after you redeem them... not while they are in your wallet. I will also include Single Check Rebates, after I cash my check and include any gift cards that I receive as a result of a SCR promotion. I will also include rebates from other companies.

I will start my totals as of today, instead of pulling out all of my receipts to calculate. We can start together. I will count my SCR check that I will receive later this month from the July SCR. My savings update will be every Saturday.

I hope you will join me on my journey to save for my children's college education. Leave a comment on our blog to keep us updated on your success! Let's show everyone that it IS worth your time to clip coupons!

If several people comment, I can start a blog carnival for all of us to share our savings.

Clipping coupons to pay for college Works for Me!

-Robin

Note: I will not deduct the cost of my newspaper, printer ink, or copy paper. These items will cancel out with the use of sales. As you will see, we will be saving far more than the cost of these items.

Stuffed Banana Peppers

We have picked lots of banana peppers from our garden this year. I really didn't know what to do with all of them. I frozen some for pizza toppings, gave some away, and we have tried to eat the rest. I have been making stuffed banana peppers. You could change the recipe as you like.





Stuffed Banana Peppers





8 Banana Peppers - free from the garden


1/2 c. Sour Cream - $.10 (using a sale and coupon)


1/2 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese - $.90





Make a slice all the way down the length of the pepper. Remove all seeds. Mix cheese and sour cream together and stuff into pepper. Bake on 350 degrees for approx. 15 minutes.

Approx. $1





I am going to try to freeze some peppers that are ready to stuff, so that we can unthaw, stuff, and bake them sometime this fall.


Happy Menu Plan Monday!

This post is linked to $5 Dinners.


-Robin

Garden Tomatoes

A few weeks ago, we got the first tomato from our garden! Here is a picture of our little beauty! Yummy salsa!

-Robin

A Great Week at Rite Aid

This was a great week at Rite Aid! I bought everything pictured and made $2 after rebates. My purchase included $30 worth of Procter and Gamble products, so I will send in for a $10 rebate.

Some of the moneymakers were out-of-stock when I got there, so I asked for a raincheck. I have never had a raincheck from Rite Aid before, so I hope it works.

I also finished a Skin Care Rebate. We bought lots of sunscreen over the last few weeks and will receive $30 in gift cards to Rite Aid!





Check out Friday Finals for more great deals.





-Robin

Tips from the ALL YOU Grocery Challenge

I just finished the ALL YOU GROCERY Challenge $172.72 under budget! Yeah!

Saving money has become a way of life for me and my family. I once joked with my husband that I would pay for our children's college tutition with the money I save. As time moves on, I find that I get more and more frugal... it's almost like a game and it's fun!

Our budget for the month was $400 and we spent $227.28. We only counted groceries, but even with counting health and beauty aids, we would have had the same outcome. I get all of my health and beauty aids at the drugstore for free or for tax only.

Here is a recap of tips to help you spend less a the grocery store.

Make you own mixes

Find and use "free" coupons

Tips for couponing while shopping with kids

Make "serial meals"

Plant a garden and use the produce

Make your own laundry soap

Buy meat on sale and freeze it

BUY AT THE LOWEST PRICE

Compost to make a great garden

U-pick fruit and vegetables and freeze

Buy milk at the lowest price and freeze it

ALL YOU has some great recipes and tips for saving money. I also learned a lot from the ALL YOU blog. A few of my favorite tips from the ALL YOU Blog:

Ask your butcher to call you when they have meat that will be expiring soon. According to a fellow blogger, you can get meat at 75 % off. It will expire soon, so you just bring it home and freeze it!

Write the date of expiration on your stockpile items with a sharpie marker, so that you will be reminded to use it before it expires.

Check the clearance shelves

12 Tips to save more at the store

Thanks ALL YOU for the great challenge! I'm always interested in learning new ways to save!

-Robin

Peach Pie

On Saturday, my family and I traveled to a nearby peach farm. We picked 1 1/2 bushels of peaches. When I got home I started working on peach jam and preparing the peaches to freeze. Yesterday, I remembered that I had homemade pie crusts in the freezer, so we made a peach pie. Here is the recipe that we used.

I hope you have time to make a good peach pie while the peaches are in season.

Happy Menu Plan Monday!

-Robin