The Coffee Mateuccino

This morning I had the chance to indulge in one of my favorite money-saving creations. The Coffee-Mateuccino! If you make coffee at home (which frugal people do) and occasionally get Nestle brand Coffee-mate (which is sometimes on sale), then you know how tragic it can be when you turn over the Coffee-Mate Fat Free French Vanilla only to have piddly drips come out. Fear not, for this frugal tip will allow you one more day of creamed java. To confess, this creation came out of a desire to have one final moment with the Coffee-Mate instead of actually saving money, but thankfully it does both.

First, brew your coffee however you please and get your empty cup...

 

 Next, confirm that Coffee-mate is in fact reaching the end...

 Now, for the tricky part. Pour your coffee into the creamer bottle. You have to go slow. This whole concept works for two reasons. One, the creamer itself is extremely thick so it sticks to the bottle. (We usually have fat-free, regular may be even thicker). Second, the Coffee-mate bottle has little dents and crevices in the bottom that retain even more extra creamer after the last drip has dropped. Fill the bottle halfway or with however much coffee you want. Secure the lid tightly and give it a good martini shake.

When you open the lid, you should get a delightful "psst" sound meaning you frothed up your coffee perfectly. Pour into the cup and enjoy your frugal, creative creation. The Coffee-mateuccino!

Shelf Life: Decoding the Expiration Lingo

Stocking up on items when you find great prices is a way to reduce your grocery budget.  How long do things really last?  In their March 2011 issue, Parents Magazine did a small piece about what some of the expiration date lingo means. 

• Sell By:  Use the food within 2-3 days of this date.  However, milk and yogurt kept below 40 degrees Fahrenheit can last up to a week after this date.  Eggs are good up to an additional five weeks.  ( I don't know why they don't just extend the expiration date of these...)
• Use By:  Eat (or freeze) food by this date.  Parents also says, "Never use baby formula or baby food beyond this date, since it can lose nutrients." 
• Best if Used By:  Usually on non-perishable items, and using post expiration date won't necessarily make you ill, the product just may be stale or have lost color and nutrients.  Parents states, "If it remains unopened in your pantry, peanut butter can last up to 9 months, cereal a year, canned fruit 12-18 months and canned veggies for up to 5 years." 

Expiring food is not an issue around here, it gets eaten too quickly!  However, this is a good reference to have, just in case you find something at the back of the fridge that you had missed.

Meal Planning

"What are we having for dinner tonight?"  Ugh.  Such an annoying question sometimes, but it doesn't have to be.  Consider meal planning as a way to avoid the dreaded 4 pm question.  Meal planning is simply sitting down and loosely deciding what meals you will make for an extended period of time.  I plan out my meals for one week, but others more ambitious than I plan for a whole month.  Allow me to describe for you how I plan my meals.  Your schedule and dietary needs might be completely different, so do what works for you.

On Sundays, I sit down with my beloved planner to decide the fate of my family's bellies for the next week.  Consult your fridge, freezer and pantry for meal idea inspiration.  Breakfasts consist of mostly oatmeal/fruit with the occasional cold cereal thrown in if we are running late.  Lunches usually consist of PB&J and fruit or leftovers.  Snacks are fruit/veggies, a dairy product such as cheese or yogurt, and a carb such as crackers or homemade muffins.  I don't plan these meals.  The rut we are in with these meals is so deep, I know we won't deviate too much.  If your family's palate would not tolerate such repetitiveness, by all means, plan those meals as well.

That leaves my house with only dinner to plan.  Everyone knows meat is expensive, so I try to use it conservatively (more on saving money with meat in another post).  Much of our protein is derived from eggs, dairy and beans/legumes.  I also keep a bag of ground flax and wheat germ on hand to sprinkle on additional protein.  On a typical week, this is what our meal structure might look like (add fruits/veggies/salad to every meal):

• Egg based dish such as spinach/egg casserole, scrambled eggs with pancakes or omelettes.
• Cheese based dish such as meatless spaghetti with mozzarella cheese or cheese ravioli.
• Bean based dish such as bean burritos or black bean salad.
• Meat as a condiment dish such as shredded chicken on large fresh salads.
• Meat as a focal point dish such as baked or grilled chicken breasts.
• A leftovers night.
• A lazy or treat night such as frozen or ordered pizza, nachos, or meals at extended family.

Meal planning helps avoid the dreaded 'what is for dinner' question.  It also helps cut down on unnecessary, short trips to the store to get one or two items.  You can lessen your need for takeout or eating out.  Meal planning avoids wasting food by eating up leftovers or using leftovers in the next nights dish.

I use meal planning as a flexible guide in my house.  If something comes up or plans change, that is ok, I simply move the meals around.

Save Money with Frozen Juice Concentrate

I very much enjoy a small cup of juice in the mornings to wash down my horsepill fish oil supplement.  The gremlins and I only have a small cup for breakfast.  Therefore, we go through about a carton or 64 fl oz of 100% juice a week.  If I purchased a pre-mixed carton of orange juice such as Tropicana or Minute Maid on sale (at best $2.50/ per carton a week), I would spend about $130 per year on juice.  I am sure some families go through much more if juice is served at more times than just breakfast.

About a year ago I decided to investigate frozen juice concentrate to see if it would be a less expensive option.  I was blown away by the savings.  Many groceries stock store-brand frozen concentrate.  Old Orchard frozen concentrate can be found at Target and other stores for around $1.19 per can.  Often, the Old Orchard concentrates are a part of Meijer's 10 for $10 sale.  Of late there have been Old Orchard coupons.  After all sales and coupons, I was able to get frozen concentrate for $0.75 per can.

Pre-mixed orange juice cartons on sale for $2.50 works out to be about $0.039 cents per fluid ounce.   Per package instructions, the frozen concentrate makes 48 fluid ounces of juice.  If you got the concentrate at a rock-bottom price such as $0.42 per can, you would be paying a paltry $0.015 cents per fluid ounce of juice.  We all know those rock-bottom price opportunities only happen a few times a year, so if you paid a regular price of $1.19 for a can of concentrate, it would work out to $0.024 cents per fluid ounce of juice.  Now, here comes the farmer's daughter frugal kicker, compliments of my childhood.  Stretch the concentrate even further by adding an extra 6, if not 12 more ounces of water.  An extra six fluid ounces would probably go unnoticed by your children.  I usually reserve the extra 12 fluid ounces for grape juice concentrate, which I find rather strong if made to package specifications.

Juice can be very expensive if consumed regularly.  If juice is consumed at every meal, consider swapping out juice for water at one.  Using juice from frozen concentrate has other added benefits.  There is less waste associated with the concentrate container as opposed to a full sized bottle of juice.  It is easier to stock up and store the smaller containers.  Also, consider the fact that some juices, such as Minute Maid and some store brands, are actually made from concentrate.  Therefore, you are paying the manufacturer well over a $1 a carton to add water to the concentrate instead of doing it yourself in your own container. 

Consider purchasing a $3 pitcher from WalMart and trying out some juice concentrate.  It can really save you money.  By using juice made from frozen concentrate instead of buying pre-mixed juice (estimating a total annual purchase of 30 cans of concentrate at $1.19 and 30 cans at $0.50), I will spend about $51 a year, for a total saved of $79!  Drink up the savings!

Local Farmer's Markets

Barr Street Market

Corner Wayne & Barr Streets, Fort Wayne 46802 Saturdays:  9am to 1pm from July 7 to Sept 15

Country Garden & Farm Market
14110 U.S. Hwy. 24 West, Roanoke 46783

(CSA program)

East State Village:  Tecumseh Branch Library
260-312-0661

Sundays:  Noon to 4pm from June 10 to October 24

Georgetown Bowl Indoor Farmers’ Market
6770 East State Blvd, Fort Wayne 46815
Tuesdays:  Noon to 7pm, year round

Georgetown Square Farmers Market
 June 14 to Sept 13 from 4 to 7p

Graber Organic Farms
U-Pick Berries & CSA - CertifiedOrganic

26409 Springfield Ctr Rd, Harlan 46743

260-710-5656

Hardy’s Farm Market
4525 Knoll Road, Fort Wayne 46809

260-747-4644

Mondays through Saturdays:  9am to 6pm

Historic W Main St. Farmers’ Market
1936 W Main St, Fort Wayne 46802

Fridays:  3 to 8pm

Kurtz Enterprises
14212 State Road 37 E,  New Haven 46774
260-657-581
July—December

North Leo Mennonite Church Community Gdns & Market:  The Convivium
Free WIFI, scripts SNAP & WIC Vouchers
State Road 1, Leo 46765
260-627-6467Saturdays:  9am to 1pm from June to August


Leo Farmers Market
Riverside Gardens in Leo
June 12-September 4 from 2:00-6:00


Salomon Farm Market
817 W DuPont Rd, Fort Wayne 46818

Wednesdays:  4 to 7pm from June 13 to Sept 26

Schmucker’s Produce Market
12815 Doty Road, New Haven 46774

Monday through Saturday:  9am to 5pm

Southside Market:  Fresh Farm Produce
3300 Warsaw Street, Fort Wayne 46806

Saturdays:  7am to 1pm from Easter through mid-December

Towne House Retirement Ctr
2209 St Joe Center Rd, Fort Wayne 46825 Outside around the Fountain
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 3 to 6 pm from June to August

The Grocery Game, Part 3

Walmart does not have any savings cards, coupon sites or extra deals.  That being said, the best thin Walmart has going for it right now is their ad matching policy.  They will ad match competitors advertised prices on items on, "any thing with a printed advertised price", according to the customer service representative I talked to at Walmart corporate.  This means dairy, produce, meat and even things like plants.  Walmart also seems to be consistently lower priced on peanut butter, frozen fruit, dairy and cereal.  They do take printable coupons, but they do not double or triple those coupons.

Target has a coupon section on their website.  You can find it here.  These coupons can be stacked on top of manufacturer coupons if they say TARGET COUPON in the upper left hand corner.  If you print it and it says manufacturer coupon in the upper left hand corner, this can be used at any store that accepts coupons.  Even if it has a Target logo on it.  These coupons can only be printed twice.  Watch for savings off clothing and other household items because typically clearance items are not excluded.   So, sometimes you can work a pretty good deal off of the clearance rack!


This concludes the 'Grocery Game' series.  Please remember, you can always email us with questions.  We would love to share whatever knowledge we have.

The Grocery Game, Part 2

Today we'll take a look at what Kroger brings to the table for grocery savings. 

·         Triple Coupons!  Kroger will triple manufacturer coupons up to $.50.  This means that a $.50 coupon is worth $1.50 off.  If you watch for the right sales, you can often get items for free with possible overage (meaning extra is taken off of your bill) this way.

·         Kroger has digital coupons that you can clip on their website as well.  You need to set up an account with your Plus Card.  Select the coupons that you want for the products you will use.  These are recognized at the checkout when you scan your Plus Card.  Note:  these cannot be paired with a manufacturer coupon.  They also will not double or triple, regardless of their face value. 

·         One last thing, Kroger’s sales run from Thursday to Wednesday.  This is not really relevant to savings, but it is important to note because Meijer’s ad and sales run from Sunday to Saturday.

The final installment of this 'Grocery Game' will be added tomorrow.  This will include Walmart and Target.   See you then!

$2/1 Planters Peanut Butter from Kraft First Taste

Log into your Kraft First Taste account to see if you have an offer for a $2/1 Planters Peanut Butter.  Take that coupon to Meijer this week where Planters Peanut Butter is on sale for $1.67 or ad match the Meijer price at Walmart.  This will get you free peanut butter plus possible overage towards other groceries!  If you do not have a free Kraft First Taste account, learn more about it here.

Frugal Homemade Jelly

Even though jelly or jam is not much more than cooked sugar-fruit, we consume a lot of it along with peanut butter.  Any kind of jelly above and beyond grape is usually pretty expensive.  Mix up your lunch routine by enjoying some Strawberry-Rhubarb Jelly.  This recipe (and the rhubarb) comes courtesy of Grandma Rosswurm. 

You will need:
6 cups chopped rhubarb
3 cups sugar
1 3oz box of Jello (strawberry or similar flavor works the best)
3 clean glass jars with lids

Cut the big leaves off the top of the rhubarb, throw them back in the garden as compost.

Chop rhubarb up into 6 cups of small pieces.

Start cooking your rhubarb in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Stir often.  After a couple minutes, add 3 cups of sugar.

Stir quite often.  The sugar and rhubarb will cook down to a chunky liquid consistency.  Try to smash out any large lumps.  Add your 3 ounce package of Jello.  Stir well.

Allow jelly to cool before putting lids on.  Freeze jars of jelly not in use.

Frugal Dinner (or Breakfast) Idea

We like to have breakfast for dinner around here.  Not only is this very yummy, but it also is a really frugal dinner idea.  We have three kids (boys) and two adults I can make the meal for about $5.  Here's how: 

• Eggs:  We usually eat about 8 eggs.  At a $1/dozen last week at Kroger, this is $.75.  I will also throw whatever veggies we have around the house in as well.  Last night was tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach.  It is hard to figure the cost of these items, but I would guess it was about $.25. 
• Sausage:  I will buy the Banquet turkey links that go on sale at Meijer or Kroger for around a dollar.  We eat two of these boxes, so that price would be $2.00.
• Pancakes:  I happened to have gotten several boxes of Krusteaz wheat and honey pre-made mix for about $1/per box.  You also can make your own.  This is very easy and tastes great as well.  Here is a good recipe for homemade pancake mix.  Obviously, you pay for convenience, so making your own is the way to go for cost savings.  We ate about 1/3 of the box, or $.33. 
• Juice:  I was able to get frozen 100% juice concentrate for $.75 after sale and coupon two weeks ago.  We drank about 1/2 of it, so $.50 for that.  See my sister's post about frozen juice concentrate here.
• Fruit:  We also had bananas and frozen blueberries.  I estimate the cost of these to be about $1.00.  
• This leaves the grand total at a whopping $4.58.  Not bad for a meal where everyone leaves satisfied and I don't have to make threats to get anyone to eat.  It is also reasonably healthy.  If I don't have the sausage available, I will often just increase the egg count and throw in some shredded cheese, for extra protein. 
• Even if you hadn't been able to score all of the deals that I mentioned, this is still a very frugal meal idea.  This also reiterates that when shopping, try to stock up when things you use often, when they are at a good price.

FREE Chocolate at Walgreens This Week

Walgreens has Easter Snickers Eggs 1 oz. for $.29 this week.  Pair it with this $1/2 Mars Easter Candy printable* to pick up some FREE chocolate. 

Remember, Walmart and Meijer and Target will ad match this as well. 

*affiliate link

Money Saving V8 Coupons

Meijer has V8 VFusion on sale this week 2/$5.  Here are two links for coupons.

$1/1 V8 VFusion + Tea Printable

$1/2 V8 VFusion Printable

Mperks has a $1/2 V8 VFusion or regular V8 coupon as well.

This sale ends 4/9/2011.

You've GOT to SEE This, Great Shopping This Week at Kroger!

Whenever I have a shopping trip as good as this one, I always bring everything home, lay it out like this and make my husband guess how much I spent.  Can you guess?  Well, prepare yourself, this entire table of (mostly) healthy food was only $4.66!
You can do it, too.  I am going to provide you with the links to all of the coupons, with one exception.  The coupons for the Philadelphia Cooking Cremes (bottom left, to the left of the tuna fish) came from Kraft First taste, a program my sister talked about earlier this week.  Find it here.  You might still be able to sign up for those coupons, but they take a few weeks to be mailed.  Other than that, you have immediate access to the coupons for all of the other items on the table.
Here's how I did it: 

12 Boxes Ronzoni Pasta:  $.49 each ($5.88) after purchasing 10 items in the March to Savings Sale
Used 6 Ronzoni Pasta $1/2 printable here and here
Final Price:  FREE

4 Red Gold Canned Tomatoes:  $.49 each ($1.96) after purchasing 10 items in the March to Savings Sale
Used 2 Red Gold Tomatoes $.50/2 printable 
Final Price:  FREE

2 Starkist Tuna Pouches:  $1.00 each ($2.00)
Used 2 Starkist Pouch Products $.50/1 printable here or here
Final Price:  FREE

2 Driscoll's Strawberries:  $2.00 each ($4.00)
Used 2 Driscoll's Berries $.50/1 printable
Final Price:  $1.00 for 2

Nature Valley Granola Bars:  $2.29 each ($4.58)
Used 2 Nature Valley Granola Bar $.50/1 printable here, here or here
Final Price:  $1.58 for 2

2 Kraft Homestyle Macaroni:  $2.29 each ($4.58) after purchasing 10 items in the March to Savings Sale
Used 2 Kraft Homestyle Macaroni $.50/1 printable
Final Price:  $1.58 for 2

2 Philadelphia Cooking Cremes: $1.99 each ($3.98)  after purchasing 10 items in the March to Savings Sale
As I said, my FREE product and $1.50/1 coupons were from Kraft First Taste,
there are these options:  $1.50/1 in Smart Source insert in 3/6/11 Newspaper or Kroger has a $.75/1 eCoupon here
My Final Price:  $.50 for 2

Grand Total:  $4.66

As you can see, I had two sets of the ten participating items.  You are allowed three sets of ten in any one transaction.  If you can't make all ten items with corresponding coupons, I usually just look for the cheapest items that are available (that I will use).  Also, before you hate me because you think I am the one that takes all of the sale items, you CAN get rainchecks for any of these items.  I know it is really annoying, but they will have them in stock eventually.  I happened to get lucky when I went.  
Lastly, if you are new to this, you may not realize that when you print these coupons from coupons.com, smartsource.com, and redplum.com, you can go back into the site again and print another one.  If you are printing a single coupon from a direct link, after printing the first one slowly hit the back button on your browser to print another.  It usually takes about three times and then you will see the printer icon start again.  If that doesn't work, try going back to the same site to start over and try again.  Most sites will usually let you print each coupon twice.  Any questions, don't be afraid to leave a comment.

Kroger Deals 3/24-3/30

Kroger also has some good deals this week.

Driscoll's Strawberries 2/$4
Driscoll's Berries $.50/1 printable (tripled)
Final Price:  $.50

Ronzoni Pasta:  $.49 (after buying 10 participating items in March to Savings Sale)
Ronzoni Pasta $1/2 printables
Final Price:  FREE

Boneless/Skinless Chicken is on sale for $1.99/lb.  Check out what we do with it when it's on sale here.

Ritz Munchables:  $1.99 (after buying 10 participating items in March to Savings Sale)
Ritz Munchables $1/1 printable
Final Price:  $.99

**New** $1/2 Kraft Shredded Cheese Coupon

Scroll through the "Ads by Google" on the right hand of the page to find a coupon for $1/2 Kraft Shredded Cheese With a Touch of Philadelphia.  These are priced the same as the regular shredded cheese and go on sale for $1.67 a piece, making them a great deal after the coupon!  The cheese is also very tasty, we have had it here several times.

FREE Starkist Tuna at Kroger

Whether you observe meatless Fridays during the season of Lent or you just want a good deal on tuna fish, Kroger has it this week!  Go to this link to print a $.50 off any Starkist pouch coupon.  Kroger has them on sale for $1.00 right now, so after coupon savings, they will be FREE!  I wouldn't wait to print this one, they usually go quickly! 

Walmart and Kroger Notable Deals For Week of 3/6/11

Here are the notable deals for Walmart this week:

Muir Glen Organic diced tomatoes, $1.32
$.75/1 Muir Glen printable coupon
$.57 after coupon

Pure Protein Bar, (not exactly sure of price, usually around $1)
$1/1 Pure Protein Bar printable coupon
Very low price after coupon

Rimmel 60 second Nail Polish, $2.97
$2.00/1 Rimmel item printable coupon
$.97 after coupon
**Check out other Rimmel items with this coupon as well, there are some other low priced cosmetics available. 

Yoplait Greek Yogurt, $1.19
$.30/1 Yoplait Greek yogurt printable coupon (tripled)
$.29 after coupon

Nature Valley Granola Bars, $2.29
$.50/1 Nature Valley printable coupon here or here or here
$.79 after coupon

Meijer "Can't Miss" Deals For Week of 3/6/11

Meijer notable deals for the week:

Yoplait Kids Yogurts, 3/$5
$.50/1 Yoplait Kids printable here or here
$.67 after coupon

Chobani Greek Yogurt, $.99
$.30/1 Chobani 6 oz. yogurt printable
$.39 after coupon

Truvia 40 ct. Natural Sweetener, $3.29
$1/1 Truvia printable coupon
$1/1 Meijer Mealbox printable
$1.29 after coupons

Philadelphia Cooking Creme, $2.99
$1.50/1 Smart Source Newspaper Insert 3/6/11
$.50/1 Meijer Mealbox printable
$.99 after coupons

If I missed anything of importance, please feel free to comment!  Thanks!

Target "Can't Miss" Deals For Week of 3/6/11



Here are some "inexpensive with coupon" deals at Target this week:

Reach Waxed Floss, $.97

$1/1 Reach product printable coupon

FREE after coupon

Shout Stain Remover, $1.97

$1/1 Shout product printable coupon

$.97 after coupon

Huggies Diapers, $19.97 (per box)

$2.50/1 Target Web Coupon (print two)

$3.50/1 (60ct. or larger) from Smart Source insert 2/27/11  or

$2.00/1 printable (this is on Target's site, but it is a manufacturer coupon)

Buy two boxes and get $5 Target gift card to be used on your next transaction.

**Note:  You can pair the manufacturer and Target web coupons to get extra savings.  Also, if you can come up with enough coupons, use a set of manufacturer and web coupon on each box.

Savings of $17.00 with double sets of above coupons.

Nature Valley Granola Bars, $1.00 (in dollar section end cap)
$.50/1 printable here or here
Pair with $1.50/3 Target web coupon
As low as FREE with stacked coupons

 

Save Money on Carrots

Unfortunately I am not talking dazzling white carats (although take a peek at some of those at Fort Wayne based www.YourDirectDiamonds.com), instead I'm referring to the crunchy orange kind that supposedly help you see better.  Emphasis on supposedly, as they haven't worked for old four-eyes here.  They aren't a terribly expensive veggie, but there is a way to make fresh carrots consume even less of your grocery budget.

Instead of buying the baby carrots that come pre-cut and pre-washed swimming in a bag of carrot water-juice, consider purchasing that big bag of peel-still-on, 10 inch carrots.  A 1 lb bag of baby carrots cost about $1.50 at Meijer.  The 3 lb bag of unprepared adult carrots can be purchased on sale for $2.50, or about 83 cents a pound. 

The glaring difference between the two options is not only the price per pound, but the fact that you have to peel and cut the second kind.  I estimate it takes less than 10 minutes to wash, peel, cut and store a 3 pound bag of carrots.  The task will be less daunting if you do it immediately after returning from the grocery.  Either do the whole bag at once or if you don't go through the orange sticks that quickly, just prepare enough for a week.  The unpeeled carrots will last for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.  If you prepare too many and they start to dry out and curl up, simply store them in a water bath. 

Try preparing your own carrots.  It is far less expensive, and the carrots last longer and taste better in my opinion. They don't come half-rotted in a particulate-laden, water-juice solution as is often the case with the already prepared baby carrots.