7:30AM

All I can say is.....
BRRRRRR!!!
It's 47 degrees out this morning.
Was going to put shorts on the kids
but decided to go with pants.
Time to get out the Fall jackets.
Supposed to be 74 today.

Heading to Meijers this morning.
If they still have the clothes
marked down and the 25%
off deal still going I might
take another gander at those.

Out of the blue the blog site
went back to normal. Meaning
it's been in basic mode for
quite some time and wouldn't
let me do anything fancy on here.
Now I can do different color type
once again which makes it
easier for me to read between
one subject and the next.
So I will be tinkering with
it some and trying different things.

Yesterday evening we went to
Kroger, me, Tony and the boys.
It's really hard to stick to a budget
with the three of them along side
of me in the grocery store.
But I did it! We went in and only
got what was on my list. That is
so very hard to do and a pain
in the butt telling everyone
constantly NO, NO, NO to
putting extras in the cart.

Well I'll let you know how the
Meijer trip turns out with how
much I saved there also
and the total savings for the week.

_______________________________

11:30AM

Just returned home from Meijers.
I got everything I had on my list from
yesterday plus I got an additional
yogurt, a shirt and a carpet fresh.
I went to the service counter and
got back my $2.00 they overcharged me
Tuesday!

Shirt
was $7.00
marked down to $2.00
additional 25% off $1.50
additional 10% off $1.35

Glade Carpet Fresh
$1.99 - $1.50 coupon
made it .50 cents

I had on my list Glade candles
and I got a heck of a deal on
them along with a bonus!

Glade candles $1.67
minus $1.00 coupon
made them .67 cents each
times 4 is $2.68
BONUS-
For every 2 candles you
bought you got a $2.00 off
your next purchase catalina
coupon.
So it was like I got 4 candles
FREE and they are paying
me $1.32 to buy them!

Some catalina deals I do not
know about unless I see them
marked on the shelves at
the store.

Anyway my savings for today
was $38.39

Add that to the total of my weekly
savings.
TOTAL SAVED THIS WEEK $186.39!!

These are the catalina coupons I got today:

$2.00 off your next shopping order

$2.00 off your next shopping order

$4.00 off next purchase of $40 or more

Plus a few other coupons on certain
items.

I forgot to mention when I went to
Kroger yesterday I got a Catalina
coupon for a FREE box of
Kroger cereal. No size limit
specified so that means any size!

I might splurge and go back to
Kroger to use up a couple more
coupons I found in my stash
on the pop deal.

I found I had coupons for Dr. Pepper.
People don't know this and some
stores don't know this, but Dr.
Pepper IS NOT a Pepsi product.
It is a 7UP product!
But when stores usually have sales
on Pepsi they also include the Dr. Pepper
with it at the same price.

I normally pay .80 cents a bottle
for Big K pop. If I buy the Pepsi
products this week it is only
.50 cents a bottle!
I can get 8 bottles of Pepsi
for the price of 5 bottles of
Big K!

_________________________

Mom wanted to go out for lunch.
I suggested el cheapo Taco Bell
$2.00 meals. Would cost about
$4 and some change for
eat in tax for us to both eat there.

But we ended up at Fazoli's,
an Italian restaraunt, for the same
price! How you ask?

They have a pizza pasta deal
going on at the moment for $3.99.
You can choose spaghetti, ravioli
or zitti. It is big enough for 2 people to
eat!!

They have free drink refills
that you get up to refill yourself.
So we only got 1 pop to share
& refill which cost mom only .50 cents
with a senior discount.

Also you got all the
bread sticks you could eat!
They had garlic, butter
and Italian seasoning on them.

So we ended up with a very nice
and fancy lunch for the same
price as having a Gordita at
Taco Bell!!
Total cost for Fazios: $4.83

__________________________

Got my canned goods put away.
This is just the shelf in my kitchen!
Does not include the pantry in
my basement! Lots of soups
stocked up for the cold Winter
weather lurking in the near
future. These are mainly
for lunches.

I got the spaghettios for .23 cents
a can! Normally $1.00 a can. 75% off.
I pretty much got 4 for the price of 1!

Progresso and Campbells soups
were about .60 cents a can.
They are regularly $2.00+ a can.
So got 3 cans for the price
of just 1.

23 cans equals 23 days of
kids lunches. Each can is
2 servings. Along with of
course of things like
fruit drinks, yogurt, peanut butter
or cheese crackers and so on.

$5.29 for 23 cans
@ regular price it would have been $23.00!




________________________

I was browsing Craigslist to see if I
could find any free deck wood. I found
and ad and these people aren't far from
here. I just wrote them and hope they
still have it!
Maybe I could also find enough
to build a hand railing which
we do not have now.

____________________

Woo Hoo, still keeping up with
the surveys. I finally reached $20.40
on the one! Did this in one month's
time! So if I manage to do this
for the next 12 months that could
turn into $244.80 from just doing
surveys!

______________________

Here's my new $1.35 shirt
I got today. Reg. $7.00.

That's the only way I will
buy NEW clothes is if they
are around thrift store
or garage sale prices.

_____________________________

4:50PM

I signed up for a new survey site
and am already doing my first survey with them.
Survey is a little long but oh well
I like the freebies that come with
doing surveys!
If you want an invite to this new
survey site just let me know!

___________________________

5:20PM

Tonight's Supper Menu
Chicken Cheddar Sweet Italian Bread Pizza
Lasagna
Salad

1 loaf sweet Italian Bread- .49 cents
1 jar pizza sauce- FREE
1/2 pkg leftover breaded chicken strips- .50 cents
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded- .50 cents
couple slices of onion & green pepper- .10 cents

Lasagna- Free- leftovers from freezer
1 cup cheese to add on top lasagna- .50 cents

1/2 bag of mixed salad- .50 cents
ranch salad dressing .05 cents

TOTAL COST FOR ENTIRE MEAL: $2.64
serves 4 @ .66 cents a serving!

____________________________________________

6:40PM

Sitting here letting supper settle a little bit.
Was trying to think of some homemade snacks
I could put in the kids lunch.
Might make some of these below this weekend.


GUMMY CANDY
Like Gummy Bears

1 -3 oz box of flavored gelatin
2 - 1/4 oz packages of unflavored gelatin
water
candy molds

Place 1/3 cup water in a small sauce pan. Sprinkle the Jello and unflavored gelatin over the water. Let sit 5 - 10 minutes. (If you like chewier gummi candy add in another packet of unflavored gelatin.)

Place sauce pan over medium heat and stir until gelatin is dissolved, about 2-5 minutes. When mixture is liquid and all gelatin has dissolved, remove from heat. Let cool a minute and then pour into a container that is easy to pour from. I use a small ceramic creamer pitcher.

Fill molds.

Allow to cool completely, about 20 minutes. They may be placed in a refrigerator for about 10 minutes if the kids are eager.

Once cool, the backs can be lightly dusted with corn starch, if desired.

Peel the gummi candy out of the molds. Don't be shy, you won't hurt them when peeling them from the molds. No need to oil the molds!desired.

_________________________

I come up with all these cute ideas I could make

for school parties BUT this year they sent home a notice

that we are no longer allowed to send in food for Holiday or birthday parties.

THAT SUCKS!

It's so much cheaper to make homemade treats than

it is to buy each kid some kind of gift!

We have survived all these years at school

without getting sick so why now.

Remember dressing up in your Halloween costume

in school then parading around to show it off?

Not now, they're not allowed to dress in costumes!

Remember playing cops and robbers and cowboys and indians?

Now now, or they'll suspend you if you

make a pretend gun using your thumb and pointer finger!

Remember taking plastic knives to school in you lunch?

Not now, or they'll suspend you!

Remember when the teachers taught lessons in school?

Not now, they pawn off most of the school work

on parents as homework. Not caring how many hours you worked that day.

Remember when it was beggar's night and you didn't get

any homework that night due to staying out late?

Not now, they still give it to them anyway!

9-8-10

Back isn't feeling the greatest this
morning. Feels like my rubber band has
been wound too tight.

I don't have plans of going anywhere
today. Mom's got the gutter guy
coming over and installing a gutter
on the back of her house.
Then tomorrow I want to go back to
Meijer to get my refund on my lettuce.
They charged me for both and it was supposed
to be buy 1 get 1 free. This is why I
always say watch your receipts!
I also went through more coupons
to stock up on more of those
deals they had. Plus I have to
go to Kroger for a few things.

My weekly budget for groceries
is about $45. Doesn't seem like
a lot for a family of 4 with 2 pets.
My goal for about the next 2 months
is to fall under budget to be able
to save up a little money in the
bank account.

For 2 trips to Meijers and1 trip to Kroger my groceries total for
the week is $37.78
That's $7.22 under budget!
I won't have a before total
until I go to Meijers andKroger tomorrow.

I know $37.78 doesn't sound
like much to some to buy groceries
but I want to show you what I got
for that amount by watching sales
and combining coupons with them:
22 cans Spaghettios
2 Glade scented candles
4 packs of Danimal yogurts
12 cans Campbell's Select soups
2 pkgs Ballpark franks hot dogs
1 pound grapes
2 pkgs Dole Lettuce
3 pound bag of carrots
2 Uncle Ben's whole grain rice
2 bottles Lysol cleaner10 pkgs Kraft cheese slices
10 pkgs Kroger shredded cheese
2 boxes Captain Crunch cereal
11 two liter bottles of Pepsi
I really shouldn't add these
two below to our grocery budget
but did anyway.
2 pairs of shorts
1 17.5 pound bag of dog food

When you stockpile goods you onlybuy the best sale items that week.
One week will not look like
something you could live off of.
But eventually when you build
your stockpile up then you have
a variety of foods to make meals
from.

For example:

This week it was mostly
canned pasta, soups, yogurt and cheese.
Next week it could be cereal, milk
bread
and the next after that could be
Hamburger helper, biscuits,
sausage and other pastas.
Some weeks have good meat sales
or meat discounts while others
do not. When you find them stock
up the freezer.

Most of the time I do not plan
meals ahead of time and then
buy groceries for certain meals.
I have to get creative and see
what is in the pantry and freezer
and plan my meals that way.
The reversal of how everyone else
usually does it.

Today I got out my chicken breast
and thought I had stuffing to stuff
them with but did not. I had
to move on to plan B and find
something else. So instead of
stuffing they are getting stuffed
with rice.

5 boneless chicken breasts- FREE
1 can caramelized onion soup- .59 cents
1 pouch Uncle Bens Whole Wheat rice- .17 cents
1/2 pkg cream cheese- .75 cents
1/2 pouch of onion soup mix- FREE
4 large carrots- .50 cents
1 box instant mashed potatoes- FREE

Total cost for 5 servings: $2.01
@ .40 cents a serving.
_________________________

I just brought all the Depends
adult diapers in the house.
They are the kind that has
the velcro closures on the sides.

I think I have 29 packages of these.
In each pack is anywhere between
12, 16 or 24.

Man if there was a way to figure
out how to use these as baby diapers,
my cousin would be set for
quite some time!! She's due in
November. Don't know if that would
even be possible. Because looking
at the size of them, an entire baby
could disappear in them!
People don't understand how
costly diapers can be until it
comes time to buy them.
The cheapest route to go is cloth
but some moms don't want to mess
with that hassle.




Kendra & Dewaine came over.
Dewaine finished hanging the last
panel and secured the gate some more.

Kendra gave me almost 10 pounds
of chicken leg quarters!!
THANK YOU KENDRA!! That was very
thoughtful of you!!

The next thing we need to do, notice
I said need and not want, there is a
difference, is fix this back step.
I can't afford to jack hammer it
out and replace it with another.
I can't afford cement to do another.
So my idea was to watch on Freecycle
and Craigslist for some deck lumber
and just build a deck type step
over the existing concrete one.
Gonna play this by ear. Could
be this year, could be next.
If the fence and the step are the
biggest worries we've had in the last
2 years of owning our house, then
we're doing good.







____________________________

Sitting her thinking about anything
leftover that I have in the fridge.
The other day I bought a huge head
of cabbage for around $1.00 or so.
That one head of cabbage can be used
for about 3-4 meals whether as
side dishes or the meal itself.

I have already made fried sausage,
taters and cabbage.
Now thinking about some coleslaw
and cabbage lasagna.
Instead of using pasta for lasagna
use the cabbage leaves instead.
I could also do what I call
cabbage roll soup. Instead of
rolling the leaves around rice
I cut up the cabbage into small
pieces and use the cabbage roll
ingredients to make a soup instead.
Much easier and faster to make!

Also found a leftover package of
breaded chicken strips.
Think I'll slice those up
for a cheddar chicken italian
bread pizza.

Yes it seems we eat a lot of chicken.
Chicken is about the cheapest meat you
can buy.
Back in my younger days we ate
a lot of hamburger but cannot
afford it now at over $2 a pound!

When buying meat see how much bone
or fat you are getting in that package.
You are paying per pound for all
those extras that you won't use anyway.

It is cheaper to buy something with
bone in rather than boneless.

I also have half of a smoked sausage.
To make meals stretch further I try
not to make meats the main course.
Instead I use them in casseroles,
pastas and soups.
So that last piece of sausage will
get slice up thin and put into
a recipe-> RECIPE
I'll use penne pasta instead,
regular can of diced tomatoes,
garlic powder instead of cloves
and a can of tomato soup instead
of spaghetti sauce.

_____________________________

When packing the kids lunch for
school and it requires a fork
and/or spoon, I always pack
plastic utensils.
I tell them to bring those
back home so I can wash
and reuse them. This is better
than using your good silverware
should they accidentally throw
them away. If I use any kind
of zip plastic bags I have them
save them also to wash and reuse.

_____________________________

I'm telling ya men are like
little kids. You know the kind
that tells mom that they need
5 dozen cupcakes by the next
morning. Well that's my hubby.
Calls me at 3:35PM and says he
needs a dish for a going away
potluck tomorrow. I say, oh did
they just now tell you they
were having a potluck tomorrow?
His response: I knew about it
for awhile now I just kept
forgetting to tell you.

^%$@*(&^%(*&^$#@##$%)!!!
Can ya hear me now????

Soooooo
What the heck am I going to make
tonight? I have no clue.
Racking my brain at the moment.

I think I got it!

I have a crap load of pork and beans
and have some hot dogs in the freezer.
All I need is some BBQ sauce.
I can go to Kroger tonight
and get that along with the other
things I mentioned today and it
would mean one less stop tomorrow
when out running around.

So here's my quick throw together
for Tony's potluck tomorrow.

2 cans vegetarian beans- FREE
2 cans pork & beans .58 cents
(from scrach & dent bin at store)
1 package of hot dogs- FREE
(I used 4, they were Omaha Steak
company kind and they were large.
And to think I made this with
gourmet hot dogs!)
1 bottle BBQ sauce- $1.00
1 small diced onion & green pepper .20 cents

TOTAL COST for potluck dish: $1.78

______________________________

Here's supper from tonight.
This is actually a lunch for Tony
on Friday considering he's having
potluck tomorrow.

The leftover onion gravy I made
will go into the freezer.
This will make a great starter
soup base.



When buying milk in the store
be sure to check the price of
the half gallons first.
Sometimes it is cheaper to buy
2 half gallons than a whole
gallon jug!
I was amazed to even teach my
own mom this to save money!

_____________________________

I've been taking my Vitamin D3
daily. I don't know if this
is related to taking these or not
but thought I would mention it.
Anyway every time I would cough
or sneeze I would have a lot of
pain in my chest area. Almost
felt like a bronchitis pain except
that I didn't have any other
bronchitis signs like severe
coughing, tightness in chest,
shortness of breath
or phlem. But anyway since starting
these D3 pills it has disappeared
like it was never there at all.
And I've had this for the past
several weeks.

Did you know?

The skin produces approximately
10,000 IU vitamin D in response
20–30 minutes summer sun exposure—50 times
more than the US government's
recommendation of 200 IU per day!

(I currently take 2,000 IU each
day and will increase it to 4,000 IU
or more each day when the colder
weather gets here.)

That is why we are less likely
to get sick and develop colds
and flu during the warmer weather!!

Today while Dewaine was working
on the fence I was basking in the
sun since it was so nice out,
absorbing all that free vitamin D.

___________________________

When buying cans from the scratch
and dent bin you need to look first
at these two things before buying
them:

1. Make sure the edges of the
lid aren't dented so you have
a way to open it with a can opener.

2. Press your finger on the lid of
the can. If there is any give or
a popping sound DO NOT BUY IT!

I discovered one of my pork and bean
cans tonight had a flexible top
and immediately threw it out!

___________________________

Went to Kroger tonight.
My receipt said I saved $36.13.
So I am now up to saving $148.13
for the week!

I finally had to start moving
some of our food into mom's
freezer. Both my freezers are full!
That's good though, because I don't
really have to buy anything from
the store if I don't have to
considering we have enough
stocked up.

Here's just the cheese I stocked
up on this week and last.
When the normal price of cheese
is $3 a package and I can get
3 packages for the price of just 1
that's when I am stocking up
for the next couple of months.



Well y'all it's 9:00pm
and a new episode of
Ghost Hunters is on.
Gonna stay up and watch
that then head to bed.
Didn't get a nap in today.

_____________________________

Tip for using Avon's
Skin So Soft on animals

It’s a great insect repellent for your pet.
(As recommended in "Outdoor Life"
and "Field and Stream")

Mix 5 parts water,
1 part SSS
and mist on animals.

Brushing it in makes their coats
gleam and keeps insects off so the
animals don't fidget.

Mix in your pet's bath water.
It takes the fleas off of them...
and in between sprays them with the same
mixture as in a 50/50 mixture to help
keep them off.

Rub on your hands before and after working
with your pets and farm animals.
It will remove the strong smells..

Black Fly Spray For Dogs:
Use as a spray or a dip.
1 cup SSS,
1/2 cup liquid detergent or the
Avon bubble bath will work as well
and 3 gallons of water.

For dog’s dry skin mix
1 tablespoon of SSS per gallon of water
and use as an after bath rinse.
You can wash your beloved pet with the
bubble bath also
Or spritz your pet's coat once per week.

If your dog should get tar or asphalt on
the pads of their feet rub on SSS and then
wipe off.

Flea Bath:
Use a flea and tick shampoo.
Rinse, rinse, and rinse so no soap residue
is left.
Follow with final rinse of
2 gallons of water mixed with
flea dip and 1 capful of SSS.
The SSS helps replace the oils lost
in bathing and has the added benefit
of repelling insects.

Flea Repellent:
Avon's SSS Bath Oil.
1-1/2 ounces per gallon of water;
used as a sponge-on dip (or as a spritz)
has been tested and proven to have
significant, but not complete,
flea-repellent activity for a 6-day period.
It should help those dry coats, too.

_________________________________

I just signed up for a FREE
a pair of Graco Lite-up clippers.
Supposed to be here in 2-4 weeks.
This would be nice to add to
the diaper cake for a baby gift!

9-7-10

7:00AM

Things are rolling so smoothly
this morning because I planned
ahead. And it's a good thing too
because I did not get a good night's
sleep. I got to bed around midnight.
Then I hear a sound and got back up
around 12:30am.
We had gated off the kitchen and
put the dog in there before bed.
She had knocked over one of the
gates and got out.
She is gated off when she goes pee
in the house. She was in the backyard
yesterday for most of the afternoon
but the moment we went to the store
to get a pop she peed in the house!
GRRRRR! Then ate a pack of Jonathan's
bubblegum. So anyway I get the gate
set back up. 1:00am I am up again
hearing noises. The dog tried once
again to knock over the gate.
She didn't knock it over.
Didn't hear a peep since then.
Then at 3:30am I must have had a
bad dream and woke up.
So yeah I feel like I only
had a couple hours sleep. That
alarm went off too early at 6:30am.
I felt like I could have slept til
noon. But I got too much running to
do today. I got to call the mortgage
company to see what to do with the
escrow thing, then go to my car insurance
place, post office to drop off bills,
maybe Meijers, then Dewaine is supposed
to come back over and put up the remaining
fence panel and maybe add another
latch on our gate. I still have laundry
to take off the line and put away.
Then figure out what we're having for
supper.

I keep thinking about my grocery list
for Meijer. I may tweak it back some
and remove uneccessary items from my list.
My new list should look something like
this.
$44.09 before
$17.59 after
$26.50 savings

So my weekly grocery spendings
added along with Kroger's list should
be $28.63.
That's $16.37 under my regular
budget of $45.
If I can do this for the next
month or so I can save $65.48
in one months time.
Or $131.00 in 2 months time.

When there is a will there is a
way. Even though I have high
bills at the moment I still
am finding ways to cut back
and save money. This is one
way of getting the bank account
back up where it should be.
I mean I have a cushion and
all to fall back upon but just
because I have used part
of that cushion doesn't mean
I shouldn't try to find ways
to build it back up.

8:00AM

Well I have to get the kiddos
dressed and ready to take them
to the bus stop. Then all the
fun starts.

________________________________

Well this morning I called the
mortgage company. Boy was that
a joke and I'll tell ya why.
My name is not on our home
loan and me being the wife
cannot ask questions about paying
the bill!! This is the stupidest
thing if you ask me. All I wanted
to know was how to go about paying
the freaking escrow shortage bill
and what to pay for our monthly
home loan! I think if you are married
you should be able to access all your
bills no matter if they are in
the husbands or wife's name!
Because if you think about it, should
the loan or other bills become delinquent,
I'm sure
they would not hesitate to come
after me for money owed on the loan
being the wife.
I think they should authorize your
spouse to be able access your monthly
bills, especially if the wife is the
one making the payments.
So I just did my better judgement
of how to pay the bills this month
for the house.

------------------------

I got the rest of my errands run
and bills paid. Then me and mom
went to Meijers to do some shopping.
Which by the way I had to go over
what I said I was spending earlier because
I realized we were out of dog food
this morning. GRRRR. But that dog
food is not a weekly expense so
it won't hurt too bad. That should
last about 3 weeks or so.
Still got her brand of dog food
and it had a $1.00 coupon
on it so it was all good.

Some things people do in the grocery
store bothers me. And here is one
example that pisses me off.
A person will leave their cart
or basket in line and run around
the store to shop thinking
their basket is holding their
place in line. Me and mom get in
line and wonder why this basket
of groceries was left on the
floor of the checkout lane.
We pushed it out of the way so
mom could go around it and put
her groceries on the conveyor
belt. I'm about to put my
groceries up when this lady
mysteriously appears out of nowhere,
after I don't know how many people
have walked around her basket,
and just pops back into line
like it was nothing, separating
me and mom at the checkout.
I just bit my lip! I really
wanted to tell her off!!

----------------------

When I returned home from the store
I found that Kendra had stopped
by and left me some Depends on
my back step.
Check out all these she got
for me FREE off Freecycle!

I can only imagine what
the neighbors are thinking
seeing all these on my doorstep,
LMAO!

She also gave me 3 Mums
(which will come back yearly)
and a houseplant she made
for me!




---------------------

My Meijer trip

Before price $112.11

Price I paid $26.11

And these are the Catalina
coupons I got today:

FREE box of Idahoan potoatoes

$4.00 off purchase of $40

$1.00 off $5.00 salty snack

$5.00 off next shopping trip

$1.00 off Raisin Bran

plus about 3-4 other ones

And here's everything I got
for $26.11, it even includes
the dog food and 2 brand new pairs
of shorts. I NEVER buy new clothes!
They are having a clothing clearance.
Take an additional 25% off the marked
down items. PLUS I have a Meijer
discount card since Damien works at
Meijer for an additional 10% off
non food items!!

pink pair shorts
regular $13
marked down to $3.00
additional 25% off $2.25
additional 10% off $2.03

black pair of shorts
regular $11.00
marked down to $2.00
additional 25% off $1.50
additional 10% off $1.35
These I found in the maternity
section of the store.
They do not look maternity at all!
I saw other maternity clothes
with the elastic band pants
and shirts marked down to
$2-$3 so take an additional
25% off that for those needing
maternity clothes!

So $3.38 for 2 new pairs of shorts
that would have cost me $24!!!
A savings of $20.62!!

I was just looking over my receipt
and found a mistake. The dole
salad mix was supposed to be
buy 1 get 1 free and they charged
me for both. Will take my receipt
back tomorrow to get reimbursed.
So my new total spendings for
today at Meijer is
$24.11











______________________________

I have yet to turn the air conditioner
back on. The Weather Channel says it's
92 degrees out. Thermostat says it
is 83 degrees in here. I've got
fans blowing full speed and some
windows open.
While everyone is at work and school
I am comfortable with these temps
and are saving money by not turning
the AC on!
We are supposed to get storms
or rain this evening. Then once those
roll through the temps in the 10 day
forecast are in the 70's.

_____________________________

2:30PM

As much as I would have liked,
it doesn't look like I am getting
a nap in today. Eyes are about
to fall outta my head!

The boys get home in a little
over an hour. So in the meantime
I started working on a food pantry
inventory. Once I get that done
along with freezer inventories
then the fun begins of trying
to put together meals with those
items.

Not sure what we are having tonight.
Maybe something simple since I am
so tired and we have a backyard
to still tidy up from yesterday.
Got some hot dogs today so might
do those with some mac n cheese.

I think for tomorrow, since I don't
have plans of going anywhere I'm gonna
do this for supper:

Mix some dry onion soup mix with
some cream cheese. Stuff that into
some boneless chicken breasts.
Pour a can of Campbells Select
caramelized onion soup into a crock
and then add the chicken.
Let those babies cook 4-6 hours.
Make up some mashed potatoes
and some carrots. Thicken the
remaining soup in crock and make
into a gravy.

______________________________

You know when it's really windy
out when a pair of shorts on
your clothes line flies of the
line, clears the top of the shed
and makes it into the front part
of the driveway on the other side
of the fence!

_______________________________

Here's a tip of how to enhance your
yard with flowers at little or no
cost. Look around your neighborhood
or at your neighbor and friends yards.
Sometimes their perennials need thinning
out and they might be willing
to give you some extras they may have.
Perennials are flowers or plants
that come back every year.
My across the driveway neighbor lady
was talking about these flowers
she planted last year and how they
took off so fast in her small flower
bed and spread. She said I could
dig up some of her flowers
to start my own collection.
I don't know what kind they are
but I think they are pretty.
So for only the labor to dig
those flowers I can have flowers
for free!
Your yard won't be a gardener's dream
overnight but at least you'll
have a little curb appeal for
very cheap!



_______________________________

3:20PM

Got a few more minutes before walking
to the bus stop so I thought I would
share a couple of the deals I got
today.

I had $1.00 off $4.00 of produce coupon
For $3.00 in produce I got
1 pound grapes
3 pounds carrots
and a buy 1 get 1 free Dole salads

Ballpark Franks
regular $2.50
I paid .17 cents each

Danimals yogurt smoothies,
coolisions and crush cups
regular price $2.29
I paid .79 cents each

Uncle Bens Whole Grain Rice
regular $1.98
I paid .17 cents

Campbell's Select Harvest Soups
regular $1.96
I paid .65 cents each

Spaghettios
regular .99 cents each
I paid .50 cents each

Lysol Pourables
regular $2.78
I got them FREE

Dad's Dog Food
regular $7.99
I paid $6.99

Kraft cheese slices

sale price $1.88 x's 10 is $18.80
I had 2 coupons
save $5.00 off 5 pkgs cheese
It made 10 pkgs $8.80
or .88 cents each.

PLUS when you bought $15 worth
of cheese you got a $5.00 catalina
coupon to use on your next shipping
trip to Meijer.

So how, when I only spent $8.80
on that cheese, did I still
qualify for the coupon for $5.00
off when I had to purchase $15
worth?

The price before my coupons for
the cheese was $18.80
which qualified for me to get the
$5.00 coupon. It didn't matter
if I used coupons to get this deal
or not. Always look at the before
price!

Here's another situation.
If you have a coupon like I did
for $4.00 off your $40 or more
purchase remember to ALWAYS make
sure that is the first coupon
you hand the cashier when checking
out.
You don't want your total to
be $40 some dollars then hand over
your other coupons dropping that
total under $40 and then trying to
use that coupon. It won't work
because now your grocery bill is
no longer $40!

_______________________________

Well I hate to burst anyone's bubble
about this gate but the bottom
latches aren't working at all.
Actually the top one also finally
broke loose this afternoon
with all the wind. The gates
were swinging in the breeze.
You can lock them in place and
with the wind blowing the gate
around they just come undone.
Tonight we might go to Lowes
and price one of those gate
poles to help hold it in place.

---------------------------

It's 4:30Pm and I finally broke
down and turned the air on.
Probably just for this evening
and tonight since the temps
are supposed to drop in the 70's.
Hey I saved on electric by not
using it all day today til now!
Then figure I will only run it
for about the next 14 hours and
turn it off again for the remainder
of the week.

Looks like rain is moving into
the area. Time to run out
and remove clothes from the line.

_______________________________



Kendra & Dewaine

Remember yesterday when I asked
you if you knew about predicting
the upcoming Winter by the band
stripes on the black and reddish
orange caterpillar and you both
said you never heard of that before.

Here's an article I found about
the Wooly Worms...

http://www.ehow.com/how_2143194_predict-winter-wooly-worms.html

the Wooly Worm we saw had longer
reddish brown bands and narrower
black bands on the ends.
Like the middle one below.



Did you know that when the leaves on
trees turn over to show their
backside that means rain is coming?

Cows lay down when rain is near.

Other folklore about weather:

It Will Be a Bad Winter:

If squirrels accumulate huge stores of nuts and have thick bushy tails.

If there are lots of berries on trees.

If the black stripe is wider than the brown stripes on the back of a Woolly Bear caterpillar, the winter will be long and harsh.

If ant hills are high in July, winter will be snowy.

According to farmers in Ohio, the higher a hornet's nest is from the ground, then the more snowfall is to be expected in the coming winter.

If the first week in August is unusually warm, the coming winter will be snowy and long.

For every fog in August, there will be a snowfall in winter.

A warm October means a cold February.

A warm November is the sign of a bad winter.

If the first snow falls on unfrozen ground, expect a mild winter.

The nearer the New Moon to Christmas Day, the harder the winter.

The first frost in autumn will be exactly six months after the first thunderstorm of the spring.

Worms plug the entrances to their holes when it gets cold.

______________________________

And the story goes on...

TRUCK DRIVER NEIGHBOR

Today truck driver neighbor comes
over to gab with me and Tony.
I see his littlest kid following
behind him and he is wearing a
Winter coat that looked to have
one of those sheep like fuzzy
linings. It was 93 degrees out!!

______________________________

Well y'all it's 9:30pm and it's
been a long and tiring day.
It will feel good to be home
tomorrow with no errands to run!
Nighty night!

9-6-10

Got about 4 loads of laundry
washed and hung up to dry.
Still need to put away and
get everyone's clothes
out and ready for tomorrow.

I'm seriously thinking about
finding a couple bars to
hang up in the basement
for clothes. The last place
we had, had a huge bar in the
laundry room to hang clothes
and I thought that was a wonderful
idea. I could take clothes
out of the dryer and hang right
up.

Dewaine & Kendra came over today.
Dewaine got the gate up and another
partial fence panel up. Still have
one more fence panel to put up
by the house. We went with a 4 foot
gate but still left the fence on the
sides of the gate 6 foot.

Tony changed again yet another
shifter cable in our red Trans Am.
This one seems to be working.
We finally, after about 3 months,
were able to get that sucker off
the trailer.

We took down a fence panel and
pushed the Charger out of the
driveway and into the backyard
where I've been wanting to store
it. Plus eventually I'm hoping
to have all the cars behind the
fence for added security.

Oh yeah Kendra, you asked what the
truck driver neighbor has done lately
so here's one for today.
I could write a soap opera about
that man, lol!

Kendra and Dewaine had just left
so we were still outside picking
up the carport area and getting
things cleaned up. Our neighbor lady
right behind our driveway came home
so we chatted for a few in the roadway.
It was killing truck driver neighbor
to see us talking so he walked over
to gab and bitch about life like
usual. Neighbor lady goes in so
truck driver neighbor decides
to gab and hang out at our place
with his kids for a few outside.
We were still tidying up and moving
the truck and trailer around.
We were saying something about
finding our kids (they were out
playing in the neighborhood) because
it was almost supper time. So he
finally leaves and we finished tidying
up the carport and I was taking down
the rest of my laundry on the line
before coming in for supper.
It couldn't have been 10 minutes
later when
I turned around and saw all three of
truck driver's kids in our house!!
I'm thinking what the hell.
That's when his one little girl
yells out our back door and says
her dad said it was ok to come
back over!! So here's his three
kids inside our home and without
our knowledge at first while we are getting
stuff finished in our backyard.
And to think we just told truck driver
neighbor we was going to be getting
ready for supper. Takes a lot of
balls!! I told them they had to go home!

Ya know what really drives us nuts
with truck driver neighbor is he has
a 2 year old boy that will go out
into the street. He does not
know how to look for cars.
Lost track of how many times, when
they were here today, he went out in the street
and cars had to stop because of him!
And the dad will just stand there
and yell for him to get out of the street
instead of going after him.
Me, I would have him on a leash!!

6:50Pm

Just had supper. We had a bag
of Tyson BBQ honey chicken.
Now need to bring the rest
of my laundry in then start
working on lunches for everyone
for tomorrow.
Then will be everyone's bath time.
Notice I said bath instead of shower.
My kids went from white to black
in one afternoon.

Tomorrow I have to run to the insurance
place to make a payment.
Then call the mortgage lender
about my bill, then get the rest
of my bills sent out.
(then be depressed for the next month)
And I don't know if me and mom
will be going to the store or
not. If I get anything it better
be a damn good sale or something
matched with coupons to make it
cheap! For the next month
I would like to eat from the pantry
and freezers and only get items
needed or things that are really
cheap that I can't pass up in the
grocery store.








Look aunt Janet, your hinges are
being put to good use and just
in time! YEAH, couldn't have
timed that any better huh.





8:50PM

Still running around like a chicken
with it's head cut off.
Got all the laundry took down
and brought into the house.
Got it all sorted out into piles
according to who it belongs to.
Got the last load hung up to
dry overnight on the line.
I think I did about 4-5 loads
today total.

Mom and Don stopped by to check out
our fence and gate. They liked it.

Then Kendra calls. She says she saw
an ad of Freecycle for 29 packages
of Depends type undergarments. She
was telling me she was on her way
to pick them all up for me.
WOWZER these are about $9 and up a
package! I know everyone is probably
wondering what I need all these for?
I use them as bedtime pants for kids in
case they have any accidents at night.
I will also give some to my step-dad.
He had prostate cancer and has problems
every now and then.




9:00PM

Well got 2 kids clean as a whistle.
Got everyone's clothes/outfit laid out
for the rest of this work/school
week. This makes my mornings
go by much smoother. I also
got 3 lunches packed and
ready to go for tomorrow.
So I am finally getting
a little sit down time. WHEW!
But I feel as though we got
a lot accomplished today.
I kept forgetting it was Monday,
I thought it was Sunday.

Here's 4 outfits for each
kid for the rest of the week
laid out and ready to go.
No running around trying
to find things first thing
in the morning. Breakfasts
are in the freezer ready
to be microwaved and lunches
are packed ready to go.
I like to plan ahead when I
can!


10:00PM

You'd think I'd be getting ready
for bed right about now. HA!
I'm up making out a grocery list
for Meijer. Brain is hurting
at moment trying to match coupons,
sales and all these Catalina
coupons!

So far I have figured out
$70.09 worth of groceries
for $29.59.
Wish it was lower!
But it's a savings of $40.05
which is more than 50% off.
BUT I should get a $5.00 off
my next shopping trip with
this grocery list I have.
So maybe I should see it as
everything for $24.59.

This is what I have on my list.

1.5# grapes
3# bag of carrots
1 head of lettuce
2 pkgs Ballpark Franks Hot Dogs
3- 6 pks of Danimals yogurt
1 Uncle Ben's Instant Rice
9 Select Harvest Instant Soups
4 cans Campbells Pasta
2 Lysol Pourable cleaners
10 pkgs Kraft cheese slices
4- 12 packs mini Oreos
2 gallons milk

KROGER

8 two liter bottles Pepsi
$4.04

7 packages shredded Kroger cheese
$7.00

------------------

Total for this weeks groceries

Meijer $29.59
Kroger $11.04

TOTAL $40.63

_____________________________

11:00PM

Just sat down to figure out
the rest of my bills.
Should have had them out around
the first of the month but am
running behind. Nothing should be
behind except for a few doctor bills
by paying them now instead.
I always watch the due dates
and any grace periods.
I DO NOT set up automatic
withdrawals out of our checking
to pay utilities and such
every month.
And another thing I DO NOT do
is go on the budget for electric
or gas. To me they even out
throughout the year with their
highs and lows.
I can still run my insurance pymt
up to their office tomorrow instead
of sending it and make it by the
hair of my chinny chin chin on that
bill!

This month's bills will be a bitch
but I will bite my tongue like usual
and pay them all and have a clean
slate next month without nothing
lingering over our heads!

BILLS COME FIRST! That is my saying!
You don't run out to yard sales
and do extra shopping, buy car parts
for hobby cars, etc, before knowing
where you stand with your bills.

I DO NOT try to make partial
payments on things! That only
gets you into debt deeper.

For example. If you pay $50 on
a $100 bill due this month then
next month that $100 bill now
rises to $150. See where I am
going with this.

My regular monthly bills can
run $1200 to $1500 depending
if I get an extra bill that month
for let's say water or the newspaper
which I pay every 2 or 3 months.

So this month's average in bills
should have been around $1300.
BUT with extra doctor bills
and an escrow shortage and a larger
than normal (and don't know why)
electric bill, it is now, drum roll...
over $2600 for this month alone!!!

So if friends and family don't see
me smiling and being a happy camper
at the moment that is the reason.
We will make it and get through this.

I have been going 5-6 years or more
without having to run to mom to
borrow money from mom!! I am finally
proud of ourselves to have figured
out how to do it on our own.

You do have to make sacrifices in your
life. You CANNOT keep up with the
Jones, you can only keep up with
the money YOU make.
Who doesn't want
to live the lifestyle of the rich
and famous and drive nice cars
and have brand name clothes?
If you cannot afford it don't buy
it and bury yourself deeper in debt.
It's not the place I want to be!!
I have enough stress and worries
to worry about that!

I have lived that lifestyle and
it wasn't by choice! I had an ex
husband who thought his paycheck
was his and his alone to buy
whatever he wanted with it.
That was when he had a paycheck.
He wasn't the type that like
to keep a job.
Money flew out the door like it was
nothing. I, alone couldn't afford
to pay the bills by myself.
I was making partial payments
on things to get by from one
month to the next. I didn't have
a bank card/atm card. There was
no debit cards back then. And my
ex would literally sleep with the
checkbook in his pocket so I couldn't
see it!! I have had electric, gas
and water shut off thanks to him.
I remember having the gas shut off
and boiling water to give the kids
baths with. I remember plugging
in electric heaters because of
no heat. I didn't know how
to do the coupon thing back then
but I could still stretch
$50 to $100 to buy groceries
for a month! Didn't eat the
greatest but our bellies were full.
One day I took out the trash
and found where he threw out
any and all the bills like they
were nothing. He'd sign up
for credit cards and buy things
then never pay the bill. If we
moved he didn't want to put in
a forwarding address and wanted
a new phone number so the bill
collectors couldn't find him.
He was also good at writing
bad checks! To the point he was
banned from having an account
with over 200 banks. How do I know
this? When I left him I set up
my own bank account and that warning
came across the computer screen
at the bank. But I had a very
nice and understanding bank
and they listened to my story
and allowed me to get my own
account. I still don't know
how I did it to this day!
And that's probably one of the
reasons I am still with them.
I could go on and on about this
but I won't. I'm sure you've heard
enough.

THIS IS NOT THE LIFESTYLE
I WANT TO LIVE!
I left him
after 10 years and don't even
know how I survived that long!!
I saw the light at the end of
the tunnel and that changed my
life to what it is now.
It's not easy and it does not
happen over night!

Earlier I wrote about talking
to our neighbor lady. And I shit
you not she also made a comment
about all this money she thought
we had. I get this comment from
sooooo many neighbors and just shake
my head. I told her I was the thriftiest
person in the neighborhood and I was
so tight with money I squeaked.
I don't think she believed me by her
reaction I got. So I pointed out
my garden saying it was much cheaper
to grow your own foods. Then I showed
her my clothes line with clothes
hanging out to dry. I said you don't
see anyone else hanging out their clothes.
Then I showed her my water barrels where
we conserved water by using the rain
off the roof. Lastly I showed her
the yard. I said see those trees I planted,
those cost me $1.50 each. See that mulch
I just laid, that cost me $1.00 a bag.
See all those cars? We don't owe a dime
on any of them. I told her I deal with all of
Tony's tinker toys of cars because
it gives him something to do, a hobby.
It's a heck of a lot better than
him sitting in a bar somewhere.
I said now that basketball thing
was a splurge. But ya know, all the
kids in the neighborhood love to come
here and play in our yard. Even
though they get on my nerves at times
I prefer they play here where I can
watch over them, then them getting
into trouble elsewhere.
And then the truck driver neighbor
showed up and killed my moment
of bragging about how much people
can save and what they can
do to have a better neighborhood
with little money.

It's now 11:15pm and yes I am tired.
When I am tired my mind races
and I can become a jabber jaw
and think too much. Oh well
that's what the blog is for.
To put down my thoughts and ideas
no matter how tired or what time
of day.

I'm going to bed.
And that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

9-5-10

Got up around 8-9am.
Not moving too fast this morning.
Just want a day where we take
it slow and easy at home.
Kendra and Dewaine are coming
over today. Supposed to go
to Lowes to get a couple fence
panels, posts and cement.
Gonna have Dewaine start working
on the gate area of the driveway
and start digging the post holes
and possibly get them set in.
Then I think the only thing left
to get is a latch and wheels.
Tony says he can get the latch
from work and I thought about
checking Habitat for a couple
wheels.

___________________________

It's 6:00pm

I feel like we got some things
accomplished today. For starters
we pulled up half the garden and
took out the boards and fence.
I raked it out smooth.

Then I mulched the flower
beds. I got the front of the house,
corner bed, around a large rock and
some in the front flower bed done.
I still have about 1/2 to 3/4 bag
left out of 15 bags.

Not too shabby for only $15.
regular price would have been
$50 ($3.33 a bag)

Dewaine & Kendra came over about
2o til 1pm til 20 til 5. We went to Lowes
and got supplies needed for
the fence & gates across the driveway.
Dewaine got 3 post
holes dug, 2 posts set in cement
and another hole dug.

And lastly we got a little fish tank
set up for the kids new goldfish.