So long for now, Savvy Star Baby

Thanks to everyone that has been visiting Savvy Star Baby. The fun's not over yet, though. The saga continues over at Bay Area Mommy-Nomics. And this week, to kick off the new blog, I'm hosting a week of giveaways. So head on over and see what there is to win!

Venus Embrace Coupon!

There's a giveaway going on over at Bay Area Mommy-Nomics! Hurry over to enter!

Safeway deals 11/19-11/27

Although there is no "48 hour sale" this weekend, Safeway is extending these prices through Thanksgiving Day, so keep that in mind as you plan for your meal.

Safeway or Manor House Turkeys up to 16lbs. are $5.99 each. Over 16 lbs. are $7.99. *You must have a minimum $25 purchase to get the turkeys at this price. Limit 2 per transaction.
If you prefer the Honeysuckle brand turkeys, get one up to 16lbs. for $7.99 each. Over 16lbs. are $9.99 each. Get a coupon for $1 off at smartsource.com.
Beauregard or Garnet Yams are $0.69/lb.
Celery, $0.49 each
Clementines, 5 lb. bag: $5.88
Pillsbury Crescent or Cinnamon Rolls: $1.75 each. Use with $0.35 off Crescent Rolls printable coupon (coupons.com) or $0.35 off Cinnamon rolls printable coupon (smartsource.com) to get them for $1.40 each. {These also are part of the Home for the Holidays promotion, which is that you get a $5 reward coupon when you spend $25 on participating products in one transaction, or a $10 reward coupon when you spend $40 on participating products in one transaction.}
Organic Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples are $1.29/lb., which is less than the price for their conventional counterparts.

Hawaiian Vacation

I'm back! Overall, it was a great trip...despite Husband being sick the entire time and me catching his cold halfway through. Oh, and the rain. But a great trip nonetheless.

We stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu. Normally we wouldn't have been able to afford to stay there, but I got a great deal through Expedia. North Shore is more secluded than Waikiki and Honolulu and we had a great view. The drawback to being so secluded is that going out to eat or to the grocery store is at least a 20 minute drive.

We bought food at the grocery store to eat for breakfast and lunch and then ate out every night. We had breakfast at the Hukilau Cafe (in Laie) one morning (very inexpensive, especially considering how prices in Hawaii are so much higher than even the Bay Area). Husband was dying to stop at one of the Shrimp Shacks that dot the side of the road near Kahuku. It was expensive, but the shrimp was juicy and delicious!

We went a little over our $100/day budget due to an extra trip to the store for cold medicine and other paraphenalia to make me comfortable. Expedia did not include a $20/day resort fee in their package price, so that was extra. I don't think we did too bad, budget wise.

The bonus to booking through Expedia is that I got 1% back from Ebates. If you aren't clicking through Ebates before you purchase things online (including trips!), you're missing out on some serious money saving. (Also, right now Ebates is offering DOUBLE cash back on hundreds of retailers. I always check Ebates before I do my Christmas shopping.) If you want to join Ebates, click here. You'll get a $10 bonus just for signing up (it's normally $5). (I'll also get a bonus for referring you, so thanks!)

I'm so glad we went, but I missed my babes terribly. Next time I think we'll stay a little closer to home.

Could have been a spoiled trip

Husband has always been a saver. Lucky for me, because when I met him, I was your typical spender. Of course, I'm reformed now (mostly), and often grateful for Husband's ways.

One of the things that is important to him is buying a car with cash. Instead of making a car payment (at outrageous interest rates), he makes the car payment "to himself". He would take $300 a month and put it into a special savings account just for his car. That way, when the time came to buy a new car, he already had the money saved.

This account has come into play not only as we have purchased our last two cars with cash, but also when a big car repair cost rolls in. We don't have to dip into our emergency savings to cover the bill.

I'm particularly grateful for that now as Husband's car sits in our driveway with a gas leak. We found it the night before we left for our trip, just after returning home from dropping off our babies at my parents' house. We quickly made arrangements for a shuttle service to take us to the airport and plan on taking care of the car trouble when we return home.

Had we not had that car account, I might have worried about it our whole trip. I'm grateful to say that I didn't have to worry about that one bit.

I'll be back tomorrow and can't wait to share my trip with you!

Funny Name...

When I came up with the idea to start writing a blog, I had no idea what to name it. I sat and thought...but nothing came to me. "Savvy Star Baby" came up one day as I was feeding my baby girls their breakfast. I thought it conveyed that the blog would be about things related to baby (clothing especially) and that those who read it were savvy themselves.

As my blog is evolving though, I'm realizing that the name doesn't really fit. It doesn't tell people right off the bat what this blog is about and who it is for. After much thought, I've decided to change the name (and web address) of my blog.

The new name will be "Bay Area Mommy-Nomics" and you can find it at http://www.sfmommynomics.blogspot.com/. I'll make the transition gradually, posting on both blogs until the end of the month.

I'm also planning on some giveaways as the holidays get closer, so stay tuned for that!

Thanks for coming along with me this far. Things are only getting better!

Culture at a price you can swallow

Where can you get some great entertainment for an even better price? That's the question the Mercury News posted to its readers earlier this month. Some of the suggestions for an evening out that won't break the bank:

• The MOMA in San Francisco has free admission on the First Tuesday of the month.
• The San Jose Museum of Art is free every day, and many of the surrounding galleries have free admission as well.
• Check out your local bookstore for their schedule of book readings. You can meet some of your favorite local authors and mingle with the learned at stores like Kepler's Books in Menlo Park.
• Did you know that the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra performs for free? Their schedule for 2009 is now online and they feature some performances geared for a younger audience, to introduce them to the world of classical music.
• And don't forget that your local library is a great source for books, DVDs, and CDs...all for free.

You don't have to spend an arm and a leg to enlighten your mind! Share your ideas for entertainment for cents on the dollar!

Prepping for Hawaii

Hawaii is now only a plane-ride away. As I've been getting ready for this trip, I've taken some steps to save a few pennies here and there:

1. Checked out some books from the library, both guidebooks and pleasure-reading.
2. Bringing snacks to supplement our lunches on the trip. Grocery prices in Hawaii are even higher than California.
3. Talked to friends who know the area really well to let me know which restaurants are a good deal and which are worth splurging on.
4. Saved the magazines I subscribe to for the last few weeks so they are new to me when I read them on the plane. This way, I won't buy a magazine at the newsstand in the airport.
5. Parking our car in long-term parking away from the airport. This is the first time we've done this, so I'll let you know how it goes. (I'm not paying $22 a day again!)

Although I'll be in communicado for the next few days, I'll still have posts up and I'll have lots to report when I get back! Aloha!

Safeway deals 11/12-11/18

The 48 hour sale this week (Saturday and Sunday) has two deals you can make even better with coupons:

• Nabisco Snack Crackers (selected varieties, limit 4), 7 to 10oz.: $1.88. Use with $1/2 printable found here and get them for $1.38 each!
  
• Progresso Traditional Soup (selected varieties, limit 8), 18.5 to 19oz.: $0.97. Use with $1.10 printable here to make some money!

Other sweet deals:
Fuji or Granny Smith Apples, 88 cents per lb.
Wesson Cooking Oil, 48oz. $2.49 each. Use with $1/2 printable here to get them for $1.99 each when you buy 2!
PopSecret Microwave Popcorn, 3ct.: Buy one, get one free. Use with $0.50/2 coupon from 11/09 SmartSource to get them for $1.50 each!
Nabisco Ritz Crackers, 11 to 16.5oz.: Buy one, get one free. Use with $1/2 printable here to get them for $1.64 each.
Safeway Brown or Powdered Sugar, 1lb., $0.79 each

Baking season is upon us, so check your pantry to see what you need to stock up on. When the sales hit, you'll be ready!

In-home salon

I'm coloring my hair this morning. (Funny how the things you always meant to do start to line up as NEED to do right before a trip!) I have been coloring my hair on and off for awhile now, so I feel totally comfortable coloring my own hair.

Before I started clipping coupons and planning my shopping around sales, I would buy whatever haircolor was on sale...and the cheapest I could usually find was about $7. Which still beats the salon, right?

But I've picked up two boxes of hair color in the last month...one for $2 and one for $1. By combining store coupons, mfr. coupons, and store sales, I'm able to stock up on something I need for a much better price! This leaves more wiggle room in my budget.

Now, as I plan my weekly and monthly budgets, I try to leave a little room in them to buy the things that I'll need to stock up on should they go on sale. {Another one in this category is diapers!} It's so empowering to choose the price you want to pay for something, isn't it?

Good-bye Blockbuster!

A few months ago, I noticed a big red box near the entrance of my local Safeway. Taking a second look, I found that it was a DVDPlay kiosk.

If you haven't heard of DVDPlay, listen up: you can rent new releases for only $1! That's right...$1! You get the movie until 7pm the following night and additional nights are billed to your credit card at $1 each. Rent 10 movies and get the 11th one free.

I'll pick up a movie at the DVDPlay kiosk on Saturday after my grocery shopping and then return it the next day. It has made our movie night much more fun because we don't spend an hour wandering around the Blockbuster, trying to find something we both agree on.

Here's a deal for you: from now through November 13th, DVDPlay is letting you rent two movies for the price of one! So rent one for the kids and one for you, for just $1. It can't get any better than that, right? Just enter the promo code VOTE at checkout. Find your nearest DVDPlay kiosk here.


Say good-bye to $5 per DVD rentals and say hello to DVDPlay!

Pumpkin Time

I had a garden for the first time this year. It was so fun and I enjoyed going out to tend my garden. But as the summer wore on, and my little ones got more mobile, my garden became a bit neglected. Nevertheless, I grew three gorgeous pumpkins that have graced my front porch since the beginning of October.

Halloween is over and the time has come for my pumpkins to move beyond their decorative stage and become food for my little family. Today I chopped up one of my pumpkins, roasted it, and pureed it. I got 4 cups of pumpkin puree (yes, just like the stuff you get in the can) out of my first pumpkin.

The Pioneer Woman has a great tutorial on how to make your own pumpkin puree. Although it was a little bit more effort than opening a can (okay, a lot more effort), I felt like it was worth it. As the other two pumpkins meet their maker, my freezer will be chock full of orange delicious-ness. And I think I know the first thing I am going to make with my pumpkin:

PumPkiN SPice ChoCoLate ChiP CookieS

1 box spice cake mix

1 small can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix, just the pumpkin) (or, about 2 cups of the homemade kind)

1 bag chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Mix, drop and bake. (10 minutes at 350)

My sister introduced me to these cookies and they are so easy and so delicious! They are also relatively inexpensive if you can get the cake mix when it is on sale for $1 (which it usually is about this time).

Double Threes

Husband turned 33 last week. Our trip to Utah was his birthday present, but I still wanted his actual birthday to be special, so on the morning of his birthday, I gave him this:

{door images courtesy of Melissa at the Inspired Room}

Behind each door was a description of a birthday celebration: a special dinner, a treat, and an activity. Husband chose Door #3, which meant that we went out for hamburgers at The Counter. (Not really a budget-friendly place for burgers, but so good!) We also got a milkshake for dessert and then Husband got to pick out the rental movie.

We took the babies (they were so good) and the evening was a lot of fun. We didn't spend a whole lot, but by taking a few minutes to put this together for him, Husband's day was made a little more special. He loved it!

Two free mascaras...

I thought that Walgreen's might have a $5 off $20 coupon this week, but I haven't gotten anything yet. I did pick up my two free Almay mascaras earlier this week, though. (I didn't want them to run out!)

How can you get two free Almay mascaras? Well, Almay cosmetics are buy one, get one free this week at Walgreen's (ends Saturday). And Almay mascara is free after rebate this month. I also used a $1 mfr. coupon off each of them...so I made $2 on my free mascaras. Nice!

One more great deal I'll be picking up at Walgreen's is the Always Infinity pads ($4.99 this week). I just got my free sample with a $1 Walgreen's coupon. Combine that with the $2 P&G coupon from 10/5 (I think), get $1 RR and I get the pads for 99 cents. Get your free Infinity Sample from Walgreen's here. Visit Freebies 4 Mom to stay up to date on the latest and greatest freebies!

Safeway deals 11/05-11/11

The 48 hour sale this Saturday and Sunday only contains 3 items, but one those is Quaker Instant Oatmeal (selected varieties) for $1.67 each! There is a printable coupon for $1 off, which would make these a super great stock up opportunity!

Other good deals I'm seeing:

• Safeway Chicken Drumsticks, Thighs, or Leg Quarters are 99 cents/lb. {This is the lowest price I've seen for these.}
• Large Hass Avocados are 99 cents each. {Buy them when they are green and they will turn black as they ripen. No more squeezing!}
• Raspberries, 5.6oz., buy 1, get 1 free ($3.99)
• Tostitos Tortilla Chips, 9 to 13oz., buy 1, get 1 free ($3.79)
• Safeway Canned Fruit, 15 to 15.25oz., 10/$10 (or $1 each)
• Tree Top Apple Juice, 64oz., 2/$5 (There was $1/2 coupon recently)
• Gold Medal Flour, All purpose or unbleached, 5lb., 2/$3
• Wesson Cooking Oil, 48oz., $3.99 (Use with $1/2 coupon here)
• Organic Butternut Squash, 99 cents each (Grab a few of these because they will last for several weeks!)
• Organic Spaghetti Squash, 99 cents each
• Organic Celery, 99 cents each
• O Organics Gala Apples, prepackaged 3 lb. bag, $3.99 ($1.33/lb.)

Turkeys are now in the meat section at Safeway. Up to 16lb. turkeys are $5.99 each (for Safeway or Manor House Brand); over 16 lbs. are $7.99 each. I don't know if they will have any deals on turkey as it gets closer to Thanksgiving.

Sky high...

As I mentioned earlier, Husband and I are taking a trip to Hawaii this month to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. We booked the trip through Expedia a few months ago. I had searched the internet for the best deals and we wanted to make sure that we got "just the right" trip.

We will be flying out of Oakland Airport, which is not that close to our house, and thought that maybe we should switch to one of the closer Bay Area airports. I called Expedia to see if this was an option. I was told that Hawaiian Airlines charges $150 PER LEG PER PERSON for any changes to the itinerary. That would be $600 to change it! Plus, it would have been about $200 cheaper to fly out of a different airport than Oakland, but Hawaiing wouldn't refund that money because it was a package deal.

Wow. Obviously I didn't change the flight, but it made me think. Should I have taken the risk that the hotel or flights would have been sold out and waited until closer to our departure date to make the reservations? We would have saved about $300 (or maybe more) if we had waited. Have any of you found a good rule of thumb for travel? Which works better as far as maximizing your savings: booking early or booking at the last minute?

Why I'm Blogging

I started reading blogs about saving money at the beginning of the summer. They all have great tips and each one is unique. As I flitted from one blog to another, I started to notice that there really weren't any bloggers from California (and, more specifically, the Bay Area).

I wondered why that might be and the first thing that popped into my head was that there are a lot of families in the Bay Area who fall under the category "DINK" (or Dual Income, No Kids). People earn high wages here and when both the husband and the wife are working, "saving money" is not usually a topic of conversation.

Well, I don't fall into the "DINK" category anymore. Upon the birth of my twin daughters, I became a stay at home mom. This is something that is important to my husband and me and we are willing to make the necessary sacrifices so that I can stay home with our girls. However, it does take some creativity and perseverance to make it on one income in this neck of the woods.

That's how "Savvy Star Baby" was born. I know, it's a silly name, but the purpose of the blog is to gather the tips and tricks that I find into one place. That way, those of you who might be in the same boat can have content that better relates to you. (Of course, I welcome visitors from outside California, too!)

So I'd like to say, welcome to my blog. I'm glad you're here and I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for stopping in! (And don't forget to tell your friends to stop by, too!)

Great Deal on Victoria's Secret!

If you like Victoria's Secret's bras, now is the time to place your order! I just ordered two bras and one panty for $22,71 shipped! Here's how to do it:

First, head on over to Ebates to get 4% back on your Victoria's Secret purchase. (Haven't signed up for Ebates yet? Click here to sign up and get a $5 bonus. I'll get a referral bonus, too.)

Once you've clicked through to Victoria's Secret, go to the "Sale and Specials" section and then "Bras, 2/$40". Put 2 of these bras in your shopping bag, along with one of the solid color panties that are $7.50.

When it comes time to check out, click on the box to enter the offer code. On the next screen, enter 25PTY to get $25 off and a free panty. Not a bad deal at all.

Thanks to My Shopping Addiction via Common Sense with Money for sharing!

Ghoulish Gathering: Recap

For decorations, I needed to keep things on the low cost side. Read: basically use things from around the house (or that I could borrow!). I got some inspiration from Design Mom , Hostess with the Mostess , the Addams Family, and (my favorite) the Munsters for a "gothic glam" look.

I found the velvet scarf (on a trip to Utah!) and think it fits in perfectly. The King Tut bust is one I borrowed from my Nana. She also had the carved wooden box that I put a "hand" in. I borrowed some candle sticks from my sister and sprinkled some old jewelry on the candles. I used real glasses because I thought it added to the look.

The adults decided to dress up, too. I dressed as VP candidate Sarah Palin and Husband dressed as Sarah's husband, Todd Palin.

No matter who you are voting for tomorrow, I hope you had a great Halloween!

Budget Report--October

I went over on my October budget. : ( I attribute it to our trip to Utah (stocking up on hot chocolate and buying lots more milk for the babies than they would normally need) and some poor planning at the end of the month.

Even though Thanksgiving is this month, I'm trimming my budget by $20. (This is the first month I won't be buying any formula.) I'm also deducting the amount that I went over in October. (Harsh!) I know, I know, but I'm really trying to keep things in check. I'm trying to plan for November in it's entirety instead of just week by week. I figure that will help me to get a better view of my spending.

...And we are headed to Hawaii this month for a long overdue vacation (and to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary), so I know that will eat up some of my grocery budget.

I read an article recently (of course now I can't remember where) but the author was talking about budgeting and she said that even though she had a party planned for that month, she was not going to veer from her budget and make excuses because stuff like that always comes up. She's right: we always have someone's birthday or other celebration or someone gets sick or we just don't feel like cooking...things come up that we don't plan for and we can't throw our budget out the window because of it.

So yes, even though Thanksgiving is coming up, now is not the time to lose hold of your budget. I'm going to take a deep breath and do the best with what I've got!

What are your plans for keeping your budget on track with the holidays coming up?




{image via Country Living}

Ghoulish Gathering

We are having family over for Halloween tonight. With the kids being so little, we're not doing trick or treating yet. Of course, they will dress up in their costumes, though! (The adults are coming in costume, too!)

I found this recipe for Mummy Dogs and thought they'd be perfect for our party (especially since I've got lots of hot dogs in my freezer!). We'll add some baked beans on the side. To drink, I'm going to pick up some purple and/or green sodas (Safeway brand 2 liters of grape soda are $0.81 each!). For dessert, we're having pizookie: chocolate chip cookies baked in a round, pizza shape. You slightly underbake the cookies, top with vanilla ice cream, and serve immediately. Oh my goodness...so good.

For decorations, I needed to keep things on the low cost side. Read: basically use things from around the house (or that I could borrow!). I'll post some pictures of what I was able to rustle up on Monday.

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Buy 5, Save $5...cheap cereal!

Buy 5, Save $5 deal:
Buy 5 Cheerios (18oz.), at $2.99 each and get $5 off your total, bringing the cost down to only $1.99 per box.
Buy 5 Kellogg's Frosted MiniWheats (24oz.) at $2.99 each and get $5 off your total. Use 5 $1 off coupons here, and that brings your cost down to only $0.99/box.

**Remember that deal I mentioned about getting some free produce from Kellogg's? Well, if you haven't used that coupon (or you managed to get your hands on another one, now may be the time to use it. Kellogg's Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites is a participating product in the Buy 5, Save $5.

Scenario:
Buy 1 box Kellogg's Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites, $3.99
Buy 1 box Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats, $2.99
Buy 3 more boxes participating products, like Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats, $2.99 each
Subtotal: $15.95
Use 5 $1 off coupons
Get $5 off your total
New subtotal: $5.95 (that's $1.19/box)
Use your $1 off produce coupon (maybe get 1lb. of apples?)
Submit your receipt to get $3.99 back for trying Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites
That's $1.96 for 5 boxes of cereal and $1 worth of produce for free!

**By the way, check online to see if there are any other products participating in the Buy 5, Save $5. Last time they had this, I checked and there were way more items online than they could fit in the ad. I was able to save some money by doing this!

48 Hour Sale

Safeway has been running their "48 Hour Sale" promos for awhile now, and I've found some great deals doing this. I've switched my grocery shopping day to Saturday, leave the girls with Husband, and get some serious shopping done.

This week's 48 Hour Sale is a great one, so I thought I'd give you a heads up:
Yoplait Adult Multi-packs, 8-pack, 6oz., selected varieties, $2.99 (37 cents per cup!)
Betty Crocker Cake Mix, $0.59 each (limit 10)
10lb. bag of Russet Potatoes, $1.99 each
Safeway Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, 4lb. bag, $7.16 ($1.79/lb., the lowest I've seen!)

**Has anyone seen a coupon for the Yoplait or the cake mixes?**

Safeway also has some Super Coupons in this week's ad. Two I'm looking to use:
Safeway Apple Juice, 64oz., $0.99 (limit 1 with minimum $10 purchase)
Tony Roma's Baby Back Ribs, 24oz., fully cooked, $7.99 (limit 1 with minimum $10 purchase)

Other sweet deals:
Progresso Soup, selected varieties, 10/$10 (use with $1.10 off coupon here)
Organic Braeburn Apples, $0.88/lb. (good chance to get some organic produce!)
Healthy Choice Steamers, 2/$5. I think there was a $1 off coupon in Sunday's paper.

For Trader Joe's Fans...

I came across a new blog, Organized Mommy. Since I am not so organized, I thought I'd stop in and see if Organized Mommy could give me some tips. One of the things that caught my attention right away was her collection of recipes using ingredients found at Trader Joe's.

Being a TJ's fan myself, I looked through her recipes and have to say I found a few that I know I can use. I actually have some TJ's salmon in my freezer right now!

Halvsies

Husband and I have long been miffed at the enormous amount of food that restaurants give diners these days. The price tags are nothing to laugh at either. Quite often, after bringing home some take out (and finding lots of it left over), Husband will say, "we should have just ordered one entree and split it".

Upon heading to the airport to fly home from Utah, we decided to employ this idea. We knew it would be awhile before we got some good food in our tummies and we were not interested in the high fast food prices at the airport.

We decided to stop at Cracker Barrel. We placed an order to go: Homestyle Chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, fried apples, two YUMMY buttermilk biscuits, and a root beer to share. Total price: $11.91.

We ate our meal in the car (while the babies slept!) and it was so delicious. We finished it, too. It was the perfect amount for each of us. I think we've hit on a beautiful new strategy!

It All Adds Up to a Great Trip

This past weekend Husband and I took our adorable one-year-old twins to Utah to visit family. We love visiting, we just don't love the traveling that much! Here are the pluses and minuses from that trip:

Minuses:

• Running a little bit late at Oakland Airport and parking in the wrong lot...for four days...at a cost of $22 PER DAY! Big minus!
• Somehow losing container of baby wipes on board airplane. Had to wait for luggage with backup wipes before being able to change both girls (who both leaked through their diapers!).
• Going to Wal-Mart for the All You sampling spectacular only to find out that this Wal-Mart didn't get the memo.
• Going to the grocery store 3 times to buy milk for the babies because we are still making the transition to cow's milk and I don't quite know how much milk we go through in a day, yet. (PS: Organic milk is almost non-existent in Utah. And, it is more expensive there than it is here, which is hard to believe! I guess it is true that the more people buy something, the lower the cost will be.)

Pluses:

• Finding some cute clothes (for me) at great deals at some Utah-only clothing stores.
• Cafe Rio (You haven't eaten there? Oh, it's a must for your next Utah visit.)
• Stocking up on Stephen's hot chocolate at Wal-Mart. (Yes, I came home with 6 pounds of it, okay?)
• Getting a great deal on our hotel through Expedia, which included a fantastic breakfast buffet.
• Someone else cleaned up after the babies' meals! (We ate out quite a bit.)
• Getting my hair cut for almost 1/2 of what I would pay here.

We're glad we were able to go, but we were so tired when we got back! Dinners are going to be light this week because we ate out so much over the weekend.

75th Birthday on a Slim Budget

My grandmother's friend is turning 75 and her daughter wanted to throw a surprise party for her, but doesn't have a huge budget to do it. Grandmother asked me if I had any ideas. Since I love throwing parties, I gave her a few ideas of what I thought would work best for this situation.

1. A picnic is a great idea for larger groups. Go to a nice park that has tables and benches, easy access, etc. (Remember this is a "mature" group.) To make it festive, make the lunches yourself (or buy the pieces) and assemble it into a cute little individual takeout boxes.

(via Oh Happy Day)

2. Hold a potluck at someone's home. Ask guests to bring a dish that reminds them of the birthday girl (one of her favorites, something that she always makes, a dish from a treasured trip, etc.). It will be cozy and an atmosphere that inspires reminiscing.

3. My favorite idea is the one I saw on frolic: the Pie Party! I think this would be so cute for the season and this group. Invite each guest to bring a pie (it can be a tart or a quiche, too). Set out the pies on a long buffet table. The hostess provides ice cream and whipped cream for all these delicious desserts. Invitations should be made to look like recipe cards. Decorations are inspired by the season: apples, pumpkins, squash, fall leaves and branches, etc. Cheery red checked table cloths would be adorable. Take a look at the design board provided by snippet & ink.



When working in a small budget, it's important to focus more on bringing everyone together than making a big show, if you know what I mean. These ideas can help do that.

Budget Makers and Budget Breakers

Every so often I find something that totally helps me stay in budget...and something that totally doesn't. A recurring series on this blog will be a highlight of a "budget maker" and a "budget breaker".

This week's budget breaker is a 4 lb. bag of oranges I bought at Safeway when they were on sale for $1.88. What a deal! I thought. Trying to buy fruit that's in season (and usually the least expensive) I snapped up the 4 lb. bag and brought it home, thinking it would fill in the holes in our fresh fruit basket as summer is turning into fall. I quickly realized the problem with buying a large bag of oranges: it is very hard to tell what kind of quality you are getting. Because you can't hand-pick each orange, you are stuck with the luck of the draw...and some rather untasty fruit.

Since they really aren't good enough to eat, I've been using recipes that call for orange juice (which is pretty good) or orange zest. Yesterday I made this chicken recipe (which was so good!).

(Grilled Chicken Legs with Orange and Rosemary from Real Simple)

On the other hand, this week's budget maker was a surprise to me. Safeway had boneless pork loin chops on sale a little while ago for $1.99/lb. The package was 3lbs. and had 6 chops in it. (This is not the package with the thinly sliced chops. These were pretty meaty.) I put three chops in a freezer bag for later and cooked three chops using this recipe. (Again, so good!)

Sunday night's dinner was the pork chops. I cut each one in half, so we had six good sized chops. Husband and I each had one. Monday night we had leftovers, again, each eating about one chop each. Tuesday night I made what we call "sanchos" in our family, but are basically soft tacos, cutting up a chop for the meat. Husband took a sancho to work for lunch the next day. Later in the week, I made a breakfast hash with one of the chops, potatoes, and eggs with a side of roasted cherry tomatoes. Friday night I made pork fried rice with the rest.

I was amazed that those three large pork chops were able to last as long as they did! It was so great! They definitely made our budget!

It's time for you to share: What are some of your budget makers/breakers?

Crunching the diaper numbers

I bought my diapers at Rite Aid last night and was so pleased with my purchase. When I told my sister, she said, "aren't you going to get the diapers at Babies R Us, what with their new Rewards and all..." Hmmm, I wonder which is the better deal?

I decided to crunch the numbers so you can see for yourselves which is the better deal. With Babies R Us' new rewards program, when you buy 9 value boxes of Pampers diapers, you get the 10th box free. On top of that, you get $5 for every $150 you spend.

There are three different sized value boxes of Pampers for size 3 (what my girls wear):
Cruisers 160/$40.69 (25.4 cents per diaper)
Baby Dry 204/$40.69 (19.9 cents per diaper)
Baby Dry 144/$31.69 (22 cents per diaper)

Often, Babies R Us has a coupon for $5 off a value box of Pampers. If I were to use this coupon in conjunction with a $1 off mfr. coupon (yes, you can stack at BRU), then the prices would be:
Cruisers 160/$34.69 (21.7 cents per diaper)
Baby Dry 204/$34.69 (17 cents per diaper)
Baby Dry 144/$25.69 (17.8 cents per diaper)

If I were to buy each of the 9 boxes with the above mentioned coupons, then by buying the lowest priced box per diaper (204 Baby Dry), my total cost for 9 boxes (and then 1 free) would be $312.21. I would get $10 in rewards ($5 for each $150). Essentially I would be getting 2,040 diapers for $302.21 and that would equal 14.8 cents per diaper.

Whew!

So now it's up to you to decide. Me? I'm still pretty happy with my Rite Aid deal. (Huggies rebate is good through this Saturday.)

Save on snacks

I love this post by fellow Bay Area Mommy Nicole over at Frugal is Fab on how to save money on snacks. Such a smart idea! I'm always looking for things that I can throw in my purse to eat on the run...especially healthy options. This way I can have a wider assortment of healthy snacks to choose from. I think this will help Husband in his lunch making, too! : )

Huggies deal at Rite Aid

This week at Rite Aid, Huggies Jumbo Pack diapers are 3/$33 with a $10 rebate. This is the perfect opportunity to use the $5 off $25 coupon (found by Erica over at iheartriteaid). Combined with three $1 off mfr. coupons found in the paper a few weeks ago, this works out to be a pretty sweet deal!

Summary:
3 Jumbo packs Huggies diapers $33
Use $5 off $25 coupon
Use 3 $1 off mfr. coupons

Subtotal: $25.00

Submit for rebate #1 and get $10 back.

Total for 120 diapers (size 3)=$15.00 (or 12.5 cents each)

Using Whole Foods' Coupon

I used Whole Foods' coupon today because we were out of milk for the babies. I was pleasantly surprised (again) at how low a lot of their prices were. For example, Yo Baby multi-pack yogurt was on sale for $2.99 (normally $3.49). At Safeway it was $4.59! Here's how I used my coupon:

Organic Apple Juice, 64oz., $3.99
2 cans organic kidney beans, 99 cents each
2 cans organic black beans, 99 cents each
Annie's Bunny Grahams $3.19
2 gallons organic whole milk, $6.29 each
multipack Yo Baby yogurt, $2.99
Strawberries, 1lb., $2.50

I had a $0.50 coupon for the Yo Baby yogurt that I printed here (email required). After my $5 off coupon, my total was only $23.71. For 10 items, that's a lot. But I would have had to buy the organic milk anyway, so I might as well get a discount for it when I can!

I just saw over at Money Saving Mom that you can get four boxes of free soup after rebate at Whole Foods! Find the rebate form here. (Thanks to Amanda!) Don't forget: the Whole Foods coupon expires October 22nd.

Babies R Us Rewards!

Toys R Us/Babies R Us has hopped on the rewards bandwagon and is now offering some great benefits to members who join their Rewards R Us program! Some highlights:

• Earn $5 for every $150 spent between October 15th and December 24th on all your Babies R Us/Toys R Us purchases (online and in-store).
• Buy 9 value boxes of Pampers diapers and get the 10th box free.
• Member-only discounts
• Member shopping nights
• Recall notification

Best of all, membership is free. I only wish they'd had this when I was spending $150 a month on formula! This is especially great for those of you who will be doing lots of Christmas shopping at Toys R Us, too! Click here to sign up!

Save on produce at Safeway

Kellogg's has a coupon for $1 off produce when you buy two participating cereals. With the abundance of $1 off Kellogg's cereal coupons over at coupons.com, now is the time to strike over at Safeway! Several Kellogg's cereals are on sale for $2.50 each.

Purchase Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites ($3.99 sale) and use $1 off coupon. Purchase another participating cereal, like Frosted Mini Wheats Blueberry Muffin ($2.50 sale) and use $1 off coupon. Hand over your $1 off produce coupon (of course, you need to buy produce!) .

Send in your receipt to get a $3.99 rebate on the Smart Start (form is here). You end up getting the cereal for free and make $0.50 in the end (ymmv).

I'm a Lookiloo...How 'bout You?

I found this new website: http://www.lookiloos.com/ and I thought I'd share it with you. It's the opportunity to peek inside some of the best decorated homes in the Bay Area. I love open houses and getting decorating ideas that way and now I don't even have to leave the house to do it!

I especially loved the tour of "A Decorator's Daughter" in Willow Glen. From the curving walkway that welcomes you to the ivy covered front porch to the subway tile in the kitchen, this house is beautiful. My favorite feature of the kitchen was this little chalkboard. So cute! I'm trying to think of a way to work something like that into my kitchen.

Lookiloos is a great place to visit if you are looking for some decorating inspiration!

Oh, Walgreens...

I'm disappointed. Now it's $5 off $25 instead of off $20? Hmmm. I'm trying really hard to stay in my budget this month and I'm doing so well. I'm not sure if I'll take Walgreen's up on their offer, especially since I'd like to take Whole Foods up on theirs.

But if I were to use that coupon, here's what I might do:

2 Zout b1g1 free $3.79
2 Hefty gallon size storage bags b1g1 free $3.29
2 Glade gel warmers $1.99 each
Rimmel foundation $7.49
3 Walgreen's ibuprofen 3/$10
Infinity pads $4.99

subtotal $33.54

Use the following coupons:

2 $0.55 off Zout (from 8/10 inserts)
B1G1 free Glade warmer printable
$1 off peelie from Glade warmer
$1 off Rimmel cosmetic product (can't remember insert date)
$2 off Infinity pads (P&G insert, 10/12)

new total: $26.45, minus $5 off equals $21.45
Get $1 in RR's and $14.49 in rebates. Send in for Zout MIR of $3.99

Total out of pocket = $1.97

Affordable Organic?

Did anyone else watch Oprah the other day on the difference between caged animals and cage-free or free-range? I have read some books on the subject, but seeing it was a whole different story. I started wondering how much extra I would really have to pay if I bought organic produce, milk, and eggs. (I already buy organic milk for the babies at $5.99 a gallon. Yikes!)

I do my grocery shopping mostly at Safeway and love that they have (most) items online. It helps me to plan out my shopping list more precisely. I started to lay out the items I buy most often and noticed that the price for organic wasn't that much more, in most cases.

On a whim, I thought I'd check out Whole Foods' website to see if they had any specials (even though I don't usually shop there). Lo and behold, I saw a coupon! That's right! Whole Foods has coupons good for $5 off your purchase of $25 or more. Get yours here. Now if that's not a good incentive to buy some healthy stuff, I don't know what is!

I was already planning on going to Trader Joe's, which is nearby, so I thought I'd stop in and do a little price comparison of Whole Foods. I was happy to see that while Trader Joe's was definitely the least expensive option as far as organic produce goes, there wasn't a big price difference between them and Whole Foods. And with a $5 coupon to boot...

It gets better from here...Whole Foods has always had a flyer near the door with recipes and their weekly specials. The one available now is sixteen pages of ways to make more affordable meals, including recipes by Martha Stewart herself! And there are over $40 worth of coupons inside.

I've been making the old excuse that organic food is too expensive for awhile now...and I've just had that excuse taken away from me. Fine by me!

Tight Times

Husband and I had a conversation last night that is making me think...and think and think. It wasn't an argument at all, rather a "meeting of the minds". I came in with a picture of a beautiful headboard I had found online at Pottery Barn that was on sale for $299. I have been desperately wanting a headboard for awhile now and this seemed like a great opportunity. He expressed concern that there were other things that we needed (like a new, properly working car for him) on which the money would be better spent. I told him I agreed, but also wanted a bedroom that felt like I had taken some time to put the elements together (and for goodness sakes, get rid of his Rubbermaid "dresser" in the corner!).

We've been talking a lot recently about ways that we can cut back and we have decided to let those thoughts simmer until we have a "board meeting" in January. Husband gets his raise then and it will be time to revamp the current budget as well as a time to more fully implement our money saving strategies.

In the meantime, I've been looking for things that I can do right now to ease the strain. I was happy to see this post over on Money Saving Mom by guest blogger Jennifer Duenes from Life From the Roof (who is also in the Bay Area). What I took away from her post was to be content with what you have and not get new things just to "have" them.

So I have decided to try to spruce up our bedroom without buying the $300 headboard and make the best of what we've got. I'm going to make a design plan for the bedroom from start to finish so that I can add things along the way instead of making a large purchase all at once. I'll update my progress as I go and maybe you can help out with some tips of your own.

Medicine Cabinet Time

Rite Aid has some crazy good stock-ups this week and I am excited to get them! The best thing about it is many are all free after rebate. Whoo-hoo! I am most looking forward to:
1. Theraflu Warming Relief $3.99 (free after rebate) (There is a printable coupon, but I've heard Rite Aid's don't take printables, so that's a bummer.)

2. Bee M.D. Natural Cough Drops $2.49 (free after rebate) (I've been a Hall's fan for awhile now, but it's always nice to have a change.)

3. Little Noses Saline $3.99 (free after rebate) (We use this a lot when the girls get stuffed up!)

4. SoftLips Lip Conditioner $2.99 (free after rebate) I've always wanted to try this stuff.

There are lots more if you want to stock up on things for your medicine cabinet. Don't forget that you must purchase these items this week (ending 10/18) in order to qualify for the rebate.

Babies R Us Super Sale

Babies R Us' Super Sale ends today (10/13) and there are a few noteworthy items:

1. Save $3 on any 3 Johnson's, Aveeno, or Desitin items, no coupon needed. Combine that with the coupon for $2 off when you buy three of the above items, and you get an even sweeter deal!

2. Good Start Formula (yeah, the kind that I'm now weaning my daughters off of?) is on a sweet deal: Save $8 when you buy 2 of the 24.5oz. or larger. Usually those are $24.59 each. Look for the Bonus 20% more cans of the regular Good Start (in the orange can). Those cans have 30oz. for the same price.

3. Pampers and Huggies diapers (big boxes) are $5 off with coupon. I think it's less expensive to get them at Walgreen's, Target, or Rite Aid though, even with the coupon. Check out Baby Cheapskate for a chart that shows the cost per diaper for each of the different sized packages.

Pumpkins in the Park

A friend sent me this link about "Pumpkins in the Park" in Downtown San Jose at Discovery Meadow this Saturday. This event will feature a big pumpkin patch as well as children's entertainment. There will be booths offering fresh pressed apple cider (yum!) and other goodies.

The fun starts at 10am and goes until 4pm. Parking is available nearby, but there is also easy access from the light rail. Admission is free.

Babies R Us 10/03-10/16

There are a lot of deals to be had over at Babies R Us right now. They sent out a mailer with lots of coupons, but I'm having trouble finding those coupons online. If anyone has a link to them, let me know!

Even though I was only picking up some formula, I had to check out the clothes for my baby girls. I love this little "Love" top from Amy Coe. They didn't have it in my store, but I'm hoping they will get it in soon!

Also, Carter's items are buy one item, get 50% off the second item. My store had a pretty limited selection of Carter's, but they did have some great little outfits for great prices.

Post-Party Plans

The party's over...and it was a great one! The theme was "Fairytales Can Come True" and I served food that related to a fairytale:
Candy Apples = poisoned apple from Snow White
Hershey's Kisses = True Love's Kiss from Sleeping Beauty
Spinach Dip with bread chunks for dipping = Hansel & Gretel (bread crumbs)
Little bags of M&M's = Jack and the Beanstalk (magic beans)

...you get the idea!

Because I had to spend extra on the party, it's time to pull in those reins these next couple weeks to make up for it. Here is my menu for this week:

Monday: BLT's (with tomatoes from our garden)
Tuesday: Crab Rangoon, salad
Wednesday: Soup from the freezer
Thursday: "On your own"
Friday: Teriyaki salmon (Trader Joe's) with rice
Saturday: Pizza Night
Sunday: maybe pot roast?

I'm headed to Babies R Us today to pick up what I hope to be the last cans of formula for a very long time!

Decor for your door

I just spruced up my front porch for Fall (and because it's the girls' birthday party tomorrow). Although it's been in the high 70's in the Bay Area this past week, it is officially Fall. I headed over to Michael's to pick up some supplies...and was delighted to find that so many items were on sale...

all Fall garland 50% off...
all Fall floral stems and bushes 50% off...
all faux fruit and vegetables 40% off (lots of pumpkins!)...
hay bales for $5.99...
cute little scarecrows for $5.99...

And if there's something you love that's not on sale, here is a coupon for 40% off one regular priced item. Hurry in, because the coupon expires today.

Michael's already has lots of Christmas decorations up too. I had to force myself to look straight ahead and walk away. That's for another trip!

Savings this weekend

Walgreen's has another $5 off $20 purchase coupon this weekend. (I wish I hadn't gone earlier this week!) Here's my scenario for this coupon:

Oral B toothbrush $4.49
Loreal Cleanser $7.99
2 packs Huggies diapers (size 3) $9.99 each
1 pack Huggies wipes $5.99

subtotal $38.45

minus the following coupons:
$0.75 off Oral B toothbrush (09/28 p&g)
$1 off Loreal Cleanser (I think there was one a week or two ago)
$1 off Huggies diapers x 2 (09/28 ss)
$1 off Huggies wipes (got in the mail)
$5 off $20

total $28.70
receive $7.99 in rebates
receive $9.50 in RR's
total oop: $11.21 (If I were to pay that much for only the 80 diapers, it would work out to 14 cents per diaper!)

Working for the weekend

I have family coming in this weekend for my daughters' birthday, so I'm trying to compile a menu that is easy on our budget (and easy for me to cook!).

Friday dinner: (still to be determined)
Saturday lunch: Apple Pecan Salad (We're serving more food at the party in the afternoon, so a light lunch works well.)
Saturday dinner: Take out!
Sunday breakfast: Cinnamon rolls, fruit, hot chocolate
Sunday lunch: Tortilla soup w/chicken (see recipe below)
Sunday dinner: Poppy seed chicken with noodles and peas (This has become one of my favorites!)

***I found a lower cost alternative to the bags of pre-frozen chicken breasts: If you buy the packages of fresh split breasts, a lot of the time it's much less expensive per pound. For example, this week at Safeway, a 4.5lb. package of split breasts is on sale for $1.64/pound. A 4lb. bag of frozen breasts is $2.50/lb. You can almost buy twice the fresh chicken for the price of one frozen bag!***

Speedy Tortilla Soup
1 can (15oz.) black beans
1 can (4oz.) diced green chiles
1 pkg. (14oz.) frozen southwest blend vegetables (or use your own mix of corn and peppers)
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded chicken
1 can (28oz.) red enchilada sauce

In large pot, combine ingredients and cook over medium high heat until getting ready to bubble. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon into bowls, sprinkle some grated cheddar or monterey jack cheese over the top, and serve with tortilla chips.

*Don't forget to enter Wedgie Free Wednesday over at Hanes for your chance to win a free pair of Hanes panties!

In my mailbox

It's only Tuesday and this is what I've gotten in my mailbox this week:

*several P&G coupons (sign up to get yours here)
*Huggies coupon booklet
*Babies R Us coupon/ad
*Free cookie from Kashi (you can still get yours by going here)

I'm looking into some of the great deals that Babies R Us has in their ad, starting this Friday (my girls' 1st birthday!). If you have any, please let me know.

Back in business

I've been so busy this past month honing my couponing skills, and now I'm hoping to use those skills to help you!

Yesterday I went to Walgreen's:
3 softoap body wash $3.49 each - 3 $1.00 Oct. easy saver coupons - 2 $1.00 mfr. coupons = $1.82 each
Nivea Men's Body Wash $5.49 - $1 mfr. coupon = $4.49
SmartWater $1.29
ColorSilk Hair Color $1.99
Oral B toothbrush $4.49 - $0.75 mfr. coupon = $3.74
Used $4.50 rr's

Total spent = $14.33
Received $6 in rr's (should have received $10.50, but rr didn't print because I used the rr from the Crest promo last week. I'm going to call Catalina company and see if they'll send it out to me.)
Will receive $4.99 in rebates.
Total out of pocket = $3.34 (If I get my $4.50 rr's, I'll have a $1.16 profit!)

Christmas Countdown: One of the Softsoap body washes and the Nivea Men's Body Wash will be used as stocking stuffers.

I also hit Target yesterday to get in on their diapers on sale:
Luvs Jumbo Pack $7 - $1 Target coupon - $1 mfr. coupon = $5 or $0.125/diaper
Huggies Wipes refill $5 - $1 Target coupon - $1 mfr. coupon = $3 for 232 wipes

I also got Simply Orange orange juice. Target has it for the cheapest price I've seen, even when it's on sale at Safeway. They have it for $3.29.

*Both of my mfr. coupons expired 09/30, so check yours and hurry in to Target!

Also at Target this week:

*some super cute baby girl shoes (like these and these) are on sale for only $7. Make sure to check the price at your store, as not all stores are participating in the shoe sale. (Why? I don't know.)

*Arm & Hammer and Purex liquid laundry detergents are on sale 2/$6. There is a $1 off Purex coupon in 09/28 paper. Print a $1 off coupon for Arm & Hammer here.

Week of August 11th

This is going to be an expensive week. I went to Babies R Us today to get some formula. Here's what fell into the groceries category:

4 cans formula $22.09 each = $88.36
Overnite diapers $11.99
Diaper doublers $2.99
Gerber snacks $2.99 (ended up seeing them cheaper at Target)
Baby wash $2.99 - $1 coupon = $1.99 (also cheaper at Target)

Total grocery bill here: $108.32

I went next door to Target to pick up some diapers. Here's how my bill came out:

144 Huggies $29.99 - $1.50 store coupon - $1.50 mfr. coupon = $26.99
I bought a second box of Huggies as a shower gift and got a $10 giftcard for buying two boxes of diapers. I used that giftcard on the rest of my groceries (separate transaction).
2 Gerber snacks $1.66 each
Bisquick $2.64 - $0.60 coupon = $2.04
Marshmallows $0.87
2 boxes Eggos $1.50 each - $1 store coupon (off 2) - $1 mfr. coupon (off 2)= $0.50 each

Total grocery bill here: $34.22 - $10 giftcard = $24.22 (including the diapers!)

Here's my menu for the week:
Monday: Chicken enchiladas
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Chicken soft tacos
Thursday: Roasted chicken w/potatoes & green beans
Friday: Date night!
Saturday: Farfalle w/zucchini
Sunday: Empanadas
Monday: Leftovers

Safeway and Walgreens

Here's what I spent at Safeway today:
Sesame oil $5.39
Instant oatmeal $2
2 cans white beans $2
Rice vinegar $2.99
2 lbs. Monterey Jack cheese $5.99
Shredded parmesan cheese $2.99
Cottage cheese $2.50
Thin sliced sirloin steaks, 1.25 lb. $5.39
Bananas $1.65
Scallions $0.79
Red pepper $0.90
Nectarines $2.59
Broccoli $0.79
Ginger root $0.35
2 lbs. organic strawberries $4.79 (bogo)
blueberries $3
2 boxes Cheerios and 2 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch $10/4 - $6/4 coupon - $0.55 coupon off each box = $0.95 per box
Total: $47.91, with a savings of 42%, plus it printed out a coupon for $2 off 5 boxes of General Mills cereal.

At Walgreens:
3 pk. Puffs tissue $2.49 - $0.25 coupon = $2.24
2 pkg. Keebler cookies $4 - $1 coupon = $3
2 boxes Fruit Loops $5 - $1 coupon = $4
2 boxes Special K $5 - $1 coupon = $4
2 boxes PopTarts $4 - $1 coupon = $3
2 boxes NutriGrain Bars $5 - $1 coupon $4
Dawn dishwashing liquid $2.19 - $1.20 store coupon - $0.50 mfr. coupon = $0.49
Total: $20.73

***Here's the bonus...For buying $10 in Kellogg's cereals, I got $5 Register Rewards to use at Walgreens. For buying $10 in other Kellogg's products, I got another $5 Register Rewards. And, because I bought 10 items in one transaction, I can send in the UPC's for a rebate of $10! Now that's a good days work!

My grocery shopping is done for the week. I've spent $89.43. I came in under $100 this week! Nice!

Target run

I'm bubbling over with excitement. I went to Target today, coupons and list in hand, and came out with money in my pocket...lots of money.

Here's what I got:
Gerber Banana Puffs $2.24
Skintimate shave gel $2.24 - $1 coupon = $1.24
Sour cream $1.97
Cover Girl Blush $4.79 - $1 coupon = $3.79
All Small & Mighty (32 loads) $3.79 - $1.50 coupon = $2.29
Gerber Baby food (2) $2.00 - $1 coupon = $0.50 each
Gerber Organic baby food (2) $2.58 - $1 coupon = $0.79 each
Cheddar cheese (8oz.) $2.00 - $0.50 coupon = $1.50
Crest toothpaste $2.50 - $0.75 coupon = 1.75
Suave 2 in 1 shampoo $1.97
Dial liquid hand soap $1.37 - $1 coupon = $0.37

I got all this for $20.79. I used $7.75 in coupons, which means I saved 27% using my coupons! I'm pretty proud of myself, I must admit. I'm so excited to see how the grocery store goes tomorrow!

Week of August 4th

Today I scoured the ads and compared them against the coupons I had. I'll be making a grocery run and a Target run this week, so we'll see how the receipts come out.



Here is my menu for this week:



Monday: Leftovers (Poppyseed chicken w/noodles and peas)

Tuesday: Cobb salad

Wednesday: Grilled halibut steaks, zucchini & white bean salad

Thursday: Turkey Paninis

Friday: Homemade Chinese...Crunchy Noodle Salad, Beef & Broccoli

Saturday: Leftovers/Up for grabs

Sunday: Chicken Enchiladas



Cost for Poppyseed Chicken:

Frozen chicken breasts (6): $4

2 cans cream of mushroom soup: $2

16 oz. sour cream: $2

1 stick butter: $0.75

2 sleeves Ritz crackers: $1.75

2 Tbsp. poppy seeds: $1.95

Spaghetti Noodles: $1

Frozen Peas: $1.50

Total: $14.95/6 to 8 servings = $1.87 to $2.49 per serving

That's not too bad. I had people for dinner and made this Sunday night. If I had made it for the husband and myself, we could have gotten 3 days' worth of dinner out of it instead of 2. I also had to approximate some of the prices (like the poppy seeds). I had everything for this recipe in my pantry except the Ritz crackers.

Budget Buster!

My husband told me that our grocery budget went WAY over last month. Of course he asked me what did I spend that money on...and I had no answer. So I've decided to slim down our budget overage and see where my grocery money is going. I also need to figure out how much we're spending on meals and if that can also be trimmed.

For the month of August, I will detail my grocery purchases and the meals I plan to make with them. My grocery budget is $400 for the month. It's just my husband and myself and our 10 month old twins. They don't eat as much as we do, but formula and diapers gets added in to that grocery budget too. Jeez!

On July 24th, I bought 6 cans of formula (25.7oz. each) for $132.54 = $22.09 per can. I also bought a 30oz. can of formula for $21.59. I have already used the 30oz. can and have opened one of the 25.7oz. cans. I also bought 204 diapers for $32.97 ($0.16/diaper) and 616 wipes for $13.01 ($0.02/wipe). I haven't opened these boxes yet, so I don't know if I will get through August without buying more.

Today I went to Safeway and spent $12.98. I bought:

• 2 gallons milk $5.49
• Jif peanut butter $3.99 (for all those pb&j's we'll soon be eating)
• Ritz crackers $3.50

I'm having some family for dinner Sunday and I'm making Poppy Seed Chicken. I had everything but the Ritz crackers. Tonight we are having leftovers (I made individual meatloaves last night and eggrolls w/fried rice the night before). Saturday night I was thinking about grilling some halibut steaks I bought at Trader Joe's.

Friday's dinner: $0

I'll post totals for Saturday and Sunday's dinners as well as the menu for the new week on Monday. Submit your dinner plans (along with prices) and help us all figure out how to save a little money in the grocery aisles!

Sweets for Your Sweet

Crate & Barrel is one of my favorite places to browse. I say browse because I would be in big trouble if I actually bought everything I love there! Something I can buy? Their Valentine Hot Cocoa . It comes in a fun little tin and the cocoa changes color to pink! What little kid (or grown-up kid) wouldn't love that with their Valentine's Day breakfast?! A 2.25oz. tin is on sale for just $1.95.

I also love this Valentine's tea from Crate & Barrel. A chocolate flavored black tea with rosebuds in silk sachets is a luxurious gift for a tiny price: $1.95 for this 0.4oz. tin that contains 5 sachets. Isn't the tin gorgeous?

I knew See's made delicious chocolate Easter eggs, but I did not know they made these Valentine hearts! I picked some up yesterday (in Milk Chocolate Bordeaux, my FAVORITE!). They also come in Dark Chocolate Raspberry and Milk Chocolate Butter with Walnuts. Each heart weighs 3 oz. and is $4. Such a delicious, tiny treat! Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, be prepared to stand in line a little while. : )

Send a little kiss

Haven't gotten a card for your special someone yet? Valentine's Day is the second largest card-sending day of the year (behind Christmas). This card from Hallmark.com plays Barry White's "You're The First, The Last, My Everything". Go to Hallmark's website and select "Cards With Sound". You can personalize the card online and Hallmark will lick it, stamp it, and send it off for you! Other cards (without sound) are available to send, too.

Hallmark.com is also a great resource for other gifts, and allows you to shop by recipient and price, among other categories.

Here's a cute idea: Snapfish has 2x3 inch mini photo books that you can personalize with up to 24 of your own photos. Why not use it to create a coupon book for your Valentine? One way to do this is to write out your coupon ("Good for one free neck massage") and then scan it into your computer. You can then upload this image to Snapfish as one of the "pictures" in your coupon book. Even cuter? Take a picture of the item you will give (maybe a picture of your loved one's feet for a foot massage coupon or a picture of their car for a car wash coupon) and upload that to Snapfish. The possibilities are endless! These adorable mini books start at $5.99

And if you don't have time to do either of the above? Well, lucky you! Snapfish also has FREE photo e-cards for Valentine's Day. With animation, sound, and your own photo, who wouldn't want to get something like that in their in-box?

Have any more cute last minute Valentine's ideas? Email them to me at SavvyStarBaby@gmail.com.

The Look of Love

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Payless ShoeSource has these little Airwalk shoes for baby girls. For only $12.99, your tiny tot can wer her heart...on her feet! These shoes are available in infants' sizes 1 to 4.


Little known fact: Payless offers FREE shipping to their store. Order online, have them delivered to your nearest Payless store and save yourself some hassle!






You already know your little guy is a prince, but you can remind that princess in the sandbox with these slip-on shoes (available at Target). Right now, these shoes are on sale for only $10, along with several other cute styles. With free shipping when you purchase a minimum of $50 (see website for details), why not go in with a few friends and get all the littlest princes some royal footwear?

That's What It's All About!

Let's face it: living in the Bay Area is expensive. Having babies in the Bay Area is expensive. Being a Savvy Mommy means that you want the best for your little ones, but you don't want to break the bank doing it!

This blog aims to cover the aspects of a Savvy Mommy's life: from baby clothes and gear to recipes and tips for being a healthy Mommy. I intend to do the legwork that busy moms in the Bay Area don't have time to do.

I'll post about what the trends are in the Bay Area (along with where to find them at the best prices). I'll find the best places to shop, both around town and online. I'll review products that I think will make a Savvy Mommy's life a little easier, both for baby and mommy. I'll also help you find ways to save a buck or two here and there.

If this sounds interesting to you, join me on this new adventure and stay tuned for what's to come!

I'm always interested in your tips and favorite places and products. Feel free to email me at SavvyStarBaby@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!