Sweet Deals...

I'm off to Aldi (one of my friends commented that she doesn't shop at Aldi because the one time she went there, "it looked like a narcotics anonymous meeting had arrived.") What? I really don't care what the other shoppers look like. Besides, one day when I was in line, Abby's plastic surgeon (from an accident, in case you're wondering....)was in line in front of me buying bananas. He left and got in his BMW. Cool. Anyhow...pineapples for 99 cents this week, along with 4# bags of really good oranges for $1.49. I also bought the cutest $50.00 Christmas sweaters for gifts next year on sale at Sears for $7.99. (Don't tell the grammas....actually, it's OK, they know me....)

Dinners fru-gal this week: white chicken chili, baked mac and cheese, venison stew, chicken/taters/corn, and spaghetti with meat sauce. It think it goes without saying that these were homemade.

Your best deals this week? Favorite tightwad meals?

A day in the life....

Maybe I just need to start, maybe that's the key. When I decided to blog, it seemed like a really good idea, but I didn't think that I should just write about any ol' thing. Since (one of) my passions is saving money, I thought it would be a good idea to write about that. One of my other passions is politics, but I don't take criticism too well and when you write about politics you have to have pretty thick skin....either that or only have like minded people reading your blog. Then my husband got a little torqued about how much time it was taking me to blog and suggested that I write during the day when he's not here....and when I don't have errands to run....or kids to cart....or work to go to.....and well, I just kinda let is slide.

But since the new year has started, I've made a commitment to crack down on the financial side of life. (My kids will groan if they see this, they already think I'm the most frugal mom in town.) So let me describe to you my last day of errand-running and you tell me if I'm too cheap:

1. I stop to buy a belt for the 12-year-old vacuum. $3.29. The lady always tries to get me to buy more than one: "Need to change that every year you know." I disagree. I've bought 3 in the life of the vaccum.
2. I get a haircut at Great Clips using a 7.99 coupon-- make it $11 with a tip. Since the Great Clips is right beside Harris Teeter, our friendly neighborhood yuppie-mart, I run in for the sole purpose of finding out if they have samples of my favorite bread. BINGO. Sweet snack. I buy nothing.
3. I stop at Aldi and pick up $35.00 worth of groceries. Milk is $2.10 a gallon, eggs 99 cents, and oranges 40 cents a pound. Beat that, Harris Teeter. I feeling celebratory, so I splurge on a 99 cent mocha iced coffee. I love Aldi!!
4. I stop at the library to pick up a couple books on saving money: The Ultimate Cheapskate by Jeff Yeager and Money, a Memoir by Liz Pearle. I've read them both before, but at my age I forget a lot and need to reinspired. I'll comment on the books later.
5. I come home and make 3 pizzas from scratch, remembering the time Abby had a sleepover and, on seeing me kneading pizza dough, one of her friends exclaimed, "You can MAKE dough?!? That always makes me laugh.

This is my life. Comments please.

remodeling bathroom, Aldi and refugee families

"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him." Psalm 25:14

7:00 the "normal" summer am routine: unload dishwasher, make breakfast, decide on lunch and dinner meals, sweep...OK...so all of that, and vacuum and dust LR, pick bouquet of blue hydrangeas (Beautiful!)

7:30 breakfast with everyone: homebaked blueberry muffins ($2 whole meal)

8:30 run two miles (in my $1 yard sale New Balance!!), shower, devos, clean

10:00 taped interview for News 2 (airing tomorrow at 7ish) at our home promoting book, kids go play in the creek (country kids in the city..actually, they were avoiding the TV camera!)

11:00 kids tear out tile (this took 3 boys 20 minutes and the whole BR was tile...cheap labor!!), I answer emails, set up appts, pay bills: hospital stuff-$120.25, youth trip-$75, also called and asked about a bill for cans of tube feeding that I told them I returned...and wonder of wonders, they told me they would credit my account and to ignore the bill ($240.00), it pays to ask!

12:00 lunch, (Mike rides his bike home from school in the summer for lunch): chicken nuggets, fries, strawberries, lemonade ($5.50)

1:00 trip to Aldi....the BEST grocer...(I won't list all I buy, just highlights)who can beat milk for $1.75 gallon, eggs for 79 cents, hamburg buns 79 cents? total $22.51, then to Carolina Thrift where I found the book The Tapestry by Edith Schaeffer for $1.59. I've been looking for it for 20 years...I kid you not!! On to Cloverleaf, my favorite Mom and Pop shop...Boneless skinless chicken breasts 1.48 # this week, peanut butter $1 a jar, OJ $1 for 64 oz box....total $17.35. OK weird thing happens in the parking lot...I'm taking a picture of the store and this man asks if I'll take a picture of him with is car and send it to him. He's a cute little grandpa...so I take his name and address and I'll send them tomorrow...don't ask me why. It seemed like a nice thing to do.

5:30 took Abby to youth group meeting, dropped 2 bags of clothes off at our Burmese friends, the Thak Bals. Want to be humbled? Spend time with a refuge family who came to America to escape persecution for their Christian faith. They gave us mint, lettuce and green beans from their humble garden.

6:30 Mike and I went to Chili's for a date night...using a gift card....free date! Will spend the evening reading.

Money today:

Out: $236.70

In: $0

Coming up: Carolina Thrift 50% off most stuff Monday 6/8, free donuts at Krispy Kreme Friday 6/5