Frugal Friday! My Frugal Find

Last Friday while I was garage saling with some pretty cool friends, I stumbled upon this gem.  It's a play kitchen that I got for $1.  I know, you're thinking "that's a piece of crap."  And you would be right.  But I knew that with some scrubbing and painting Tynnley would love it.  (Actually, she loved it without the scrubbing and painting haha!)  So I got it, took it home and attempted to work my magic on it.  

Before:  

 That day Warrick and I went to walmart and got 2 bottles of spray paint, 

1 tension rod, and some cute fabric for a grand total of $13.44

Then we went to goodwill and spent $1 on some kitchen accessories

(Still looking for some better ones at garage sales)

After pictures:   

I tried to sew some potholders with the leftover fabric

Cost breakdown:

Kitchen $1

paint, rod, and fabric  $13.44

food/utensils  $1

$15.44 for the kitchen... and we had fun redoing it.  I realize it leaves a lot to be desired, but my kids enjoy it and that's all that matters.  :)  This is as crafty as I get people!   

Happy Frugal Friday!!!

Meal Planning/once-a-month shopping

I usually grocery shop with both kids in tow.  This is hard because it takes a long time for me to grocery shop... I weigh all the produce, I look at unit prices, I read ingredient labels, I add as I go to ensure that my groceries don't exceed $70.  To say my kids aren't a fan of grocery shopping would be a HUGE understatement.

But, I take them with me because it's good for both parties... I know that everytime I take them out it will be easier and they need to know how to behave in public.  I don't want to grocery shop when Matt's home because that's family time and I have all day to shop, so I don't want to do it in the evening.

But when this baby comes, there is no way I'm grocery shopping with 3 kids in tow... I have a lot of friends that have 3 or 4 kids and do it all the time.  You all are my heroes, I just don't think I have it in me.  :)

So, I've decided to attempt to begin once a month grocery shopping.

As I was looking up "once a month shopping" on pinterest, this website came up.  This lady grocery shops once a month and to make produce last all month, her family can only eat bananas the first week, and can't eat any apples or oranges until week 3 and 4.  I'm not doing that.  That seems a little nazi-esque.

That's where GreenBEAN delivery comes in.  :)  They deliver fresh fruits and veggies to your house every week.  I'm going to utilize GreenBEAN delivery weekly and then make one grocery trip a month.  I'm going to start now, so that I can test it out for a few months before I actually have to be confined to the house after the baby is born.  :)

This week, I shopped for 2 weeks, spent $70 (since the other $70 is going towards 2 weeks of GreenBEAN delivery).  Here's what I got at Meijer for $71.32.

Here's what came from GreenBEAN delivery for $20!  (I used a $15 off promo code)

There's a few things missing from the picture that my kiddos devoured the minute I opened the bin.  

Meal Plan for 2 weeks:
     breakfasts:
eggs, fruit, toast
pancakes
cereal

     lunches:
pb&j or pb&banana sandwiches
leftovers
cheese quesadillas with fruit
mac&cheese

     dinners:
Artichoke and tomato pasta with salad
chicken fajitas
penne with chicken thighs with salad
tacos
zucchini pizza (grandma's recipe... mmmm)
burgers on the grill with fruit salad
chicken drumsticks with roasted veggies
steak with salad and corn on the cob
quiche
pork roast with salad and broccoli
beef and vegetable tian
out to eat with friends
2 meals at church

     snacks/desserts:
popcorn
naturebox
honey glazed bananas
fruit
carrots
cheese

What is your family eating this week?
Do you have any good tips for once-a-month shopping you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear!

Monday Meal Planning week 2

Here's how I spent my $70 grocery budget this week.  $70.89 to be exact :) 

I got 6 kiwis, 3 peppers, 2 bunches of bananas, and 3 avocados at Aldi for $8.76 and the rest at meijer.

Last week, my cool friend Tamera found some organic free-range whole chickens at Kroger on managers special and I bought 2 from her.  So, I'm making one of them today and shredding it for 2 meals this week and broth for later on.    

Meal Plan for the week:
     Breakfasts:
fruit, eggs, toast
cereal 
oatmeal

     Lunches:
pb&banana or pb&j sandwiches
dinner leftovers 
cheese quesadillas with fruit
tuna salad sandwiches with carrots
mac & cheese with peas

     Dinners:
chicken avacado bacon sandwiches with potato wedges
meatballs and peppers  (without the bread crumbs)
chicken drumsticks with roasted veggies
meal at church
chicken enchiladas  (with homemade tortillas and organic plain yogurt instead of sour cream)
grilled short ribs and veggies and arugula salad
quiche   (This is a good end of the week meal to add leftover veggies and meat to)

     Snacks:
popcorn 
fruit
homemade graham crackers  (my friend Alyssa posted this recipe on her blog recently and I think my kids would love them!)
homemade fudge pops


Keep in mind:  We eat "clean" as much as possible... for us specifically, this means we try to avoid processed foods, anything with corn or soy since these crops are 98-99% genetically modified, and organic fruit and veggies if the budget allows.  

A few weeks ago, we bought 1/4 of a grass-fed cow so this is why I don't buy a lot of meat each week.

What are you eating this week?

Frugal Friday! Frugal Summer Activities

Happy Frugal Friday!

School is out and we are ready to play and have fun.  But since I'm frugal, we won't be spending a lot of money.  So here are some fun things we plan on enjoying this summer that are free or frugal:

$1 kids movies!  They were free last year, but the local theater was bought out so now it's $1.  We plan to go a few times this summer.  There are also movies in the park.  Check out some free or frugal kids movies in your area.

Splash Park!  We will be spending lots of time here... my kids love it!

This is Warrick's first ever splash pad experience... 2010 :) 

Library summer reading program!  We have never done this before, and the kids have really enjoyed it.  We go to the library weekly to story and craft time and pick out new books to read.  The goal for the summer is for children to read 2400 pages.  For every 600 pages you read to your child, they receive a prize.  We so far have read over 1200 ... the kids love going to collect their prizes and pick out new books.  Here they are with their prize picks.

Local Parks!  There are some great parks/playgrounds in my area.  Pack a picnic and head out for the day.  Your kids will have a blast and take long naps when you return home :)

Your backyard!  We don't have a swingset, but I've found some fun things to keep the kids occupied.  We have a kiddie pool, a sprinkler, and a little tykes slide.  Never underestimate the little things.  My kids also enjoy blowing bubbles, water balloons, and sidewalk chalk... with a mere $3, my kids can be entertained for hours!

Festivals and Parades!  Last year we went to PBS kids in the Park and the kids loved it!  This is how we will be spending our Saturday morning :)

                           

State Fair!  They always have free or discounted days.  And where else can you get a donut burger and fried oreo??  Don't worry, we only eat that way once a year.    

 

And last, but certainly not least... join an affinity group!  An affinity group is a group formed around a shared interest.  This summer, I'm hosting a mom's group and it's going to be awesome.  Here are some other affinity groups that our church is hosting.

Check your local chamber of commerce or park department website for more summer activities!

What is your favorite frugal summer activity?

Menu Planning

I'm always interested in saving money at the grocery store.  This week, I got all this at Kroger for $68.40

Our family has been trying to eat as "clean"/healthy as possible for the past several months, so the majority of this is organic.  It can be a challenge to eat healthy on a tight budget, so I thought I'd share what my family is eating this week.  We budget $70 per week for groceries (2 adults, and 2 children).  This week I spent $73.89... I went over a little by going to the farmer's market (the 2nd picture).  

farmer's market

Here is our meal plan for the week:

     Breakfasts:

Fruit, eggs, and toast

Oatmeal with fruit

cereal

     Lunches:

cheese tortillas

pb&j sandwiches

dinner leftovers

annie's mac&cheese

     Snacks:

pineapple

popcorn

naturebox

     Dinners:  

Zucchini lasagna

Chicken fajitas  (with homemade tortillas) 

Beef with brussel sprouts

Chicken fried rice

Beef with squash, potato, and tomatoes

Meal at church

Steak Salad

We recently bought 1/4th of a cow, so I won't be using much of the grocery budget buying meat for a while :)  

If you are interested in cleaning up your eating, check out this website (www.foodfacts.com).  You can type in any food and it will give it a rating A through F.  I was surprised to find that jif peanut butter received an F rating.  I knew it wasn't good... but didn't know it was that bad.  You'd be surprised what you can learn on foodfacts.  

What did your family eat this week?