Had to share this website!

I had to share this website for the other Dave Ramsey/Penny Pinchers:

http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/

In my attempt to find the website where you type the ingredient and up pops recipes (which I now realize is how most recipe search engines work--DUH ME!), I found this site.  By the header of the site, you might be put off or confused, but from the little amount of time I spent on it, it seems really GREAT!

Type in the ingredient or search by categories.  Each recipe has a food label with all food facts, like what you would find on any item in the grocery store.  In addition, it has a per recipe and a per serving monetary amount--how cool?!

Check it out!

Oh and check this one out too--same site, just a great link for several helpful downloadable PDFs!

Click HERE!

Coupons, coupons, coupons!

So I am currently infatuated with coupons and weekly sale papers.  In an effort to help along our Dave Ramsey program, I have taken inventory of the pantry, fridge and freezer so that I by only what I need to make complete meals.  The things necessary to complete the meals almost always come from the sale paper and most other items not on sale come from Aldi--and I have to say, I HEART ALDI!  I know I've said it before, but I had to say it again.  I managed to buy only $56 of groceries to make two meals (plenty of leftovers for two other nights), a loaf of bread (wheat, but Keith will only eat small amounts of because it's not full of preservatives), a dessert that will last several days and TWO bottles of wine (my mommy juice! ha!)

We did so well this week, that we a just skimming back a little next week and we will be paying for our nice hotel room in Chattanooga next weekend in CASH!  Still in our budget, YAY!!!  (The hotel room is for my sweet Jilly's wedding!  YAY AGAIN!!!)  And we managed to get through our weekly budget "meeting" with one small duel.  Hehe.  Love you, honey! :)

So I digress.  I am so infatuated with coupons that I have even started a spread sheet of all the coupons I have so that when I get all the weekly circulars, I can just glance down my list and easily see if I have any coupons to match the sales.  I'm also trying to keep all of my weekly sales papers because, apparently, there are cycles in when certain items go on sale.  That way you only buy the items you want when they are on sale.  I honestly believe that there should be a class on all these tricks at the local colleges!  Oooh, and a new coupon tip I learned from Ingrid (my freshman year roomie, BFF and now mommy of 3!) is that expired coupons are STILL useable!!!  She said that only Walmart,that she knows of, will NOT accept expired coupons--that leaves four other stores I shop at!!!  Whoo-hoo!

My inventory of what I have in food supplies will also be put into spread sheet form, but that might not happen until Knox is with Grammy and Grandaddy.  By having my inventory I can plan meals around what I have--I have run across a website where you can type in ingredients and it will spit out possible recipes.  Now that I have said that, I'll actually have to find that web address.  I'll get back to you on that one.  If anyone is wondering why I am so obsessive-compulsive like this, I might have to chalk it up to my father's keen organization skills engraved into my head, which I fought fiercely in my adolescent years.  Love you, Big Daddy!

My other attempt at saving money is making Knox's food.  I can get a bag of frozen peas for about $1.50, which would make the equivalent of 8 servings (which I buy prepackaged for $1 for 2 servings).  I mean, no real math needed there!  I also had to use frozen strawberries for the dessert I made this week (which I got a large bag at Aldi for about $1.60).  I used what I needed for the dessert and pureed and froze the rest.  So when Knox needs a fruit, I can just pop a few cubes out to defrost and there you go!  I bought a $10 food mill at Target, in hopes that it would process the food a little finer than what the food processor could do.  Not so much.  It will be good for some things though, like rice and possibly meats.  Don't know if I want to take on the last one--yucky!

I was worried at first about the texture.  Knox has gagged a few times if something is fairly thick or has chunks--he is his mother (and grandmother's) child!  I was pureeing canned peaches I got on sale and let Knox be the taste tester.  He gagged a bit, so I gave him a bit more just because I thought he would get used to it.  NOPE!  It all came back up.  I tried with the peas, and it didn't go well at first, but when hidden with tomato beef macaroni, he scarfed it down.  Score one for Mommy!

So that's my frugality for the time being.  I'm sure there will be more in the near future!

Weekend Happenings

This has been a great, and busy, weekend in the Rogers household.  Saturday was they day we've been waiting for--the first weekend of college football.  I wasn't able to catch many games on the tube since I was running around getting beautified, but it's just knowing the season started is fabulous.  It was even more fabulous knowing that Keith would be home one extra day for Labor Day.

We didn't have any big game plans for the Bama game Saturday night, but Jeff came over which is actually nothing new.  Before he and Bridgette were married, he was our adopted kid.  I grilled burgers and we all had a few beers to savor the kick off of the 2008 college football season.  You'll see a picture of Knox and Jeff--I just had to get one since they were both wearing their prospective teams' jerseys.  Knox is wearing the jersey of SEC's dominating team, given to him by his Uncle Tutu.  Jeff just wears Michigan State's jersey because he went there, not because he thinks they are any good.  Haha!

One of Knox's newest funny moments, which happened on Saturday, was learning to "drink" out of an big boy cup.  He is fascinated with the giant plastic orange cups that we use most.

 Mine is almost always filled with water, so I have occasionally let him attempt to drink out of it.  Well now he thinks that's his cup.  Keith finished drinking his water and let Knox play with it.  The grabs ahold of it and tilts it up like he knows what he's doing!  Next thing we see him do is stick his tongue in and around the edge while jibbering (yelling) into it so he can hear him self echo.  It is so funny.  We have video of it, which I'll post if I can figure it out.  In the meantime, you'll have to just enjoy the pictures.

Saturday was also filled with some learning.  Keith and I have ordered Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace books and DVDs. Keith has surprised me by reading constantly.  I've never witnessed this much reading from him, ever.  We watched the the DVDs, which are actually quite good.  Dave is a funny guy and his principles just make plain sense.  So we are starting a budget, complete with the envelope system, this coming Friday.  At first I wasn't as enthusiastic as Keith, but I've been researching shopping sales and using coupons, so now I'm ready to play the game!  

I also discovered Aldi, a low cost grocery store, which I found was surprisingly fab for certain things.  Shopping drug stores' sale papers and using coupons was so much fun.  I only bought things that were one sale and that I had a coupon for, saving almost $20 at EACH of the THREE drug stores AND two grocery stores I went to on Sunday.  All five stores are in a mile or two, so the cost of gas is not a factor in my craziness.  I'm really excited to see what I can come up with since our freezer is already full of Rogers Family beef, wild pheasant, wild quail and fish caught by Keith!

So my sale shopping took up most of Sunday, but still had to come home and knock out a few ads.  Today was no exception to the craziness, but I feel like I've made progress in all that I have to do ESPECIALLY with the help of Keith.  Keith basically cleaned the whole house while I finished ads, folded clothes, putting up clothes and finally finishing gifts for Norah (soon-to-be daughter of Tiffany) since her shower is Saturday.  I also managed to whip up a little something for Knox to wear this Friday at the Florence Falcons football game.  I know it's not Falcons garb, but it's still appropriate.  Pictures of his onesie are a little further down.  I was really excited with how it turned out.  I'm dying to post the pics of the cute little girl things I made for Norah, but Tiff won't be getting them until Saturday and I don't want to ruin the surprise, so I'll have to post them next weekend.

Daddy took this pic and the one below--SO GOOD!

Bulldog cheeks