Happy Halloween!

Have a safe and fun night!

Weekly goals

I managed to plow through my list last week. Although I do decluttering all the time, a few items took priority over it last week so hopefully I can get ahead some this week!

here's the plan

Ongoing

Decluttering

Stay caught up with library books

Purchase  3 2 Christmas gifts

Weekly

Get tires and new muffler on truck

Clean out refrigerator

Work on crochet project

Work on embroidery project

Take down Halloween decorations

Start planning Thanksgiving

Menu Plan Monday

The last day of October(Happy Halloween!) This month flew by! We ended up eating out 3 times last week so we have a few carryovers

Breakfast:

Eggs

Cereal

Oatmeal

all served with fruit

Dinners

Crockpot chicken, stuffing, green beans

Grilled hot dogs, chips, salad, smores

Ham and beans, cornbread

Homemade chicken noodle soup, bread

Sausage, fried potatoes, carrots

Pancakes, bacon, fruit

Leftovers

Decorating with candy

I love decorating with candy and fruit. I think it makes the holidays a little more fun! Now that Baby Girl is almost 5(~sniff~), it makes it easier to have it out all the time because she knows when she can have some :) I found these little pumpkins at a thrift store in a pack of 4 for $0.50, so I snatched them up.

One with tootsie pops

One with pixie sticks

I have a couple more to surprise the kids with between now and Halloween. They love seeing the candy pop up around the house :)

And of course for Christmas, we have candy canes everywhere!

What's your favorite way to decorate with candy?

This is posted to Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Fridays

Weekly goals

I was definitely more productive last week without a sick 4 year old at home. I didn't get 100% finished but a lot was crossed off the list despite having regular stuff to do and a few unexpected things(like taking the Bearded Dragon to the vet)

Here's the plan for the week

Ongoing

Declutter

Purchase 2 1 Christmas gifts

Stay caught up with library books

Weekly;

Take pictures of stuff for sale and list

Clean and organize desk

Work on embroidery project

Take donations to thrift store I went to drop off the stuff, only to find it's temporarily closed! I'll hang onto it until they reopen

Get started on big kid's rooms(against my own rules but they need cleaned out)

Surface clean couch and chair

Deep clean house(all week)

Wash curtains and car seat cover

Menu Plan Monday

Another week flew by. Wow, hard to believe it's the end of October! Soccer ended last week, and tonight is the last football game of the season that Thing 1 has to cheer at. not sure what I'm going to do with evenings free!

Here's the plan

Breakfast

Eggs

Oatmeal

Cereal

all served with fruit

Dinners

Herb coated chicken breasts, rice, salad

Homemade chicken soup, bread

Spaghetti with Italian sausage, bread, salad

Ham and beans, bread

Beef stew, bread

Crock pot chicken, carrots, rice

eat out

Quick and easy crafts

We love crafts around here. It always looks like Hobby Lobby blew up in our living room on a regular basis. We have several store bought decorations but it's always nice to add some homemade to the mix

Door Wreath:

You will need

A wreath form(I got mine at HL with a 40% off coupon, cost $2 and some change) I've also used a round piece of cardboard(want to take the easy way out, use one from afrozen pizza) with the center cut out

Crepe paper streamers

various small decorations

 Take your wreath form and wind the crepe paper all around. Secure randomly with some hot glue.

 Do your layout before you glue. I used some plastic spiders, skulls, and made a ghost from some cheesecloth

 I strung the skulls to make a little dangly clanker. And the final wreath has the word BOO down the right side also(just made the letter on Word, sized to what I needed, printed and cut out.

This project took maybe 20 minutes(with interruptions) and cost about $3 to make

Candle holder

For this I reused a jar from a previous candle

then I just used a Scribbles paint with a tip and a printed design

 A clean jar, reused from an old candle

 My design. Just fold the paper and place on the inside of the jar. Secure with some tape and then use your Scribble paint on the outside to trace the design. Simple designs are the best, mine got a little gloppy but I used a toothpick to spread out some of the paint.

You can repeat the design or just keep on one side(like I did). Allow to dry and then place in a tea light and enjoy!

This project took about 5 minutes(not including drying time) and cost me $0.99(I didn't have black Scribble paint)

This is posted to Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Fridays

52 weeks of Organizing: There's an air hockey table under there!

What is it about a flat surface that screams "pile stuff one me!"? Argh. One weekend home and the air hockey table gets buried under a pile of stuff.

 Party planning stuff, laundry soap, shopping bags, decorations, toys, and more migrate to a flat surface(which hopefully, wont be here for temptation much longer as it finds it's new home in the basement)

15 minutes and putting everything where it goes and there's a clean surface. Well, minus the balloons which I put up there until Baby Girl gets home from school. (and yes, I put the hanger in the closet, not sure why it was there!)

This is linked to 52 Weeks of Organizing

Weekly goals

Apparently, throat infections make 4 year olds hyper. Maybe that's just mine :/. Baby Girl was home all week and needless to say I didn't get a whole lot accomplished! She's back to school today, although Thing 2 is home but he can entertain himself so I'll have some time to actually do stuff!

Ongoing:

Declutter

Stay caught up with library books

Purchase 2 Christmas gifts

Weekly:

Continue work on Halloween Party

Take pictures of stuff for sale

List on Craigslist

Clean out fridge

Inventory freezer

Make chocolate mice for the cheerleaders

Take DVDs to resale store

Oil change in truck

Wash curtains(STILL haven't done it), car seat cover, and bed stuff

Menu plan Monday

Wow, October is flying by. Soccer wraps up this week, and football next week. Hopefully we'll have a bit of a break before basketball season starts(Thing 1 is a high school cheerleader). We didn't get to a couple things last week because it was fairly warm out and just seemed wrong to eat :)

Breakfasts

Cold cereal

Eggs

Muffins

all served with fruit

Dinners

Ham and beans, cornbread

Onion soup with bread and cheese

Roast with carrots and potatoes

Crockpot chicken, stuffing, green beans

Beef stew, bread

Pork chops with mushroom gravy, rice, carrots

Super savings Saturday

Lots of deals this week(no pics, blah). I'm surprised I managed to pull it off because Baby Girl has been sick all week. But here's what I got

Dillons

4 Tropicana OJ $2.69 each- 2 $1/2= $2.19 each

5 Propel waters $0.88 each -$1/5=$0.68 each

2 Irish spring body wash $3 each- 2 $1/1=$2 each

20 Luna Bars $1 each- 20 $0.50/1 doubled to $1 each= FREE!

1 Post Cocoa Pebbles $2.49-$0.50/1 e coupon= $1.99

4 Campbell chunky soups $1.50 each- $2 ecoupon=$1 each

1 V8 Spicy $2.49-$0.50 ecoupon=$1.99

5 Campbell's tomato soup $.80 each-$0.50/5 ecoupon= $0.70 each

1 Kraft BBQ sauce $1-$0.25/1 doubled=$0.50

2 Chef Boyardee ravioli $1 each - $0.50/2 doubled=$0.50 each

I picked up a couple things with a total of $35.93, I saved $44.72 or 55 %

Walmart

4 Dole fruit gels $2.24 each-2 $0.75/2=$1.86 each

Nestle Dark morsels $2.68-$1/1=$1.68

2 Brach candy $1.87 each- $1/2=$1.37 each

2 Hershey candy bar 6 packs $3.94-$1/2=$3.44 each

2 Swanson Broth $2.38 each- $0.75/2=$4.01/2

1 Clorox wipes $2.48-$0.50/1=$1.98

2 Vlasic pickles $2.38 each-2 $1/1=$1.38 each

6 Ragu Pasta sauce $1.68 each - 3 $0.75/2=$1.30 each

1 409 cleaner $1.98-1 $0.25/1=$1.73

2 Colgate tooth brushes $0.96 each- 2 $0.40/1=$.56 each

2 Lysol toilet cleaner $1.88 each- $1/2=$1.38 each

3 stove top stuffing's $1.98 each -3 $0.50/1=$1.48 each

1 box Ritz crackers- free product coupon from My Coke Rewards= FREE
2 scrubbing bubbles 1 step toilet cleaner refills $3.97 each- BOGO=$1.98 each

Bookin it

I read 2 books in September. I'm so ashamed. Last month was nuts with trying to figure out schedules(The Things started school the last week of August, Baby Girl started in the middle of September) And they weren't even books that make you think, or give some sort of insight. Sigh. (but fun reads anyways!)

P.S. I hate it here, kids letters from camp

Lover Awakened

That's it. Aside from a dozen or so magazines, and newspapers. 

Weekly Goals: October 10, 2011

I managed to get through the easy stuff last week. Now I have to add the hard stuff to my to do list this week, blah.

Here's the plan:

Continue decluttering(this will go on forever)

Take pics of stuff I have for sale

List stuff on Craigslist

Wash curtains

Take DVDs to resale store

Get oil changed in truck

Pay utilities

Stay caught up with library books

Start planning Halloween party

Work on Party invites

Start working on Halloween Decor

Buy 4 3 1 Christmas presents

So a few fun things and a few not so fun. Hopefully I can cross most off!

Menu Plan Monday

Another week flew by! Here's the plan:

Breakfast:

Cold cereal

Oatmeal

eggs

all served with fruit

Dinners:

Ham and beans, cornbread

Taco night

Veggie stir fry with rice

Pork chops, mac and cheese, applesauce

Onion Soup with cheese and bread

Potato soup

My not so frugal-ness(what not to do!)

I have a bad habit. We tend to have several open bottles/packages of the same thing. I know, I know. Not a smart thing to do.

The mess on top on the fridge...4 open cereals, 3 bags open chips, 2 boxes open crackers, 3 open packs of cookies,  ahhh!!!

 2 bottle open syrup, sigh. I didn't bring out the 2 open bottles of Country Bob's or the 3 open bottles of soy sauce

3 open bags of potatoes(yes, this is totally my fault)

So, I combined 2 bottles of the soy sauce, hid the full one. And I combined 2 bags of the potatoes.The syrup will be taken care with french toast tomorrow morning. I combined 2 packs of the cookies(and I'll send one pack of them and a bag of cereal with the crew tomorrow when they spend the night at my mom's). I put up all unopened packages of chips, cereal, crackers, and syrup so the opened ones would be used first.

And the inside of the refrigerator isn't any better...I found 2 opened gallons of milk, 2 open containers of lettuce, and 2 open tubs of butter. ~sigh~

With several years of being frugal, this is definitely NOT how one should be! This just spoils food faster which is definitely not frugal!

This is posted to Frugal Friday and Works for Me Wednesday

Weekly Goals

Every week, I write down what I would like to accomplish for that week. This doesn't mean I'll get through all of it! Here's the plan for this week:

Pick up Circus tickets that I won

Photograph stuff that I have for sale

List stuff on Craigslist, various local sites

Take DVDs that I have for sale to a local resale store

Purchase 2 Christmas presents

Catch up library books

Return books that are finished

Clean inside of truck

Continue decluttering house

Wash curtains
Clip coupons and organize

Menu Plan Monday

Wow, Monday already. The weeks are flying by and it seems like I can barely keep up. Well, here's the plan

Breakfast

Cold cereal

Eggs

Oatmeal

all served with fruit

Dinners

Grilled Pork Roast, corn on the cob, zucchini

Beef Stroganoff with mushrooms, bread, green beans

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn

Chili, cornbread

Pulled pork sandwiches, homemade fries, fruit salad

2 nights allowed for leftovers or eating out



September decluttering

September was better than August. It was a lot of maintenance and a lot of tossing. I did find  few items to donate and I have an ever growing sell-on-craigslist-or-have-a-yard sale pile.  

In the bag is a pair of soccer cleats, several books, some Cd's, a hot roller set minus the clips, and holiday notepads.

I also took 9 magazines to the laundry and gave 2 pairs of boy pajama pants to a friend.

This was one of my bigger jobs for the month.

Super Savings Saturday

Tons of stuff found this week. I know, I know, I'm trying to get stuff out of the house!

Joseph found this totally awesome air hockey table for only $20. Winter's coming so this gives the crew(and me!) something to do inside!

On my way to the store the day, I passed a charity rummage sale. They had oodles of stuff and I did very good at limiting myself. I got everything for $6.75 which includes 6 place mats, several Halloween decorations, a pretty blue plate I'm going to hang in the kitchen and a glass jar with the locking lid that I plan to use to make homemade sauerkraut!

Walgreen's

I made a run the other day for some last minute laundry soap(ran out and the kids didn't tell me!). Luckily, I found some on sale and I had some RR to use since there wasn't anything else I needed to use them on

6 Purex laundry soaps, Buy one at $5.99, get one free

$17.97-$8.00 in RR=$9.97 for 6 or $1.66 each(not my best price but not bad for no plan!)

Walmart

2 White cloud 12 pack Toilet Paper $5.97 each-2 $1/1=$4.97 each

1 Heinz white vinegar $1.12-$0.50/1=$0.62

2 Ken salad dressings $2.32 each- 2 $1/1=$1.32 each

2 Magic Shell ice cream toppings $1.98 each-$1/2=$1.48 each

1 Tetley tea bags $1.68-$0.50=$1.18

1 Emerald Breakfast on the Go $3.98-$1/1=$2.98

4 Boxes Kashi Pita Crisps $2.88 each-4 $1.50/1=$1.38 each

2 10 packs Bic disposable razors $2.94 each- 2 $2/1=$0.94 each

1 BC cake mix $1.25 and 1 BC frosting$1.72-$0.75 WYB cake and frosting=$2.22 both

1 Brachs chocolate covered peanuts $1.87-$1/1=$0.87

1 Always Infinity $5.97-$1/1=$4.97

1 Always regular $4.18-$0.50/1=$3.68

1 3 pack ivory soap $1.12-$0.35/1=$0.77

2 Sara Lee bread $1.98 each- 2 $0.55/1=$1.43 each

1 Colgate toothbrush $0.96-$0.40/1=$0.56

1 Brita 5 cup pitcher $8.97-$4/1-$4.97 plus submitted for up to $10 rebate, so will be free!