Category Archives: Nico

Mar 18

Where are the Easter Puffs!

I can’t resist the brightly colored Easter aisle with all of its promises of delicious Easter candies any longer!!!!! I must consume Reese’s peanut butter Eggs by the Dozens and Gold Brick Eggs too, but there is a little problem… Just where are the Little Debbie Easter Puffs!?! They are my very favorite of all Easter treats, and I can’t seem to find theme anywhere. Time to search near and far for these beloved treats, I guess the Reese’s will have to do in the meantime.

What Easter candies are on your must have list too?

Mar 17

What’s For Lunch: 3/16-3/22

We’ve made it to week #3 in the “Not Going Out in March Challenge”, and it is time to plan another lunch menu for the week. I’m trying out a new recipe and taking some much needed help from the freezer too. Here is what I have planned for this week’s lunch menu:

  • 3/16/09: Beef Burritos, Tortilla Chips, and Cheese Dip
  • 3/17/09: Chicken Rings, Fries, and Macaroni & Cheese
  • 3/18/09: Angus Burgers with Potato Chips and Dip
  • 3/19/09: Sloppy Joe’s and Potato Chips and Dip (on hand in the freezer)
  • 3/20/09: Breaded Fish and Macaroni & Cheese (MOPS is on Friday, and I need a super easy lunch)
  • 3/21/09: Beef Stew and Homemade Bread (on hand in the freezer)
  • 3/22/09: Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry with Rice

I hope that the boys like the Beef Burritos, and I’ve been really missing my favorite Chinese take-out restaurant, so I am looking forward to the Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry.

Breakfasts this week are going to be simple, simple, simple. I’ve got Pop Tarts, Cereal, and Waffles on hand for the little guys. I still have Eggs and Sausage for my hubby. I’m also helping out with MOPS Breakfast this Friday so I will be making a whole bunch of muffins. I might double the batches and have extra on hand for us too.

Mar 15

Not Going Out Week 2 In Review

It looks like we made it through another week, just barely. On Thursday I was tempted to go out and get a Large Cheese Tater Tots and a Route 44 Cherry Coke from Sonic, but I resisted. James keeps saying just how much he misses Wendy’s and Pizza Hut, but he is holding strong too. The little guys are doing well too, but Thade has been asking for McDonald’s and Burger King, even though we don’t have a Burger King locally.

I’m really happy that we have made it a solid two weeks without fast food, and honestly that is a lot longer than I thought we could. My kitchen is still a mess though, and I’ve already used an entire bottle of Ajax dish soap this week.

The good though, I was shocked to see just how little trash there was to go out this week. We only had three kitchen sized bags for pick-up. Usually we have 2-3 trash cans full, and I would bet that the normal pick-up is at least 12 bags. In just two weeks we have decreased our trash by 9 bags, that is huge!

I am also saving a lot in the gas tank. Before the challenge started I put $10.00 in my car, and that gave me 1/2 tank of gas. Two weeks later into the challenge, and I’ve still got 1/4 tank of gas. Not making extra trips out to sit idle in a drive-thru has really saved a lot of gas.

Next week we will start week #3 in the “Not Going Out In March Challenge”, and we’ll see how it goes. I hope we can make it!

Mar 13

It Really Truly is Friday the 13th

I’m one of those people who truly dreads Friday the 13th, and this morning Friday the 13th reared its naughty little head…

I stayed up late last night baking a batch of Vanilla cupcakes for my hubby to take to work for Friday. I like to send along some treats whenever I can for him and his co-workers and the customers too. It has been awhile since I sent a batch of cookies, so this time I decided cupcakes would be a tasty surprise. I baked them during dinner, and after the kids were sleeping, I came back downstairs and got them all iced for Friday. I packed them in my cake carrier, and set them on my hubby’s desk so he wouldn’t forget them in the morning.

This morning James was getting ready to go to work, and he really wanted a cupcake, but he decided that he would wait until he got to work. He carried the cupcakes out to his car, and put them in the front seat. When he got to work he went to the passenger side door to take the cupcakes in to work, and then there was a cupcake catastrophe.

When he picked up the cake carrier the lid snapped off, and sent the cupcakes crashing to the ground… They all landed icing side down too. It was a total cupcake loss, and a big icing mess in the parking lot. Of course it had to happen on Friday the 13th!

I know mischief comes in threes, so we’ll see how the rest of the day goes. So far I’m not too happy with Friday the 13th.

Mar 11

Just Call Me Frugal McDoogal

I love reading all of the frugal posts popping up on Yahoo, all about being the newly frugal. Being Frugal is definitely the new Going Green in 2009. I’m right there too, with sharpened scissors clipping coupons, trying my best to save where I can, and get the most for my money.

One of my favorite ways to save is by checking Dollar General first before I shop my weekly shopping list at Wal-Mart. I often find better deals at Dollar General, and the savings are worth the extra trip. I buy my Sugar and Flour there, and I also pick up baking cups for just $.75 too. You can also find many cleaning products, pet supplies, kitchen needs, and even tissues for just $1.00! My favorite find is their brand of dryer sheets (that have a fantastic scent) for $1.00, you can’t beat that.

On to Wal-Mart… I’m a bit of an obsessive compulsive when it comes to shopping at Wal-Mart. Before I go, I make a shopping list that follows the order of the store, I then only shop the aisles that have items on my list. Sticking to my list helps me avoid picking up extra items that are costly. I also only park on the side that I am shopping on, that saves a little time too.

Another great way to save is by shopping Aldi. I make a big list for the entire month, and stock up and save. I am better about sticking to my menu if I already have the item on hand and ready to cook. At my last trip to Aldi I also picked up their cleaning supplies at $.97 each, the products work great and saved me a little too.

Walgreens is my very favorite place to use coupons and buy diapers. Walgreens also offers a great Easy Saver rebate program that can earn you gift cards towards future purchases, or rebate checks that you can put into  savings for a rainy day. Their diaper prices are hard to beat, and the wonderful Walgreens associates always go above and beyond to search for a coupon that I might have missed. I love looking at the total and seeing just how much I saved.

Making favorite foods at home is a great way to save. Last August I started baking bread for my family, and at Christmas my mom gave me a Bread-maker to help out with the task. I have eliminated store bought bread from my shopping list. My favorite way to save with the bread-maker is to use it to make Pizza Dough. I make 2 pounds of dough which gives me a large pizza, and a medium pizza Making two pizzas cost me about $5.00 to make, toppings and all. There are always plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day too.

How have you changed your ways to become a Frugal McDoogal in 2009?