Baking and Smoking

This past weekend, Josh and I both got bitten by the cooking bug.  I made three desserts, and he smoked some meats.

I made cream cheese brownies, a chocolate pecan bourbon pie, and easy fudge.  I was really surprised with the fudge.  It was a really simply recipe and still turned out very good!  The rest was pretty dang good too.

I think Josh would agree that it was good.  When I told Josh what was in the pie, he reacted with "Ya'll will cook with some bourbon, won't cha?"  Yes, sir.  That's what I good Kentucky girl does.  :)

My plate.  MMMMM.  I like whipped cream, especially on top of that pie.  

Josh also got the smoker going which was amazing.  Honestly, that smoker was the best 70 or so bucks that we've ever spent.  It's a lot of work, but Josh enjoys it so very much.  And the smell...oh my gracious the smell.  That smoke just goes through the whole apartment complex, and it is heaven.

Top rack: Boston Butt and pot full of BBQ sauce (gives the sauce a great smoky flavor)

Bottom rack: chicken

Look at that chicken.  Yummy, yummy, yummy.

It didn't last very long at all.  Devoured!

Sunday of Couponing

Our life as the Johnsons is so very exciting.  Most days when I get home from work we eat dinner, watch a DVR episode of either Matlock or Jeopardy, do a crossword and jumble from the paper, and then go to bed.  Couponing is my excitement.  :)  This is our little married life, and I love it!

On Sunday I did another round of drugstore shops.  I was pretty happy with all the stuff I got, but I probably spent a little too much up front.

Rite Aid

Here's what I got:

1 Clearasil overnight wash

1 Clearasil acne control

2 Beanos

2 Gas-X Prevention (SCR)

1 Revlon nail polish

1 Loreal mascara (SCR)

1 Loreal lipgloss

1 Covergirl lipgloss

1 Uncle Ben's Rice

1 Cheerios multigrain

1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch

1 Tampax Pearl

1 Pez dispenser (stocking stuffer)

1 Benefiber (SCR)

4 Travel size John Frieda shampoo and conditioner (SCR)

2 boxes lightbulbs

3 12-packs of Coke products (not pictured)

Total before coupons and sales: 152.66

Total after sales and coupons: 42.14

Total SCRs earned: 11.00

Total after SCR: 31.14

Percent saved: 80%

It's pretty shocking to see the total amount that this shopping trip would have cost without sales or coupons.  There is no way I would have ever wanted to pay that much for the things I bought!  But saving 80 percent, I'm up for trying some of these items.  

The biggest issue is that I ended up with only 2 +Up Rewards for my next trip.  But the real secret is to break up each trip into multiple orders.  That way, if I earn some +Up Rewards, I can just turn around and use those again.  That's actually what I did on this trip.  And, the BEST thing about this trip...I found my own money maker, without using Southern Savers!!!  The Revlon nail polish I bought was on clearance.  I paid about 1.50 and it printed a 3 dollar +UP Reward!  Wonderful.  I actually went to another Rite Aid later and bought candy bars and another nail polish.  Paid .76 cents for 4 candy bars and the nail polish and I got 4 +Up Rewards back.

A couple side notes.  I actually went back to the Rite Aid where I had issues.  I know, crazy right?  I just went on a different day, and the lady was very understanding and took all kinds of time with me.  On my second order, my +Up Rewards didn't print.  So she took the time to find all the things that should have printed +Up Rewards and then gave me that off my third order.  And while we were trying to figure things out, I did step to the side so that she could also help another customer.  There was a line, and it's just kinda the nice thing to do.  An SCR is a single check rebate.  You can get money back for buying certain items.  All you have to do is go to the Rite Aid website and log-in your receipts.  I'll be getting a check back for 11 bucks.  And it's just a regular check...no need to use it on the next purchase or anything.

Final note, this purchase put me over the 100 dollars spent at Rite Aid this month (not really, they count totals before manufacturer's coupons).  That means I qualify for a 20 dollar gift certificate because of their Holiday Rewards Program.  Pretty cool stuff!  I do have to use the entire 20 dollars in one visit.  Gracious me, we're gonna need more storage space after that trip!

CVS

No picture (I put all of this stuff away before taking a pic, silly me)

What I got:

2 Aussie hair gels

1 Wesson vegetable oil

1 Toy Story band-aid (I'm kinda excited about this, because I'm still a kid)

1 Physician's Formula eyeshadow

2 packages Hershey's Kisses (as if I hadn't bought enough already)

1 Therma-care neck wrap

Total before sales/coupons: 41.22

Total after sales/coupons: 6.30

Percent saved: 85%

Pretty good haul.  The greatest part, I started with 11.95 in ECBs, and I still have 11.00!  Wonderful stuff.  Looking over my past trips, I'm really considering buying stock in Hershey.  I mean, I buy Hershey constantly.  LOVE me some chocolate.

I hate that I didn't get a picture of the CVS trip.  There's so much text and so few pictures in this post.  How about a little bit of Christmas spirit to add another image?  The other day listening to the Christmas tv station, we heard Mele Kalikimaka!  Made me think of Miss Emma and her dance recital, so we took a picture.

Christmas decorations

We finally have our Christmas tree up and our nativity set out!  I kinda like waiting until the last minute to get everything up.  Of course, I'm also a fan of leaving everything up until at least the epiphany on January 8th, so it works to put up decorations later.  At work, we're planning to take decorations down on December 27th.  It makes me sad.  I like to see the decorations all through the Christmas season!  It helps keep me uplifted!

Now, there were some things that we set out earlier.  Some lights, stockings, and candle holders.  Here's what our set-up did look like, including two cups of hot chocolate on the coffee table.

Once we get the wood to actually start burning, the fire is pretty delightful.  No frightful weather though.

We now have our trees set-up.  I tried to do three different themes because there are three trees: one with our first Christmas ornaments, one with the ornaments I made for Josh last year, and the last one a conglomeration of everything...mainly gingerbread.

Close up of the gingerbread tree and the ornaments I painted for Josh.

Our tree!  At the top is the ornament that Josh just got me...its a heart with a poinsettia that says "Our First Christmas."  The M and the J are from the wedding shower my work gave us.  The snowman with our picture was a gift from Josh last year.  And the big one at the bottom has a bride and groom in the middle and says "We're Married" on the back.  That one was a gift from mom from Irish Acres.

And in the dining room I have set-up our nativity.  I tried to do some stacking and fabric arrangement (wanted to make Patrick proud) but I don't have many boxes, and I don't have any fabric.  But I think it still looks cute.  Jesus will be put in the manger on Christmas day (or as close to December 25th as possible since we'll be in Jacksonville).

Now our house is decorated for Christmas.  Just gotta get ourselves ready too.  :)

Last Trip to Rite Aid...at least that particular one

I really think I've gone a teeny bit crazy with this couponing thing.  I get so excited about figuring out the ways that I can save money, and before I go to the store, I'm very hyped up about finding things.  However, this last trip to Rite Aid was very disappointing.  I wanted to get three different items that would have been money makers.  Apparently, though, word gets around, and none of those items were left in the store.  Then, when I went to check out, the lady was pretty rude.  She also checked all my items and didn't understand stacking coupons.  It made me feel pretty awful, like she thought I was stealing.  She even wouldn't take a coupon I had, even though I know it would have been okay to use.  Oh well, there's plenty of stores here in Montgomery, so I'm just going to have to find another to give my business to, or shop on a day when that cashier isn't at work.

On to what I actually bought.  Overall, I still did pretty well with my savings...just not as much as I was hoping.

What I got:

1 Finish Orange Gel dishwasher fluid

2 Kellogg's cereals

2 Ghiradelli Chocolate bags

2 24-packs of Nestle bottled water (only 1 pictured)

1 Mott's apple juice

2 Halls Defense cough drops

Total before sales and coupons: 42.89

Total before coupons (sale prices) : 26.55

Total after coupons and sales: 5.65

Percent saved: 87%

Percent saved after sales: 79%

The coupon the cashier wouldn't accept from me was for 1 dollar off two 24-packs of Nestle water.  So, I would have done slightly better if she understood the stacking policy.  Still, it's okay.  I got a bunch of stuff for a little bit of money.  The regular price for the 24-pack of water was 4.49.  So you could almost say that I paid for the one package of water and then got everything else free.  :)

The other thing about this order, I now only have 3 +Up Rewards to use on my next order.  I really thought that I had more +Up Reward purchases on my list, but all of them were for items that I couldn't find at that store.  Another lesson for me, shop earlier in the week to get the really great +Up Reward deals!  I'm going to try to stop at Rite Aid tomorrow after church, the first day of their new ad.

I need to start posting this at the end of all of these, because I really should give credit where credit is due.  If you want to find great deals too, just go to www.southernsavers.com.  Jenny, the site moderator, uploads so much great information.  Whenever a new ad comes out, she lists every item that would be worth purchasing (meaning, it's a really great deal, not just a kind of good one) and she includes all the coupon matches.  You can make a shopping list right from the posts she does for the ads.  Then, find all the coupons either in the Sunday newspaper inserts or find the printables ones Jenny lists in the coupon database.  It really is great to know that I'm saving so much money for Josh and me.  And I want all of you to experience the same!  :)

Bourbon Balls

I've been looking for a while for recipes for Bourbon balls.  My sister got one that has been in the family.  My Aunt Monk (short for Monica) was apparently famous for her bourbon balls.

Aunt Monk's Bourbon Balls

1 lb. confectioner's sugar

1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts are great)

6 tablespoons Old Granddad Bourbon

1 stick butter, less 3/4"

6 squares Baker's Chocolate

Paraffin equal to 1 1/2 squares chocolate.

Finely chop nuts and pour bourbon over them.  Refrigerate overnight.  Mix nuts, sugar, and butter (use hands).  Form into balls.  Refrigerate until set.  Melt chocolate.  Dip balls in chocolate.  Return to fridge.

This weekend I made two batches.  I did change a little bit of the recipe.  I used Buffalo Trace bourbon and chopped up pecans instead of walnuts.  I also used mostly whole pecans and put those on top.  That's just the way that I like my bourbon balls.

First Batch - A Learning Process

The first batch tasted great, but it looked a little shabby.  The bourbon balls didn't set very well, so when I dipped them, they started melting.  So the chocolate had all kinds of extra sugar and pecan pieces in it, making the ones I dipped after very bumpy.  I also used about half milk chocolate, which apparently is more difficult to work with when melted.

 Second Bath Success

These looked much, much better!  I got some good tips from my sister about how to melt the chocolate, and I only used semi-sweet.  The last few I dipped (the three on the left in this pic) were still a little rough, but that was only because I didn't have much chocolate left to dip those.  Still tasted great!

I think this will definitely be a recipe I go back to every Christmas season!

Christmas on the Coosa

This past weekend, Josh and I traveled up to Elmore County.  We were looking at some houses in the Redland Road area, and then headed down to the Coosa River for some of the Christmas festivities.  There was a huge parade.  We got there about an hour late and there was still a good half hour of parade before Mr. and Mrs. Claus came by on the horse-drawn carriage.

We walked over by the courthouse where they were having a craft fair.  There was a lot of great stuff, and I found a gift for my dad.  It's a lighted wreath with shotgun shells.  I thought it might look good on dad's barn (hopefully it doesn't drive mom crazy).  It was also a  pretty good deal...and kinda makes for a fun hat.  :)

 We walked over the river, which is really very pretty.  Then we discovered there was an entire other area of crafts and food!  We each enjoyed a hot chocolate and cupcake.  Mmmm.  Then we headed down to the park for the concert by the Wetumpka City Pops.

We listened to all kinds of Christmas music, and even sang along to some of it.  At nightfall, Christmas on the Coosa got into full swing with Santa's grand entrance...water-skiing on the Coosa River!!!  Oh, the other thing that I thought was very cool, the event started with the National Anthem and a group prayer.  I love that about Alabama.  This is a very patriotic and religious state.  It's kind of refreshing to see this happen at public events without any backlash.

Following Santa was the parade of boats.  It was neat to see, but a little lackluster.  Only one boat could go down the river at a time, and then it would turn around and come back.  There was an emcee, who is a very popular name in this area of Alabama.  But there really wasn't a lot that could be done to keep the pace up.  We both got cold so we ending up leaving before the final float floated and the fireworks.

As we walked back to our car, we saw how nicely City Hall was lit up. It was such a great little town Christmas.  I had a lot of fun, and it was a nice way of feeling more at home.  It's kinda like Alabama's version of Wilmore Old-Fashioned Christmas.

Publix

Today I made a quick shopping trip to Publix.  I was very happy with the deal I got on some makeup.  Crazy, me buying makeup, but I've been wanting to try some different blush and eyeshadow.  Don't think it will last, but it was almost free.  Time for pictures.

What I Got:

Chicken Breasts

Pork Loin

Hillshire Farm Beef Smoked Sausage

The Rest of What I Got:

Bottle of clorox

2 Covergirl eyeshadows

1 Covergirl blush

4 Renuzit air freshners (apple and cinnamon, yum)

6 Yoplait yogurts

2 packages of Pillsbury crescent rolls

2 packages Kraft shredded cheese

2 half gallons of Smart Balance milk

1 bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce

1 bottle Wish-bone Italian dressing

1 box Nutri-grain bars

1 box Betty Crocker cake mix and 1 can of Betty Crocker frosting

1 5 lb. box of clementines

Total before coupons/sales: 89.54

Total after coupons/sales: 50.49

Percent saved: 44%

Again, I bought everything on sale.  My savings simply from Publix sale items was 22.21.  I also saved 9.55 with manufacturer q's and 7.29 with store coupons.  I think I did alright.  I'm hoping to accumulate all the things needed to make Josh's favorite coconut cake, thus the cake mix and frosting.  I think we'll be set on milk for a while too.

I'm so tired, this probably isn't all that interesting.  But the other thing about the trip, I picked up a U-Promise card.  With this, I can upload "coupons" that I can use at Publix.  I'm still trying to understand exactly how it works.  I think you upload the coupon and then whenever I buy one of those items, the coupon amount goes directly into a Sallie Mae account.  Not sure that it will be worth a whole lot, but every penny counts!

Drugstore Shopping in Kentucky

Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post, but I didn't have time to get any pics of what I bought.  Most of it was for Christmas presents, but I still wanted to blog about my finds. 

CVS

What I Got:

3 cans of Planter's cashews

Total cost before sales/coupons: 19.47

Total cost after Extra Care Bucks: $.64

I saved 97%

I was a little disappointed in this trip.  There were a few other things that I wanted to pick up.  Crazily enough, I really wanted to try Gas-X (TMI, I know).  I had great coupons and there was supposed to be a deal where you get 10 ECBs for spending 20 bucks worth.  Apparently, the Nicholasville CVS didn't get the memo, or I had bad information, not sure which.  Oh well, probably didn't need it anyway.

I do still have more than 14 bucks in ECBs to use on my next trip, too.  So things are still working pretty well.

Rite Aid

What I Got:

2 packages of Hershey kisses

1 Discovery Kids Play tent

1 Gillete Fusion razor set

2 pairs No Nonsense pantyhose

Total before coupons/sales: 43.74

Total after coupons/sales: 14.95

Percent saved: 66%

I was much happier with this trip.  The sale price on the tent itself was 14.99, so basically I paid for just that and got the rest for free.  I also have 9 bucks in +up Rewards to use on my next trip. 

Overall, I think my trips were successful.  I am looking forward to going again this week now that I am back at home with the stores I know and like.  Plus I have my printer for any other good coupons.  :)

"Mary" Christmas in Kentucky

My sister kinda helped me with the title of this post.  She kept saying that our trip up to Kentucky was for "Mary" Christmas.  I thought it was cute, so I stole it.  :) 

We had a wonderful trip back home this past weekend.  We left on Wednesday evening and stopped in Nashville to stay the night at Hotel Preston.  It was so nice to break up that 8 hour drive!  I think we've spoiled ourselves now. 

Thursday, we got home in the afternoon, got settled in, then went to my aunt's house for Thursday night supper.  Terry is so sweet.  She made all my favorites: BBQ, peas, and brocoli with cheese.  Plus, she had some Ale-8 on hand.  Yummy!  That evening, we also did our Rite Aid and CVS trip.  More on that later.

Friday I went out with mom and Audra on a mission to find a skinny Christmas tree, a pretty nativity, and a star.  We ending up finding the tree, but not the other stuff.  I also stopped to pick up the chocolate advent calendars for Luke, Emma, and Reagan. 

When we got back, I helped put the tree up (Audra did all the decorating), and then it was time to head out.  We stopped at Graeter's (pour one out for the lost hommies) visited Red and the new bebe, went to a late lunch with Audra and Matt, and then went back down to my old high school to see Emma in her dance recital.  Honestly, she was the cutest thing ever.  She was definitely scared on stage and didn't dance, but I still think she was pretty brave to even stand up there all by herself.  I don't know many kids her age who could do that.

Afterwards, Emma's whole fan-club went to Three Suns for a little dinner.  Josh and I had to eat and run so that we could go see even more friends at Graeter's, trip 2.  That ice cream is amazing.  mmmmm.  How I will miss those stores...

Saturday was our Christmas and everything was so perfect.  We woke up to all kinds of snow.  The whole family came down to mom and dad's for brunch.  I don't think there is anyone in this world who can make a breakfast as good as my momma does.  We had two big casseroles, biscuits with sausage gravy, cinnamon rolls, and blueberry muffins.  Yum!  (I think I probably put on a few pounds this trip.)  Luke was starting to get antsy about opening gifts, so we made him go around to each adult at the table and ask if they were finished eating.  When he got to Reagan she said "yes, I'm done...see," and then opened her mouth to show Luke she wasn't eating anymore.  So stinking cute.

Then it was time for presents!  Luke practiced his surprised face and seemed to really like all the stuff he got.  Emma and Reagan are just precious and they really enjoyed their gifts too.  At some point in the hustle and bustle, I realized Josh was no longer in the room.  Then my sister had grabbed her coat and told us all to look at what was going on outside.  Josh had left and was in the process of making on of the biggest snowmen I've seen.  Most of us got on our cold weather gear and headed outside to help.  We got the snowman decorated, built a fort, had multiple snowball fights and wrestling matches, and went sledding.  It's definitely the most fun I've had with family out in the snow ever.

When we got back inside, Luke started playing with Emma's new doctor kit.  He was taking my temperature and giving me "shots."  He said, "Aunt Mary you are sick.  You have to stay here for 100 days!"  Kinda made my heart melt a little.  He even wrote a note for me to give to my boss.  Very cute lil kid.  Once we unthawed, the siblings left and we watched the UK vs. UNC game.  Wish that would have turned out differently, but at least we were competitive for the entire game.  I made a trip up to Benedictus for the open house (I just can't stay away) and we topped off the weekend with Josh's first experience at Wilmore Old-Fashioned Christmas and Mary Brooks's cookie-a-thon. 

Best trip home yet!  (Didn't really mean to get into this much detail, but it was a busy weekend!)

Shake Your Money Maker

I have been waiting ALL weekend to post about my latest shopping trip.  I will have to blog about Thanksgiving, too, but I was so excited about my drugstore stops this week!  CVS and Rite Aid were BIG into the Black Friday event, so big that the sales actually started on Thursday!  So my Thanksgiving morning started with a stop at Eucharistic Adoration then the drugstores.  :)

Let's start with Rite Aid.

Here's what I got:

2 4-pack Cottonelle double roll toilet paper

2 Multi-grain Pringles

2 packages Hershey's kisses

3 Dove candy bars

1 bottle Got2b Hairspray

Total spent: 1.18

Honestly, on this one, I'm not even worried about figuring out the percentage saved.  I paid a buck eighteen.  Who cares about percentages?  I was so happy.  And the crazy thing is, the hairspray was supposed to be free, but I'm pretty sure I still ended up "paying" full price for it.  I accomplished this by having manufacturer's coupons for all of the items, plus a store coupon for the Hershey's kisses.  I added onto that a save 4 off 20 Rite Aid q and 9 dollars worth of +Up Rewards.  I'm thinking about taking my receipt back to see what happened with the hairspray, but not sure that I will have time to make it over there.  Plus, I didn't go to the Rite Aid I normally shop at.  This one seems to be a little rougher when it comes to coupon policies.  But if they do happen to give me my SCR (which I think stands for scanned credit at register, but not sure) then that means this was actually a money making deal.  Plus I earned another 5 bucks in +Up Rewards!!!

Now, we get to the big one...the CVS trip.

Here's what I got:

2 boxes Froster Mini Wheats (the last two that I saw in the store!)

5 King size candy bars

3 Reese's bars

1 Herbal Essence conditioner

1 Gillette deodorant

1 Organic conditioner

1 Eucerin lotion

1 Organic hair gel

Grand Total: 4.26

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL FOLKS...  Look really closely at the Organic conditioner and hair gel and you will see the money maker!!!

That's right, both the conditioner and the gel have mail-in rebates.  That means we'll be getting back 9.98 once I get the rebate together!  AND I also have 19 bucks worth of CVS Rewards to use on my next purchase.  Needless to say, I was pretty excited on Thursday.

I think the best part for me was getting home, setting everything out on the table, having Josh guess how much I spent, and then seeing his reaction.  We were both definitely surprised that I made money off the CVS purchase, but I think the magnitude of his reaction was much greater than mine.  He's even been telling his friends, and we shared all this with family over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Now if I can only make enough off CVS and Rite Aid to actually pay for all the true Black Friday shopping that I did....

My Confession

I have a confession to make, folks.  It's taken me a while to build up the courage to actually admit to it, especially since I was raised Catholic, but here it goes.

I am a big fan of the commercialization of Christmas.  I love going into stores, looking at all the ornaments, lights, trees, big blow-up Penguins and Polar bears, and simply feeling like I am in a Winter Wonderland.  I love watching all kinds of Christmas videos and listening to Christmas carols, even before Thanksgiving.  Not constantly, though, but just a smattering here and there.  Heck, I'll even listen to Christmas songs in March or August. 

Please don't take this the wrong way.  There are things I do NOT like about Christmas being commercialized.  It's a little disheartening to go into a store looking for Christmas cards with a nice nativity on them to only find cards with Santa stuck in a chimney.  I do not like Christmas becoming all about money.  I especially hate commercials that imply you should be spending a bunch of dough or else it's not really Christmas. (Lexus commercials, I'm talking about you...who finds bows and boxes that big anyway?)

But I think there are a lot of good things that come from Christmas being such a "commercial" phenomenon.  It teaches giving and thinking about others.  Rarely, if ever, is there another time during the year that consumers are so willing to throw caution to the wind to find that perfect gift for someone who they love.  Think about that the next time you are in a crowded store, aggravated with the long lines.  Think about the motivation the other people have to be in that line.  It's all about giving and showing someone else that they care.  And no one was better at that than Christ.  Granted, Jesus wasn't in Macy's maxing out credit cards, but when we give a gift we are fulfilling a Christian precept.  The Three Kings gave gifts to baby Jesus.  Jesus gave the ultimate gift of his life.  A lot of us will not be called to give our lives, so we can emmulate Jesus by giving small things of ourselves, including Christmas gifts.  Even the people who would prefer to celebrate "Winter Solstice Day," if they are giving a gift they are learning about what it means to be Christ-like.

I also think, in a round-about way maybe, it teaches people to slow down and enjoy life's gifts.  There's so much hustle and bustle around the Christmas season, but when the day comes, it's a time to simply sit back and enjoy all the hard work put into finding those perfect gifts.  It's time to be a kid at heart and find joy in the small things in life.  Even if it's for the smallest moment, we experience that on Christmas day, even those who don't celebrate it for "religious" reasons.  Everyone is off work.  Family and friends become the true center of the day, as everyday should be. 

I hope that I can continue to enjoy all the hype that Christmas receives.  I also hope that while enjoying that aspect of the season, I never forget the true meaning behind the celebrations.  It's to remember the day when the Savior came into this world as a baby, the same way all of us did, but in much more humble circumstances.  It's to reflect on what that small baby would do for the salvation of the world in just 30 some-odd years.  It's to be grateful that we have a God who loves us so much that he would give us a human Savior to whom we can all relate.  It's really another Thanksgiving, and I want to be thankful that this holiday (HOLY-DAY) is celebrated by so many!

**A note on the Catholic comment up top...this Sunday starts the season of advent, which is a season of preparation.  It's a little bit of a somber time, time for reflection and prayer before the big event.  Catholic churches aren't decorated until the week of Christmas and then stay decorated until the celebration of the Baptism of Jesus on January 12th.  (The end used to be the Epiphany on January 8th, but that changed recently.)  So the pomp and circumstance of the season has usually started a little later on in December for me.  I love my Catholic faith, and you better believe any decorations we put up will stay up until January 12th.  And baby Jesus won't be in the manger until the evening of  December 24th.  :)

PIE!

We have a ton of blueberries in our freezer, and we had some apples leftover from earlier last week.  What to do with all this fruit???  Make pie!

I did a quick recipe search on-line and found an apple and blueberry pie.  Yummy!  I love the pies that have designs cut into them so that you can see all the goodies inside.  I attempted to cut leaves out, not sure it worked.  Kinda looks more like tulip buds.  But overall, I think Paula Deen would be proud, especially since I used her cookware (wedding present from Ms. Gayheart).  

I also have a picture of a piece of pie, but blogspot apparently doesn't want to upload that one.  Let's just say it was really very good.  Still one piece left.  :)

The Highs and Lows of Coupons

I promise that I got this blog for more than just talking about coupons...promise, really! Although, coupons will be a big part of the blog.  And in that vein, I did my latest shopping trip tonight.

 Here in Montgomery we have two major grocery stores, Winn Dixie and Publix.  I stopped at both.  Great shopping at Publix, not quite so much at Winn Dixie.  So we'll start with the bad one first.

Winn Dixie

 We're carnivores, so it was about time that I actually bought some meat.  Winn Dixie was having a pretty good sale on a number of things, so I went ahead and got them.  This is what really hurt the overall savings, but we've gotta eat something other than popcorn!

What I got

2 packages Boneless chicken breasts (BOGO)

1 Bottom Round Roast

1 Package Beef Cubed Steak

Total: 42.23

Total Winn Dixie Card Savings: 16.66

Saved: 39%

I also picked up a few other items, and had to get my first rain check.  I have the chance to get 12 sticks of butter for 2.00, but they were completely out of Parkay sticks.  Those are very needed for Christmas baking!  Hopefully I'll be able to pick those up later this week.  I think what I got is pretty self-explanatory on this one.

Price before coupons: 13.83

Price after coupons and card savings: 6.28

Saved: 55%

Didn't realize I had done that well honestly.  I was very happy with the brown sugar.  It's 32 ounces for 1.00!  We ran out of vanilla recently.  Winn Dixie brand was BOGO, but it will never live up to Raleigh.  :)  I also ended up with a $5 off $55 purchase.  We'll see if I can use that, but I did find out something at Publix that made me excited...

Publix

Ah, Publix.  If I must live without Kroger, I'm so happy there is a Publix!  They have all kinds of store coupons, and they accept competitors coupons.  Starting just this week they not only accept Winn Dixie or Target coupons, but they accept CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid qs too!!!  And that 5 off 55 coupon I got...that would work at Publix.  I'm just thrilled, really and truly.  But to the groceries, I had coupons for everything I bought, and for some things I stacked coupons, one store and one manufacturer.  All the items were also on sale, except for the White Chicken Chili beans.  

What I Got:

2 cans Planters cashew halves

2 boxes Swiss Miss Cocoa Mix (with marshmallows)

2 packages of Pillsbury Pie crusts

3 bags Steamfresh mixed veggies

2 7-oz packages Kraft cheese (mozza and colby)

2 jars Ragu sauce (alfredo and parm)

2 packages Mueller's pasta (Angel hair and fettuccini)

1 package Wheat Thins sticks

1 package Triscuits

1 can Hormel White Chicken Chili

Price before coupons/sales: 49.40

Price after coupons/sales: 17.38

Tax: 2.48

Saved: 65%

Ahh, over 50% saved on groceries.  I love it!  Hopefully soon, we'll have a good enough stock pile of most items that I'll be able to start saving even more.  I've been told that the most expensive part is getting that stock pile together.  After that, you just keep the stockpile up and only buy when you have the best coupons and the best sale.

The other reason we'll start saving more money soon...we no longer have any space.  These last few shopping trips have been a little too much for our apartment.  My goal next week is to only eat from what we have.  I think we can do it, especially since we have Thanksgiving coming up.

Funny side note.  As I was walking into Publix, a lady in the parking lot said, "Are you Mary."  I have never ever seen this woman before in my life.  But I said, "Yes, that's me."  She knew me because she's friends with Josh on facebook and thought that I looked like the his new bride from his profile picture.  We went on to talk about Jamaica, Hawaii, and the Bahamas.  A little weird.  People are always stopping Josh while we grocery shop, but they never really talk to me.  In hindsight I maybe shouldn't have talked to her.  She was wearing an Auburn jacket.  ;)

CVS and Rite Aid

Pictures are forthcoming, I promise.  I was just very excited about my purchases from the drug store last night and wanted to go ahead and get the information up.

CVS

Here's what I got: 

Aussie gel

Fiber One bars

Oral B electric tootbrush

Total before coupons: 29.98

Total after coupons: 8.48

Tax: 2.90

Total percent saved: 71.8%

I also left the store with 18 dollars worth of Extra Care Bucks to use on my next purchase.  Plus, I received a coupon for 4 dollars off my next purchase of 20 bucks or more.  So if I go in there needing 22 bucks worth of stuff next time, it should all be free...except for sales tax.  That 10% will get ya here in Montgomery County.  To me, this was a very fun trip.  Even though we didn't really NEED an electric toothbrush, I know that Josh likes those, and honestly, when else are you gonna find one of those for 3 bucks?

Rite Aid

Here's what I got:

12-Pack Charmin

4 12-Packs of Diet Mountain Dew

2 Betty Crocker mashed potato mixes

1 Nivea body lotion

1 Herbal Essence gel

1 Colgate Total toothpaste

1 Colgate 360 tootbrush

1 4-pack Colgate wisps

Total before coupons: 40.96

Total after coupons: 25.46

Tax: 4.00

Total percent saved: 38%

I'm not gonna lie.  This one disappointed me a little.  I really did think I was going to be saving a lot more than I did.  I realized once I got home, I bought the wrong kind of Charmin bath tissue.  It should have been 4.99 on sale, but instead I paid 9.99.  I'm going to try to take it back and get that 5 bucks.  That would bump up my total savings to 51%.   (I'm calculating the total saved before taxes...you have to pay taxes on the full amount before coupons.)  I also got 9 bucks in +Up Rewards to use on my next purchase there.  And once I buy the correct toilet paper I should get a few more.

Josh is still adjusting to me going out and buying stuff like this, and he's doing a wonderful job of keeping me grounded.  I will not be buying any shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, or toothbrushes again any time soon.  We have so much of it now! 

Couponing has become another reason I am really excited about getting a house.  We'll actually have some cabinet space so I will have a place to put all the stockpiled food!  Ah, what a glorious day that will be!  As long as I can keep from driving my hubby crazy with all the stuff.  :)

Josh + Mary = The Johnsons!

Hi everyone!

I'm brand new to this blogging endeavor and very excited.  I mainly wanted to start this blog to stay in extra contact with family and friends.  Facebook is great, but I feel like this can be a little more personal and in depth.  I also feel like this is a great way to start sharing more about the things Josh and I are passionate about: sports, faith, and family.  And for me, I want to share more about my crazy couponing ways.  :)

To start off, Josh and I got married on August 28, 2010 back in my hometown.  The wedding was at St. Luke church, and the reception was hosted by my parents at their farm.  I could not have scripted a more perfect day or a more perfect groom to have by my side.  It was everything that I hoped it would be!

We enjoyed a honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica.  Upon our return, we were both pretty bummed that we had to pay for things like food and drinks.  Since then, we've been living in an apartment trying to find someway to merge all of our stuff together into 700 sq ft. of space.

And that brings us to our latest news...we're house shopping!   We are going to look at some houses with a realtor on Saturday and have made sure that we can be approved for loans.  If you have any house shopping advice, please feel free to share.

I think this is a good first post.  Look for a few posts later about my shopping trips to Rite Aid and CVS (yup, I'm becoming addicted).