Great For Your Pantry

One of the things I keep on hand at all times is cake mix. I suggest buying it when your local grocery store has a sale such as $1/box. Yellow, White, Chocolate, Cherry Chip and Angel Food are my flavors of choice. Yellow, White and Chocolate are for what I'm about to discuss and Cherry Chip and Angel Food because those are our personal favorites.

There is a great book, which is the main reason I keep so many cake mixes on hand. It's called The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. The whole point of this book is to make homemade cakes using mixes as a base. Every cake I've made has turned out great and no one has ever questioned whether it was made with a cake mix. The recipes use flavor boosters and make the cake richer by adding key ingredients.

This book actually rates as one of my favorite baking cookbooks of all time. Some of my favorite recipes from the book are the Ripe Banana Loaves and Blueberry Muffin Cake. I've even given this as a gift to a few friends...enjoy!

A Little Costco Crazy

This past weekend was filled with a few different things, but among them were our 3 trips to Costco. YES...3 trips! It wasn't really on purpose, it just kind of happened. Chris needed new tires, but since the membership is in my name, I had to go with him. So we were there for the initial order, and then had to go back later in the day to pick up his car. Of course both trips required a stroll around the entire store. Then Sunday, after a trip to Krispy Kreme (the only one in the state) we headed over to a new Costco that we learned was selling Burburry purses, True Religion jeans, and Juicy sweatsuits. We also did the complete walk around that store as well. My Costco card is definitely my item of the week for the following reasons:

1. Their gas is cheaper than the regular gas stations. Since I fill up my tank more than once per week due to my long commute and busy schedule, this is very helpful. Today I noticed that their gas was at least $0.10 cheaper per gallon than the other stations in the area.
2. You can eat lunch...for free! On the weekends, there are all kinds of different sample stations strategically placed around the store and you can often go back for more than one. Some of the things I sampled this week are sausage, turkey, quesadillas, salsa, cheese, bread, oatmeal, fruit snacks, pistachios and peanut butter.
3. Even if you can't fill up on samples, their snack bar is great. The food is tasty, not very healthy, but tasty and the price is just right. I recommend the pizza!
4. Their prices can be cheaper if you shop right. I don't buy everything there, but toilet paper, paper towels, pure vanilla extract (weird I know, but I use a lot of it), wine, granola bars and zip lock bags are only a few items I like to buy because of the money savings you get from buying in bulk. I also buy these amazing bean, cheese, and rice burritos that are organic, only have 1 gram of fat per burrito and are less than 300 calories!

I know that some people like Sam's Club better and I'm certainly not debating that issue, one because I don't have a Sam's membership and two because I know a very high ranking official at Sam's. My reasons work for any big box store, so if you don't have a membership to one of these, I say an investment in one is a great idea. You can certainly make up your initial investment with the savings you'll have throughout the year. Just make sure not to over shop while you are there!

Earth Day Follow Up

I reached my goal and bought reusable bags! After making the promise, I did a lot of research on reusable bags. You won't believe how many different choices are out there. Local grocery stores sell them, but being me, I didn't want to show allegiance to one store, and then show up with them in other stores. Instead I decided to buy from Get Hip Get Green. I purchased a pack of 5 bags (1 more than my goal) and they arrived last night. Of course the first thing Chris said was how they were pricy for reusable bags, but I didn't mind paying a little extra money for the cute design, and the fact that each sale also means a donation to the children’s environmental group, The Green Ambassadors, which provides high school students with experiences that foster personal growth, community service, cross-culture and global exchange and leadership skills to tackle the most critical environmental issues facing our planet. I suggest doing some research of your own and deciding what type of bags you want. I chose these based on their design, and the fact that they were larger, and have a hard bottom, which means that stuff will stay in place and not shift around like plastic or canvas bags. I do have to run to Trader Joes today, so I can test out my new bags there.

Side Note: When you bring reusable bags, or even just your own grocery bag to Trader Joes, they put your name in for a weekly $10 gift card to the store. I haven't won yet, but I'll let you know if I do!

The Great (Lunch) Debate

Are you one of those people who can't decide whether its better to bring your lunch to work, or simply eat out? I think that I am one of the few people who brings their lunch to work every day, or at least most days. When I was preparing my taxes this year, I was reviewing my bills from last year, and noticed quite a few restaurant charges. I can't believe how much I actually spent going out to lunch! Bringing your lunch doesn't have that dorky stigma that some might think. There are tons of great recipes for lunch items, its much healthier, and you save money. If time is an issue, pack it the night before and stick it in the fridge.

I want to challenge everyone to bring their lunch to work for one week, and see how you do. You should end up saving money, a typical lunch costs at least $8.00 unless you are eating off the dollar menu. That leads me to the next point, you will be eating healthier. Plus, bringing snacks from home will limit trips to vending machines or employee kitchens where lots of unhealthy items might be lingering. Here are a few ideas for bringing your own grub to work.

• Cut up fresh fruit for the week, then bring a portion every day. Fruit is healthy, and can help to curb your cravings for sweets. Melon is a good choice, as well as berries.
• Bring fresh salads. You can put anything you like on a salad, lean meats, nuts, and veggies are a good start. Don't forget to bring your own dressing. You will most likely be using less dressings than most lunchtime spots.
• Don't forget the snacks. Both a morning and afternoon snack will help you in your fight against boredom (sometimes disguised as hunger). I suggest trail mix, veggies, or healthy crackers in the morning, and a snack bar in the afternoon. Be careful of protein bars, some contain large amounts of calories and fat, and should be used as a meal replacement, not a snack.

Give it a try, you might be surprised how easy it is!

Grocery Shopping 101

This weekend was crazy busy. We are in the process of "remodeling" our backyard, as I like to call it. Let's just say that it doesn't look like it did when we moved in back in September '06. We are now missing 3 palm trees, some prickly plants and cactus-like things, and all of our landscaping rocks, as well as some grass and stepping stones. At least we still have our pool!

All that explains why I didn't get to the grocery store until Sunday at 8:00 PM!!! I try to do all of my grocery shopping on the weekends. I hate going to the grocery store more than once per week to pick up a few things each time. Plus, I'm a big planner. Anyone who knows me know that I like to plan everything in advance. This leads me to some grocery shopping tips to save both time and money...

1. Plan what you are going to eat for the week. I have a great template that lets you use Excel to create a meal plan for the week. After I finish, I post it on the front of the fridge so we can easily see what's to eat for the week. Click here to download the template and fill in your weekly meals.
2. See what's already in your kitchen. Before I finalize my menu, I look around and see what I have in my kitchen. We have a large chest freezer in the garage that is full of things, mostly deer and elk meat, since Chris is a big game hunter. There is also fish, chicken, and a variety of desserts. I buy canned items and other non-perishables that we frequently use when they go on sale to keep in stock. Look around and try to use up things you have, instead of buying a bunch of new stuff.
3. Check the ads. I shop at Fry's, which is part of the Kroger family, for those who aren't familiar with Fry's. Every Wednesday the ads come in the newspaper and I happily make sure it doesn't get stuck in the recycle with the rest of the papers. I pull it out when I'm making my list and look for ideas. If chicken is on sale, then I plan a chicken dish, etc. I notice things seem to be a rotation, so if its not on sale one week, most likely it will be in the next few weeks.
4. Make enough for leftovers. Some people have issues eating leftovers, but not me! I am happy to bring the previous night's meal for lunch the next day. Making just a little more at dinner is more cost efficient in the end than a whole new meal. This week I'm making soup, and its enough for dinner and a few lunches.
5. Use coupons. I know that some people think this is "uncool" but why? They save you money. I only clip coupons for items I use on a regular basis so I'm not tempted to buy things I don't need. They probably end up saving me a dollar or so, but hey, that's a small Frosty at Wendy's :)
6. Keep to the list. I make a list from my menu, and buy only from the list. If it's not on the list, you don't need it right? Unless its something you realize you truly forgot to write down.

Hopefully this will help you the next time you go grocery shopping to save money. On a happy note, I spent $60 for the week! I usually aim for under $50, but I did by Chris 10 frozen entrees that were on sale for $1 each when you buy 10. Why not?!?