Freebie

I love freebies. Really, who doesn't. Free stuff is exciting. All of the above arrived via Fed Ex on Monday. That's right, it was all free.

I entered a sweepstake and won! So, I'm sure you are wondering why there is so much of everything. (My father in law suggested I learn to play the spoons) As the glass-half-empty pessimist you are also wondering what the catch is. So, here it is.

Kraft sent me all of this stuff. They have a new product, Philadelphia Cooking Creme, and I'll be promoting their product. I'm having my girlfriends over in a couple of weeks and am cooking dinner for them. They'll get to try the product and take home some coupons and freebies. For hosting this party I received an oven mitt, coupons for FREE products, and a Green Pan.

So, I'll spend a little out of pocket to have my girlfriends over and cook them dinner. Sounds like a great deal to me. Food and friends are two of my favorite things!

I have already used my new Green Pan and am in love. It's awesome! My unsolicited testimonial follows- I used the pan this morning to fry some eggs for breakfast. I didn't use any butter, oil, or cooking spray and the eggs literally slid off the pan. They were cooked to perfection! It is coated with a substance that is like Teflon - only better. It's healthier for the body and better for the environment. I did a little research and found that these pans retail for $50-$100. Wowza! If they weren't so expensive I would have a whole fleet of them.

Confessions of a Couponista: Grocery Edition

I love coupons. Really. I love them. I love ads, and sales, and NOT spending money. I have been couponing for a while now and can't believe the difference it has made for our bottom line. I am currently spending about $150 every 2 weeks for groceries. On the off week, I spend a little to add more fresh produce and odds and ends. This week I had $21 in price matched merchandise. This brough my total down to $198. Add in $54 in coupons and I was out the door at $144. I love that my favorite cashiers call me "the coupon lady."

So, how am I doing it? Good question.

1. I am not a brand snob. I will use a coupon to get a product cheaper even if it isn't the brand I normally buy. However, I do avoid partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrups to the best of my ability. So, some coupons just go in the trash after I've read the product labels. (We'll save that soapbox for another day.) Example: This week I had a price match for Simply Orange OJ for $2.25. I had (4) $1 off coupons. So, I got (4) containers of oj for $5. We won't need oj again for a couple of months. Not my typical brand- but hey, for $1.25 - we'll drink it.

2. I match my coupons to sales. Products typically cycle on sale every 5-8 weeks. So, if I get a high value coupon I hold on to it for a while and try to match it to a sale. Example: Soft Scrub Cleaner was on sale for $2.50. I had (2) $1.5o off coupons this week. I spent $2 on (2) bottles.

3. I scour the 'net for coupons. Really, it's a hobby. I LOVE the hunt. A good friend of mine just made a good point about grocery shopping. She said, "you either have the money or the time to coupon." I guess I have the time :)

4. It's not what you save, but what you spend. I don't buy products that we don't/won't use just because I have a coupon. That's just silly.

5. I plan a menu. I plan 5 meals each week for our family. If a meal doesn't get made, it gets added on to the next weeks menu. This way I ensure I have everything I need to make dinner, acutally have a plan for said dinners, and use the food in the pantry that I'm getting at such great prices. Example: Pasta Fagioli in the crock pot this week. Need 2 cans of petite diced tomoatoes. Got 2 cans on sale for .88 each. Had (2) .75 off coupons. Total for tomatoes .26.

Disclaimer: I didn't make any of this up. I'm not the only one out there using coupons like printed money. There are endless resources on the web to help you start saving as well!

Gettin' Muddy

There is really nothing sweeter than a 50 degree day in February. A little time outside in spring jackets is just what we needed to cure the cabin fever. The snow has been melting like crazy and were are getting little peeks of green grass and gravel. We know it will get cold again. It will snow again. But, for now, we are going to cherish this little glimpse of Spring!

He picked right up where he left off in the Fall. Puppy, check. Tools, check. Muddy boots, check. Time to get to work.

Please excuse the interruption of this blog....

I've be noticibly absent from this blog. My husband actually pointed out that I didn't make ANY posts in January. Ooops. I don't have any grand reasons why. I just didn't post. I'm sorry.

Life has been chaotic and busy for us. January brought time with friends and family, the flu, snowdays, endless games of hide and seek, and cabin fever. We are all looking forward to sunny days.

Alan and I came up with a new financial plan and have been saving money and cutting expenses like crazy. It's amazing to me how much money we were spending and didn't even have anything to show for it. It is SO easy to spend too much money. I'm pretty excited about the things we've done and I promise to share them with you all. Stay tuned for some upcoming posts about the Asiala family's newfound frugality.

Lessons in Fishing

Alan LOVES ice fishing and has fished almost every day of our break. He convinced me to tag along today by deeming it "family bonding time." So, I got a few lessons in fishing. Some from Alan. Some from Thomas.

Step 1: Use the ice auger to make some holes. (I found out first hand that this is not as easy as it looks).

Step 2: Scoop the slush out of the hole. This is Tommy's job. He scoops everyones slush and scoops it often.

Step 3: Put your line in the hole and wait. This is where patience comes in handy. I got bored before Thomas did. He lucked out and caught a fish last week. He wasn't so lucky today.
Step 4: When patience pays off, pull up your line.

Step 5: Pose for pictures with your 19" Bass.

Step 6: Bring home some little fishies for dinner (but not the huge Bass-yuck).

Wordless Wednesday

family + food + fun + photos = Christmas

As one might guess - I take a lot of pictures at Christmastime. We celebrated with 4 Christmases this year. Thomas with Grandma Pam, Grandpa Dale, and Koda.
Thomas's favorite firefighter- Uncle Mike and Aunt Bri.

Thomas and GrammyGetting ready to leave for Christmas Eve service at church.

The whole shabang. The Asiala clan.

us again

For us Christmas brings many celebrations. These celebrations are cause for much food and drink, photos, and fun. Merry Christmas, everyone!