HEALTHY COUPONS!!

Today started out…rough.  In my kitchen you will currently not find any milk, yogurt, or fruit.  So, my first thought upon waking up was…

“Hannah, you got yourself into this mess, now how are you going to feed yourself?!”

This is one shortcoming of my budget.  I try to do one BIG shop at the beginning of the month and then just farmers market for fruits and veggies on the weekends.   But then I am left at the end of the month with no milk and yogurt .  It’s time to rethink the strategy, but more about that later.

For today I resorted to toast .  Granted it was 12 grain toast with a nice slather of all natural peanut butter, but still.  It’s too sad and pathetic to post a picture of because this is what I wanted…

NOT my breakfast

But, that just goes to show I’m human I suppose.  Not every meal is optimal.

Calorie Countdown: 210

Dollars and Cents:$0.28

Now on to the good stuff, HEALTHY COUPONS.  The Healthy Coupon is a rare and elusive breed, but none the less I found some! TA DA!

• $1.00 off any ONE (1) Stonyfield Organic Oikos Greek Yogurt 16-oz cup or 4-pk 4-oz cups
• $1.00 off any TWO (2) bags of DeLallo Pasta (Organic Whole Wheat or Organic)
• $1.00 off any TWO (2) flavors/varieties LÄRABAR^® or JOCALAT^®Bars
• $1.00 off any TWO (2) 32-oz bottles of Lifeway Organic Lowfat Kefir
• $1.00 off any ONE (1) Back to Nature Product
• $1.00 off any ONE (1) 12-oz squeeze bottle 365 Everyday Value^®Organic Wildflower Honey

All these coupons, and more, are available from the Whole Foods coupon page.  You just have to print them out and take them in.  They are also stackable, so if you have a manufacturer’s coupon you can use them both on one item!

Happy Healthy Shopping!

Burn 50 calories at your desk!

For lunch today I brought again. GO MONEY SAVING ME!

FOOOOOOOOOD

MY “I’m not in 5th grade, I swear” LUNCH

8 carrot sticks

1/2 PBJ on 12 grain

1/4 cup cocoa covered almonds

agua (in recycled bottle o’ course)

Calorie Countdown:320

Dollars and Cents:0.87

It was immediately after I enjoyed this healthy sustenance that I was presented with something AMAZING.  A video, or set rather, in which you can burn a large number of calories simply sitting at your desk in a very short amount of time.  If you watch all 8 videos, and laugh as hard as I did you’ll burn 50 calories!

I gladly present you with…Hannah Hart.

You can thank me later ;D

Saved by the Spatula!

One of my favorite breakfasts that I adopted from Kath was enjoyed this morning.

DELICIOUS

Apple Pie Oats

1/2 cup Quaker Oats

1/2 cup Light ‘n Fit Yogurt

1/4 cup dihydrogen monoxide (water, nerd alert!)

1 Tbsp chia seeds (little excessive)

All mixed up the night before and put in the fridge.  Then, after the magic happpens overnight added…

1 Tbsp all natural, local apple butter

1/2 cup crushed smart start cereal

Tasted just like apple pie!

Calorie Contdown: 310

Dollars and Cents: $0.84

 

It was while I was preparing this bowl of heaven that I was SAVED BY THE SPATULA.

 

I had used up my 32 oz tub of Light ‘n Fit and solicited my 1/2 cup measure to get (what I thought was) the last of it when I realized “Wow, there’s a lot of yogurt still in there. I wonder how much.” DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN

Spatula by day, SUPERHERO by night

I busted out my mini spatula and put it to work.  After about 30 seconds of strenuous labor, that spatula had reached into the deepest depths of that yogurt conatiner and produced almost A HALF A CUP OF YOGURT!

Light ‘n Fit is one of my guilty pleasures.  It’s more expensive, but I’m a picky yogurt eater and I like it, so I buy it.  Then, I apparently throw away HALF A CUP OF IT!!! That’s $0.38!!

I eat one of those every 2 weeks. That’s $9.88 a year! Down the drain. All gone. With no one to blame but myself and my laziness.

Thank you spatula, you saved the day!!

Saving at CVS!

Dinner tonight is just some chicken and rice I’ve already cooked and frozen. BORING.

But, something exciting DID happen this evening! I went to CVS and saved mucho dollars!

Here’s How.

I searched the CVS circular for all the “ExtraCare” rewards and found these good ones.

• Hershey’s Bliss Chocolates for $5.99 get $5.99 ec
• Head and Shoulders Shampoo Family Size $6.49 get $1.50 ec, plus I had a $1.00/2 coupon
• PowerBar Protein Bites $2.49 get $2.49 ec
• Colgate toothpaste on sale for $2.59 and get $2.00 ec, plus I had a $1.00 coupon

So I spent $24.00 and got $12.00 ec.  I used the ec on stuff that was on sale and I had a coupon for.

• General Mills cereals (11.5 oz.) (Lucky Charms was healthiest option) 2/$4.00 – $1.00 coupon = 2/$3.00
• Emerald Almonds B1G1 Free and I had a $1.00/2 coupon = 2/$5.49
• Nabisco Crackers (10 oz.) (Triscuits were healthiest option) 2/$5.00 – $1.00 coupon = 2/$4.00

So I spent $00.50 on this transcation using my ec.

Total spending: $24.50

Value: $60.00

Savings: $35.50! 

PLUS! I get 30% my next transaction for using my CVS card!

Tips for Using CVS ExtraCare Rewards to Your Advantage

• Only buy items you would have bought anyways! If you buy $3 denture cream because it has a $3 reward, but you don’t use denture cream, and then you use that $3 to buy candy you never would have bought you really just spent an extra $3 for the month and you have an item you will never use.  This does the opposite of help you.
• Use coupons on EC items!  Some people reason that if they are getting all their money “back” in ec they shouldn’t waste a coupon on the item.  But if you use a coupon you can get more back than you paid for the item, like with my toothpaste.  It was on sale for $2.49. I had a $1 coupon, so I paid $1.49.  They gave me $2.00 ec. I made $0.50. Also it ups your percentage savings ( see next point ).
• Realize the real value!  Its really about % off.  If something that is $3 gives you $3 in ec, you saved 50% (good deal).  If something is $21 and you get $3 ec you saved 14% (not so good).
• Don’t be wasteful!  I will stress this with any deal I ever present.  If you don’ t need it, don’t buy it.  No matter how good the deal is.  Let someone else have that 32nd bottle of mustard.

Off to eat and read! Happy saving!

Home Sweet Homemade

Lunch today was had with Boyfriend outside, sans the rain.

I brought my lunch today as I find it helps nutritionally and monetarily.  Boyfriend, on the other hand, bought lunch.

I find this the perfect opportunity to do my first HOMEMADE vs. BOUGHT battle.

HOMEMADE

HOMEMADE LUNCH

2 cups fresh baby spinch

1 medium cubed tomato

1/4 large cucumber

1″ x 1″ cube feta

2 Tbsp Ken’s Light Balsamic Vinagrette

1 (recycled) bottle o’ agua

Calorie Countdown: 194

Dollars and Cents:$2.87

BOUGHT

BOUGHT LUNCH

Au Bon Pain Chicken Sandwhich

Fruit Cup

Calorie Countdown : 610

Dollars and Cents: “$6 something” (Boyfriend’s awesome budgeting skills )

Conclusions

Battle of the calories: Homemade takes the cake with 400 fewer

Battle of the Dollars: Homemade was HALF the price

Although the comparison isn’t totally fair seeing as his contained meat (known to be expensive) and mine did not.  His also contained ingredients like…

“Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Water, Dehydrated Potatoes (Potatoes, Mono- and Di-glycerides, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate…”

while mine did not.  I feel comfortable claiming victory.

Long live the tupperware lunches in reused shopping bags!

Chocolatey Delicious

Goooooood Morning!

Lack of post yesterday due to tummy troubles and driving home form VA in end-of-the-weekend traffic through D.C.

Started out this morning with cloudy raininess. Boo.  But, there is one thing that makes even the worst weather wake-up worthy.

CHOCOLATE

 Chocolate-Peanut Butter Breakfast Bowl

1/2 cup Light n’ Fit Vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup Smart Start cereal

1 Tbsp all natural peanut butter

1/2 Tbsp Nutella

Calorie Countdown: 300

Dollars and Cents:$ 00.69

Off to work!

Happy Daddy Day!

Due to the festivities of the day, breakfast is being put off in favor of a “Big Man Brunch.”

So, to start the day I’de like to discuss something that I feel is a great way to save some money on a daily basis.

MAKE YOUR OWN COFFEE

Like most adult people, I looooove a hot caffeinated beverage.  I love it so much I have one everday.  Most days I make my own at home with my handy dandy Mr. Coffee.  But, on those rare days when I’m out of milk I venture to some other establishment to furnish my energy boosting serum.  My dispensary of choice is usually one of two places, Royal Farms or Starbucks.

Here’s the cost difference breakdown.

My Coffee of Choice

This tub of already ground Folgers usually averages about $9.00 for me (I only buy it when I have coupons).  It makes 279 6 oz. cups of Joe, which equals 140 12 oz. cups.

So $9.00/140 = 6.4 cents/12 oz. = $0.005/oz.

Cup o’ Joe at Royal Farms (12 oz.) = $1.79 = $0.15/oz.

Cup o’ Joe at Starbucks (12 oz.) = $1.96 = $0.16/oz.

White Chocolate Cafe Mocha at Starbucks (16 oz.) = $3.75 = $0.23/oz.

What does this pan out to after a year?

Make it yourself = $21.90/year*

Buy it out = $653.35/year for coffee, $1,368.75/year for fancy beverage*

UMMMMMM. I don’t know about you, but I could use an extra $631.45 a year!

*This cost breakdown does not take into account tax on purchased beverages, cost of added creamer or sugar, price variation in different areas, and assumes you buy a cup of coffee 365 days a year

This n’ That

The inaugural visit to the pool was a success if I ever saw one.

 Sunscreen applied, book read, fruit eaten, monkey in the middle played.

Food for body and mind!

One of my all time favorite treats was had.  FROZEN GRAPES.  They are like little popsicle balls, minus the corn syrup plus natural sugars and hydration.

Dinner + Sister

Dinner was a mosh-posh of leftovers and tid-bits.  These meals are always the best because it’s easy to get in all your food groups, a variety of flavors, and they get your fridge all cleaned out to start fresh!

My Plate

All beef hotdog + bun

1/2 1% milkfat cottage cheese

4 slices heirloom tomato ( from the Leesburg farmer’s market! ) [Some of the best I've ever had]

1/2 cup brown rice

2 slices pita

1 Tbsp Sabra basil pesto hummus

Calorie Countdown: approx. 600

Dollars and Cents: $0

Off to watch a movie with the sister and brother-in-law! The King’s Speech!

Daily Summary:

Daily Calorie Countdown: 1210

Daily Dollars and Cents: $0 (my kind of day!)

Snack-tastic

After breakfast we made our way to the Leesburg Farmer’s Market.

 I LOVE ALL FARMER’S MARKETS.

 I frequent the one in downtown baltimore every Sunday, but when presented with the opportunity to go to a new location I always jump on it.  This market was small, and in my opinion a little more expensive than most ( in a VERY swanky area), but had a good variety of goodies.

Green Olive Tapenade Bread with Tomato Basil Spread

Speckled Peach Tomatos?

Pricey Lamb Products

The sister purchased some ground lamb for lamb burgers tomorrow, some homemade goat’s milk gouda that was fab (but $17/lb!!), and some homemade BBQ sauce.  I kept my purchases limited to free samples.

Tips for Saving at Farmer’s Markets

1. Shop around – there are often multiple vendors for each type of veggie.  I usually do a walk around, making notes on things I know I want before purchasing anything.
2. Weigh the benefits of buying local and/or organic.  Some find it a necessity, while others could have it either way.  I find the farmers markets are usually a few cents more expensive, but I cherish supporting family owned business.  I try to keep my veggies to at least 50% farmers market.  If you couldn’t care less, the grocery store may be the way to go.
3. Bargain.  Some hate to do it, but I usually try to make it a deal for both of us.  Veggies go bad, so by the end of the market they are trying to push the goods.  If something is 2/$4 I’ll ask ” Can I get 3/$5?” Whats the worst that could happen? They say no.
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY.  DO NOT GET SUCKED INTO THE BUZZ.  Farmers Market’s are exciting and everything looks sooo fresh and delicious.  Come with a plan of what you need, bring a set number of dollars in cash, STICK TO THE PLAN.

Lunch was a rushed menagerie.  Once we got back from the market my nephew was bursting at the seams with pool time expectation so I threw together a snacky plate.

1/2 serving Reduced Fat Cheez-it Crackers

1/2 cup 1% milk fat cottage cheese

1/2 serving petzels

2 Tbsp Sabra Basil Pesto Hummus

1 large dill pickle

Calorie Countdown: 275

Dollars and Cents: 0

Off to the pool!

Berry Good Saturday!

Goooooood morning! Woke up this morning in my sister’s basement to a whining puppy in her kennel. I came upstairs and BAM! the sun was out. yay!

I love coming to my sisters because

a) she loves to eat healthy, and always has great ideas to share

b) she’s my sister, so I eat for FREE

This morning the first thing on my mind was my caffeinated beverage of choice, with milk fancy creamer  I felt like a princess with my Keurig coffee and cute little cup.

The fancy creamer was 35 calories a Tbsp! Crazy, but worth every drop of thick delicisousness.  For sustenance I turned to my awesome sister and her pantry o’ tricks.  She instructed me on the construction of one of her favorite summertime breakfasts.

Choco-Berry Breakfast Bowl

1 package Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup frozen berry mix

1/2 cup cocoa roasted almonds

Calorie Countdown: 300 + 35 from the creamer = 335

Dollars and Cents: $0 ( Thanks Katy!)

mmmmMMMM delicious, full of superfoods, and cheap.  I also burned some calories during breakfast chatting it up with my favorite partner in crime, my nephew Patrick.

Off to walk the canines, parusing the Farmer’s Market and then the pool! Big plans! Have a grrreeat Saturday!

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.
Paul Valery