The Sweet Life On A Budget

CVS Free-Bees May 5-11, 2019 This week at CVS was awesome!  I was able to secure 7 items for free and an additional  7 items at a extremely reduced price. Now all couponers do need to pay the tax, but through rolling my ECB the rest of the items were only $0.20.  WOW! Let’s take a look: 2 Colgate Toothpaste: Cost: $3.49 x2 = $6.98 Coupon: $4.00 off of 2 Out of Pocket Expense= $2.98 ECB: $4.00 ($2.00 per toothpaste) Final Cost: MONEY MAKER of $1.02 2 Covergirl Eyebrow Liner: Cost: $4.99 x2 = $9.98 Coupon: $2.00 X 2 Out of Pocket Expense= $5.98 ECB: $7.00 Final Cost: MONEY MAKER of $1.02 2 Speed Stick Deodorant: Cost: 2 for $5.00 =  $5.00 Coupon: $0.50 X 2 = $1.00 CRT: $1.00 off 2 Out of Pocket Expense= $3.00 ECB: $2.50 Final Cost: $0.50 (Used overage to cover this item.) Soft Soap Hand Soap: Cost: $1.99 Instant Coupon: $1.00 Coupon: $0.50 Out of Pocket Expense= $0.49 ...

Linen Napkins are Making a Comeback. Going Green- 1 Step @ a Time Several years ago our family started eating a clean diet because of some health issues.  We accomplished this 1 tiny step at a time. We started off with 1 meal and then expanded it each week with 1 meal, snack or replacement item.  Eventually we were able to really clean up our diet and even if we fall off the wagon, we can get back on again quickly. This process I hope will also apply to our desire to live a more sustainable and green lifestyle. Come along for our journey. As a person who loves to hunt for beautiful things and even more so when I can find them at rock bottom prices, I always look at the discount sections in all the places I shop.  The other week, I happen to be shopping at Kroger and had just checked out when I spied a cashier marking down items. In the cart, I saw 2 packages of linen napkins. The first packet had a beautiful grey strip and the secon...

Fruit by the serving: Pineapple ($.06-$.19) Fruit by the serving is a concept that I first read about on Pennies & Pancakes several years ago. The concept is basically how much does each serving of fruit cost you. Apples or bananas may be ch eaper that a larger fruit such as cantaloupe or pineapples, but if you pick one up when it is on sale and cut it yourself, it may actually be cheaper per serving that the apple or banana.   In addition, it will give you a wider variety of food. Furthermore, if you have children who would not eat an entire banana or apple, it may be beneficial to purchase the smaller sized fruit. Pineapple Selection: A lot of pineapples we see in the states are mainly green.  When you find a pineapple with a golden color to the majority of it, there is a good sign that the pineapple will be sweet and delicious.  As with all fruit, check for busing. If a piece of fruit is bruised in the transportation process then ...

April 2019 Free-Bees I love getting free things that I can use.  There are many sources of scoring free items such as Kroger Customer incentives, Giant Eagle Advantage program, Walgreens Register Rewards and Points Program, Coupons, Pinch Me, Saving Source, Bzzagent, and Meijers buy 10 get the 11th free.   Here is my list…. Persil Laundry Detergent Sample(1 load)- Product Request 4- Lady Speed Stick deodorants (2.3 oz)- Kroger 5/5 sale, Coupons SIngle Coke (Orange)- Giant Advantage 2 Gallons of Milk- Aldi Make it right program RXBar- Kroger Free Friday 2 Irish Springs Body Wash (18oz)- CVS Sale, ECB, Coupons Clif Bar- Kroger Best Customer Coupon 3 Creamette Pasta (16oz)- Mega Event, coupon and Ibotta 2 Brailla Ready Made Pasta (8.5a oz)- Kroger Sale, Coupon and Savingstar 2 100 Grand Bars (6ct)- Kroger Sale and Coupon 1 Epic Bar- Coupon, Saving Star 1 100 Grand Bar (6 ct) and 1 Crunch Bar (6 ct)- Kroger Sale and Coupon 4 Hallmark Car...

Living the Sweet Life- Tips and Tricks The Sweet Life On A Budget is where we celebrate living life creatively, using our r resources efficiently, enjoying the simple things in life and being community minded in our efforts to live well on a budget.   We make small changes that have big results, so we can afford and choose what makes us really happy.   Here are a few ways I live intentionally and what I enjoyed this week.   Baked Bread - There is nothing more delicious than hot, freshly baked bread.  The fact that it is a higher quality product which cost less than a quarter of the price of a similar loaf at the grocery store is a bonus.   Carpooling for activities or Batch Running Errand-  This is a great way to live intentionally.  We are lowering our carbon footprint by collectively using less fossil fuel, building wonderful relationships by living cooperatively and as a bonus saving a little cash.  ...

Classic White/Wheat Bread ($.52 per loaf) When I was moving into my first apartment, my mom bought me my first cookbook.  The red covered Betty Crocker Cookbook. It was this cookbook that started me on my journey to learn how to cook and maintain a grocery budget.  Admittedly at first I was not very good at it, but eventually it became easier and I started to stretch out and experiment with recipes outside my comfort zone.   Below is my modified Traditional “white” Bread Recipe, but in honor of its roots here is the link to the original recipe: https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/traditional-white-bread/bbccc4f8-6356-491c-9363-0a07b36e448b Ingredients 2- 2½  cups all-purpose flour ½ cup wheat flour 1 tablespoons sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tablespoons oil 1 tablespoon dry yeast 1 cups very warm water (120°F to 130°F) Steps 1. Sift 2 ½  cups all purpose and ½ cup wheat flour with the salt  in large mixing bowl. 2. Place yeast an...