Grocery Shopping

Groceries, one area that a family can spend a lot of money and one of the best areas to cut and save.
When I started being frugal, our grocery bill was 200.00 a month for three.
Prices have shot up.  I sadly admit, we are now 250.00 per month.  This does include health/beauty, toiletries, everything we need.

I do my best to coupon, but do not need 50 razors and a lifetime supply of baby wipes, I need food, healthy food.
I recently found ground beef for 1.99 lb.  So I stocked up.
Meats, milk, are just going up in this area.

With that being said, I did a couple frugal things this week:
Washed a ton of baggies

Tried to make cheap healthy snack, Kale chips

Made another snack, banana oatmeal, cookie,  no flour

No Silver polish

Needed to polish my candlesticks for Easter
No silver polish
So I used Toothpaste, Colgate paste
Worked great, plus I got it (And may others) for free

Before

After

Reduce, Reuse

Had basil plants I needed to plant (Hubby bought Basil at grocery store and didn't use all of it)
I had a candle that still had wax but no wick, my favorite scent, Christmas Cookie
I didn't have a pot for the plant(s)
So....

I cleaned the candle jar, now I have a pot for the Basil
Chipped out the wax and put it in my tart burner

Wax chipped out of Candle jar

Clean Jar

Wax in tart burner

Sad looking Basil plant

MMM Christmas Cookie

Saving sugar

My brown sugar was rock hard
Seriously... rock hard
So I popped it in the microwave
with a wet towel on top of it and a plate on top of that.
Did 20 seconds 3 times
and Presto
Moist Brown sugar

Frugal Minecraft party, con't

Games and decorations were all made with stuff we had around the house.

 

The letter A's have the Creeper face in them

Cutting out a Ghast, Pig and Creeper for the target game

This just shows what the final product looked like,   We hung them so nothing was behind the targets so they would swing a bit when hit.

Frugal birthday take 2

This year the son turned 10
Again he had a choice, birthday out somewhere, but limited numbers of friends,
or at home and invite as many as he wants.
Home birthday!
Minecraft theme

First the Pinata...
just like last year, but instead of a balloon, I cut the sides out of a box.
It is (Supposed to be) a Ghast from Minecraft
Cost to make 65 cents.  I ran out of white paint and bought more.

I am back...again

After an extended break I am back
I had rewards points at Kmart, so bought sneakers for my son.
Actually 2 pairs. One for now, one for later when he grows
Sneakers on sale for 9.96
I had 10.00 in reward points

Also, I saw the Clearance rack, and you know Clearance is my favorite brand name.

I bought 2 Large jars of Peanut Butter for  54 cents each.  They expire in May 2014.  
Also found candies for a low as 10 cents, great for my son's Easter basket.
Nothing was expired.  Nothing damaged.