Wal Mart Challenge

Okay so here are the last 3 Wal Mart receipts...On the most recent on (2/27 middle receipt)  the foods we planned for this week are...pumpkin pancakes, oatmeal and cereal for breakfast:  grilled cheese, sandwiches, blts for lunch: beef burgers, tacos, spaghetti, chicken breast w/ potatoes for dinner.  Keep in mind we have a year stock on ground deer, deer bacon  and deer steaks because Ryan went hunting.  We also have foods that we don't need to buy every week, like pancake mix, cereal and bread.  But this will give you an idea of how we shop.  Remember: $50 on food and $25 on household.  We ventured to Wal Mart as a family and I grab items off our list and Ryan adds them up on the cell phone...so we know exactly where we are at.

things we did this week to save even more money:
2% milk was on sale for 20 cents cheaper than skim...so we bought 2% instead
I normally get 6 Yoplait yogurts for 50 cents a piece, but to save I got the great value 32 oz container for $1.98.
I am on a sodium restricted diet, so I eat a lot of yogurt, vegetables and salads
We did splurge and got Riley a Cars puzzle for $4, but it's worth the sacrifice and we still came in budget @ $74.05 for the weeks.

The Wal Mart Challenge!

I know there are lots of blogs out there with tips on how to save money.  It seems like whenever I read their advice, it either isn't going to fit our life style or they author -in my opinion- still doesn't have a clue.  Americans today have a scewed perception on what is a need and what is a want.  So I thought I would blog about my families adventures in saving money.  And although we still have room for improvement, it might strike some ideas for yourself that you never thought of before-hey anything that can help save money.  (I realize this may not work for all households)  Our household is a single income home with currently one child and one pet.  We started this budget to save for a new car, Ryan and I sat down to look at our finances on Quicken-how we balance our check book- to see where we could afford to cut back and save.  With Quicken you are able to categorize your spending habits and print out a monthly record.   We saw that we were spending $900-$1200/month at Wal Mart, $300-$500/month on fuel and up to $300 on eating out/month.   Needless to say we needed a quick fix, we made some major adjustments and now have a "Wal Mart budget"=$75 a week, a "Fuel budget"=$60 a week and a "Dining and Entertainment Budget" $50 a month, all that fits our needs and lifestyle.

Of coarse none of this was done without sacrifice...Ryan-who was driving his truck to work...now had to drive the car, using the car twice as much as the truck would cut our fuel money in half!  I was shopping at Wal Mart anytime I felt like making a new kind of dinner or baking something fun...tried the newest makeup or shampoo...bought expensive cleaning products...no more! Now we shop together ONCE a week with a list and a budget, now we spend a 1/4 of what we did before.  Lastly the dining out-  simply we don't go out to eat...it doesn't make sense.  2-3 times a month we get a red box movie for $1 and a little ceasar pizza for $5.  If we are on the road and I know we will need to eat, I simple pack a lunch for everyone, it's healthier and cheaper!

In this blog I am going to focus on the grocery aspect of our budget.  It makes the biggest impact on our pocket and is the easiest to control.  There are simple rules to this challenge and they are as follows:

Rule #1 Plan for Meals-make a menu of 4-5 meals (expect leftovers) make the meals  as simple as possible (you don't really need fresh parsley) For example
1. Chili-beans-salsa-ground beef
2. Pizza-crust packet-sauce-cheese-meat
3. Tuna Casserole-noodles-cheese-tuna-cream of mushroom
4. Spaghetti-noddles-sauce-meat
In our family, I know chili, spaghetti and tuna casserole will last for 2 meals

Rule#2 Make a list and stick to it.  Take the list to the store and cross off as you go, stay focused and don't shop when your hungry or thirsty! (or pregnant!)

Rule #3 Shop with your spouse.  If your spouse can't come, make it a date to sit down and go over the list together and then go over the receipt of the items you bought when you get home.  This will give you accountability so you don't get tempted to buy a box of $5 cookies you don't need!  (Guilty!)

Rule #4 Tally it up!  Compute your groceries as they get put in the cart, yes this makes the experience a little longer, but it's worth not being surprised at check out!  It also forces you to look at labels or the price per unit.  Like Cottonelle TP is a better value than Charmine Ultra

Rule #5: No Snacks and No Bulk-  For our household, the more food we have the more we eat...so even though all the experts say buy in bulk...I say no!  I could spend $8 on a econo size jar of peanut butter and have it gone in 2 weeks or spend $2 on a normal jar that will last one week.  Not only do we not buy food in bulk, we don't buy junk food.  Which means no chips, cookies, pop or candy.  Those items ruin your budget and your waistline.  Instead I buy nutra grain bars, raisins, popcorn cheese sticks...snacks that are yummy but not too yummy that you want to eat the whole bag!

Every week I will post our menu and our grocery receipt-proof that this can be done. If you are willing to try this Wal Mart Challenge...you will find it will make a HUGE difference in your finances.  It take a little effort, but goes a long way!

Cookie Dough Truffles

• 33 Servings
• Prep: 1 hour + chilling

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup HERSHEY’®S Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1-1/2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating, coarsely chopped

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.
• In a microwave bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating; allow excess to drip off; Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 5-1/2 dozen.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (2 each) equals 240 calories, 12 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 12 mg cholesterol, 46 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein

Potato Soup

A great way to get your veggies!!!

5-6 medium potatoes cubed 1-2 cans chicken broth-- depends on how much you want to make 2 carrots  small chunks 2 stalks of celery 1/2 onion Generous amount (1-2 tbsp) of Mrs. Dash Onion and Herbs  Add salt to taste ( I like 1/2 tsp, the Mrs. Dash gives lots of flavor and no sodium) 1 cup cubed ham- cut in to small chunks or get pre-cubed ham Two cups of regular milk (can add more milk to make soup more liquid) One can carnation milk (DON'T put this in until potatoes are almost done it should not boil) 1/2- 1 cup of cheddar cheese (any cheese will do though) add after veggies are done cook (slight boil) the potatoes and all ingredients in the chicken broth and a small amount of water for 15-20 minutes then add milk. After adding milk let simmer for another 30-45 minutes you be the judge I cooked this in the crock pot too.  Follow the same instructions, except mix all in the crock pot on high for about 4 hours or until veggies are done, add the condensed milk and cheese This soup is so flavorful and great with croissants or beer bread! Enjoy!

Pecan Toffee Tassies

A great holiday finger food!

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• Cook Time:

  25 min

• Level:

  Easy

• Yield:

  4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 package of heath toffee baking chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Unroll the piecrusts onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into 2 (15-inch) circles. Cut out 48 circles using a 1 3/4-inch fluted or round cookie cutter, re-rolling dough as needed. Place in 1 3/4-inch muffin pans, pressing on the bottoms and up the sides of each of the mini-muffin cups. Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and eggs in a large bowl, mixing well. Add the vanilla. Stir in the pecans and brickle chips. Spoon the pecan filling evenly into the pie shells. Bake for 25 minutes, or until filling is set and crust is lightly browned. Cool in pans on wire racks

Paula Dean Pumpkin Bars

Warning!!!No Diets Allowed!!!
These bars are delish and easy to make!

Ingredients

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.  Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars

Salsa Chili

This is my new favorite way to make chili.  It's a little sweeter and chunkier than regular chili, and like all chili's easy to make in the crock pot!

1 pound of ground meat (we prefer deer) but you can use beef or turkey
1 pk cocktail weenies
1 chili seasoning pack
1/4c water
(2) 15 oz  cans of chili beans
(1) 15oz can of petite diced tomatoes
15-20oz of your favorite salsa- I prefer fresh salsa, either homemade or salsa you can buy in the produce aisle
Mrs. Dash Chili seasoning
1/2 tbsp sugar

To Garnish
-Sour Cream
-Cheddar Cheese
-Crackers
-Diced onions


Brown the meat in a skillet and drain.  Cut the cocktail weenies in half and add to skillet, stir in chili seasoning packet with 1/4 c water, cook until simmer stirring constantly.  In the crock pot add, chili beans, tomatoes and salsa.  Add the meat from skillet.  Season to taste with Mrs. Dash (how spicy do you want it?)  and add sugar.  Turn crock pot on low and let sit for 4 hours or High and let sit for 1 hour.
Garnish with your favorites and enjoy!