Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since I posted! What a blogging slacker! I see a few of you have checked in on me, and I promise I will get you all caught up! Except a flood of posts in the next few days with a few recipes, coupon tips, etc that you all have been asking for!
And a small hint...there's going to be a giveaway here really soon so make sure you follow us so you can be included!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Christmas Contributions: The Cinnamon Roll Project
So not to toot my own horn, so to speak, but I make pretty darn yummy cinnamon rolls. Yep, from scratch. (quick break while I try to stop my mouth from watering). And, to clear things up, it's not just me who thinks so. My whole family actually agrees. It all started when I decided I would bring them to Christmas breakfast one morning. And I pretty much have not been allowed back in the door on Christmas morning unless I have them in hand.
So you may ask, why mess with success? Well, I am just always looking for something to be better, yummier, softer, and a few other words you would use to describe a baked good. Plus, they are in no way easy and tend to be a bit messy as well. They are a labor of love, no doubt totally worth it...but this year I am a bit busier around Christmas (yep, I use that excuse every year), plus what if there is something that dethrones the king? So that is why each year I try out new recipes...go ahead, ask my husband what his favorite time of year is...I am willing to bet he (and his roommates from college) will say cinnamon roll season. And this year, since I have this blog, I figured I would share this experience with all of you. And since I am going to be doing some baking this week, I figured I would give this introduction now, since the anticipation will hopefully get you to come check it back out! (and if you do happen to come back, don't forget to hit that happy little button that says "follow" so I know you were here and plan to come back!).
Also, please feel free to leave me your recipes to try out, cinnamon roll or otherwise. I am always looking to add to my collection and would love to see what you have to try!
So you may ask, why mess with success? Well, I am just always looking for something to be better, yummier, softer, and a few other words you would use to describe a baked good. Plus, they are in no way easy and tend to be a bit messy as well. They are a labor of love, no doubt totally worth it...but this year I am a bit busier around Christmas (yep, I use that excuse every year), plus what if there is something that dethrones the king? So that is why each year I try out new recipes...go ahead, ask my husband what his favorite time of year is...I am willing to bet he (and his roommates from college) will say cinnamon roll season. And this year, since I have this blog, I figured I would share this experience with all of you. And since I am going to be doing some baking this week, I figured I would give this introduction now, since the anticipation will hopefully get you to come check it back out! (and if you do happen to come back, don't forget to hit that happy little button that says "follow" so I know you were here and plan to come back!).
Also, please feel free to leave me your recipes to try out, cinnamon roll or otherwise. I am always looking to add to my collection and would love to see what you have to try!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Couponing
Who knew, right? Such a silly little item has become quite the phenomenon these days. Sure there were some who have religiously used coupons, and then some who have just caught onto the craze. Heck, there's even a TLC show all about Extreme Couponing. People will show you their tips and tricks, which include doubling coupons at the register, using coupons when the product is on sale, combining manufacturer's coupons with the store coupon to get twice the savings, among other things...usually including buying in bulk.
I, for one, am a lover of coupons and sales. I anxiously await the paper and ads so I can see what items we can get and for how much off. But, I would definitely not consider myself extreme or anything. I never get my bill down to only dollars after spending over $1k....now if I could double coupons at the register, maybe, but in CA, there is no doubling of coupons (dang it!). Sure, 50 cents off doesn't seem like much, but it adds up! Plus I just registered my club card at Safeway.com so I get more deals from that! I highly suggest doing that if you have a Safeway in your area and shop there frequently. They give you great deals.
In reality, if you don't plan on going crazy with it, it's pretty easy. I cut all the coupons that I knew we would use and organize them according to dates they would expire. I took out the ones that we needed this week and also surfed online for some big name companies manufacturer's coupons and print those or load them onto my club card via the online Just for U deals from Safeway. I also surf the ads for things that are on sale anyway, because of regular savings or Club Card savings that everyone is eligible for. Then I make my list and meal plan for the week and write my list with specific brands and sizes that I have the coupons for, so I can easily make sure I am getting the right product. Then I just shop and keep it to my list. I'm also not afraid to spend a bit more one week if I know it will save us in the long run. Like if paper towels are really on sale, I go ahead and buy the limit, so I may put a few more bucks on this week, but we won't have to buy them for a long while and are spending less per unit then if I waited.
Okay, so that may seem like a lot of work, but in reality it's not. I take my sweet time with it, but you could really do all that I did in a matter of an hour or so if you just sat down and stuck to it. You won't regret it, trust me. You will get the savings. As long as you don't expect to get your whole purchase paid for with coupons, you will be okay. And hey, if you do, even better!
I have gotten questioned recently by non couponing friends as to why I do it, or if it really does save that much money. Okay well, for one, YES it does save money (proof in my weekly grocery post) and two, why I do it isn't really as exciting as you would hope. You see, my husband and I want things, like a baby, a house, and a luxury SUV that a silly college boyfriend promised his girlfriend when he was fogged by love (any guess on who those 2 are? :)). But in all seriousness, we try to save money as much as possible without being slaves to a budget. We didn't want to be wedding poor, house poor, or baby poor and would never put ourselves in a situation where we would be, so we do everything we can to save money and have our lives too. Couponing allows us to not skimp all the time, and I can feed my family the way that I want to without spending a ridiculous amount on it. This allows me a Starbucks occasionally, my husband a video game he's wanted, and us to pay less per month and in interest on big purchases because we have bigger down payments. We're normal people who have needs and wants and have just figured out a way that works for us to have them...see, I told you it wasn't as exciting as you hoped.
So there you have it, my friends. A (very bare bones) intro to couponing and how it fits into our life.
I, for one, am a lover of coupons and sales. I anxiously await the paper and ads so I can see what items we can get and for how much off. But, I would definitely not consider myself extreme or anything. I never get my bill down to only dollars after spending over $1k....now if I could double coupons at the register, maybe, but in CA, there is no doubling of coupons (dang it!). Sure, 50 cents off doesn't seem like much, but it adds up! Plus I just registered my club card at Safeway.com so I get more deals from that! I highly suggest doing that if you have a Safeway in your area and shop there frequently. They give you great deals.
In reality, if you don't plan on going crazy with it, it's pretty easy. I cut all the coupons that I knew we would use and organize them according to dates they would expire. I took out the ones that we needed this week and also surfed online for some big name companies manufacturer's coupons and print those or load them onto my club card via the online Just for U deals from Safeway. I also surf the ads for things that are on sale anyway, because of regular savings or Club Card savings that everyone is eligible for. Then I make my list and meal plan for the week and write my list with specific brands and sizes that I have the coupons for, so I can easily make sure I am getting the right product. Then I just shop and keep it to my list. I'm also not afraid to spend a bit more one week if I know it will save us in the long run. Like if paper towels are really on sale, I go ahead and buy the limit, so I may put a few more bucks on this week, but we won't have to buy them for a long while and are spending less per unit then if I waited.
Okay, so that may seem like a lot of work, but in reality it's not. I take my sweet time with it, but you could really do all that I did in a matter of an hour or so if you just sat down and stuck to it. You won't regret it, trust me. You will get the savings. As long as you don't expect to get your whole purchase paid for with coupons, you will be okay. And hey, if you do, even better!
I have gotten questioned recently by non couponing friends as to why I do it, or if it really does save that much money. Okay well, for one, YES it does save money (proof in my weekly grocery post) and two, why I do it isn't really as exciting as you would hope. You see, my husband and I want things, like a baby, a house, and a luxury SUV that a silly college boyfriend promised his girlfriend when he was fogged by love (any guess on who those 2 are? :)). But in all seriousness, we try to save money as much as possible without being slaves to a budget. We didn't want to be wedding poor, house poor, or baby poor and would never put ourselves in a situation where we would be, so we do everything we can to save money and have our lives too. Couponing allows us to not skimp all the time, and I can feed my family the way that I want to without spending a ridiculous amount on it. This allows me a Starbucks occasionally, my husband a video game he's wanted, and us to pay less per month and in interest on big purchases because we have bigger down payments. We're normal people who have needs and wants and have just figured out a way that works for us to have them...see, I told you it wasn't as exciting as you hoped.
So there you have it, my friends. A (very bare bones) intro to couponing and how it fits into our life.
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