Victoria's Secret Isn't The Only One To Blame

Let me start by saying that I am 100% against Victoria's Secret and their new underwear/bra line for middle school aged girls. They call it "Bright Young Things" It will include lace panties, thongs and printed sayings such as "Feeling Lucky?" and "call me" Again, it's aimed at middle school aged girls which would be ages 11-14. This is disturbing and disgusting to me on so many levels.

I learned about this through facebook. Several of my friends have been posting about it and posting letters and posts from parents to Victoria's Secret. I'm glad those parents wrote those letters. I agree with what they are saying. After reading all these posts and after much thought, some other things started bothering me.

Victoria's secret is a huge company. They don't just think up a clothing line for no reason. They do their research. Most companies of this size come up with these ideas based on demand and need for a product. They wouldn't waste their time on a line of clothing that would NOT sell. They want their line ot be a success. They spend a lot of time finding out what's going to work and what won't. Their goal is to make money. What/where do you think they got the idea that this line would sell?
Victoria's secret is not the only ones to blame here. There is a reason they have come to the conclusion that there is a market for thongs that say "call me" on them for middle school aged kids.

I have a 5 (almost 6) year old daughter and a 16 year old son. I am well aware of what kids are wearing today. To school and everywhere else. I see it every day and so many times I have been disturbed by it. I have been vocal about taking a firm stand against this when it comes to choosing my daughters clothing, now and in the future. A lot of parents dress their daughters in dresses and skirts and send them to school. I won't and don't. In fact my daughter doesn't even own a dress. When kids are at school they do things like go out on the playground. I have been witness on way too may occasions where a little girl hangs upside down on the monkey bars and her skirt falls over her head and exposes her crotch to all of her classmates. I find this to be inappropriate. I was at my daughters school once and a young girl with a FULL LENGTH dress on was laying on the sidewalk drawing with chalk. She rolled over and lifted her legs in the air and exposed her crotch to everyone who could see. I have seen younger girls, babies even that are dressed so cute in their little dresses and when they bend over or they are crawling around, everything that shouldn't be exposed is. I don't want anyone seeing those parts of my daughter so I choose to dress her in pants and shorts. The way (most) people dress their daughters is disturbing to me.

I have taken this same stand on bikinis. I have seen babies, toddlers and elementary school aged girls wearing bikinis. I won't allow my daughter to wear a bikini. I find it 100% revolting and wrong. A lot of people see it as cute. I see nothing cute about it. What I find most disturbing is that it's seen as cute when they are young but when they start to develop, it's seen as revealing too much. Parents allow their daughters to weat bikinis from birth and then when they get to a certain age, those same parents say it's not appropriate. They say it's too revealing, suddenly they see it as exposing too much skin.

I have to talk about cheerleading too. I hope my daughter never wants to be a cheerleader because until she gets older, the answer will be "NO WAY!" Even when she is older, I am going to have serious issues if she wants to partake in cheerleading. I'm not at all sure why cheerleading even exists. I find it odd that females jumping around in short skirts, shouting, waving pompoms and jumping in the air is somehow a way of cheering on the football team. That however isn't my point here. The point is that we have these young girls dressed in skirts that clearly show way too much and if that wasn't bad enough, they jump in the air doing splits and exposing their crotches. They do this on display for a crowd of people. Seriously, i thinks it's creepy. Take a moment to think about how cheerleaders are viewed by men and young boys/men. They are seen flat out as sexual objects. The outfits alone are seen as sexual and it's well known that men have sexual fantasies about cheerleaders.

A few years ago my son's school had an end of the year pool party. The girls had to wear t-shirts over their bathing suits because they "showed too much" yet that Friday night at the local football game, 13 year old girls wear in their short skirts, wearing make-up looking like women, looking like one of the top fantasies and sexual desires of men and boys around the world, jumping up in the air and bending over showing their crotches as butt cheeks and that is accepted. That is seen as fine. Let me assure you that there is plenty of males in the crowd watching your daughter do that split and they are thinking "I'm feeling lucky" and "I should call her"  and they don't have to be wearing a lace thong with the writing on it.

A sexy nurses costume is almost the same outfit as a cheerleaders. I am pretty sure if you 5 or 11 year old wanted to dress up as a sexy nurse, your answer would be "NO" but the cheerleader outfit is fine.

I have also been witness to young girls of all ages wearing clothes that are too tight or too revealing. From jeans to shirts and everything in between. These girls are dressed more like women than girls.

Keep in mind that underwear and bras are worn under clothing where it cannot be seen. Dresses, skirts, bikinis, too tight or too revealing clothes, clothes that make your daughter look like a woman and cheerleading outfits are worn over the undergarments and they are for everyone to see. So as I see it, a lot of you will allow your daughters to prance around in these clothing items and you don't see anything wrong with it but find it disturbing that Victoria's Secret would come out with the "Bright Young Things" line. Again I ask where do you think Victoria's Secret got the idea that this line of clothes would sell? Again let me state that I am against the production and sale of thongs and bras that are lace and say things like "Call Me" and "Feeling Lucky?"

Now correct me if I am wrong here but until these girls are 18, isn't it the parents responsibility to say what their daughter can and cannot wear? Even if these girls go out and buy these panties and bras, it's our responsibility as parents to know what they are wearing and allow them to wear it or not. I wouldn't buy these underwear for my daughter and if i found them in her drawer, I'd throw them out.

At first I had no intention on even commenting on any of this other than to say I didn't agree with Victoria's Secret. But I kept reading all the posts and it occurred to me that several of you that were posting, are also the ones who let their daughters wear bikinis and or have daughters that are cheerleaders and I found it strange that you are so outraged with VS. Victoria's Secret didn't just pull this idea out of their ass. They see what girls are wearing, they know what parents are buying for their daughters and they know what age those girls are. If you are willing to sexual your Daughter, don't be surprised when a company decides to profit from that.

$318 Worth of Groceries for $123

 Did some shopping today. I got all of the groceries in the 5 pictures below for $123. The Retail Cost would have been $318. I will break each one down separately.

THE BREAKDOWN

Bi-Lo
Meal Deal:
Buy (2) Digiorno pizzas for $13.98
Get the following free:
Bread sticks
TGI Fridays snacks
Drive Thru sandwiches
Used: Buy 2 Digiorno pizzas get 1 FREE coupon $7 value

Marcal Toilet paper on sale $4.99 each
Used:  (2) $1 off Marcal 
Makes them $3.99 each

Yogurts 4 for $5
Used:  (2) 50 cents off (2) yogurts doubles to $1 off
Makes them 75 cents each

Dawn on sale $2.99
Used: 50 cents off Dawn doubles to $1 off
Makes it $1.99 (more than I usually pay but I needed it
 
Soup on clearance 74 cents

Pie crust on sale $1.50

Clear wrap $1.37

Cream cheese on sale $1.50 each

Retail subtotal: $74.52
Final Total: $38.15

 

Food Lion
Unilever promotion: Buy $30 worth of participating products and get $10 off instantly at register
I will break this down further after totals.

Dove bar soap on sale $6.99 each
Used (2) $4 off  dove bar soap
Makes them  $2.99 each

Dove body wash on sale $4.26 each
Used (2) $2 off body wash
Makes them $2.26 each

Dove shampoo on sale 2 for $3
Used $1.50 off conditioner when you buy shampoo

Wishbone salad dressing on sale 2 for $5
Used (2) 70 cents off wishbone
Makes them $1.80 each (more than I usually spend but I needed it and it qualified me for promotion)

Johnsonville sausage on sale $2.99 each
Used (2) $1 off 2 johnsonville 
and food lion $2 off $10 in  meat dept
Makes them $2 each

Brown rice on sale 77 cents 
Used food lion (in store kiosk) 75 cents any food lion rice
Makes it 2 cents
you read that right 2 cents

Food Lion ice cream on sale $2.59
Used food lion (kiosk) 75 cents off any food lion ice cream
Makes it $1.84

Ball Park hot dogs on sale 2 for $5
Used Food lion (kiosk)  $1 off 2 hot dogs
Makes them $2 each

Food lion coffee on sale $2.59
Used food lion (kiosk) $1 off any food lion coffee
Makes it $1.59

Hot dog buns on sale 2 for $4

Oranges on sale $2.99

Retail Subtotal: $70.26
Final Total: $34.74

Unilever promotion break down

Retail before sales and coupons for the above:  $42.48
Sale Price total: $33.56 (gets me above $30 to qualify for $10 off)
Total after $10 off promotion deduction: $23.56
Total after the $14.90 in coupons that I used: $8.66 (that is less than the $8.99 retail price of 1 pack of bar soap)
Savings: $33.82

Tomorrow is the last day of this sale and I am going back to do it again with different products lol

Ingles
Nothing to brag about here except the pretzels. I needed the pecans and caramel for a pie my  husband is begging me to make. I also needed the gatorade.

The pecans were on sale for $6.98 ($1 off retail price)

The pretzels were B1G1 @ $2.58
Makes them $1.49 each
Used (2) 50 cent off 1 which doubles to $1 off 1
Makes them 49 cents each

My total was $23.62 for 5 items...compared to the other stores, this is not good lol

Walgreens
This is a complicated transaction with many coupons, sales, register rewards and balance reward points. I am not going to write it all out. I usually do smaller transactions so I call roll over my register rewards and balance points. I did not do that this time. I made 2 transactions the above pic shows both combined. Because I didn't make smaller transactions, I spent more out of pocket than I would have liked to but I will not be going to town enough times this week to do enough of them so I had to make this work.

Total before sales, coupons, register rewards and balance points: $140.16
Final total: $36.70
Savings of: $103.46

CVS

Renu on sale $7.99 with $5 ECB back
Used: $2 off renu
Makes it $5.99 with $5 ECB back
 
Rapid sleep on sale $1.99 with $1.99 ECB back (FREE)

 Used:  $6 ECB from last week

Paid: $2.65
Got back $7.99 ECB
(earned $1 ECB with my green bag tag)
PROFIT of: $5.34


Retail Total for all above purchases: approx $318
Final Total: $123
Savings: approx $195
 

This Weeks Food Lion Deals and Food Lions Newer Perks

Food Lion
Retail: $65.21
Paid: $41.78

I saved $11.13 just in store sales and I used $12.80 in coupons.
Food Lion is really steeping up their game in prices, sales, promotions and in store coupons. Instead of my usual price break down of each item, I'd rather tell you more about Food Lion cause I know some of my friends don't shop there much.

The past few weeks, FL was running there store brand promotion. They do this ALL the time. You buy their brand (food lion or my essentials) of participating items and save a certain dollar amount for a certain number of items bought. Sometimes you save instantly which means the price comes off at the register. sometimes you  get a catalina coupon (comes out with receipt) The promotion usually runs for a couple of weeks at a time. This past sale was for a catalina coupon. The savings look like this:
Buy 4 Save $1
Buy 6 Save $1.50
Buy 8 Save $2
Buy 10 Save $2.50
Buy 20 Save $5
Buy 40 Save $10

Last week I earned a $3.25 off coupon for my purchases.

FL also prints out catalina coupons, quite frequently for money off your next shopping order. That same week I got a $3.50 off a purchase of $35.00 or more.

FL also gives great online coupons (register/sign up on food lions website) This week I got and used a $1 off 3 cans of hunts tomatoes (on sale $1 each)
I also got and used a $2 off produce purchase of $7 or more

FL also has a in store kiosk now. I love this kiosk lol It prints food lion specific coupons for that day only and manufacturers coupons with future expiration dates. It is a sheet or more of coupons plus extras like recipes. They are different every day. My 2 faves are $1 off FL butter (1lb) and $1 off FL peanut butter. REGULAR price of butter is $2.47 so $1.47 for a lb of butter is awesome. The peanut butter is $8.48 for 4 lb container making it $7.48 and that is just awesome too. Today I also got and used a $1 off FL brand frozen potatoes (fries) Regular price is $1.99 per bag. Again, 99 cents for a bag of fries or tater tots is pretty damn good. I also got and used a 50 cent off 3 celeste pizzas on sale for 99 cents each. My son loves these (one of his unhealthy treats lol)

Today I ended up using $12.25 cents in JUST Food Lion coupons and a 55 cent manufacturer coupon. I saved a total of $23.93 in store sales and coupons! I'm loving Food Lion!!

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CVS Deals 4/16

Transaction #1

Naturelief on sale $8.49 with $8.49 ECB back
Act on sale $3.99 with $1 ECB back


Retail: $13.58
Sale price: $12.48
Used $1 ECB from prior trip
and $1 off Act coupon
Paid: $11.32
Got back: $9.49

Transaction #2

Lysol no touch soap dispenser on sale $6.99

Colgate on sale $2.99 with $2 ECB back

Tums freshers on sale $2.99

Hersheys on sale $1.19

Retail: $26.94

Sale price: $24.14 

Used:

(2) $3 off Lysol no touch coupons

(2) $1 off colgate coupons

$1.50 off tums coupon

$9.49 ECB from transaction #1

Paid: $6.78

Got back $4 ECB

** the only reason I bought the hersheys was because I got a 50 cent off coupon from the CVS in store kiosk and then I FORGOT to use it *GASP* oh the horror. Makes me so damn mad when I do that and I seem to do it all the time**

Total for both trips:

Retail: $40.52

Sale price: $36.62

Paid: $18.10

Got back $4 ECB 

 

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$103.84 Worth Of Stuff At Walgreens For $26.78 And 99 Cents Back!

TRANSACTION #1

Similasan nasal allergy relief drops on sale $6 with $6 RR back

Pepsi next on sale 99 cents with 99 cents RR back

Retail: $10.05

Sale price: $7.46

Used $1.50 off Similasan coupon

Paid: $5.96

Got back $6.99 RR

Profit $1.04

Transaction #1

Nasal Ease allergy reliever on sale $9 with $9 RR back

Goody ouchless hair bands on sale $1.99 with $1 RR back

Retail: $16.72

Sale price: $11.73

Used $6.99 RR from Transaction #1

Paid: $4.74

Got back: $10 RR

Profit $5.26

Transaction #3

Olives on sale 99 cents each with in-ad coupon

Mac and cheese on sale B1G1 @ $1.79 with in-ad coupon 

Raisins on sale $1.99 with in-ad coupon

Pepsi next on sale 99 cents with 99 cents RR back

Pants on clearance $1.74

Foil on sale 99 cents each with in-ad coupon

Hunts tomato sauce on sale 3/$1 with in-ad coupon

Egg gum on clearance 12 cents each

Cookies and cream bunny on clearance 18 cents each

Peeps on clearance 44 cents

Lg. bunnies with filling 32 cents each 

Retail: $43.31

sale price: $18.37

Used $10RR from Transaction #2

Paid: $8.37

Got back 99 cents RR

My original plan was to buy more of the 2 allergy meds with RR's back. I would have rolled over my RR's and did a few more smaller transactions to buy the stuff that didn't have RR's back. BUT they were out of stock by Tues. so I had to do this larger transaction in order to get the things I wanted that were on sale.

Transaction # 4 and 5

Transaction #4

Similasan allergy relief on sale $6 with $6 RR back

Pants on clearance $1.74

Retail: $15.50

Sale price: $8.26

Used $1.50 off Similasan coupon and 99 cents RR from transaction #3

Paid $5.77 

Got back $6 RR

Profit 23 cents

** when I went back this time, they had 1 Similasan back in stock**

Transaction #5

Foil on sale 99 cents with in-ad coupon

Pants on clearance $1.74 each

Pepsi next on sale 99 cents with 99 cents RR back **NOT SHOWN**

 

Retail: $18.26

Sale price: $7.94

Used $6 RR from transaction #4

Paid: $1.94

Got back 99 cents RR

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Bi-Lo Trip $161.95 worth of groceries for $81.35 Saved more than I spent!!

Bi-Lo is by far my favorite store for deals, promotions and their coupon policy. 

Total before sales and coupons was $161.95

Total out of pocket $81.35

Total saved $83.96

Total Bi-Lo advertised savings $58.41

Total savings in coupons $25.55

Some of the deals:

Southern Home (SH, Bi-Lo store brand) Chicken Nuggets B1G1 @ $8.99

Kosher salt on sale 89 cents used bi-lo e-coupon 50 cents off makes it 39 cents.  reg. $1.19

Pam cooking spray on sale $2.50 Bi-lo e-coupon 51 cents off makes it $1.99 also have mail in rebate for the full amount paid so in the end, it's FREE reg. $3.29

Smart Balance cooking spray on sale $2.50 used 75 cent off coupon making it $1.75 reg. price $2.95

Hefty Cups on sale B1G1 @ $3.18 making them $1.59 each

Almond breeze almond milk $3.18 used 55 cents off coupon (doubles to $1.10 thanks to bi-lo's coupon policy which doubles up to 60 cent off coupons) Making it $2.08

Silk almond milk on sale $3.00 used $1 off coupon makes it $2 reg. $3.19

Spinach on sale $1.97 each. reg. $2.79 each.

Dole frozen fruit on sale B1G1 @ $5.99 makes $2.99 each used $1 off 2 coupon makes them $2.49 each

Planters peanut butter on sale $2.50 each used (4) $1 off coupons makes $1.50 each plus *fuel perks promotion: buy 4 participating products and get 20 cents off per gallon*

Weber chicago steak seasoning on sale $2 used 75 cent off coupon makes it $1.25 reg. $2.89

Got2b hair gel on sale B1G1 @ 5.99 makes them $2.99 each used (4) $3 off coupons makes all 4 FREE

Vlasic relish on sale B1G1 @ $1.89 makes them 94 cents each used (2) 75 cent off coupons makes them 19 cents each. 

Voskos greek yogurt B1G1 @ $1.49 makes them 74 cents each used (2) $1 off 3 coupons makes them 41 cents each. reg. 

Dixie crystals sugar 4lb. on sale $2.89 used $1 off coupon makes it $1.89 reg. $3.19

Southern Home brown rice on sale 4 for $3 makes them 75 cents each reg. 97 cents each

croutons B1G1 @ $1.50 makes them 75 cents each

Dog food on sale $9.99 used $1 off coupon makes it $8.99 reg. $12.99

Ingles Trip! $190.50 worth of groceries for $115.22

There is not much to tell here. This wasn't the greatest in deals, but then again, I got produce, meats and frozen veggies and overall, that makes it pretty damn good for $115.22 if you ask me.
Some of the great deals were:
Head and shoulders $4.48 each but I had a coupon for B1G1 making them $2.24 each
The frozen veggies were $1 each. I bought 20 bags. $20. I had 10 coupons for $1 off 2 So $10 off 20 makes it 20 bags of frozen veggies for $10 or 50 cents each.

CVS Trip!

So I headed out to CVS to pick up a few things that were on sale and things I needed.

I actually did 2 separate transactions this day.
First:
Complete multi purpose solution on sale $8.99 with $8.99 ECB back Retail price $12.99
I had a $3 ECB from the in store kiosk
and a $3.90 gift card
I used both
Total out of pocket $2.49
Got back $8.99 ECB
Making it free + $6.50 profit

Next I bought:
Coke on sale $2.50 reg. price $5.29
CVS allergy liquid $12.99
Tums $3.99 with $1 ECB back reg. price $5.29
Dawn 99 cents each reg. price $1.77
Total retail $30.65
Paid out of pocket $12.96
Got back $1 ECB

So the totals for this whole trip:
Retail price $39.64
Out of pocket $15.45
Savings $24.19
and $1 ECB back

Homemade Healthy Granola Swap!

On the same show that I saw the Kale chip recipe, I saw a swap for granola. I love granola so this was something I really wanted to try too. I should say that the show is Hungry Girl on Food Network.

Granola is something I have always loved. It can be loaded with Fat, calories and sugar though and that's just no good. This recipe is so simple and easy and it is really tasty. You can flavor it too.

Here is the actual recipe:

1/4 cup old fashioned slow cooking oats

1/4 cup puffed rice

1/4 cup puffed wheat

1 1/2 TBSP sugar free pancake syrup

Freeze dried apples

Mix everything EXCEPT apples.

Spray baking sheet or dish with cooking spray

Put granola in dish

Bake @ 275 for 30-35 min flipping once halfway through

add apples when done

Now I didn't have the apples and I do not like maple syrup. I used honey. I also doubled the recipe. I also added a few drops of vanilla and almond extract and some cinnamon to the honey and mixed well before mixing it in the granola. I say  add whatever you like and make it your own.

This granola is a pretty healthy snack. It is also great as a topping. I mixed it in greek yogurt. YUMMY! Kids also like this snack.

 

Kale Chips. My New Favorite Healthy Snack.

Recently I watched a cooking show in which Kale Chips were made. I had heard of them several times before but never really thought about making them. Since I have changed my eating habits and cut out 98% of processed foods, I figured now was the time to try them. 

I worked in the deli dept of a grocery store for a short while when i was a teenager. Kale was used in the display case as garnish and decoration around the meats and such. I never even knew you could eat it. I have been eating it in salads and using it in my green protein shakes (up coming blog post) I really like it and it's really good for you.

So Last night I made Kale chips for the first time. OH. MY. GOD. I can't even get over how good I think they are. The Kale was on sale 99 cents/lb so it was cheap too. 

So basically you wash and DRY the Kale. Make sure it is dry for best results. My first batch I tossed the kale in olive oil. I shouldn't have. The second batch I made using cooking spray and they came out much better.

I sprayed a baking sheet lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Placed kale on baking sheet in single layer. Sprayed them lightly with cooking spray and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Bake @ 425 for 5-8 minutes. It's that easy. This bowl has about 60+ calories. I swear to you, I can't stop eating them!

They are light and crispy and full of flavor. I'm on a mission to try new foods that are healthy but that also taste good. I refuse to eat something I don't like. I hope you will all try these. It's cheap, quick, easy and worth trying, even if you don't end up liking them. I have heard a lot of people say that kids really like them too!

I Made Veggie Stock This Weekend!

Here is the link for my original post about saving your veggie scraps for veggie stock, if you haven't read it already.

http://mytwocents-meliss.blogspot.com/2012/03/save-your-veggie-scraps-for-soup-stock.html

This weekend I had enough to make a nice stock.

I had enough to fill my 22 quart stock pot 3/4 of the way full.

The finished product.

Great Grocery Trip This Week $73.33 worth of groceries for $27.79

Bi-Lo

Total before sales and coupons $73.33

Total after sales and coupons $27.79

Savings of $45.54

Kale was on sale 99 cents/lb

Spinach on sale $1.97 each

Caffeine tablets on sale $2.49 (40 count)

Wisk on sale $3.99 used $2 off manufacturers coupon, made it $1.99

Pantene gel on sale 2 for $7 Used Bi-Lo E-coupon $1 off 2 and manufacturers coupon $1 off 2 made it $2.50 each

Lysol no touch kitchen system on sale B1G1 @ $10.49 used 4 manufacturers coupons for $3 off each made then $2.25 each

My Quest For A Healthier, Better ME!

 In my quest for a healthier and better me, I have been working on exercising daily and eating healthier. I refuse to count calories or points or anything else. I know what the right foods are and I know what the wrong ones are. I have been working really hard on eating MORE whole foods and LESS processed foods. I'm also doing that on a tight budget.

BREAKFAST
Protein shake:
vanilla whey powder
almond milk
spinach
flax seed meal
banana

SNACK
orange

LUNCH
oatmeal with:
almond milk
plum amazins
grapenuts

 
DINNER
Beef and broccoli with carrots
Harri covert
brown rice/bulgar wheat mix
Mixed greens salad:
tomato, red and green pepper,
pineapple, radish, scallion
pomegranate balsamic vinegar for dressing
Fat free skim milk to drink

DESSERT
Greek yogurt
grape fruit

Drank 90 oz. water throughout day

EXERCISE
Pilates
5 miles on treadmill
incline 6
1 mile in morning
1 mile at noon
3 miles late afternoon
1 mile worth of  sprints at 6.0 1/10 mile at a time

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5 Walgreens Transactions. All FREE Plus PROFIT!

TRANSACTION #1

 Nasal spray on sale $5 with $5 RR back (FREE)

Toothpaste on sale $3 with $3 RR back (FREE)

Gum on sale 69 cents each (with in store coupon found in weekly circular)

Total retail $14.69

Total sale price $10.01

Used $8 RR **(4) $2 RR's**

Paid $2.01

Got back $8 ($3 and $5)

Making all of it free + $5.99 profit

TRANSACTION #2

See Transaction #1 details for prices

Total retail $12.02

Total sale price $8.54

Used $4 RR

Paid $4.54

Got back $8 RR ($3 and $5)

Making both FREE with $3.46 profit

TRANSACTION # 3

See Transaction #1 for prices

Razor on sale $9.99 with $4 RR back

Total retail $20.03

Total sale price $15.34

Used:

 $4 off razor coupon (from sunday paper)

$5 RR

Paid $6.34

Got back $7 RR ($3 and $4)

Making it all FREE with 66 cents profit

TRANSACTION #4

See Transaction #1 and for prices

Razor on sale $9.99 with $4 RR back

Total retail $20.03

Total sale price $15.34

Used:

 $4 off razor coupon (from sunday paper)

$5 RR

Paid $6.34

Got back $7 RR ($3 and $4)

Making it all FREE with 66 cents profit 

TRANSACTION #5 

 See transaction #1 for prices

Gaz-it modeling fun $1

Total retail $12.07

Total sale prices $7.88

Used (2) $3 RR

Paid $1.88

Got back $5 RR

Making it all FREE with $3.12 profit

All 5 transactions plus the one from yesterday came to:

Total retail $107.67

Paid $25.56

Got back $27 RR

Making ALL of it Free with  $1.44

I'd like to thank Walgreens GIVING me all of this stuff for free and PAYING me $1.44 on top of that!

This week I have a master plan in mind here. I have been rolling over and saving up my RR's so at the end of the week, I can buy 4 lbs of whey protein powder for FREE Retail value $40 on sale for $30. I already have $27 RR to put towards it and I will earn more tomorrow. 

Chicken and Mixed Veggies in Brown sauce

I baked split chicken breasts the other night and used the leftover chicken in this dish. I didn't measure it, I just used what I had. I also used whatever veggies I had. I just eye ball the amounts to a ratio I like. You can use any meat you like and any combo of veggies for this dish.

You all know I love split chicken breasts because they are always on sale for 99 cents/lb. I baked  all the chicken at once and made a couple meals out of it. #1 baked chicken with gravy. #2 chicken salad #3 BBQ chicken (just for 2 lunches) and this dish. I pulled the chicken off the bone for the chicken salad, BBQ chicken and this chicken and veggies in brown sauce.

1 bottle of low sodium soy sauce (kikoman is the brand I like most by far)
3 TBSP corn starch
1-2 cups of water
3 TBSP brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic. minced or pressed, whatever you like
1 TBSP minced onion
1/2 tsp fresh ginger. crushed, minced, whatever you like
 Use as much or as little ginger as you like.
I cut 2 chunks of ginger and cook in sauce but remove before eating.
 I am not the biggest fan of ginger but without it, it doesn't taste right

Make this sauce your own. Use more or less of any of the ingredients.
This is just how we like it. The above recipe makes about 4-6 servings.
There are times when I doubled it to make more.

Cook all ingredients in pot on med heat then simmer until thickened. (corn starch needs to be cooked out)
Pour over meat and veggies and bake just to meld all ingredients together. 10-20 minutes @ 350

 I used frozen veggies in this dish. I use frozen veggies OFTEN. They go on sale all the time at our 3 local grocery stores for $1 and I try to keep stocked up. The broccoli I actually purchase mostly in bulk because we eat a lot of it. It is my Sons favorite. I always do the broccoli florets. I put all the veggies in a baking dish or any dish that is appropriate size and I defrost them in the microwave. This way they will never be over cooked and all the nutrients won't cook out. Also, I made this whole meal for about $10! That's about $1.70 cents per serving!