My Two Cents

Saturday, April 7, 2012

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

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

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!