Life Is A Changing!!

When you take a test and this is your response............

..............your life is about to change!!!

After taking 6 tests (3 different brands!!), and getting all positives, I think it's official!! We're having another baby!!!

And so with that said, this will be the last post for Thrifty in the Cincy. I always find myself overwhelmed and I really want to try and not get that way anymore. So I'm letting a few things go, so I can truly put all my efforts into those things that are eternally important. In fact, I'm cutting my computer time down all together. I've let myself get wrapped up in it and I use any free time surfing the web, instead of completing something on my many to do lists.

I've found a few local blogs that I really follow now and I'm sure they'd love to have you over there as well. They are:

Nickels-N-Dimes and $5 Dinners. I know there are many other local bloggers, and please feel free to leave your link in the comments section. I think you'll be able to find what you need from those two blogs. Their great!!

And with that being said, thank you all so much for your time and kind comments. It's been fun!!

If you ever want to chat or ask a question, please feel free to email me at Jamie7987 @ aol.com

Thanks again!!

Why It's So Slow Around Here

Well it's one of those weeks again!!

We just started back to doing our lessons again this week, I don't like the word "school" ;), and we're already planning a big "field trip"!!  Well my son turns 9 this Sunday and his absolute love in life is Lego's.  We've already taken him to the Lego store in Orlando (Downtown Disney) many times and even to Legoland in California.  Well this time we wanted to stay close to home, but still surprise him with a "Lego Trip", so we're going to Chicago!!  (Yes, I'm aware of how cold it will be and am making preparations for that!!)   They have a Lego Store and a Legoland Discovery Center which has some hands on activities, a small ride, and a few other things, that I think he will love.  We had his party this past Sunday and most of the people who came got him Lego Gift Cards, or just money to use there, and he ended up with $210 to spend in the Lego store!!  WOW!!!  That should be fun!!

And since we're going to Chicago, we thought it would be fun to visit some of the great museums and attractions while we're there.  We're leaving Friday and will be back on Monday.  Our trip has actually become very frugal.  My husband periodically travels for work, so we have enough hotel points for two nights at a hotel and for our third night, we used Priceline and got a great hotel for only $52 after tax and everything.  So for three nights, we only have to pay $52 bucks!! 

 Also, we already have a pass to the Cincinnati Museum Center which allows us to use that pass at many museums across the country for free admission there (what a great benefit!!).  So we'll be using that to go to the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium and the Museum of Science and Industry all for free!!

We're also going to the Sears tower (not so frugal!!), having some yummy deep dish Chicago pizza and driving by Wrigley Field!!  So for about $400 (including gas, food and transit passes) we can have a 3 night, 4 day trip to Chicago!!  I think that's a pretty frugal vacation, especially considering how much we're doing while we're there!!

So anyway, with that being said, I'm a little busy with preparations for that as well as our lessons, so I haven't gotten a chance to post any deals yet, but I will try to get some up today, there are a few good ones!!  Sorry!!  

Rebel For A Cause

Please click the button on the side of the blog (the camera with rebel for a cause on it) to visit a blog where they are doing a donation/raffle for 3 really great charities, where after donating $10 you will be entered in a raffle for a super awesome gift package including a Canon Digital Rebel Camera!!! After donating, stick around her blog and check out her awesome family, complete with a new baby who is truly a miracle from God!!! She also has spectacular photographs of her family which will take your breath away!! Good luck in the raffle!!

Thrifty Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving dinner can be very expensive if you're not careful.  I am hosting the dinner for my husband's family.  All together there will be 5 adults and 4 children.  I am also making 2 pies and bringing corn and green beans to another dinner at my parents house earlier in the day.  When I host, I like to provide a nice amount of food.  I know it's way more than any of us can eat, but I like to have everything there.  Here's the menu I have planned:

Turkey

Gravy

Dressing (stuffing)

Corn

Green Beans

Crock-pot Cranberry Sauce

Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

Biscuits

Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie

Pilgrim Pies (yummy little pumpkin cakes made into sandwiches with cream cheese filling, our family favorite for 3 years now!!!)

Oatmeal Cookies (we omit the cinnamon and raisins and add walnuts!)

And for my parents House:

Pumpkin Pie

Butterscotch Pie

Corn

Green Beans

This is the compiled list of ingredients I need to accomplish this and their corresponding prices.  All of these were done using sales, coupons and shopping at Aldi's.  The orange colored items are things I had to specifically buy for this dinner.  Everything else I had on hand from my stockpile.  

• 12lb Turkey - 7.73 (.59 per lb)
  
• 5lb Potatoes - 1.25 (2.50 per 10lb bag)
  
• 3 Cans of Sweet Potatoes - 2.07 (.69 each can)
  
• 1 Bag of Marshmallows - .79
  
• 2 Bags of Frozen Corn - 0
  
• 1 Bag of Cranberries - .99
  
• 2 Boxes of Stove Top Stuffing - 0
  
• 1 Stalk of Celery .10 (.69 per bunch)
  
• 1 Carton of Chicken Broth - .67
  
• 4 1/2 C of Bisquick - .40  (1.50 per box)
  
• 4 1/2 C of Milk - .63 (2.25 per gallon)
  
• 2 Cans of Evaporated Milk - 0
  
• 4 Cans of Green Beans - 1.32 (.33 each)
  
• 3 Cans of Pumpkin - 2.37 (.79 each)
  
• 15 Eggs - .86 (.69 per dozen)
  
• 6 1/2 C Brown Sugar - .81 (.50 per 4C bag)
  
• 1/2 tsp Ginger .05
  
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg .05
  
• 4 Refrigerated Pie Shells 3.40
  
• 6 sticks of Butter - 1.50 (1.00 per 4 stick box)
  
• 3 Tblsp + 1 Tsp of Vanilla - 2.67 (1.99 per 2oz bottle)
  
• 5 C Flour - .35 (1.33 per 5lb bag)
  
• 2 Tsp Baking Soda - .05
  
• 3 C Oats - 0
  
• 1 C Walnuts - 1.70
  
• 1 C Dark Karo Syrup - .30 (1.79 per bottle)
  
• 1 C Pecans - 2.10
  
• 4 Tsp Salt - .03
  
• 4 Tsp Pepper - .05
  
• 1 C Vegetable Oil - .48
  
• 1 Tblsp Pumpkin Pie Spice - .05
  
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder - .03
  
• 4 oz Cream Cheese - .13
  
• 4 C Powdered Sugar .50 (.50 per 4C bag)
  
• 1/2 C Orange Juice .07 (1.09 per frozen concentrate)
  
• 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon .02
  
• 1 1/2 C Sugar .13 (1.00 per 5lb bag)
  
• 1 Container of Cool-Whip - 0

Now the grand total for how much this dinner technically cost is 33.65.  That may seem like a lot for one dinner, but it's Thanksgiving!!  You could easily cut out a lot of this and halve the bill.  Like I said, I like to serve a lot of food!!  Most of the ingredients I already had on hand anyway, so it really only cost me 24.17 to complete the meal (and 7.73 of that was the turkey alone!!).  And remember two of the pies and half of the veggies are going to another dinner so that's probably 4 dollars or so of the total.  So if I subtracted 4.00 from 33.65  I'd have 29.65 for the big dinner which will feed 9 and that comes out to 3.29 per person, which is still cheaper than a Combo Meal at a fast food place!!  And I'm sure we'll have tons and tons of leftovers!!!

Well that's the plan for our dinner, feel free to share any tips, recipes or ideas you have for Thanksgiving dinner!!!

Fall Family Fun Day - An Update

This was taken during our nature walk in the field and trails behind our house. It was pretty muddy after a day of rain so we had on our old pants and shoes, but it was so beautiful and sunny out and we found lots of leaves to make rubbings and cards with. It was very nice and very frugal!!

Here's my pie. It turned out very delicious!! I used the recipe on the back of the can of pumpkin from Aldi's. It was

1 15oz can of pumpkin

2 eggs slightly beaten

1 cup of brown sugar (it says you can use white sugar if you want to)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsps cinnamon

1 can evaporated milk (12oz)

1 9-in unbaked pie crust

You just mix all the ingredients and pour into the unbaked crust. Bake at 425 for 15 and then at 350 for 45 minutes. It really was delicious. We all enjoyed it!!

And here's the kids with their carved pumpkins. My son chose Mater from Cars and my daughter chose Pluto!!

Overall it was a very nice day. We did all of our "scheduled" activities and enjoyed some yummy food. I would definitely recommend a day like this when life is just crazy and you want to take time to be with the ones you love. It's so worth the $20 bucks!!

Yay, I got all three of my posts done tonight!! If you haven't seen the other two yet, just keep scrolling down!!!

Stay Tuned - More Deals to Come!!

I have three posts I'm trying to get out in the next 24 hours so stay tuned!!  I'm going to post:

1.  Springboro Kmart is doing the Super Double Coupons and I went there this morning, so I'll share the details and some of the finds I got.

2.  Update on my Fall Family Fun Day complete with the requested pumpkin pie recipe.

3.  I stopped into Target today and saw a great Glade deal.  I'll share that as long as a little tip I found out as well!!

I'm trying to get to them, but I need to make dinner, clean up my house and fold some laundry!!  Please bare with me!!!  Hopefully late this evening or early tomorrow I'll have them finished!

$20 = Fall Family Fun Day!!

$20.00 - One trip through the Drive-Thru or a Whole Day of Fall Family Fun??? I choose Fall Family Fun!!

Here's our plan for this Saturday:

*note, if you haven't seen it, I posted a few more Meijer deals for this week below this post. I just don't want you to miss them!!

Breakfast: Pumpkin Spice Pancakes & Sausage Patties

-pancake mix .50

-milk .12

-egg .05

-oil .03

-can pumpkin .40

-spices .05

-butter or margarine 0 (I rarely pay for butter or margarine spreads, which we'll use here)

-syrup .50

-sausage 1.00 (Tennessee pride rolls from Kroger!)

Total = 2.65

After breakfast we'll venture out to the forest of trees behind our house and collect fallen leaves. Then we'll use those leaves to make leaf rubbing cards that we'll send to the grandparents and aunts and uncles. We'll only need to pay for the stamps (1.68 for 4) for this fun activity!

As a snack on our nature walk, I'll make my own Harvest Trail Mix which consists of:

-peanuts .50

-candy corn 0 (from CVS!)

-raisins .17

-cheerios .07

Total = .74

Lunch: Parmesan & Pea Noodles

-2 packages of Knorr Parmesan Noodles 1.00 (.50 each from Meijer)

-peas .33

-butter 0

-milk .16

-applesauce .80

Total = 2.29

After lunch we're going to watch a movie in our home theater. (Yes we have a home theater in our basement, but it was definitely done on a dime. The projector and screen together = the cost of a big t.v. and we bought recliners from Big Lots to use as seats. This was the big thing my husband wanted when we built our house and he got it!! I like to think that it actually saves us money now because we wait for movies to come out on DVD and watch them at home instead of going out to see them!!)

We're going to try Redbox for our movie rental this time. If you sign up here you can get a code for a free one night rental. Plus there are tons of codes out at different times for a free one night rental. It's a great way to watch movies cheap!!

Movie Snack:

-microwave popcorn .15 (1 bag from the .59 boxes or Orville Redenbacher at Meijer a week or two ago)

-soda 0 (got free from Snyder deal at Meijer this week. See post below for more details)

-juice for kids - .20

Total = .35 (For a movie and a snack, not bad!!)

Dinner: Roasted Pork Tenderloin

-pork tenderloin .22 (Remember the Bigg's meat/pierogie deal?? I got this roast from that!!)

-potatoes .60 (for mashed potatoes)

-milk and butter for mashed potatoes .08

-stuffing mix 0 (got on sale sometime at the beginning of the year)

-gravy 1.00

-green beans .33

-cranberry sauce .79

Total = 3.02

A Special Treat - Desert!! Pumpkin Pie!!

For Crust:

-flour .07

-butter 1.00 (have to use real butter for this)

-sugar .03

Total = 1.10

For Filling:

-pumpkin .79

-eggs - .10

-brown sugar .11

-spices .10

-evaporated milk .49 (Meijer deal this week, scroll down to next post for details)

-Kroger brand whipped topping .30

Total = 1.89

Pie Total = 2.99

And after dinner we'll carve our two pumpkins we got from Aldi's for 1.99 each. We already have tools and patterns from previous years, so we're only out the cost of the pumpkins which is 3.98.

And we'll end the day with bubble baths and a bedtime story (We're reading the Wind in the Willows at bedtime right now) which is free!!

So my total for the whole days worth of meals, snacks and activities is 17.70. We'll use the 2.30 left for drinks for the day (Orange Juice, Milk, 100% Juice and Water) for a total of 20.00!! I think that's a great way to spend 20 bucks and have an awesome family day complete with delicious meals and a desert!!

So, it's your choice, a trip through the Drive-Thru or a day full of fun and memories with your family!!