Goodbye & Hello

I've finally decided what to do.

As of today Journey to Frugal is ending. Though this blog will stay up for a while, I will no longer be posting new material to it. And some of the posts from here will be transferred to a new location!

Instead, I am posting on my new blog. I'm really excited about this new blog. I think it will give me the flexibility I've been looking for.

Before I leave completely, I do want to say thank you to all those who have stopped by for a visit. You've been a real encouragement.

But now, please, come visit my new home! I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Reflecting

Life has settled down. The crisis which took me off the web for about 7 weeks has now passed. My father became very ill, was hospitalized and finally passed away on November 19. He is much happier now living in Heaven with God.

Our lives are beginning to recover and find our new normal. But, all this has also caused me to reconsider many things, including my blog. I'm not sure where I'm going to go with this. I enjoyed blogging, but I'm not sure it is where I truly need to spend my time. I've also reached the conclusion that my real passion is not the journey to living frugally. Seeking the best deals and saving money on everything kind of went out the window while I was traveling back and forth to the hospital every other day. I was far more concerned about caring for my Dad. Caring for my family just seems to be more what I'm about. Living frugally is a part of that, but it is not always the primary focus.

So for now, I may post occasionally, but I suspect this blog will be changing in the near future.

At the moment, I'm considering what I would call a blog that focused on the broader theme of caring for my family. Suggestions are welcome.

Short Break

I will be taking a short blogging break for the next few days. I have a family concern which must be attended to and will not have time to update.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Your prayers for wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Free Admission to Children's Museums

I first found out about this deal at Coupon Cravings.

The Association of Children's Museums has partnered with ParentsConnect Local (GoCityKids) to offer children free admission when accompanied by a paying adult at participating children's museums as part of ParentsConnect Local's Deals & Steals program September 29-October 26, 2008. Nearly 130 museums nationwide are participating.

Participating Museums in Maryland include:

• Chesapeake Children's Museum (Annapolis)
• Discovery Creek (Glen Echo)
• The Children's Museum of Rose Hill Manor Park (Frederick)
• Port Discovery Children's Museum (Baltimore)

For information on museums nationwide visit GoCityKids.

Thoughtful Thursday: Links that Make Us Think

Many ways to use a pumpkin @ MoneySavingMom

When I'm a Little Old Lady @ OwlHaven

What I Hope @ RocksInMyDryer

What's Your Beef Night @ WeAreThatFamily

Cheap Mocha Latte

Back in our DINK (double-income no kids) days, I got accustomed to drinking mocha frappocino by Starbucks, almost every morning. It started with an occasional visit to the Starbucks near our home, then hubby found the bottled version at BJs and surprised me with a case of them. Before long it was a habit, an addictive habit.

Then, we had kids. What had been a wonderful induglence, I quickly realized was a luxury that just didn't fit the budget. So, I found a cheaper version... this time it was adding International Delight's Chocolate Caramel creamer to my home-brewed cofffee each morning.

Then, we moved. And I could no longer find my beloved creamer. None of the stores in our new town carried the flavor I loved. I made several reqeusts at several local stores, but to no avail.

So, I came up with a new plan:
1 cup coffee + 1 splash of whole milk + 1 squirt of chocolate syrup =

One mocha-latte

My version is really good and a whole lot cheaper than buying Starbucks, even the bottled version. It works for me.

Maryland Monday - Flour

Maryland Monday is a new series on grocery prices in the Maryland area. Each Monday I'll post the price of a common grocery item from a variety of Maryland grocery stores. I hope this helps you to find the best prices in your area and keep your grocery bill as low as possible.


This week's grocery item is flour. The prices listed below are the best price per pound at that store for the store brand unless noted otherwise:

All Purpose Bleached Flour

• BJ's (Westminster): $7.99/20 lbs (Gold Medal) = $0.40/lb
  
• Food Lion (Eldersburg): $1.89/5 lbs = $0.38/lb
  
• Giant Food (Westminster): $2.29/5 lbs = $0.46/lb
  
• Martin's (Eldersburg): $2.34/5 lbs = $0.47/lb
  
• Martin's (Eldersburg): $11.29/25 lbs = $0.45/lb
  
• Safeway (Eldersburg): $4.99/10 lbs = $0.50/lb
  
• Shopper's (Eldersburg): $2.19/5 lbs = $0.44/lb
  
• SuperFresh (Westminster): $4.49/10 lbs = $0.45/lb
  
• Wal-Mart (Eldersburg): $2.42/5 lbs (Gold Medal) = $0.48/lb
  
• Weiss (Westminster): $4.49/10 lbs = $0.45/lb
  

See more of Maryland Monday here.

Be sure to vote in the poll (left column). Which item would you like to see in the next Maryland Monday grocery comparison?

Free Night of Theater!!

I just discovered this via Freebie Friday @ MomAdvice...

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the not-for-profit American theatre, is sponsoring a free night of theater in cities around the nation. Shows are available from Oct 16 - Oct 30.

You can go to their website to find more details.

When I checked this afternoon Baltimore was completely sold out, but Washington DC still had a few tickets left.

These cities or states still had openings:
Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Portland (OR), Philadelphia, San Diego, St Louis, Washington DC, Maine, New Jersey, New York state, North Carolina, South Florida, Utah, Wisconsin

It looks like tickets are going fast in most cities, so you 'll want to snap these up quickly.

10 Things I Learned from the Tightwad Gazette

Several months ago I borrowed "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn from our local library. I can't remember how I first learned about this book. It may have been from MoneySavingMom or it may have been from a subject search at my library. I also cannot begin to list all I've learned from this book. As we began our journey in search of a more frugal life, this book really served as both a source of inspiration for new ideas and an encouragement to continue the journey.

The book is over 800 pages and I'm no speed reader and I didn't come close to finishing it in the allotted 3 weeks. So, I renewed it. And then I renewed it again. And again. Evidently, at the time no one else in the whole county wanted this book. If had been requested at all, I would not have been allowed to renew it again and again.

Over the course of the several months I had possession of the book these are some of the things I learned (in no particular order) ...

1. Wash out ziploc bags and reuse them. Never reuse one that's contained raw meat, but otherwise until it has holes or has held raw meat there's no reason to throw it away.

2. Stop using so much extra dishwasher soap. I'd been filling the cup up completely, but after reading the Tightwad Gazette I realized for most loads I only need half the amount of soap. What a waste this had been.

3. The power of Yard Saleing. At the time of the articles in the TWG Amy bought the overwhelming majority of clothes for her 6 children at Yard Sales. I had never been much of a Yard Saler before, but TWG inspired me, and since then I've made several great finds of my own!

4. Keep a Price Book. This means keeping track of the sale prices on the groceries you use most. This was a bit overwhelming to think about at first, but after I started it I found that I began to remember the lowest price, even without my price book. The simple act of writing down the price and figuring out the price/ounce or price/each was helping cement it in my leaky brain. This particularly helps me when I'm comparing the price of a store brand item to a name-brand with coupons. Sometimes the store brand is cheaper. Sometimes the name-brand is cheaper.

5. Make your own bread crumbs. Using the heels of the bread loaves - which no one in my house wants to eat - I can make my own bread crumbs and never have to buy them. Simply let the pieces dry out for several days, or toast them. Then place them in a ziploc and crumble them with a rolling pin. Stored in an airtight container or in the freezer they will keep for a very long time.

6. Comparison shop. Compare prices. Comparison shop some more - for everything from bank accounts to ziploc containers!

7. Get over the "it has to be new" attitude! It really doesn't. There are many things that can be bought used and in great condition, much less expensively than bought new. It all depends on your own attitude.

8. Cooking from scratch is often, but not always cheaper. Making pizza from scratch is cheaper than buying Papa John's (even with a coupon). Boxed mac & cheese bought on sale is cheaper than making it from scratch.

9. Baking soda is a great cleaner/degreaser for many surfaces, including kitchen counters. And, combined with white vinegar it's also a great drain de-clogger.

10. Air dry clothes whenever possible. I don't do this with everything because we're used to the softness from drying in an electric dryer. But, I've started drying socks & underwear on an indoor rack and honestly, no one's complained!

The book is loaded with many more good ideas on how to live a more frugal life. If you want to live more frugally, I suggest borrowing this book from your local library, borrow it from a frugal friend, or if all else fails buy it used on Amazon or Barnes&Noble.com

BiblicalWomanhood is taking a blogging break this month. So if you have your own frugal idea. You may post it here in the comments.

Grocery Gathering & More

Today is Grocery Gathering Day.
If you're looking to match coupons with the sales at your favorite grocery store sales this is one of the best places to visit.

Just a quick highlight I picked up from a quick scan of yesterday's ad:

Shoppers (Eldersburg & Westminster, MD only)- Unlimited Triple Coupons up to $0.50. AND unlimited Double Coupons up to $1.00. (Limit of 4 coupons on identical items). This sale is only for Thurs - Sunday, Oct 2-5.

Definitely a good week to visit Shoppers if you live locally.

Stockpiling

Stockpiling Works for Me.

I know there are many people out there who cannot stand the clutter of stockpiling (my sister included - it drives her nuts.) But, for me, this is one of the best ways of keeping our grocery budget low and keeping things on hand that I use nearly every day.

I prefer to buy things as they go on sale, especially if they are on a good sale and I have a matching coupon (see these posts). The "clutter" doesn't bother me, as long as I have a place to put it. I will stockpile almost any grocery item - as long as it has a long shelf life. At the moment I have 3 packs of toilet paper (24 rolls each) stored in the attic. I'm still working on the 5-6 boxes of dishwasher detergent I bought last spring; I have more toothpaste, toothbrushes and soap than we will use in a year; enough Pop-Tarts and granola bars to last through the school year; 8-10 boxes of cereal, 6 jars of spaghetti sauce, lots of extra baggies, 8 bottles of apple juice, and the list goes on.

There are some rules I live by when it comes to stockpiling.

1. Never stockpile an item your family does not use or does not eat.
2. Only stockpile items when they are on a good sale. (Not all sales are good!)
3. Only stockpile as much as you have space for. (I do not stockpile milk - too little freezer space.)
4. Be extremely careful of stockpiling items with a short shelf life, i.e., produce, dairy products. (If the food goes bad before your family can eat it then it didn't save you money.)
5. Sales go in seasons - watch for which items are on sale at what time of year.

This is the beginning of a new month, so it's time to examine what items are likely to be on sale in October. I was reminded by Hot Coupon World these categories will probably be on good sales sometime this month:

• Halloween items (of course)
• Apples (good for canning)
• Pumpkins (good for freezing)
• Kraft items
• crackers
• baking and candy making items
• some holiday foods (gravy, broth, Stove Top, etc.)
• more items here.

There are several good deals this week at our local grocery stores. Tomorrow I'll be posting about some of the deals I'll be hitting to add to my current stockpile.

Does stockpiling work for you? Or are you a "clutter-phobe" like my sister? I'd love to hear your thoughts on stockpiling.

For more kitchen organization ideas visit Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Kitchen Tip NEEDED

Okay, I have a confession to make...

I hate beans. Well, maybe I don't hate them. I just have a very strong dislike for them. I like green beans, but I prefer them young & tender with more pod and not much bean.

It's not so much a taste thing, as it is a texture thing for me. I've never liked beans. Somehow in my extremely-picky-eater-childhood we never had beans very much (maybe because I was so picky?), as an adult I've never cooked them and so I've never developed a taste for them - and yes I believe it must be a developed taste.

For most of my life this bean hating thing has not been a problem because - I just didn't eat them. I learned to cook partly so that I could cook (and eat) what I like! Over the years as chief-cook I have sought out recipes for foods that were not my favorite and have learned to eat many things that I did not eat in my picky-eater-childhood.

However, beans have never been one of them.

Until Now.

As a grown-up I have learned that beans are quite healthy and they are much less expensive than meat (which I soooo love).

So now in my journey to being more frugal, I am asking for help. I am looking for good bean recipes. So, all you great cooks out there... Please send me bean recipes. For me, bean recipes that do not have the "mealy texture" my brain associates with beans, would be helpful. But really, any delicious bean recipe would be appreciated.

Thank you.

For real kitchen tips (not just requests) please visit Tammy at her wonderful site.

Maryland Monday - Sugar

Maryland Monday is a new series on grocery prices in the Maryland area. Each Monday I'll post the price of a common grocery item from a variety of Maryland grocery stores. I hope this helps you to find the best prices in your area and keep your grocery bill as low as possible.


This week's grocery item is sugar. The prices listed below are the best price per pound at that store for the store brand unless noted otherwise:

• BJ's (Westminster): $5.29 (10 lbs) = $0.53/lb (Domino's)
  
• BJ's (Westminster): $12.49 (25 lbs) = $0.49/lb (Dominio's)
  
• Food Lion (Eldersburg): $4.59 (10 lbs) = $0.46/lb
  
• Giant Food (Westminster): $2.79 (5 lbs) = $0.56/lb
  
• Martin's (Eldersburg): $14.29 (25 lbs) = $0.57/lb
  
• Safeway (Eldersburg): $5.35 (10 lbs) = $0.54/lb
  
• Shopper's (Eldersburg): $4.69 (10 lbs) = $0.47/lb
  
• SuperFresh (Westminster): $4.99 (10 lbs) = $0.49/lb
  
• Wal-Mart (Eldersburg):$4.28 (10 lbs) = $0.43/lb
  
• Weiss (Westminster): $5.69 (10 lbs) = $0.57/lb
  

*There have been coupons out for Domino Sugar recently which sometimes brings that price down to less than the Wal-Mart store-brand price, especially when matched with a good sale. However, I encourage you to be careful. Just because a store advertises an item on sale does not mean you are getting the best price. If you find a better price at your local store, please post it in the comments.

See more of Maryland Monday here.

Next Week's grocery comparison will be flour.

Walgreens - $5/$20 Coupon & Double Dipping Days

There are some great deals to be had at Walgreens today & tomorrow.

First, there is a $5/$20 coupon out here. The coupon is only good Fri & Sat Sept 26, 27.
Second, these are double dipping days - overlapping sales from September & October.

This means you can combine the $5/$20 coupon, Free after Rebate items, Easy saver sales - from both September & October, and manufacturers coupons to get some really great deals. The $5/$20 coupon has to be used after EasySaver coupons. There are conflicting reports about whether this has to be before or after manufacturer's coupons. Either way it is a good way to get the Free After Rebate items and anything on Register Reward this week.

There are several good deal scenarios to help you organize your shopping trip at MoneySavingMom & CommonSensewithMoney.

Frugal Smart & Frugal Dumb

So, last Tuesday, I started the day extremely well. I'd read here about a great deal on granola bars at Safeway. (More details on my purchase here.) I bought over 10 boxes of granola bars, paid $7.00 out-of-pocket for all of them and got back a $3.50 catalina for my next purchase. For the record, that's $0.70 for a box of 12 granola bars or $0.06/bar!) Then, I left town ... with 120 VERY inexpensive granola bars in my car. Frugal Smart!

I drove an hour away to my dad's to help him at his house. After I arrived and had spent about an hour working on various tasks, I realized I forgot to bring lunch with me. So I opted to go to the 7-11 down the street and get a drink and a small snack to tide me over. (You know what's coming don't you?) Well, I'm wandering around the store wondering what to get, when I spotted granola bars - "Hey, I like granola bars, granola bars are healthy!" So, I grabbed a pack of 2 granola bars, a bottle of soda and went to the register.

Yep. You guessed it. I bought that pack of 2 granola bars at 7-11. In fact, I paid a whopping $0.40/each for those 2 granola bars. It didn't occur to me that this was a ridiculous thing to do until I got back in my car and spotted the 10 boxes sitting happily on my car seat. Unfortunately, I'd already bitten into one of the granola bars.

DUH!! Frugal DUMB!

I cannot begin to tell you how completely dumb I felt at that moment. I am an intelligent, usually-money-conscious, college educated woman. But, I threw all that out the window for a few moments and paid $.80 for 2 granola bars.

For better ideas on frugal living visit Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood.

Blogging...

I will not blog today. I will not blog today. I will not blog today.

Blogging is too much fun.

There is laundry to do.
There are bills to pay.
The checkbook must be balanced.
There are peaches to use before they go rotten.

Blogging is too much fun.

I will not blog today. I will not blog today. I will not blog today.

I will probably visit Works for Me Wednesday; but I will not blog.

I will be back on Friday; maybe on Thursday. Definitely on Friday.

I will not blog today.

Whole Wheat Peach Muffins

This recipe took me a while to figure out. I tried two different recipes, made several bad attempts and several bad revisions before finally getting it right with this recipe. My husband and I love them.

This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/2 cup + 2 Tblsp sugar
1 1/2 cup peeled, pitted, chopped peaches (3-4 med.)

Directions:
1. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix with large whisk.
2. In small bowl mix milk, oil, egg and sugar.
3. Mix together dry and wet ingredients. Do not stir too much; batter should be lumpy.
4. Fold 1 + 1/4 cup peaches into batter, reserving 1/4 cup for tops.
5. Heat oven to 375. Grease muffin tin very well.
6. Fill muffin cups approx. 2/3 full (about 1/3 cup)
7. Sprinkle reserved peaches over tops of each muffin cup.
8. Place in oven. Raise temperature to 400. Bake approx. 20 minutes.
10. Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto dishcloth. Keep inverted while cooling.

Note: Be sure to grease the tin VERY WELL as they have a tendency to stick.

For more kitchen tips go to Tammy's Recipes.

Maryland Monday - Loaf Bread

Maryland Monday is a series on grocery prices in the Maryland area. On Monday I'll post the price of a common grocery item from a variety of Maryland grocery stores. Of course, these prices will vary from store to store and change without notice. I hope this comparison helps you to find the best prices in your area and keep your grocery bill as low as possible.

My apologies. Two weeks ago I said I'd post on whole wheat bread, and then "stuff happened" and I didn't get it posted last week. So, here it is for this week - both wheat and white bread.

This week's grocery item is 1 loaf of bread:

Whole Wheat

* Food Lion (Eldersburg): Food Lion brand: $1.17 (23 oz) = $0.051/oz
* Giant Food (Westminster): Giant brand: $1.99 (18 oz) = $0.11/oz
* Martin's (Eldersburg): Martin's brand: $1.59 (16 oz) = $0.10/oz
* Safeway (Eldersburg): Ovenjoy brand: $1.19 (20 oz) = $0.059/oz
* Shopper's (Eldersburg): Shopper's 100% whole wheat: $1.69 (16 oz) = $0.11/oz
* Shopper's (Eldersburg): Shopper's split top wheat $1.89 (20 oz) = $0.09/oz
* Superfresh (Westminster): Amer. Choice split top wheat: $1.99 (22 oz) = $0.09/oz
* Wal-Mart (Eldersburg): Great Value: $1.42 (24 oz) = $0.06/oz

White Bread

* Food Lion (Eldersburg): Food Lion brand white: $1.27 (20 oz) = $0.064/oz
* Giant Food (Westminster): Giant brand white: $1.25 (20 oz) = $0.063/oz
* Giant Food (Westminster): Giant sandwich white: $1.39 (22 oz) = $0.063/oz
* Martin's (Eldersburg): Martin's brand white: $0.99 (20 oz) = $0.049/oz
* Safeway (Eldersburg): Ovenjoy brand: $1.19 (20 oz) = $0.059/oz
* Shopper's (Eldersburg): Shopper's brand white: $0.79 (20 oz) = $0.039/oz
* Shopper's (Eldersburg): Shopper's sandwich white: $1.09 (20 oz) = $0.055/oz
* Superfresh (Westminster): America's Choice jumbo white: $1.59 (20 oz) = $0.079/oz
* Wal-Mart (Eldersburg): Great Value white: $1.24 (20 oz) = $0.062/oz

These prices were gathered between 9/18/08 - 9/22/08 and are regularly marked prices, not sales. Somehow I forgot to check bread prices in Weiss this week.

Doing this study of prices has intrigued me. Notice how much the prices vary from store to store, and even within the same store, on similar items. Of course, we don't use bread by the ounce, we use it by the slice, which makes this an imperfect comparison. But, I think it still serves to show how important it is to compare prices as you shop. I've been buying Safeway's Ovenjoy wheat for years, thinking I couldn't find it cheaper elsewhere. Now, I'm wondering how many slices are in the Food Lion's 23 oz loaf vs the Safeway 20 oz loaf. I think I'll have to buy one of each to find out!

If you find a better price at your local store, please post it in the comments.

Next Week's grocery comparison will be a Sugar.

Super Cheap Granola Bars

As I was browsing this week, I came across this post at MommyMakingMoney, about Safeway sales. Safeway has Nature Valley Granola bars on sale 2/$5.00. I rarely shop at Safeway, because I generally find their prices to be significantly higher than my other local stores. But, occasionally they do have a good sale. This sale wasn't fantastic by itself, but as MMM explains, it gets significantly better if you buy in groups of 5.

Here's how it worked:

Transaction #1 (on Tuesday)
Bought 10 boxes Nature Valley Granola Bars @$2.50/box = $25.00
(an okay sale, not terrific, but wait...)
Extra $5.00 off for each set of 5 boxes (-$10.00)
Used 6 $0.50/1 manuf. coupons from 08/10 Gen. Mills insert (-$3.00)
My Safeway doubles coupons up to $1.00 (-$3.00)
Used 2 $1.00/1 printable here or here (-$2.00)

Total Out of Pocket $7.00 PLUS it generated a $3.50 off next purchase catalina
(Not sure why it didn't print 2 of the catalina coupons since I bought the required # of boxes, but it was still a great deal, so I'm not arguing.)

Transaction #2 (on Thursday)
Bought 5 boxes Nature Valley Granola Bars @$2.50/box = $12.50
Extra $5.00 off for each set of 5 boxes (-$5.00)
Used 5 $0.50/1 manuf. coupons from 09/07 Gen. Mills insert (-$2.50)
My Safeway doubles coupons up to $1.00 (-$2.50)

Total Out of Pocket $2.50, but it gets even better...
My understanding was this second transaction should have generated a $3.50 catalina; the printer jammed and the catalina didn't print. So, today I called Catalina Marketing, explained what happened and they are mailing my $3.50 coupon So, on this second transaction I will have MADE $1.00 for my family. I LOVE FREE MONEY!

The Safeway sale ends Sept. 30 and the Catalina deal ends Oct 5.
To get this deal you need to make your purchases before Sept. 30.
There are more items on this $5.00 off 5 Safeway list, the complete list is at MommyMakingMoney.

Thoughtful Thursday - Links that Make Us Think

Why do with Less @ OwlHaven

The Idea of Having @ Get Rich Slowly

We Spend More than $40 and That's Okay! @ Be CentsAble

Moms, Children, Guilt & Food @ Moms Need to Know