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31 Ways to Save in 2011: Menu Planning

January 2, 2011 by

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Next to creating and sticking to a budget, which I discussed in this post yesterday, menu planning is the greatest recommendation I have when people are looking for ways to cut their spending.

I started getting serious about menu planning about two years ago.   It took some time to get used to in the beginning, but it has definitely been worth it.  Before I started menu planning, I would often get home from work too tired to even think about cooking and since I didn’t have a plan in mind, it was easier to just resort to fast food.  Now that we’re menu planning, I am spending less money overall because we are not eating out as much and because we are using the food that we have.  I’ve cut my spending for eating out and grocery shopping to 1/3 of what it was when I was starting out!  I also love that we have time together as a family each night to talk about our day.  Research has shown the kids who eat with their families on a regular basis have higher grades in school and are less likely to take drugs.  It also is an important contributing factor in younger children’s language development!

Here are some times to help you get started with menu planning:

1.  Make a list of your favorite family meals ~ Sit down as a family and let everyone share a few of their favorite meals.  Make a list of everyone’s ideas so that you have something to start with!  You’ll be amazed at how quickly the ideas come.

2.  Don’t be afraid to try new things ~ Since I started menu planning, I have really enjoyed trying new recipes and finding things to add to our list of favorite meals!  I like to try at least one new recipe each week to avoid getting in a cooking “rut.”  Browsing recipe blogs, cookbooks, and other online resources really helps with this.

Here are some of my favorite blogs for dinner inspiration:

All Recipes – You can search for recipes by category or search by the ingredients you have.  When I need some inspiration, this site is always a great resource!

A Year of Slow Cooking – I would be lost without my crockpot and this blog has some great recipes! She spent an entire year cooking every day in her crockpot! If you’re looking for gluten free recipes, so has tons! I got her cookbook for Christmas and love it!

Favorite Family Recipes – Lots of great family friendly ideas!

On My Menu – When I get in a “rut” and am looking for new ideas, Marci’s blog is always an inspiration for me. Plus, there are great pictures and our kids are similar ages, so I figure if her kids like a recipe, mine will probably like it too!

Our Best Bites – Our two favorites so far from this site are the Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork and the Spicy Honey Chicken. These recipes are practical and family friendly!

The Menu Planning Monday posts at orgjunkie.com are also a great resource because you can browse hundreds of meal plans each week!

Here are some of my favorite cookbooks right now:

The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook:  200 Recipes for Quick, Nourishing Meals that Are Easy On the Budget and a Snap to Prepare (I love this book because the recipes are practical and she makes suggestions for side dishes, too – she has a new book:  The $5 Dinner Mom Breakfast and Lunch Cookbook that I want to check out, too)

The $7 a Meal Slow Cooker Cookbook:  301 Inexpensive Meals the Whole Family Will Love

Biggest Loser Family Cookbook:  Budget Friendly Meals Your Whole Family Will Love

3.  When planning for the week, consider what you have on hand and browse your weekly grocery store ads to see what is on sale ~ I meal plan one week at a time using this method, which helps to cut down my grocery expenses.  I usually sit down and plan for the upcoming week on Friday nights or Saturday mornings before I go grocery shopping so that my shopping list is based on the meals we are having during the upcoming week.  Using this method helps me to rotate my stockpile and since I’m using items from my stockpile, I’m also spending less at the grocery store.

4.  Plan a variety of meals ~ Plan a variety of meals each week rotating beef, chicken, pork, and pasta.  Sometimes, we also have “theme” nights such as taco bar, potato bar, or breakfast for dinner.  Planning a variety, keeps meal planning fun and helps you to avoid burn-out.

Here are some printable worksheets to help you with your menu planning: (all are free!)

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu planning form (includes room for a grocery list)

Printable Excel template menu planners (includes weekly and monthly worksheets)

Printable Weekly menu planner (includes room for a grocery list)

5.  Be flexible and figure out what works for you ~ Your menu plan is just a guide.  It doesn’t have to be an absolute.  Sometimes what you have planned for Thursday sounds better on Tuesday and that’s OK.  Some people don’t even menu plan for specific days.  They just come up with options for the whole week.  I usually do all of my meal prep work before I go to work (putting everything in the slow cooker if I’m using it that day or cutting up meat, veggies, etc. so I just have to cook it all when I get home), so things go quickly once I get home.  Even during the summer, I like to do my prep work early in the morning, so I’m not as stressed trying to put dinner together in the evenings since that’s the time of day when my kids seem to go crazy!

If you’re looking for inspiration to help you get started with your menu planning, check out my weekly Menu Planning Monday posts!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: 31 ways to save in 2011 Tagged With:

CVS deals for the week of 1/2-1/8

January 2, 2011 by

If you are new to shopping at CVS and would like some tips, check out this article here and here.  If you earned quarterly ECBs (2% of your OOP spending from 9-15 through 12-15 or $1 for every 2 prescriptions), they started printing yesterday!  You can print them from your account online, from the scanners in the stores, or they will print on your receipt.

If you need coupons for your “deals” I recommend My Coupon Hunter!

Tag your reusable bag: Buy a Greenbag tag for $.99 at the register, get $1 ECB every 4th visit – limit 1 use per day, per household

If you haven’t already, register your CVS Extra Care card here and you should receive a $4 off a $20 purchase coupon in your e-mail. This also registers you to receive other e-mail coupons!

FREEBIES:

Spend $20 on any Excedrin products, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Free Excedrin coupons (from home mailers, up to $5.99/each, if you signed up for them)
$2.50/1 Excedrin PM – 12-5 SS
$1/1 Excedrin – 12-5 SS

SCENARIO:
Buy 4 24 ct Excedrin Migraine or Extra Strength (depending on what coupons you have) – $5.49/each (I know the online pricing is less, but this is what they are priced at in my store, so YMMV on pricing)

Use 4 Free coupons

Spend $0 OOP, get a $10 ECB

SCENARIO:
Buy 4 24 ct Excedrin PM – $5.49/each

Use 4 $2.50 coupons

Spend $11.96, get a $10 ECB
Final Price = $1.96 after coupons/ECBs

Spend $10 on these Listerine, Rembrandt, or Reach products, get a $5 ECB (limit 2 per household)
-Listerine Total Care, Zero, Advanced, or Smart Rinse – $5
$1/1 Listerine Smart Rinse printable
-Listerine Whitening or Rembrandt – $7
$3/1 Rembrandt printable
-Reach Total Care toothbrush or floss – $3
BOGO free Reach toothbrushes – 10-10 RP
$2/1 Reach dental floss – 10-10 RP
$1/1 Reach floss or toothbrush – 10-10 RP

SCENARIO:
Buy 1 Rembrandt – $7
Buy 1 Reach Total Care floss – $3

Use $3 Rembrandt printable 
Use $2 Reach coupon

Spend $5 OOP, get a $5 ECB
Final Price = free after coupons/ECBs

Buy 2 Revlon cosmetics or beauty tools, get a $7 ECB (limit 1 per household)
*Revlon nail clippers are priced at $2.99
$1/1 Revlon beauty tools printable (this is a manufacturer’s coupon with a Target logo) – no longer available 🙁 (hopefully you got one before they were gone)

SCENARIO:
Buy 2 Revlon nail clippers – $2.99/each

Use 2 $1/1 printable coupons

Spend $3.98 OOP, get a $7 ECB
Final Price = $3.02 moneymaker!

ECB DEALS:

Spend $25 on these items, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
-Angel Soft big roll bath tissue (24 ct)
$.50/1 Angel Soft printable
$.50/1 Angel Soft – 11-14 RP2
-Nabisco Chips Ahoy, Lorna Doone, or Nilla Wafers – 2/$5
-Planters mixed nuts, whole cashews, Nut-rition, or smoked almonds – 2/$7
-Quilted Northern Soft & Strong or Ultra Plush bathroom tissue (12 ct)
-Sparkle paper towels (8 ct)
-Wisk laundry detergent (26-32 loads) – 2/$10
$2/1 Wisk laundry detergent – 1-2 RP

SCENARIO:
Buy 5 Wisk – $5/each

Use 5 $2 coupons

Spend $15 OOP, get a $10 ECB
Final Price = $5 after coupons/ECBs ($1 each!)

Buy Alli starter kit (90 ct) – $49.99 or Alli refill pack (120 ct) – $59.99, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $39.99-$49.99 after ECBs

Spend $25 on these Aveeno products, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
-Aveeno body wash or lotion – $6
-Aveeno shampoo or conditioner – $6.49
-Aveeno lotion, oil, cream, bath treatment, cleanser, scrub, or pads – $7
-Aveeno moisturizing lotion or cream – $10
-Aveeno ultra calming or Positively Radiant Facial Moisturizer – $15
Fnial Price – varies

Buy Boost regular or high protein 6 pk – $5.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$1.50/1 Boost – 11-14 RP
Final Price = $3.49 after coupon/ECBs

Buy Colgate Total, MaxWhite, or MaxFresh – $2.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$1/1 Colgate Total toothpaste – 1-2 SS
Final Price = $.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Colgate manual single pack toothbrushes – $2.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$1/2 Colgate toothbrushes – 1-2 SS
Final Price = $1.49 each after coupons/ECBs

Buy any Conair appliance, get a $5 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price – varies

Buy CoverGirl Lip Perfection or NatureLuxe products, get a $2 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 CoverGirl product – 12-26 SS
Final Price = $4.99/each after coupons/ECBs

Buy Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal (14 ct), 3D White 2 hour Express (4 ct), Stain Shield, Vivid, Gentle Routine, Professional Effects (10-28 ct), get a $10 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$5/1 Crest 3D White Professional Effects – 12-26 PG
$7/1 Crest 3D Pro Effects Whitestrips – 12-12 RP
Final Price – varies

Buy CVS Pharmacy Stop Smoking Aid – $29.99, get a $7 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $22.99 after ECBs

Buy Depend Underwear, briefs, guards, or shields – $11.99, get a $2 ECB (limit 5 per household)
$3/1 Depend underwear – 12-12 SS
$2/1 Depend underwear – 12-12 SS
Final Price = $6.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Extra or Extra Dessert Delights gum (15 ct) – 3/$2, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $1 after ECBs
Buy GE Energy Smart (40, 60, 75, or 100 watt equivalent, 1 ct) – $3.99, get a $2 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 GE lightbulbs – 11-21 SS
Final Price = $.99 after coupon/ECBs

Spend $10 on these Glade products, get a $3 ECB (limit 1 per household)
-Glade Air freshener – $1
-Glade Scented Oil Plug-ins refills (2 ct) – $4
$1/2 Glade Scented Oil refill pack – 12-5 SS
$1/2 Glade Scented Oil refills printable
-Glade Sense & Spray, Plug-ins Lasting Impressions, Fragrance Collection Reed diffuser, or Soy candle – $6
$3/1 Glade Lasting Impressions printable
-Glade Sense & Spray refill, Relaxing Moments Spray, Scented Oil refill, Essential Oils (4 oz) or Soy-based candle (2 oz) – 2/$5
$1/1 Glade Premium room spray – 12-5 RP$1.50/1 Glade automatic spray refill printable

SCENARIO:
Buy 2 Glade Lasting Impressions – $6/each

Use 2 $3 Glade printables

Spend $6 OOP, get a $3 ECB
Final Price = $3 after coupons/ECBs ($1.50/each)

Spend $35 on Select Healthy Skin Care products, get a $10 ECB (limit 5 per household)
Final Price – varies

Buy Huggies jumbo pack diapers, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Overnites, or Little Movers jeans – $8.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$2.50/1 Huggies Little Snugglers printable
$2/1 Pull-Ups printable
Final Price = $5.49 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Mini Wheats, Special K, Nutrigrain bars, or Fiber Plus bars – 3/$10, get a $4 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$.70/1 Kellogg’s Raisin Bran cereal printable (must log in to print)
$1/2 Kellogg’s NutriGrain bars printable (must log in to print)
$1/2 Frosted Mini Wheats (must log in to print)

SCENARIO:
Buy 1 Raisin Bran and 2 Frosted Mini Wheats or NutriGrain bars – 3/$10

Use $.70/1 Raisin Bran coupon
Use $1/2 Frosted Mini Wheats or Nutrigrain bars coupon

Spend $8.30 OOP, get a $4 ECB
Final Price = $4.30 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Kudos, Planters, or South Beach Living bars – 4/$10, get a $4 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 South Beach bars printable
$1/1 Planters Big Nut bars – 1-2 SS
Final Price = 4/$2 after coupons/ECBs ($.50/each)

Spend $30 on L’Oreal skin, hair care, or hair color products, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
-L’Oreal Advanced RevitaLift, Age Perfect moisturizer, or Collagen Moisture filler – $12
$2/1 L’Oreal skincare product – 1-2 RP
$2/1 L’Oreal facial moisturizer – 11-14 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal skincare product – 10-24 RP
$3/2 L’Oreal skincare product – 10-24 RP
-L’Oreal Age Perfect, RevitaLift, Go 360 Clean, Skin Genesis cleanser, or towelettes – $6
$2/1 L’Oreal skincare -1-2 RP
$1/1 L’oreal facial cleanser – 11-14 RP
$3/2 L’Oreal skincare product – 10-24 RP
-L’Oreal Root Rescue or Feria hair color – $7
$1/1 L’Oreal Root Rescue product – 10-24 RP, 1-2 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal haircolor – 1-2 RP
-L’Oreal EverSleek, EverPure, or EverStrong shampoo/conditioner/treatment – $6
$1/1 L’Oreal shampoo/conditioner – 1-2 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal treatment products – 1-2 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal EverStrong – 10-24 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal EverPure – 10-24 RP
Final Price – varies

Spend $20 on Nexxus shampoo, conditioner, or styler, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = varies

Buy Nicoderm CQ, Nicorette, or Commit – $39.99, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $29.99 after ECBs

Buy Playtex Gentle Glide or sport tampons – $7.99, get a $3 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $4.99 after ECBs

Buy 2 Polident, Poligrip, or Biotene, get a $3 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$1/1 Polident – 1-2 RP
$1/1 Poligrip – 1-2 RP

SCENARIO: 
Buy 2 Polident tablets – $4.29

Use 2 $1/1 Polident coupons

Spend $6.58 OOP, get a $3 ECB
Final Price = $3.58 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Prilosec OTC – $24.99, get a $7 ECB (limit 3 per household)
$7/2 Prilosec – 12-26 PG
$3/1 Prilosec – 12-26 PG
$25 Mastercard WYB 2 Prilosec OTC MIR printable

SCENARIO:
Buy 2 Prilosec OTC – $24.99/each

Use $7/2 Prilosec coupon

Spend $42.98 OOP, get a $14 ECB
Submit for MIR, get $25 Mastercard
Final Price after coupons/MIR/ECBs = $3.98 ($1.99/each)

Buy Starbucks coffee (12 oz) or VIA Ready Brew instant coffee (8 ct) – $6.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 Starbucks VIA Ready Brew printable (this is a Smartsource coupon)
$1/1 Starbucks VIA – 11-21 SS
$1/1 Starbucks coffee – 11-21 SS
Final Price = $4.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Tums (60-150 ct) – $3.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 Tums printable
Final Price = $1.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Tylenol Precise pain relieving cream, stick or heat patch – $5.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$2/1 Tylenol Precise – 12-12 RP
Final Price = $2.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy University Medical Face Lift product – $24.99, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $14.99 after ECBs

BOGO FREE DEALS:
*Atkins Advantage shakes
*Azo products
*Campbell’s chicken noodle soup or Swanson’s chicken broth
*Culturelle Probiotic
*CVS Pharmacy vitamins
*CVS vitamins, minerals, or herbal supplements
*Emerald dry roasted or coca roast almonds
*Ester-C
*Filippo Berio olive oil
*Flex-a-min
*Hidden Valley Ranch or Kraft salad dressings
*Marvel kids gummies
*Nature’s Bounty
*Osteo Bi-Flex
*Viactiv calcium chews

TRANSACTION #1:

Buy 2 Revlon nail clippers – $2.99/each

Use 2 $1/1 printable coupons

Spend $3.98 OOP, get a $7 ECB

TRANSACTION #2:
Buy 1 Rembrandt toothpaste – $7
Buy 1 Reach Total Care dental floss – $3
Buy 1 Colgate Total toothpaste – $2.99

Use $3 Rembrandt coupon
Use $2 Reach coupon
Use $1 Colgate coupon
Use $7 ECB (adjusted down to $6.99)

Spend $0 OOP, get a $3 ECB and a $1 ECB

TRANSACTION #3:
Buy 1 GE Energy Smart light bulb – $3.99
Buy 3 Extra gum – $2

Use $1 GE coupon
Use $3 and $1 ECB

Spend $.99 OOP, get a $2 ECB and a $1 ECB

If you have a $4/20
Buy 2 Revlon nail clippers – $2.99/each
Buy 1 Rembrandt toothpaste – $7
Buy 1 Reach floss – $3
Buy 1 Colgate Total – $2.99
Buy 3 Extra gum – $2

Use $4/20 CVS coupon
Use 2 $1 Revlon coupons
Use $3 Rembrandt coupon
Use $2 Reach coupon
Use $1 Colgate coupon

Spend $8.97 OOP, earn a $7 ECB (Revlon), $5 ECB (Rembrandt/Reach), 2 $1 ECBs (Colgate/Extra)

MY PLAN (I am starting with a $9.99 ECB):

TRANSACTION #1:
Buy 4 Excedrin Migraine – $5.49
Buy 2 Revlon nail clippers – $2.99
Buy 2 Colgate Total – $2.99
Buy 3 Extra – $2

Use 4 Exedrin free coupons
Use 2 $1 Revlon coupons
Use 2 $1 Colgate coupons
Use $9.99 ECB (adjusted to $9.96)

Spend $0 OOP, earn a $10 ECB, $7 ECB, $2 ECB, and $1 ECB

TRANSACTION #2:
Buy 5 Wisk – $5 each
Buy 1 GE light bulb – $3.99

Use 5 $2 Wisk coupons
Use $1 GE coupon
Use $10 ECB, $7 ECB, $1 ECB (adjusted to $.99)

Spend $0 OOP, earn a $10 ECB and a $2 ECB (plus there is a $2 ECB left to spend)



Frequently asked questions:

Do you really do multiple transactions at your stores?

In the past, I usually had $20-30 ECB on hand, so I didn’t have to break up my transactions as much as I did when I first started, but now that I am starting over, yes, I am doing multiple transactions. If you are doing multiple transactions, I recommend that you let the cashier know up front that is what you are planning to do. If there are several people in line, let them go in between your transactions. This gives you time to clip your ECBs and get prepared for your next transaction.

My store was out of all the freebie items first thing this morning. Can I get a raincheck?

This all depends on your store. I have contacted corporate about this before because some stores in my area give rainchecks and others won’t. According to corporate, this is up to the individual stores.

I bought the wrong item or I bought the RIGHT item and my ECB didn’t print. What can I do?

If you bought the right item, show the store clerk your ad and your receipt. They should be able to manually print your ECB at the store. If they don’t know how, you can call customer service and they can add one to your account that will print within 48 hours (you have to wait 48 hours from your purchase time to do this so they can “see” your transaction in their computer).

If you bought the wrong item and didn’t receive ECBs, you can do a return and purchase the correct item. If you paid using ECBs, they will have to give you money on a gift card.   

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: Scenario Sunday Tagged With:

Free Savings Tracker!

January 2, 2011 by

I posted this in my 31 Ways to Save in 2011 post yesterday, but in case you missed it and you’re looking for a way to track your coupon savings this year, there is a free downloadable spreadsheet here.  I have tried to do this in the past, but usually don’t make it through the first month because I always forget to enter receipts!  I’m hoping to do better this year, especially since you can download it as a Google Doc now!  There are other free downloadable savings spreadsheets out there, but I really like this one because it lets you account for your rebates, too!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: freebies

Two HOT new printables: $1/2 Capri Sun and $1/1 Kraft salad dressing! – GONE ALREADY! :(

January 2, 2011 by

There are two new HOT printables that you will want to print quickly because I can pretty much guarantee they’ll be gone by the end of the day (if they make it that long!)


Click here to print the following coupons:


$1/2 Capri Sun


$1/1 Kraft salad dressing


The Kraft salad dressing is BOGO free at CVS this week.  The Capri Sun is on sale for $1.78 this week at Kroger (which isn’t the “best” deal because I think that’s close to the regular price at Walmart – I’ve seen it go as low as $1.40.  With kids starting back to school this week and sports starting back up soon, too, hopefully we’ll see some good deals on the Capri Sun!

(Thanks Coupon Katarina!)

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: printable coupons

Disney Movie Rewards: new 50 point code!

January 2, 2011 by

If you are a Disney Movie Rewards member, you can get 50 free points by logging into your account and entering the code D11M20R01NY.

If you haven’t entered the code COOL yet, you can also get 50 points for that one!

If you haven’t joined Disney Movie Rewards yet, it’s completely free and all you have to do is enter codes from the Disney movies thaty you buy (they are inside the boxes).  The points that you earn can be redeemed for free merchandise!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: