Stay-at-Home Challenge - 1 Month of Meals Planned

Yesterday I did a Pantry Inventory.  Today I was actually out of the house all day.  We went to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, returned some gifts and went to Aldi.  So, except for a few misc. items I need (I forgot yogurt and diapers) I am ready for the challenge.

I picked up a great wipe-off calendar at Wal-Mart (in the stationary dept.)  I used this to plan out our dinner meals for the month.  I also was able to note my Husband's days off and the days I will be holding classes.  I taped a few flat magnets to the back of it and it will now hang on the fridge.  It also has a place for notes at the bottom.  This will be good for noting grocery items I need to get.

I now have a whole month of dinners planned and have all the groceries I need to prepare these meals on-hand.  I will need to pick up milk, maybe eggs, salad and fruit a few times in the month - but I can make a quick trip around the corner to Aldi or CVS for those and should be able to spend less than $10 a week for the extra things we will need.

Stay-at-Home Challenge - Pantry Inventory

If you haven't read about my January Stay-at-Home Challenge go here.

So, I've been getting ready for my January Challenge, where I plan to stay home, minimize shopping,  get organized, save $, and prepare for my presentations.

Monday, I took a "Pantry Inventory".  I emptied my pantry and cleaned it with the help of my son.  It's not a big pantry, about 5 small shelves.  I threw out the things I wouldn't use - like the "Cup-of-Soup" that expired in 2005!  

Next, I wrote down the main dishes I had on hand, noting any additional items I needed to purchase to complete the dish.  I placed the items back into the pantry as I wrote them down, so I would know what was used.   (I also got rid of some of the packaging.  I put all the tea bags in one plastic container, my lentils in another. This made things easier to stack.)

I then made a list of the extra items were not being used in any of the main dishes.   (Side Dishes, canned vegetables, etc.)

Next, I did the same inventory of my freezers and refrigerator. 

My next project is to compile a list of meals and match-up side dishes with them, then make a grocery list and get the remaining items I need to complete the dish or meal.  I plan to post my meal list on my fridge and choose the meal I want for the day.  I want to make sure I have 30 dinners on hand so I will not need to do much shopping this month.

Here is a picture of my now organized and inventoried pantry.  I wish I had a before picture!  It was really messy.

Turkey Noodle Soup

If you have a leftover turkey carcass from your Christmas dinner, you can make a great big pot of Turkey Noodle Soup.  Go here to check out the step by step recipe and photos.

New Year, New Challenge

The New Year always motivates me to try to get it together.  Get the house more organized, get the finances tighter,  exercise more, eat less...  

I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish in January 2009 and I want to work on organization and de-cluttering even more around the house.  The winter is a great time to do this because who wants to leave the house anyway?  I'm not tempted to go to the Zoo or work on the flower garden.  I only want to stay home! 

Goal #1: Organize the house, minimize clutter, make the space we have work.

The second thing I want to do is to save some money.  It always seems I spend a bit more than planned over the holidays.  There are groceries I need and unexpected expenses that pop up.  So to "make-up" for some of those things I want to save as much as I can in January.   

Goal #2: Save $.

The third priority is the Savvy Saving program I am presenting starting January 20th for the IMCPL Library system. I need time to finish preparations and some evenings I will be away from home to do presentations. 

Goal #3: Time for Savvy Savings program preparation and presentation.

In order to accomplish my goals, I need time.  Time to de-clutter, organize and minimize.  Time for program preparations.  So,  I have been thinking about where I can find time and Goal #2 will actually help me to find time.

So, this is my challenge and plan for January:

Challenge

Goal #1: Organize the house, minimize clutter, make the space we have work.

Goal #2: Save $.

Goal #3: Time for Savvy Savings program preparation.

My Plan: Stay Home

To make the time to accomplish these goals, I have decided to take a "shopping and coupon break". 

This will give me extra time because:

I will not- 

get coupons, 

cut coupons,

file coupons, 

check the ads, 

pack up the kids and go to the store.  

It will save me $ because I won't shop!

It will make space and clear out clutter because I will use my stash!

How will I do this?

I plan to make a list of all the meals I can make with the items I have in the house currently and then a shopping list of the items I need to get through the month and do 1 shopping trip only. (I realize I may still need some basics weekly like milk, eggs and produce.  I should be able to get these at Aldi or CVS and these are both close and I can go without kids!

So, I am calling this the "January 2009, Stay Home Challenge", because I will only accomplish my goals if I Stay Home! I will post more as I plan my meals for the month and map out my plan of attack for organization around the house.

If you would like to join me in my "January 2009 Stay Home Challenge" leave a comment and let us know what you would like to accomplish my staying home in January.

If you have a blog, feel free to copy the logo at the top of this post and blog about what you want to accomplish by staying at home in January 09.  Just please link your post back here!

(If you would like to read the second post in this series go here.)

Sunday Meditations

Luke 2:7-11

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Free Saturday at the Munice Children's Museum 12-27-08

Just about an hour North East of Indianapolis is the Muncie Children's Museum.  This is a fun, small, family friendly museum.  It is a nice change from the very large Children's Museum of Indianapolis where we normally go.   My son loves it and asks often when we can go again!

On the last Saturday of the month the Muncie Children's Museum is FREE!  Now that gas prices aren't too bad it would make a great day out with the kids!

If you go, take a dollar (at least that's how much it was last time we went) for the gift store and your child can make a fun sand bottle to remember his day.  My son had a blast filling his bottle with fun colored sand.

Here is some information from the website:

Free Satuday at the Muncie Children's Museum

Date Range: 7/26/2008 - 12/27/2008
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Selected Date: 12/27/2008

Free Saturdays at the Muncie Children's Museum give families the opportunity to attend the MCM completely free-of-charge.


For more information call: (765) 286-1660.

Merry Christmas!

(Christmas 2007)

I hope you have all had a very nice Christmas.

If you know of any great sales happening tomorrow or this weekend, please leave a comment and let us all know.

Easy and Delicious Baked Fish

Here is a super easy and good fish recipe!  I use thawed previously frozen tilapia.  The croutons are so much better than bread crumbs for breading - you'll never use breadcrumbs again!

Easy and Delicious Baked Fish

3/4 cup crushed croutons ( I put them through the food processor for a few seconds)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 egg
1 Tbs water
1 Tbs lemon juice (I've left this out when I don't have any and it's been fine)
1 lb fresh or frozen fish fillets - thawed, (pat dry with a paper towel.)

Preheat oven 350 degrees
Cover cookie sheet with foil and spray with oil - (non-stick foil works great, but regular is fine).  A stoneware sheet is fine too but might take a bit longer to cook.

In shallow dish, combine croutons, cheese and parsley flakes, blend well.

In another shallow dish combine egg, water and lemon juice, blend well.

Cut fish into 4 inch pieces ( I usually cut large fillets in half ) Try to make fish similar in size so they bake evenly. (If all your fillets are the same size you can leave them uncut if you wish.)

Dip fish in egg mixture; coat with crouton mixture. Tuck thin ends of fish under to form pieces of uniform thickness.

Place on baking sheet. Bake in 350 over for 15 - 20 minutes,  until fish flakes easily and is not slimy looking. (Time varies due to fish size and thickness so I check by cutting one of the fillets open with a fork, when it looks done.)

We really like to eat this with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Note: I crush the whole bag of croutons in my food processor and store what I don't use in a sealed container.  It makes it easier and less work to make the fish the next time!

12 Free Days of Christmas in Indy

Wednesday, Dec. 24

On the 12th FREE day of Christmas in Indy, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis gives to you … the unforgettable experience of Jolly Days. Enjoy traditional holiday favorites such as the Yule Slide, Jingles the Jolly Bear and visits with Santa (and since this is Christmas Eve, it’s a chance to have Santa fill those last-minute orders). The Snow Castle provides a toddler-size version of the Yule Slide. Try your ice-fishing skills or visit the Cookie Café to warm up your imagination with lots of cookie fun! Free parking.

Here are some more upcoming free days at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis:

Free Days:
December 24, 2008 — Christmas Eve (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
January 19, 2009 — MLK Day
February 16, 2009 — Presidents Day
April 26, 2009 — El Dia de Los Niños

Go here to read more.

Menu Planning Monday

I took a week off the normal Menu Planning Monday post last week,  because I have family visiting.  Since I do need to think through the meals for this week, so I can avoid going to the grocery store unnecessarily,  here is my menu. 

Come back Tuesday and get the recipe for the easy and really delicious baked fish.  This is one of my 5 year old son's favorite dinners.  (And he is a very pick eater!)

Monday:  Italian Beef and Lentil Stew (Crock pot)

Tuesday: Baked Fish 

Wednesday: Chicken Parmesan w/ spaghetti

Thursday: Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Rolls, Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole Homemade Cheesecake.

Friday: Turkey Noodle Soup or leftovers.

Saturday: Turkey Leftovers (soup, turkey croquettes or turkey ala king)

Sunday: More Turkey Leftovers of some kind

If you want more menu planning ideas go here.

12 Free Days of Christmas in Indy

Monday, Dec. 22 On the 10th FREE day of Christmas in Indy, the Indiana State Museum gives to you … a trip through the imaginary town of Celebration Crossing aboard the "Santa Claus Express" train. The kiddies can visit with Santa in his cozy home for photo or stop by his workshop, while the adults reminisce of holidays past while looking at the moving figurines in the replicated L.S. Ayres store windows. To Read more about the 12 Free Days of Christmas in Indy go here. To find out more about the Indiana State Museum go here.

Sunday Meditations

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, 

unto us a son is given: 

and the government shall be upon his shoulder: 

and his name shall be called 

Wonderful, 

Counsellor, 

The mighty God, 

The everlasting Father, 

The Prince of Peace.

Saturday Deals and Events - Indianapolis 12/20/08

Do you know of any great sales going on in Indianapolis this weekend?  Leave a comment and let everyone know.  

I have been contacted by Meijer and offered exclusive sales information for your enjoyment! So here are some weekend sales that they are offering:

Food deals (Prices change slightly based on location):

·         $1.79/lb for Thorn Apple Valley Spiral Sliced Ham

·         $8 off Meijer, Butterball or HoneySuckle Grade A Frozen Hen Turkeys

·         $15 off Meijer, Butterball or HoneySuckle Grade A Frozen Tom Turkeys

·         $2 off Meijer Vitamin C

·         $3 off Meijer Kids MultiVitamins

 

General Merchandise Deals:

·         Santa Bucks 3 Days Only! (May use multiple Santa Buck Coupons)

o   $4 off item $19.97

o   $6 off item $29.97

o   $8 off item $39.97

o   $10 off item $49.97

o   $12 off item $59.97

o   $14 off item $69.97

o   $16 off item $79.97

o   $20 off item $99.97

Ad deals are good through Dec 24^th.  

The Meijer Bucks are good Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.

Don't forget to check the Meijer Mealbox for additional coupons!

If you would like to see the Meijer Ad look here.

12 Free Days of Christmas in Indy

Don't forget about the free activities going on until Christmas!  Here are a few highlights for the next few days.

Friday, Dec. 19 On the seventh FREE day of Christmas in Indy, the Indiana Historical Society gives to you … a stroll through the “Holidays in the Heartland” display, where you’ll enjoy vignettes about Indiana Santas, holiday food traditions, Christmas tree decorations past and present, and winters in the Midwest. Anyone who has seen the classic film, “A Christmas Story,” will remember the infamous leg lamp. You can buy one just like it at the Basile History Market, along with all kinds of made-in-Indiana products. Free parking.

Saturday, Dec. 20 On the eighth FREE day of Christmas in Indy, the Indiana Medical History Museum gives to you … a tour of the nation’s oldest surviving pathology laboratory (1-3 p.m.). Home to many interesting specimens, the building originally provided physicians in the late 1800s with state-of-the-art facilities to study mental and nervous disorders. Today, the museum uses its more than 15,000 artifacts to educate visitors about the developments that have made today’s advanced medical treatments possible. If you would like to read more go here.

Cracker Barrel 50% off Christmas Sale

We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast this morning with my parents and found they were having a great sale on their Christmas items.  There were many nice items for 50% and 60% off.   

There were also some non-Christmas clothing items that were 70% off.

My poor dad - he thought he was going to get to go out to eat and here we had him shopping. He's a good sport though and even carried the bags.

We went to the Cracker Barrel right off I-65 in Southport.  You might want to call your local store to find out if they have the same sale before you go there.

You can find your local store here.

ArtsCow

Have you heard about ArtsCow?  It is an online photo service, like Snapfish or Kodak.  You can order photos, make Photobooks and they have tons of other novelty gift items like mugs, calendars, watches, key chains and more that  you can personalize with photos and order. 

I ordered some personalized items and was very happy with them.  ( I can't say what they were because my relatives might find out what one of their gifts are!)

If you sign up here for a new ArtsCow account you will receive:

"1200 free prints credits & 3 8"x8" photo books & other great photo gifts credits" 

They send you tons of credits for free items.  I just was sent a credit for 12 free Photobooks !  I only pay shipping ($7.99) for the Photobooks that I order.

I have been given 10 coupons from ArtsCow that I can give away.  With the coupon, you can buy a 30 page 8x8 Photobook for $11.99 with FREE SHIPPING!  That is an $11.00 savings.  I love Photobooks.  They are so much easier and faster than scrapbooking.  You can put one together in an evening and they are a great way to show your photos or celebrate an event.

If you sign up for an ArtsCow account and you would like to use one of the 10  Photobook coupon codes, let me know and I will send one to you (while they are available).  I only have 10 codes and they must be used by Jan 31st 2009.  You can email me at Frugalindy@gmail.com or leave a comment with your email address and I will contact you.

Meijer MealBox

Did you know that Meijer has coupons available on their website? 

You can print them from the Meijer Mealbox above.  

To Print Meijer Coupons:

1. Click on Specials.

2. You should see a list of coupons.

3. Click on the image of the coupon you want to print.

4. Click on Print - on the right side of the box.

5. A pop-up should open with the coupon to print.

6. Select Print.

Note:  I use Safari Browser and can not print from it.  I have to open my Explorer browser to print.

I have found some very good coupon to combine with sales at Meijer.  These coupons do not double, but they can be combined with manufacturer coupons.

I have also found lately that different Meijer stores double coupons differently.  The Meijer on East Washington Street, Indianapolis will double coupons up to $.50 and above $.50 it will take it up to  $1.00.  (ie.  a $.75 coupon gets another $.25 added to it.  

I believe the Southport Meijer only doubles up to $.50 and nothing else.  What does the Meijer near you do?

12 Free Days of Christmas in Indy

Tuesday, Dec. 16 On the fourth FREE day of Christmas in Indy, the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home gives to you … the opportunity to see inside the home of Indiana’s most beloved poet, James Whitcomb Riley, dressed up in its holiday splendor. Located in downtown’s historic Lockerbie Square neighborhood, Riley resided here for 23 years and produced many of his more than 1,000 poems, including “Little Orphan Annie,” while living in the home.  Also, stop by the Indianapolis Artsgarden, adjacent to Circle Centre mall, for the Mistletoe Music Festival, a showcase of local bands and choirs performing holiday favorites. Free parking. For More about the 12 Free Days of Christmas go Here.

Sunday Meditations

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

.

2007

2008

Saturday Deals and Events - Indianapolis 12/13/08

Don't forget that today starts the 12 Free Days of Christmas in Indy with Free Admission to the Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.  You can read my post about it here.

If you haven't started giving away free $10 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates, go here to find out how.

And somehow, I never left the Thrifty Thursday post,  so if you have any great sales you know about this weekend please leave it here in the comments.

Lowe's Build and Grow -Gingerbread Houses

This Saturday 12/13/08 is Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic.  They are scheduled to make Gingerbread Houses. You can go online to register here.

Free Classic Audio Books

Did you know that you can download free audio books in mp3 and m4b (iPod) format?  If you go to here you can find several that your children will like. 

I downloaded Heidi yesterday and "Davy Crockett" listened very happily while he played in the living room for several hours.  He loves to listen to stories and I was happy to find a free source for some classic books.

There are other great books available including:

The King James Bible 

Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan 

Treasure Island  by  R. L. Stevenson

White Fang by Jack London

Emma by Jane Austen 

The Wind in the Willows  by Kenneth Grahame

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 

You can download the chapters individually or you can choose to download the complete book.  

LibriVox also has free audio books.  You can check them out here.

Tumblebooks has some great online books for kids.  I would let you know, however, that some of the books are for older kids or deal with subjects I did not want my son to read about, so I selected the ones I liked and added them very easily to "Favorites"  and then he could look at any books in the "Favorites".  He enjoys that site a lot.

To use Tumblebooks go here and you will see the Tumblebooks logo about half way down the webpage.  You can just click on it and have fun!

If you know of a free source of downloadable books let us know!

Feed It Forward - Give Free Restaurant Gift Certificates

Here is a great program offered by Restaurants.com.   You can give your family and friends $10 Restaurant.com gift certificates - for FREE!  

Go on the Feed It Forward website and do a simple registration (no credit card needed).  You then enter up to 3 email addresses and the recipient will receive a personal message from you and a free $10 Restaurants.com Gift Certificate.  

The recipient can then go onto the Restaurant.com website and choose from thousands of restaurants and redeem the certificate.

You can give away 3 free gift certificates every day until Christmas!

Here is some information taken directly from the Restaurants.com website.

As the nation’s leading website for restaurants and restaurant gift certificates, Restaurant.com connects restaurant seekers and food lovers to savings at more than 9,000 restaurants nationwide. Restaurant.com’s Feed It Forward™ will donate $30 million in free restaurant gift certificates – over 30 days – and allow you to treat friends, family, and colleagues —anyone deserving—to savings on a great meal out. When you Feed It Forward™, you have the opportunity, every day for 30 days, to enrich lives by giving the gift of meals and memories. Now until Christmas, you simply choose whom to give to, and we take care of the rest. Each person that receives a gift through the giving site can help Feed it Forward™, by giving free restaurant gift certificates to others.

To give away some free gift certificates go here.

12 Free Days of Christmas in Indy

This Saturday, Dec. 13th, is the first of the 12 Free Days of Christmas in Indy.  There are some great things to do this year.  Here are a few of the highlights from the first few days.  For a complete list you can go here.

Saturday, Dec. 13 On the first FREE day of Christmas in Indy, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum gives to you … an up-close view of Indy’s auto racing history and heritage, including the Indianapolis 500. For the race fan in your family, this is indeed a holiday treat. This National Historic Landmark has approximately 75 cars on display at all times, including the 1911 race-winning Marmon "Wasp." An extensive trophy collection, including the famed Borg-Warner Trophy with winning drivers’ faces sculpted into the side, and other artifacts are also on display. Free parking.

Tuesday, Dec. 16 On the fourth FREE day of Christmas in Indy, the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home gives to you … the opportunity to see inside the home of Indiana’s most beloved poet, James Whitcomb Riley, dressed up in its holiday splendor. Located in downtown’s historic Lockerbie Square neighborhood, Riley resided here for 23 years and produced many of his more than 1,000 poems, including “Little Orphan Annie,” while living in the home.  Also, stop by the Indianapolis Artsgarden, adjacent to Circle Centre mall, for the Mistletoe Music Festival, a showcase of local bands and choirs performing holiday favorites. Free parking.

Menu Planning Monday

How the weeks are flying by so quickly!  Only 3 & 1/2 weeks left in 2008 and 2 & 1/2 weeks until Christmas and it seems like there is much to be done yet!

This week I am trying to finish up some projects around the house and get ready for a visit from my parents who will stop here for a few weeks before they make their 2nd Annual Winter Pilgrimage to warm and sunny Florida.

The "To Do" list is very long this week, so I've tried to plan some easy meals - but I'm also trying to do a bit ahead so I don't have to cook every night they are here.

Monday:  Beef and Lentil Slow Cooker Stew

Tuesday: Tuna Burgers and Baked Potatoes (& make extra Tuna Burgers ahead to freeze)

Wednesday: Spaghetti (make big batch of sauce to freeze for next week)

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Pizza (make extra individual size crusts and freeze)

Saturday: Cook up 20 lb. turkey (on sale at Target .79/ lb.)  Turkey and ?

Sunday: Turkey sandwiches

If you stop back Wednesday, I am planning to share my recipe for  Tuna Burgers.  If you like crab cakes, you should like these.   I am planning to make a big batch of them up and freeze them so they are ready for quick and easy dinners.

If you want more menu planning ideas check here.