Dollhouses are not for dolls........

The girlies got this gorgeous dollhouse from Uncle Duane & Aunt Misty for Christmas this year. They also got their daddy to let them have a kitty as long as they name it Galyeon. (sigh)

Well the girls decided that Gal needed a home more than their dolls did. For a better part of the day baby Gal has spent his time in this house, (and the roof too until they figured out a way to reach him).

Luckily he is a good sport and we have minor scratches.

$20.57 at Country Mart

Just a pic. I must go rescue our new baby kitten. The girls seem to think he's not an animal at all, but a thing that must live in their new dollhouse.

Total after coupons $20.57
and I'm adding this to Jan. totals since it will all be cooked in the new year.

I got to shop at Aldi's! Yay!!

We went to see one of my MIL's this Saturday and she lives where there is an Aldi's! Yay! I wasn't able to get everything on my list for the next 2 weeks that I'll be off with the kiddo's, but I got a lot of it. Here is the pic of Aldi's. We spent $48.26.

We still have a few things to get from Wal-mart for some of the yummy appetizers I'm making for 2 Christmas get together s we're going to.

Country Mart Deals

My cashier did not seem too happy about the great deals I got, but oh well. I had saved the Vlasic pickle coupon a while back since it was a PDF file and I've gotten to use plenty of them this month.

7 Vlasic pickles on sale $2 - 7/$1 MC doubled = FREE
3 Betty Crocker cookie pouches $2.19 - 3/.75 MC doubled = .69 each
Orville Redenbacher Popcorn $2.99 -$1 MC doubled =.99
Kotex pantyliner $1.09 - .75MC doubled = FREE
Kotex pads $2.85 - $1 doubled = .85
Pillsbury cresent rolls $2.29 - .25 Mc =$1.79 (not great, but I needed it and still cheaper than store brand)
Best Choice cream cheese sale .99

Total before coupons -$33.58
Total after $7.49

Wags Deals

2 Sure Deodorant on sale $2.50 -$1.50 each WC then -2/$1 MC =FREE
2 Arm and Hammer Laundry Detergent $6.99 each -store coupon for each at $1.99 then -2/$1 MC = .99 each
3 toys for 13.98 (this was a filler and Christmas present)
Ornament 1.99 (filler and present for Secret pal)

Total before coupons $38.01
Total after coupons $21.40
Total after Wags gift card $17.98
- $5 RR towards next purchase =$12.98 OOP

My Goodwill Find

On a whim I decided to go to Goodwill before picking up oldest DD from school. I wandered over to the purses and found this! A Genna de Rossi handbag! These normaly sell at JCP for $60-$85. It is the exact size and color I wanted too. It didn't have tags but it is in perfect condition. No kidding this is exactly what I asked for for Christmas. And the best part-the price tag $6!

Saved $24 at Wal-Mart

Okay we got a few "extras" that we probably didn't need, but my DH eats 2-3 snacks after the girls and I go to bed and can't seem to break this habit so we go thru a lot of snack stuff.

Here's what I got with coupons

3 Nestle Hot Chocolate $1.00 -3/.50 MC =.50 each
7 Vlasic pickles & peppers $1.00-$1.99 - 7/$1 MC =Free-.99 each
5 pkg Ouchless hair ponys $2.28 - 5/$2 MC =.28 each
3 Johnson buddies .97 -$3/3 MC=Free
SBDiet Pizza $2.50- 1.00Mc =$1.50
Yoplait Yogurt drink $2.50 - $1.50 MC= $1.00
STeamer corn $1 - .60 MC =.40 -thats cheaper than canned!
Energizer batteries $6 -$1MC =$5 not cheap but we really needed them

Other stuff we got that was not on sale-Ramen noodles, bread, Pop tarts, carrots, canned raviolis & spaghetti o's, ketchup, Qtips, Oatmeal creme pies.

Total before coupons $60.71
Total after coupons $36.79

This will defiantly make us thru the week and then some

Menu Monday

I am so busy this week, but I'm trying to cook anyway. Monday I have a school board meeting, and Tuesday is a ball game and we still are trying to decide if we're going out of town for a birthday party or staying because of a big church event. Argh! Well, anyway here it is.

Breakfasts- Cereal w/ cold milk
Homemade Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread
Bagelfuls
Oatmeal w/ milk

Lunch-Me-Frozen Dinners
DH-Ramen, Mac n Cheese cups, or Soup
DD- Peanut Butter sandwiches, Lunchables, or Hot dogs

Dinner- Sunday-Tater Tot Casserole
Monday-Ham, Bean, Carrot Soup, Crackers, Cheese
Tuesday-Eat at Ballgame or sandwiches on the way there
Wednesday-Stromboli, Sweet corn
Thursday- Roasted White & Sweet Potatoes w/ onions, Broccoli w/ Cheesy Rice
Friday & Saturday- Going out of town

Em's Birthday

Here's the breakdown of costs for my daughter's 4th birthday party. We are expecting 40 adults and 15 kids. Our theme is Hannah Montana.

Invitations $1-Bought paper with a border at the Dollar Tree and printed them on my computer.

Location FREE-Our church's activity center

Decorations & Partyware $8- Some decorations were given to me by a friend, I bought balloons & streamers. I bought some plates, cups, etc at a garage sale & the rest at Dollar Tree.

Activities $16-Printed coloring sheets, played Pass the Microphone, and bought a pull string pinata.

Cake $7-Baked 2 cake mixes in star pan & iced them. Put 4 candles on top that spelled out her name.


Food $25- Crackers, cheese, & pepperoni tray, 2 kinds of chips & dip, Deviled eggs, Veggie tray, chocolate chip cookies, no-bake cookies, pop & juice

Favors $15- Girls got-personalized mixed CD, candy, Hannah Montana braclet, play dough, stickers. Boys got-pirate eye patch, kaladescope, magnifying glass, treasure map. Babies got- board book & fuzzy socks

Present $0-Since we spend so much on a party and she has lots of family & friends that give her gifts, we do not buy her one.

Total-$72

Homemade Birthday Cakes

My daughters birthday party is this weekend. We do not spend a lot of money on parties, but we have a great time by making everything simple and homemade. I save the most money by making my children's birthday cakes. With a birthday cake running anywhere from $15-$40 it's easy to see how much money can be saved by making your own.

1st, I use a box mix & icing because I can't make a good cake. This costs me about $3. If you make lovely cakes, you might save even more money than I do. 2nd, you DO NOT have to be a great decorator to make a cake. This homemade cake website is very helpful for people who have never decorated a cake before or who are just looking for ideas.
3rd, If you decide that you absolutely can not decorate a cake then look at buying a cake kit. You can simple bake and ice a sheet cake and stick one on top. Most bakeries, (I get mine from Wal-Mart) will sell them for about $5 a piece.

Here are a few cake decorating tips:
-To get a smooth look dip a knife in hot water and run lightly over iced cake.
-Freezing a cake and brushing the crumbs off after will help your cake not to have crumbs in the frosting.
-Use a ziploc bag with the tip cut out to make simple lines.

At the most your homemade birthday cake will cost $8. Over the course of your child's life this would save you $216!

No matter what the cake looks like, your child will love it and you will feel good that you made it yourself.

Happy 4th Birthday to my Baby

Birth
1 year
2 years
3 years
4!

Applesauce Oatmeal Bread

I started buying applesauce in a big jar because it's cheaper and I use it in the place of oil when I make cakes, muffins or sweet bread. Well, I had some applesauce that I needed to use and found this recipe for Applesauce Oatmeal Bread.

I love using oatmeal in breads so I gave it a try and it was delicious. I also had got boxes of oatmeal packets for less than a dollar a while back so I had plenty to use. I used Quaker Simple Harvest Vanilla, Honey and Almond oatmeal. I doubled it and got 1 loaf, 24 mini muffins, and 6 regular size muffins out of it.

Give it a try!

Heritage Cookbook

I greatly hope that my daughters will love to cook as much as I do. I am making a cookbook for each one of my girls with my recipes and recipes that I like. I'm including pictures and (my fav) side notes that tell why we like the dishes, that it's Daddy's favorite, or changes I made.
I'll put each page (printed off the computer, using Word) in a clear protector sheet, and in turn put that into a binder.
I'm also asking each grandma to contribute pages. When I finish I hope to have a cookbook that each one of my girls will treasure as much as I treasure them.
I encourage each of you to do the same for your children, no matter how young or old.