Our Frugal Homeschool

The Busy-ness continues...

2009-06-26T11:37:00.003-05:00

Ok so i got most of my to do list done the other day. Everything except looking at my spending. Ran errands yesterday to get regular groceries and supplies for J's birthday party this weekend.

Wow time flies he'll be 7!!!

I made all the mulberry jam, my neighbor has mulberries, raspberries and maybe peachs later this year he'll let me have. :) Wohoo! I grabed some strawberries that were $1 a package yesterday and made 4 1/2 pints of strawberry jam. I'm ready for canning season can you tell? :)

Nothing too exciting going on lately, we've taken the last week off from schoolwork. Today and tomorrow will be filled with cleaning and setting up for the party. I have some coop work to get done but at least that's not due until wednesday.

We're home today!

2009-06-22T09:19:00.003-05:00

and staying, lol. I thought I was finished running constantly for awhile. I guess I was wrong. We are home today and there is so much that needs to be done inside. Here's my current list of to do's I'm sure it will grow as the day goes on.

clean all the dirty and dirty/clean dishes. (dd exploded a pop can in the kitchen yesterday)
re-mop the floor (from said pop can)
make dh nilla wafer pudding
Start a batch of mulberry jam (i got a 5 gal. bucket full from MIL's house, yum!)
defrost chicken for dinner :)
find my dining room table again
look at what i've spent over the last week and half, lol
read my sunday paper (?) lol
vaccuum the main living areas

It's going top be a busy day!

Walgreens $5 off $25 Again!

2009-06-10T08:40:00.003-05:00

Wednesday and Thursday only. Did you get the email? no? Grab it here and don't forget it when you run out the door!

Home Depot Kids Worshop

2009-06-05T08:58:00.003-05:00

Every month, the first Saturday from 9-12pm, Home Depot provides this FREE for kids 5-12 yrs old. Our youngest son started just at 2/12 with his older brother, but from what I understand it is on a case by case basis at each location. The kids really enjoy these and learn new thigns each month. Along with cool projects to bring home!

From their website:

The Home Depot's Kids Workshops offer useful projects including the creation of toolboxes, fire trucks and mail organizers, as well as more educational projects, such as a window birdhouse, bughouse or Declaration of Independence frame kit. The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, this fun time allows for quality one-on-one time between adults and children. In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons, and an achievement pin.

Salsa Chicken

2009-06-05T08:06:00.003-05:00

This is one of our family favorites.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast (or 1 - 1¼ lb package)
1 jar of salsa
½-¾ cup brown sugar

French Fries or potatoes (we usually do fries in the fryer)

Mix 1 jar of salsa and the brown sugar. Lay the chicken breasts flat in a casserole dish and cover with salsa mixture. Cover with foil and place in 345 degree oven for 30ish minutes or until chicken is completely cooked. Toss fries in the fryer or on a cookie sheet in the oven (with chicken) until golden brown.

All done!

Quick, Easy & Healthy Meals?

2009-06-05T07:51:00.004-05:00

Are they possible? My husband chides me on being quick and picking easy meals. With 3 little ones I have too! lol. You leave them for too long and the house turns into WW3 and is destroyed.

I am going to try to post 1-3 quick healthy meal ideas with recipes a week. I think we all need these, especially at supper when you're already exhausted and the natives get restless with hunger.

Set one night a week to take the easy way out. Give yourself a night off. Make it family night, game night or whatever. Whatever you do, DO NOT feel guilty for taking 1 night a week off. Fridays are our pizza nights. Jack's Pizza is only 3/$9 here and we add whatever other toppings we want. No waiting for delivery and we can make our wheat/gluten sensitive child his own right along with ours.

How do you cook meals?

2009-06-04T09:20:00.004-05:00

I get this question in emails from people occasionally. I can see how it might seem like we have a odd diet. I have cupboards and a freezer stocked. I keep it stocked and buy what we need (milk and perishables) as needed but canned goods, meats and other staples when i can get them for a great deal.

I didn't grab a picture of my freezer but here are my cupboards. We eat a very balanced diet and a variety of meals can be made with what I have on hand at any given time.

Also not pictured is the abundance of cereal above the cupboards. Once you get a stock in your pantry or cupboards saving a lot and keeping it stocked gets to be a very easy job. Meal planning is also easier.... you get a variety to plan from without having to run to the store for that 1 item you forgot!

What happened to May?

2009-06-04T09:18:00.002-05:00

I have no idea, lol. The last week or two was absolutely crazy and I lost track of my time and didn't get enough time to post much. I plan to make it more regular in June though!

Keep clipping and saving!!

Shopping Spree Mostly Free!!!! Wheeee!!!

2009-06-04T08:31:00.009-05:00

Ok so you can tell yesterday was a shopping spree delight! Grocery + Target + CVS all with great deals. ok The easy and short ones first...... Target $5.22 total! So you can see from my receipt I had 3 Johnson & Johnson $3 off 3 products thanks to A Thrifty Mom's post on these bath buddies, we decided to give them a try. I had a $5 gift card from the pop tart deal last week. So if I wouldn't have picked up the chicken and Kool aid I would have gotten out of there for free!

Next is CVS ... $5.34!

I don't know if you can see it but I had 4 $1 off 2 Campbell soup coupons from Campbells. CVS had them 2/$1 with an extra care card so they were all free! I bought a magazine that caught my eye as well :)

And my BIG trip to the grocery... Town & Country Market....all this for $30.44!

Without coupons and sales this would have cost me $90.92!

My prize was the 12ish lb pork roast up front mis-marked for $4.77! I checked and they said their fault so that's what I got it for!

The hot dogs were free, I received a coupon for them from Oscar Meyer (again thanks to A Thrifty Mom) in the mail. There was (key word) a candy bar (also due to A Thrifty Mom's post) I got for free as well. That was consumed on the way home as my sanity saver and reward for making it through shopping with the 2 boys all afternoon. lol.

Well that was my day in a nutshell. all in all I spent $41 for $127.56 worth of grocery and household items. A 68% savings overall...not bad huh? :)

Mom Learns Lesson from Soccer

2009-05-21T15:54:00.003-05:00

ok Here's the deal. The boys are in soccer. son #1 moved up to a traveling team with older kids this year due to his playing and grade level. Now I know the coaching is done by volunteers but I am under the"if you're gonna volunteer do it right" school. They started out pretty well, as this has been a learning experience for all of us. We've never traveled for sports before. :)

They are suppose to be working on and learning new skills such as dribbling the ball, making goals, passing etc.... Well our team started out doing that the first week or two then stopped. Nothing but scrimmaging. I felt like i was paying for recess becuase even the scrimaging wasn't really all that directed. This is among other issues like trash talk on the field that was blown off as "boys will be boys" Not if you raise them otherwise mamas!

I was tempted to call the head of the soccer leauge at that time but decided otherwise because we didn't think there was anything we could have done. We thought we were the only boys teams at our level. WRONG!!!

I called yesterday to just express my concerns and see if there were in fact another team at our level. There is and we could have had dear son moved to it, if I had called sooner! He wouldn't have lost the skills he had and would have, most likely, gained more. We now have the name of the other coach at this level, as ds will be here for another year or two due to age and size. We will be requesting coach B when we fill out the paperwork next year.

Don't procrastinate, Don't think there is nothing that can be done and most of all Don't settle!!

You never know if you don't ask!

Walgreens $5 off $25

2009-05-21T15:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday and today Walgreens had a $5 off $25 coupon. I had to get a few things so I figured I'd use it to my advantage.

4 gal milk (2.59 ea) lowest in the area!
3pks paper plates w/coupon .99¢ ea.
hamburger buns (needed)
hotdog buns (needed)
hair gel for son#1
Colgate Visible White toothpaste $4.49 w/$4.49 RR & $1 off coupon = $1.00 my favor!
2 Off Clip on $8.99 w/$3 RR & $2 off coupon & B1G1 coupon = $1.99 ea!

So I came home with things we needed at lower prices & extra Register Rewards! :)

Make those sales work for you!

Free Homeschool Downloads 5/18-5/22

2009-05-18T06:38:00.001-05:00

Well, we are back with another wonderful week of
great resources for you... ESPECIALLY if you are a bit fuzzy
about what to do (or not do) with your homeschooling this
coming summer. Read on, you'll see what we mean.

Here's the lineup for this week. Don't miss 'em:

------------------------------

-

Monday, May 18 - Five Famous Inventors

A wonderful storybook for primary grades featuring the
stories of inventors Robert Fulton (inventor of the steamboat),
Eli Whitney (cotton gin & mass production),
Samuel Morse (the telegraph), Peter Cooper (the train)
& Thomas Edison (electric lights, the phonograph, etc.).

-------------------------------

Tuesday, May 19 - Cartoon Current Events!

Discover a great new resource that lets you use
editorial cartoons as a teaching tool for social studies,
art, journalism and English, with lesson plans & discussion
guides for elementary, middle school & high school use.

-------------------------------

Wednesday, May 20 - The Junior Classics Library, Part I!

Published in 1907, the multi-volume Junior Classics Library
was meant to give young readers a "taste" of just about every
classic legend, story and tale that a well-read young person
should be familiar with. Today and tomorrow, we'll have all six
of the currently available volumes of this wonderful collection in
PDF format for your reading or "read aloud" pleasure.
There are over 1200 pages of classic "living stories" in this
six ebook library. Wednesday's collections are:

"Fairy Tales and Wonder Stories" (Tales of the American Indians,
Tales of India, Tales of the Norseland, France, Spain, Poland,
Russia, China & Japan, Fairy Tales and Aesop's Fables)

"Heroes and Heroines of Chivalry" (Tales of King Arthur,
Tales of the Mabignonion, Tales of Early English, French,
Italian and Spanish Chronicles, excerpts from Robin Hood & Don Quixote)

"Old Fashioned Stories" (Many excerpts from classic "living books"
such as Hans Brinker, Little Women, Dickens, Hawthorne,
great short stories, and Alice in Wonderland)

-------------------------------

Thursday, May 21 - The Junior Classics Library, Part II!

Three more volumes from this wonderful collection of classic stories:

"Stories That Never Grow Old" (Stories from the Arabian Nights,
Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels, Shakespeare, Pilgrim's Progress,
Ivanhoe, and more)

"Animal and Nature Stories" (Dozens of classic animal short stories)

"True Stories of Courage and Heroism" (Real life heroes & heroines)

-------------------------------

Friday, May 22 - Making the Most of Your Summer:
Our Best Summer Ideas for Homeschoolers

Are you planning to take a short/medium/long break from
homeschooling during the upcoming summer months?
If so, you NEED this collection!

We surveyed over 250 homeschool families to find out
what they liked (and disliked) most about "summer vacation"...
as well as their very favorite summertime learning activities
AND their best tips for keeping the learning going
all summer long - even while you're taking a much needed break!
DO NOT MISS this excellent treasury of "real life"
tips and advice to help make this coming summer your very best ever!

You can find all of these resources on their respective
days at:

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=EwrDt&m=1ev7u5qp.QYxun&b=evRXfbdQuUNjsc.zYC.Vxw

Unexpected Walgreens Stop

2009-05-15T17:10:00.004-05:00

ok we all know the unexpected trips are the ones that kill ya right? This one just about did! lol

My husband called asking if we had anything for warts..... nope never thought to buy anything. So i stopped off at walgreens and wow, this stuff is expensive! How did I work it to my advantage? I looked at all they had and choose one with Register Rewards of course!

I paid $24.99 for the package but got $5 in RR, still expensive but a little less hard to swallow if you can make sure you get something in return. :)

Town & Country Trip

2009-05-15T16:50:00.004-05:00

Do you believe.....

I got all this for $38.94

How'd that happen? Coupons on top of ads of course!

Folgers on sale $5.99 (reg $7.99) w/.55¢ coupon
Kraft Cheese on sale $1.50 (reg $3.09)
butter .60¢ ea (reg $1.20)
Minute Rice $3.49 with .50¢ coupon
(would liked to have waited but we needed the rice)
Pop corn $1.19/$1.89, saved $1.60
Sour Cream .90¢ off
Salisbury Steak was 4/$5 (these are usually $2.50+ea)
Kraft BBQ Sauce 10/$10 with 10-$1 coupons=FREE
Sweet Baby Ray on sale .78¢ ($1 off coupon adjusted to .78¢) =FREE
Kraft Ranch Dressing $2 w/store $1 off coupon and $1 manu. =FREE
A-1 Steak Sauce$2.79 with $1 off manu. coupon and $1 off store coupon = .79¢
Cereal (yes more! lol) on sale 5/$10 with 3-$1 off kellogg coupons = $1.40 a box
2 gallons of milk (not pictured) $2.69 ea.

Without any coupons or sales I would have paid $90.57!!

So if you're wondering if coupons really work, yes!!! Does it take some work? A little.
Is it worth it ? Absolutely!

Walgreens Money Maker Trip

2009-05-15T16:39:00.002-05:00

OK I haven't posted about this weeks shopping yet. So we'll start with Walgreens on Sunday. I didn't get a picture BUT I can tell you I got a few great deals!

Lays Chips B1G1
Kraft Mac and Cheese single serve cups 3/$3 ( I got 12, only after checking that I wouldn't wipe them out)

I had 6 Mac and Cheese $1/2 coupons making them .50¢/ea
I grabbed 2 bags of lays chips, after rushing found out i was charged for both. I took the one unopened bag back after realizing this (they are $3.99 reg.) and told them I must have misunderstood the ad. The manager said I was right and refunded me. This was a money maker trip.

My original payout was $11 in Register Rewards from a previous trip and $1.98 cash. Being refunded the $3.99 I end up ahead $2!

A Fresh Start :)

2009-05-14T14:32:00.001-05:00

I have copied over the last few posts from our old blog. We will be keeping that one as a reference and back history but all new posts will be here. So change your bookmarks :)

New File Folder Game

2009-05-14T14:31:00.000-05:00

We've just uploaded a new File Folder game last night. Lily Leapin' Place Values is a versatile and fun way to learn and re-enforce place values. Geared towards 1st-4th grades hop on over to Currclick and check it out! Click on the image below....

Home School Freebie Downloads 5/11-5/15

2009-05-14T14:30:00.000-05:00

MONDAY, MAY 11: FINGER PLAYS for Nursery & Kindergarten (PDF ebook)

Great "early learning" collection of songs, rhymes and games -
all meant to be acted out with little hands and fingers. This book is
filled with charming, expressive illustrations (many of which would be
great for coloring) and dozens of fun learning activities! For ages 1-3.

TUESDAY, MAY 12: LEARNING TO THINK by Jacob Abbott (PDF ebook)

Classic participatory read-aloud book which asks simple deductive questions
based on accompanying illustrations, to help young students to reflect on
what they observe and develop reasoning powers. For grades K-2.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13: POCO A POCO: A Direct Method for Learning Spanish (PDF ebook)

Excellent Spanish language primer in which you learn the language
"poco a poco" (bit by bit) - by reading basic primer lessons written
solely in Spanish. Includes teacher instructions.

THURSDAY, MAY 14: Homeschooling Bible's Study Guide to "The Book of Acts"

An excellent study guide to "The Book of Acts," a full 10-week
course excerpt from year 2 of the HomeschoolingBible.com curriculum,
designed especially for homeschool family use.

FRIDAY, MAY 15: GREAT-GRANDMA'S Puzzles & Brain-Twisters, Part I (PDF ebook)

A nifty illustrated collection of puzzles, riddles and thinking games
from the early 1900s.

You can download each of these resources on their respective days at:

http://www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com

Did You Know?

2009-05-14T14:29:00.001-05:00

We're on Currclick now!

We are working on formatting all of our lessons, lapbooks, unit studies, copy work, you name it, for upload to Currclick. Come see what we've got to start with.....

Coupons Stacked on Ads Save!

2009-05-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

Last month I did awesome. I'm not sure how other than being careful about what we bought but last months grocery bill was $298 for a family of 5 with 2 growing boys. You can say I was inspired to save more! Seeing as how last month I didn't really follow any sales ads or use any coupons I knew I could do better!

So Monday I went out on a mission, this is what came of it all:

From Town & Country ( a local market)

I spent a whopping $40.76! (total bill w/o ads and coupons was $78.04)

5 loaves of bread .78¢ each!
3 gallons of milk (2 on sale)
5 packs of hot dogs (10/$10)
4 jars of spaghetti sauce (2/$3)
parmesean cheese $3.59 (full price, ouch!)
4 - 12 packs of pop (3/$8.88 + buy 3 get a diet free)
2 pops at the register (rare) $2.28
5 boxes of kelloggs cereal on sale for 5/$8.88 + my 5/$1 off each box coupons for a grand total of $3.88 - My crowning glory!

After this quiet successful trip I headed over to Walgreens. (I just learned about register rewards!) I think I did pretty well for a first timer lol. Not a first timer to walgreens, just really trying to utilize their ads for our needs.

Cash out of pocket $36.94 (made back $11 in RR)

2 large boxes of kleenex 2/$3
4 mr. clean erasers 2/$5 + $2 in RR for buying $10 in mr clean products.
2pks of 3 bars Ivory soap .99¢ each
2 bottles of dawn detergent .99¢ each
2 Listerine mouthwash products 2/$9 (+ $4.50 in RR)

colgate toothpaste $4.50 (with $4.50 in RR)
oh and the pack of gum :)

I also subscribed to 2 of our larger town papers Sunday only for $1 each per week so I can start getting those coupons as well. Will keep ya'll updated on how that works out. :)

Rethinking the Ways We Spend....

2009-05-14T14:26:00.002-05:00

In these times we all want to save more money. Make our dollars stretch further. I've found 2 really great blogs on deals, freebies, couponing etc.. I try to check them daily if I can. Go check them out!

Money Saving Mom
A Thrifty Mom

Do you love reading?!

2009-05-14T14:24:00.001-05:00

I do! Amazingly after purging with every move I still have books that could use a good home. Avid readers are always on the hunt for their next treasure. I've recently discovered PaperBack Swap.

It's completely free (other than outgoing shipping) where you literally swap books. You request a book and have credits the other person accepts it and send it to you! I've had several great transactions, one of which I got a book & cd set still wrapped in shrink wrap!!

Click on the banner below to go and sign up!