This Weeks Grocery Steals and Deals 4-29-09 thru 5-5-09

You all know how much I LOVE a bargain. In the April Newsletter I talked about how I managed to save on my groceries and now I'm going to help you do the same. Every week, I'm going to be posting the grocery steals and deals for King Soopers, Albertsons and Safeway. If you find other grocery steals and deals around town, feel free to post them in the comments section!

Albertsons

Pork Spare Ribs by 1 slab get 2 of equal or lesser value for free <-----MAJOR STEAL!!!
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.87/lb
Pork Picnic Roast $0.99/lb
Tilapia Fillets $2.99/lb
Farmland Pork Sausage 10/$10
Large Mangoes 3/$1.00
10lb Bag Russet Potatoes $2.99
Haas Avocados $0.99 each
8oz Albertsons Butter 10/$10
16oz Albertsons Sour Cream 10/$10
Albertsons Cereal (Select Varieties) 10/$10
Calidad Tortilla Chips 14oz 10/$10
Mission Flour Tortillas 8ct 10/$10
Old Elpaso or Taco Bell Hard Taco Shells 10/$10
Fresh Baked French Bread 10/$10
Albertsons Fruit Snacks, Granola Bars, or Granny's Oven Shortbread (Select Varieties)10/$10


King Soopers

Turkey Breast (bone in) $0.99/lb
Kroger Cheese Slices (12oz, 16ct) 2/$3
18oz Kroger Peanut Butter $1.00
King Soopers or Kroger Coffee (26-39oz) $4.99
Cilantro 2/$1
Red, Gold or Orange Peppers 10/$10
English Cucumbers 10/$10
6oz Blackberries 10/$10 <------MAJOR STEAL
Red Pears $0.99/lb
Limes 5/$1 <------MAJOR STEAL
Lemons 5/$1 <------MAJOR STEAL
16oz Bagged Carrots 2/$1
Cabbage 2 lbs/$1

Safeway

Bone In Pork Loin Rib Half Sliced $0.99/lb
1 Gal. Lucerne Milk $1.77 <------MAJOR STEAL
32 oz Lucerne Shredded or Chunk Cheese (Select Varieties) $5.99
Safeway Butter Top Bread $1.00
40oz Mazola Cooking Oil (Select Varieties) $3.99
Grapes $0.98/lb
Broccoli $0.99/lb

Quote of the Month: February 2009

“Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.”

General George S. Patton (1885-1945)

Frugal Recipes: Enchilada Casserole

Enchilada Casserole (from Weight Watchers Miracle Foods)

Cooking Spray
1 (10 ounce) package frozen southwestern style corn and roasted red peppers, thawed (such as Green Giant)
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp salt
1 (15 ounce) can red enchilada sauce, divided
13 corn tortillas, cut in half
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup fat-free sour cream

Coat a medium skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add corn mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Add black beans and salt; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

Spoon 1/3 cup enchilada sauce over bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish; spread evenly. Arrange 8 tortilla halves over sauce. Spoon half of corn mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layer with 8 tortilla halves, remaining corn mixture, and 1/3 cup cheese. Top with remaining 10 tortilla halves. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with sour cream.

Makes 8 servings

Nutrition information: 303 calories, 12 grams fat, 13 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fiber, 32 milligrams cholesterol, 700 milligrams sodium.

This is one I have bookmarked but not tried. Weight Watchers recipes have a tendency to be a bit bland. Adding additional spices does not alter the nutrition information. If I were to add to this, I would probably add some oregano, onion powder, garlic powder and fresh chopped garlic to the corn and beans during cooking. But that’s just me.

Frugal Recipes: Healthy Lasagna

Healthy Lasagna

7 ounces (1/2 package) firm tofu
1 pound bulk mild Italian turkey sausage
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 package (12 ounces) no-cook or oven-free lasagna noodles
2 jars (24 ounces, each) Barilla marinara sauce

PREPARATION: Remove excess water from tofu by wrapping in two layers of paper towels and place under a heavy weight for about 15 minutes. Once tofu is drained, crumble and set aside.

Meanwhile, in skillet, brown sausage over medium heat, crumbling the meat as it cooks.

Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 jar of marinara sauce over bottom of pan, then layer with 4 lasagna noodles, lengthwise. Top with 1/2 cooked sausage, 1/2 of spinach, and 1/2 of crumbled tofu. Spread with another 1/2 jar of marinara sauce and repeat layers of noodles, sausage, spinach, tofu and sauce. Top with final layer of noodles and remaining 1/2 jar of marinara sauce.

Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let stand covered, 10 minutes, to allow lasagna to set before cutting into servings.

Makes 12 servings

Nutrition information: 282 calories, 12 grams fat, 13 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 17 milligrams cholesterol, 722 milligrams sodium

I usually add some garlic and onions to the sausage when it’s browning. I also divide this into two 8x8 pans. That way I have one for dinner and one to save for another day. This keeps really well in the freezer. I throw it into the oven frozen for 1 hour.

Finding Help When You Need It Most

In life things happen that we can’t always plan for or control. Right now the economy is in the toilet. Our nation is seeing one of the worst financial crises since The Great Depression. It’s hard to find jobs and even harder to keep them. Last year, my husband and I dealt with 3 months of unemployment after almost 10 years of service in the Army. And as of last week, he is in the unemployment pool again. Fortunately for us, we have an easy out. My husband is reenlisting. Not something we wanted to do (we did get out after all) but, when times are tough you do what you have to do for your family. Not everyone is so lucky to have a guaranteed job waiting for them. So what can you do if you find yourself in such a position?

There are so many resources in Colorado Springs from food pantries to rental assistance programs to low cost medical. There are so many agencies that are out there to help people get back on their feet and these agencies can be hard to find. Because of our recent situation, I have done a lot of research and I am happy to pass the information on to you.

Care and Share
2520 Aviation Way, Suite 130 (80906) 528-6767
Offers a telephone referral service that provides information on a 3-day supply of emergency food, assistance with utilities, rent, clothing, prescription, and all other referrals. Care and Share serves as the Second Harvest food bank for the 31 counties of Southern Colorado. Hours Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm.

Food Stamp Program
17 N. Spruce (80905) 636-0000
It takes about 45 days for your food stamp application to go through. However, if you’re living expenses (rent and utilities) exceed your income, you could be eligible to receive benefits in as little as 7 days.

Share Colorado
Various Locations throughout the Front Range
This program is open to anyone regardless of income. This program allows households to increase their food purchasing power and food quality on a limited income. I have participated in Share Colorado in the past and for $50.00 I would get a huge box of meat, pre-packaged food and a ton of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. They accept cash, check, credit cards and food stamps. Online orders accepted. Please check their website for the latest food package and locations.

L.E.A.P (Low-Income Energy Assistance Program)
25 N. Spruce (80905) 442-0007
This program assists low-income households with winter heating costs Nov 1-April 30. Hours Mon-Fri 8am-11:30am, 1pm- 4:30pm

Westside Cares
1930 W Colorado Ave, Bethany Baptist Church Basement (80904) 389-0759
They offer many services including: food pantry, rental assistance, C.O.P.E, utility assistance, Sunday evening meal, life skills counseling, and some financial assistance. This program is for Westside residents only. Hours Mon-Thurs 9:30am-12:30pm, Thurs 5pm-7pm.

Ecumenical Social Ministries
201 N. Weber (80903) 636-1916
This agency has many services including rental assistance, food pantry, jobs programs, and utilities assistance. They provide assistance to families living in the following zip codes: 80903, 80905, 80906, 80907, 80909, 80910, 80916, or 80926. Mon-Fri 8am-4pm.


These are just a small sampling of resources. For a full list of resources please go to Community Partnership for Child Developement to download a copy of the 2008-2009 Community Resource Guide.

And remember, these agencies have the ability to help you but when you are in a stressful situation, the best thing you can do to help yourself is maintain a positive attitude. When one door closes an even better one will open.

Improving Neighborhoods, Improving Lives…One House at a Time.

A letter to our Future Homeowners:

People ask us frequently how we got into “this business”. Simple, really. We both worked at regular jobs, I got pregnant with Diego and after I had him, I didn’t want to go back to work as an Occupational Therapist, so I didn’t! I bought Carlton Sheets “No Money Down” course from his infomercial (at my Mom’s urging, thanks Mom), became an instant real estate guru (or so I thought), went to the foreclosure auction downtown every Wednesday (because that’s what Carlton said to do), never bought anything at the auction (remember the sharks?), but we bought our first house for Aparicio Home Investments one year after we started our business. By then, Herberth had quit his job as a case manager at Lutheran Family Services and was doing remodeling jobs for friends and family.

All we knew about was “fix and flip” ( fix up a dumpy house really nicely and sell it right away). Our MAIN GOAL in starting our business was to be able to make a living doing it. We had actually only been thinking of ourselves…how to make an income without working for someone else, how to have a flexible schedule so we wouldn’t have to put our kids in daycare. We hadn’t even thought about that we might have a positive effect on other people’s lives.

However, through the years, people have admired us for helping other people. But, through the years, we hadn’t even realized that was what we were doing. Looking back though, our business has evolved from just fixing up a house and selling it immediately (we learned it isn’t as fast and easy as on HGTV) to specializing in selling our houses through our Future Homeowner Program (rent-to-own). As others see it, that is how we are really helping people. We are helping people repair their credit; learn to take care of their house and to finally be able to own their own home.

Well, as it seems to go when you help others, they help you even more. You, our Future Homeowners are giving us feedback on how to make the Program better. You are complimenting us for being such a great company to buy a house from. You have fond memories of the scaldingly hot and electrically impaired Future Homeowner BBQ. But most of all, you are doing what we hoped you would…you are improving your own lives! You are writing letters to people on your credit report to improve your credit. You are making your monthly payments on time. You are taking care of your houses.

You are exceptional people and we admire your dedication to improve your own lives…and thanks for improving ours.

Quote of the Month: January 2009

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. “

Thomas Jefferson

What is Your "LifeVision"?

LifeVision is a concept I came across when reading one of my favorite blogs. It’s a method of achieving the desires that you have for your life, family, finances, etc. But what exactly is a LifeVision? Your LifeVision is defined as:

“A minutely detailed declaration of intent/personal mission statement that includes the 5 key areas of life: relationships (family and social), spiritual, physical, financial/professional, and emotional/personal development. It is written AS IF it were already accomplished (in the present tense) and then recorded on a CD (can be downloaded onto an ipod) and listened to daily.”**

So basically a LifeVision is a detailed mission statement for your life. But the key concept here is to write your mission statement as if it were already accomplished. It’s the idea of calling your dreams/hopes/beliefs into your reality by claiming that they have already come to pass. It’s a powerful idea. But declaring that you will be debt free or buy a house is not the same as creating a plan for how that will come about.

I think we should all have a LifeVision and put it into practice but I also thing that it’s just as important to have an action plan to bring your dreams to fruition. If you were going to plant a garden, would you just keep positive thinking and declaring that you want to plant a garden, or would you go outside and plant one?

Your LifeVision puts you into a positive frame of mind but creating an action plan for your goals just makes sense. If you are planning on purchasing your home, wouldn’t it make sense for you to set short term goals in order to meet your long term desire? For instance, your short term goals would look something like this:

Monthly
· Make all payments on time.
· Put aside $200 per month for closing costs on the house.
By March 17th, 2009
· Pay off Mastercard.
By April 17th, 2009
· Order Credit Report.
By May 1st, 2009
· Send in disputes for any errors in my credit report.

I could include more, but you get the idea. Accomplishing your small short term goals will help you accomplish your long term goal of buying your home. But most importantly, the short term goals keep you accountable. They help to keep you on track.

So when you set your goals, don’t just say, “This is what I want to do.” Set up a time line for realizing your goals. Make it reasonable. But most importantly, stay on target with what you need to do to bring about your dreams.

** from Let Your Life Speak.

Resolution Revolution

Happy New Year everyone!
New Year= Fresh Start= Resolution Season.

I am not normally a person who makes resolutions. I have a hard time sticking to my daily to do list so long term goals like lose weight and pay off debt, forget about it! But this year, I decided to go ahead and make some resolutions or rather long term goals.

Why? Because the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. I haven’t changed the way I do things but I have been expecting things to magically change. Unless I change myself and the way I do things, I cannot move forward.

One of my long term goals this year is to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle. But, I always make so many excuses. The two biggest ones are: not wanting to cook two meals (because my husband won’t eat “rabbit food” and tofu will kill him) and healthy food is expensive.

But excuses only serve to keep us subservient to our bad habits. So I sat and thought about those two things for a while. How could I overcome the daunting task of cooking two meals and the expense of good food. I like the idea of the Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig diets but both diets are so cost prohibitive. But they do solve the problem of cooking two meals. You cook for your family and then you have your own healthy meal in the freezer ready to go. So why can’t I make my own healthy meals in bulk and freeze them in portion sizes? Well, it costs too much to eat right! WRONG.

I sat down and started making a list of budget meals that I can make that are healthy and that will freeze well. I came up with a pretty long list. Things like enchiladas freeze well and if you skip the meat and use beans for protein and bulk it up with veggies, use salsa instead of enchilada sauce and sprinkle with reduced fat cheese, you have a healthy, filling meal that isn’t hard on your budget.

The same thing is true with lasagna. I came across a great, easy, and budget friendly lasagna recipe when I was excluding dairy from my diet while I was nursing my youngest. There isn’t any cheese in it and that’s what usually costs so much when you are putting together lasagna. It’s filled with spinach, tofu and turkey sausage and I promise you won’t miss the cheese! So what’s my point?

You can eat well, on a budget but you just have to get creative. My family’s weekly grocery budget is $60.00 and now granted I haven’t shopped for my freezer friendly healthy meals yet, but I can tell you through sales, coupons and smart shopping, I won’t be breaking my budget to lose weight. It just takes creativity and some time. I scour the web for easy meals that are budget friendly. There are little changes you can do to any of your meals to make them healthier. Ground turkey for instance is much cheaper than ground beef. You can get a pound of very lean ground turkey for $2.00 (at Walmart) and just substituting that for ground beef in a recipe will save you money and your waist line.

The biggest thing you can do for your waist line (and your wallet for that matter) is portion control. That’s the thing I have the hardest time with. I hate to watch my portions but when you are looking to lose weight, it is a must. I did Weight Watchers for a while and the thing that worked best for me was to actually measure out my portions and not eat anymore than that. It was hard for the first 2 weeks but I got used to it and managed to stick to my Weight Watchers plan for a couple of months until my husband came home from Iraq and declared that real Asians don’t eat brown rice.

But I’m not going to let my husband or my finances stop me from accomplishing my goal this year.

Hope Box

The Hope Box was a gift to Herberth and me from my mom for Christmas. I cried when I read what she wrote. Whether you are looking forward to Obama being president or not, I do HOPE that you will use these ideas in your own life. We can certainly all be better people than we are and help make other people’s lives better too.

Box: Small, round, says HOPE on the outside.
Contents: Acorns. Small, decorative bird in its nest. Small candle and glass candle jar. Jar says “Hope”.

Open the Hope Box and read the scroll attached to the lid. It says the following:
Keeping Hope Alive…
I experienced HOPE on the evening of November 4, 2008. I vow to never let myself forget the feeling of HOPE that welled up in my heart as Barack Obama boldly delivered his powerful message of HOPE to the world. I vow to never let myself forget the look of HOPE on the faces of thousands who visibly revealed their HOPE. I vow to Keep Hope Alive.

How do we Keep Hope Alive? I don’t know but I have some thoughts:
- Be the voice for HOPE
- Pass HOPE along
- Act HOPEFUL
- Inspire your HOPE with your dreams

This box is an invitation to Keep Hope Alive. The acorns in the box are for strength to be hopeful when it feels impossible. The bird is a reminder of the feeling of freedom that hope brings. The candle, when lit, shows that you are hopeful.

My calendar of suggested actions to Keep Hope Alive:

Jan. Inspire yourself – create or add to your personal dream list. Pick some to do.
Feb. Pass hope on to another with an unexpected act of kindness; secretly shovel someone’s walk or brush off their snowy car windows, carry groceries to someone’s car.
March Barack Obama Volunteer to do at least one thing to keep his hope alive.
April Ask someone for their support: maybe you need support in a volunteer endeavor or you just need a helping hand.
May Help someone who needs it.
June Drop flowers off at someone’s front door or office door with a message of hope.
July Encourage someone to realize one of their dreams.
August Help someone who needs it.
Sept. Choose to keep your conversations hopeful when talking with others.
Oct. Take your business to a store whose owner donates to a non-profit you care about and let them know you appreciate their support.
Nov. Feed someone who needs food.
Dec. Give the gift of hope – Tell someone in your life that you are proud of them.
Love, Mom

What I’ve done in January to Keep Hope Alive:
Diego, Andre and I created our 2009 Dream Lists. I signed Diego up for swimming lessons (one of his Dreams), we have started teaching Andre to use the potty (one of his Dreams), I started picking out new colors to paint our kitchen and living room (one of my Dreams).

What are you going to do to Keep Hope Alive?
1. _____________________________________
2. _____________________________________
3. _____________________________________