Savings in 2 days...

So this is the combo of two shopping trips to Vons.

10 bottles of Wish Bone Dressing

4 bottles of KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce

4 packages of Turkey Hot Dogs

1 bag of Dog Food (not pictured)

Total Retail: $69.01

Total Out of Pocket: $8.62

Total Savings: $60.39

That's 87% off full retail... now thats exciting!!

If you are interested in learning how to be a Super Couponer send me an email to leilanianderson2010@gmail.com and I will get you the info on the class that I took to learn these techniques.

Couponing

Ok apparently there is this show, Extreme Couponing that everyone is watching.  I have only seen one episode and those ladies are extreme.  I recently started taking a coupon class with my friends and have save over $600 in just a few weeks.  I am not spending like crazy just making the purchases that I normally would for my family.

Have you started couponing?  Are you looking for a way to keep your coupons organized?  I found a woman that offers a great binder to keep your coupons at hand and make it easier than ever to get started.

Click on the button to the left, Save at Home Mommy to get yours today!!

A TON of Motivation...

This is a great book for anyone needing some career motivation.  I am a stay at home mom and thought this book would be great for figuring out what to do when my kids start school... I was right!

Many SAHM's I know are trying to make a little extra money on the side and this book gives you the motivation and guidance to help to find our true calling.  It is packed with God's wisdom and a man's motivation to help you find your path.

I would recommend this book to EVERYONE... it helps you to see that, in this life, we need to find our passion and not just a job.  Granted many of us just need a job to pay the bills but when one door closes another opens.  If you were recently laid off this is a great read to help you find your way.  If you know someone who is in need to motivation this is a great gift.

Even if you think you like your job you should read this book.  I don't think there is a single person who wouldn't benefit from this.  Get it and get it now!

No More Dreaded Mondays...

I am currently reading a book titled, No More Dreaded Mondays by Dan Miller.  All I have to say is wow... this book is a great motivator to anyone needing some.  Being a stay at home mom I tend to think of myself as unemployed but that couldn't be further from the truth.  I am a mom, the so called hardest job in the world.  I am the CEO of my household.  I keep the house in order.  I decide on what my family will eat and what my family will buy.  Most stay at home moms don't give themselves enough credit.

I came across a great paragraph that I want to share...

"In the busyness of modern life, I fear many of us have lost the rhythm between activity and rest.  Just as exhaling without occasionally inhaling will cause a person to turn blue and pass out, busyness without rest will cause you to pass out on the things that matter.  "I am so busy."  We say this as a badge of honor, as if our exhaustion were a trophy and our ability to withstand seventy-to-eighty-hour workweeks a mark of real character.  We convince ourselves that the busier we are, the more we are accomplishing and the more important we must be.  But is this really so?  Does more activity really mean more accomplishment?  To be unavailable to friends and family. to miss the sunsets and the full moons, to blast through our obligations without time for taking a deep breath - are these really the marks of a successful life?"

It is true.  In this age the more you have going on the more important you seem to feel.  Have you ever come home from a long day of work and just wanted to be alone?  Yet your family hasn't seen you all day and all they want to do is hang out, talk and play?  Do you give of yourself so much to your job that your family doesn't get any of the "fun" you?

With Memorial Weekend coming up make sure that you take some time to share some time with your friends and family.  Enjoy your life...

30 min Shirt

I was given a bunch of remnant fabric and also the challenge to make something out of it.  I found this large rectangle of green fabric... and loved the color but didn't know what to do with it.  I held it up and envisioned a draped shirt of some kind.  I am not a seamstress and my sewing skills are great for straight lines.

I started with cutting the fabric in half, creating two large squares.  I sewed along the top edges to create the shoulders and down the sides (at and angle) to create a tapered waist line.  I didn't have to finish the edges since this fabric doesn't fray... I have to say that this is great for my first try... I have blue and grey fabrics in the same size and material.  I hope to make two more shirts.

Philly Cooking Creme

I keep seeing these commercials of a mom staring at the chicken on her cutting board and just can't possibly think of what to do tonight.  So she reaches for the Philadelphia Cooking Creme.  It magically transforms her families chicken and veggies into a miracle dish that the whole family will love.  Now I haven't personally tried this yet and am hesitant to do so.  I am the kind of person that likes to experiment and make my own sauces and this is just not a product that I don't want to try.

I decided to look up the ingredients and nutritional facts before I made my final decision.  Here is the breakdown for 1/4 cup.  The first thing that strikes me is the saturated fat... 5 grams seems like a lot.  Not to mention the 480 mg of sodium.  I can also guarantee that we are not going to stick to the serving size.  The tub is 10 oz and that is enough for my husband and I.  So I imagine that we are both doubling these numbers.

Calories 110 Calories from Fat  80
% Daily Value
Total Fat 9g	14%
Saturated Fat 5g	25%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 30mg	10%
Sodium 480mg	20%
Total Carbohydrate 5g	2%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Sugars 3g
Protein 4g	8%

I know that chicken is a great go-to meat and we eat more of it than any other meat in my household but I can think of tons of things to do with it.  You can make a simple white sauce with butter, flour and milk.  Then you can season it a million different ways.  This week I am going to try a Caprese Chicken... chicken breast stuffed with basil, tomatoes and mozarella cheese.

If you want to try this or you have please let me know.  I don't see anything wrong with using this every now and it might taste great.  But I am going to stick with making my families food homemade.

Water for Elephants

My girlfriend and I went to see this on Saturday night... movie night without the kids is a rarity these days.  I found this movie enchanting yet it seemed to leave me wanting more.  Set in 1931 during the depression Jacob (odd name choice for Twilight's Edward to play) joins the circus and falls in love with the boss' wife.  Reese Witherspoon is gorgeous, as usual and Robert Pattinson is handsome and dashing but neither performance was anything to write home about... or blog for that matter.  I can see this film grabbing Oscar nods for costume design and other artsy avenues.  The visuals were breathtaking and made me want to run away and join the circus.

The star of this movie is August, played by the amazing Christoph Waltz.  He does not disappoint as the tyrant circus owner who seems to run his circus like he ran his Jew search in Inglourious Basterds.  He won as Oscar for his role as the brilliantly evil Col. Landa in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.  He brings the same instensity and anger to this role.  He just might get another Oscar nod for this role as well.

The elephant, Rosie, was also a great contender for the top stop.  This movie is packed with excitement and spectacle but is nothing you need to rush to the theater to see.  I give it a B- just because it wasn't horrible but it wasn't the best I had seen.  If you like any of the actors then you will enjoy this movie.