"Uhm, exuse me?"

"Oh honey, I am just going to make a "quick little trip to Vons" and I will be home."

I said this to my husband on Saturday evening after my littlest guy was in bed, and my hubby was all engrossed rooting for his team. The older kids were all entertained and so I knew this was my chance.

My date ( my big pink coupon binder) and I were going up and down the aisles, when a woman stopped me and said...

"Wow that is a really great system you have. But do you honestly feel that coupons are worth your time? Isn't it easier to just throw things in your cart and be done with it?"

Well honestly my answer to both questions is...yes. Yes I feel they are worth my time and yes it is easier to just throw things in your cart.

Then she said, " I am a busy Mom. I have 4 kids and just went back to work. I just don't have time."

Now, while I am at the store I am on a mission. So I don't tend to give long answers. But I will say this, I am a busy Mom. I have 5 kids. I have a husband who is gone for months at a time. I have my kids in a variety of activities, and not to mention all those mundane tasks like laundry, dishes...and what it takes to run a home.

However, I still find the time. I make time. I may not be the most organized. I may not be a coupon queen. I may not have a blog with a million readers following me.  But I still make time.

It boils down to..."if it is important to you, you will make time." The end.

There are more than one ways to skin a cat, and there are more than one ways to save money.

image taken from starwars.wikia.com

So as Yoda says,  "Do or do not, there is no try."

Q& A

This kid is known as a "MEATatrian" at our house!

I have been getting so many emails, calls, texts or conversations about saving money...beyond couponing. While I feel that couponing is a great way to get free items, I also know that it is not the ONLY way to save money. So I am going to answer a question from my friend Tiffany about meat.

Her question, "How doI know if I am getting a good price on meat? How can I save money on meat?'

 Having 5 kids who have huge appetites, not to mention my husband who is a steak & potato kind of a guy, I have dealt with this issue! This is a big question that a lot of people have. So here are a few things that might help...

1.) The front of your store ads, have what are called "loss leaders". This means that they mark these way down, to get you in the store. They are willing to take a hit on certain items to get you in, knowing that while you are there, you will probably buy a lot of other things to make up the difference. Don't do it. Just get what you came for.

2) Buy a cheaper cut of meat. I know, I know. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are healthiest for you. But 1)they tend to be a bit drier than other cuts. Our family uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs. These ar much cheaper and the meat always turns out well. Tougher cuts of meat (roasts, steaks etc) can become tender and juicy when cooked low and slow in a crock pot!

3.) I know for a fact that Tiffany's husband is a big meat eater, and so he might not like this idea but...institute a couple of nights a week that are meat free. You could have pancakes (or other breakfast foods), you could make an omelet full of vegi's and have hashbrowns on the side, bean burritos, salads...there are tons of options. Soup and roll night. Pasta w/sauce...

last years very inexpensive Easter ham

Love me some 50% off stickers! Because that is a "store price" you can still use coupns on them!

4)  Plan, plan, plan your menu. Lets say you do all of your food shopping on Monday. Plan your meals accordingly. Then only buy what you will need for those meals. Don't buy 4 pkgs of chicken every week becaus that is what you always do. Maybe you only have 2 chicken meals planned for the week. Can you get by with only 2 pkgs?

5) Check the meat dept. for items that are discounted. I buy a lot of our meat when it is 50% off. Take it home and cook it immediatley, or freeze. Your freezer can be your best friend...trust me I have 2 of them!

6) Remember to serve meals that can be stretched by cutting the meat up! Slice beef and/or chicken to use in fajitas, cut up pieces of chicken into stir fry, or on top of a salad.

7)During the holidays, hams & turkeys are on huge discounts. Buy as much as your freezer can hold. Cook it right away or freeze right away.

8) Can you get away with using a canned product? Tuna noodle casserole is cheap. So are tuna melts. Or you could use cans of chicken in casseroles.

9) Eggs. My husband loves eggs. You can add bits of meat to them if you want (ham, sausage, bacon etc) but the meat doesn't have to go as far. We make frittatas, omelets, scrambled eggs...

10) Coupons on fresh meat aren't always plentiful but they are there. Just keep your eye out. And if you are consistently saving money at the store...than splurge every once in a while!! Get that nice juicy steak or prime rib!

My rule of thumb when I buy meat
*buy loss leaders
*include cheaper meats in my menu for the week (sandwiches, or hot dogs..)
* only buy what you need for the week unless you find a killer sale
*In case of a killer sale, buy as much as your freezer and grocery budget will allow!
*I try never to pay more than $2 a lb for meat.
*If all else fails, buy just what you need at a warehouse club and divide as necessary.

What about you? How do you save money on meat?
Do you have any questions about how to save money at the grocery store? I would love to hear it and see how I can help! You can leave me a comment or email me at marthawannabe31@gmail.com

**WFMW**tips

Don't you love getting tips? Those little ideas that are so simple and yet, they make a huge difference?

I do not have an organized bone in my body. I have alot of lazy ones though lol!

Our calender for Sept!! And that is just the stuff I remembered to put on!!

We are a busy family and so I need all the organizing help I can get!

So while we lived on Guam, I had a friend who lived a couple of doors down.

She is married with 3 boys. At the time (and these are the only ones I know of personally) she was involved in the PTA, she was my sons Cub scout leader, sold Longbarger baskets, all 3 of her boys played a sport each season...I can't even think of everything. Her husband was gone a lot. BUT her house was immaculate. She planned her scout activities for the WHOLE year all at once. I was lucky if I had anything planned the hour before. She had calenders of every activity and followed everything to the T. To say that I was impressed is putting it mildly.

I asked her, how do you stay organized? She gave me 3 tips and I want to share them with you.

1. Don't just sit and watch tv. If you want to watch tv that is fine, but don't JUST sit! Send an email, update your calender, write out a menu plan, fold laundry, match socks, clip coupons....whatever. Just use that time to your advantage!

2. Never leave a room empty handed. If you are going from the living room to the kitchen, grab that cup you just used and go put it away. While in the kitchen, grab your dirty dish towels and put them in the laundry etc. Always put something away!

3. The last one is to have everyone in your house learn this motto and practice it! Ready? "Don't pass it up, pick it up". Have you or your kids ever walked past a pair of shoes? A couch pillow on the floor? A toy? Don't walk past it, pick it up and put it away.

So...what about you? Do you have any tips that you use to keep your house picked up, or your life more organized? I would love to hear them, trust me, I need all the help I can get!!

For more great ideas, head on over to We Are That Family!

What's for lunch?

image from http://www.bentolunch.com/

strawberries, cookies, ham sandwich on a bagel thin, applesauce, fruit snacks

strawberries, cookies, cheese and leftover chicken & fried rice



ham sandwich on bagel w/cream cheese, cheese cubes, crackers, strawberries and cookies

 With the end of September coming up fast...I have realized something.

My kids lunches have been less than stellar. Seriously! I mean I still describe my lunches as "bento-ish" because I lack any skill but, I have at least been doing better.

Not this month though!

Hopefully October will help inspire me a bit...pumpkins, leaves, Halloween...

Here is a look at some of the lunches I have made this past month.

For some AmAzInG ideas, go to What's for Lunch! Her site is seriously amazing. She is talented and so are her readers!

changes

I have been couponing for awhile now.

Since my daughter was born, to be exact.

She turned 12 last summer.

I love coupons. I love having a grocery store in my garage. I love having lots of options for meals & snacks. I love being able to give away when someone is in need.

I would encourage everyone to coupon on at least some level. Since I have been in CA ( a little over a year now) I have been blessed with awesome stores that double coupons. I have been able to get many free and inexpensive items. So I started sharing them on Facebook.

Then I started having requests for teaching & sharing how to coupon. Thus I changed the name of this blog (from MarthaWannabe to California Clippin') and created a facebook page, to go along with it.

I have had fun sharing good deals, coupons and my trips. However...there are TONS of coupon blogs. TONS. And I feel it is kind of a waste of my time to repeat info that can be found in a ton of other places.

So while I am in no way saying that I will never post another coupon trip or good deal etc, I am saying that you won't see as many.

I want to go back to sharing recipes, planning menu's, freezer cooking, sharing crafts or decorations, money saving tips, family friendly ideas, kids ideas, trying to get organized and basically homemaker-y stuff. (:

Daily Do's




 


To do lists. I make them. I ignore them. I use them...sometimes.

In my attempt to get more organized, I am going to start small. Small steps right? So my first thing is to create a list of 3 things that I want to do every day.

3 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon and 3 in the evening. This will be the beginning of my routine and hope to add more to it as I go along.

I will also be adding 1 goal a day to increase my healthy habits!

Ready?
Morning:
*make  my bed-I make my bed  about 95% of the time. But I want to increase to a 100% bed maker (:
*straighten my bathroom (sometimes that curling iron stays on the counter all week...or longer!)
*unload the dishwasher (and reload if necessary)

After lunch (during Mason's nap time)
* 2 loads of laundry 100% complete. (Sort, wash, dry, fold and put away. It is the putting away that gets me everytime!!)
*dishes (load & reload as necessary)
*know what I am making for dinner (if I need to get meat out, or if there is something I can do ahead of time..)

Evening:
*clean kitchen (with help from my children)
*straighten living room (with help from my 6 yr old, older children will have their own jobs)
* plan lunches for the next day (Do I need to get bread out of the freezer? Refill water bottles? Etc)


Healthy Habit:
And my healthy habit I will be working on...uping my water intake!! I am so bad about drinking diet soda, and so I know I need to be drinking more water!! So for now, my goal is 64 oz of water daily (:

Feelin' Feminine Friday

It is that time again! I am participating in The American Homemakers Feelin' Feminine Fridays! This is a great chance to share what makes you feel feminine! I have a house full of boys and so I know that I love to just think about being *girly* (:

In the LDS church we have a General Conference on the first weekend in October and the first weekend in April. This is a chance for members of the church (and non members!!) to listen to our church leaders & prophet and get messages for our day.

However, tomorrow, we have what is called the General Relief Society meeting. The Relief Society is the woman's organization in our church. This is a time when all messages are devoted to WOMEN!

What could be more feminine than that? I always make sure I have a journal, a pen, and lots of tissues!

Sorry, I couldn't get the picture to rotate! My journal that my friend Julie made me!

So while I really don't have pictures of this event, I wanted to share a quote. This is from the talk given in October 2007 by Julie B Beck... I keep this taped on my kitchen cabinet as a reminder to me of who I am and what I am here to do...

"Mothers who know are nurturers. This is their special assignment and role under the plan of happiness. ⁵ To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers who know create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes. Another word for nurturing is homemaking. Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate. Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens best in a “house of order,” and women should pattern their homes after the Lord’s house (see D&C 109). Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work. Helping growth occur through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential role bestowed on women."