Who doesn't love a free dinner?

After school, I took Sadie to one of our favorite places:

Earth Fare!

Sadie loves going there because she can push the kid-sized carts.  Sometimes this is risky, because she likes to grab random items from the shelves and put them in her cart.  I've found some strange items when we have gotten to the checkout line... However today, she was a good little shopping helper.

I wish I could do all my shopping at Earth Fare, but we just can't afford to do all our shopping there.  However, Earth Fare has THE best deals.  I have mentioned their coupons before on my blog, and they are great!

Today I got all this:

plus a batch of Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies that were in the oven when I snapped this...

for only $11!

If you sign up for Earth Fare's email list, they will give you a coupon for a free dinner!  You get either a whole chicken OR veggie burgers, a bag of baby carrots, and a container of garlic mashed potatoes.

Click here to sign up.

So here's my free dinner.  I decided to try Earth Fare's Spicy Bean Veggie Burgers.  LOVED them.  They definitely have a kick!  I didn't have monterrey jack cheese, so I topped mine with a little mozzarella and salsa.  YUM!

I also was so excited to try one of these CasCal drinks! 

I've been seeing them on the Food Buzz site and on other blogs.  So tasty!  It's fizzy and is not overly sweet.  It is kinda like having champagne!  It was a fun treat after Zumba!

Well, goodnight all... it's Friday-Eve!  Yahoo!

How to Spend Less on Groceries!

So, today I had to do some grocery shopping.  This used to be a mindless task for me.  I sometimes made a list, and sometimes I went with NO list, wandering around the store and purchasing whatever looked good to me at the time.  Times, they have a-changed in the Bridges Household.  About a year ago, I started keeping track of my grocery receipts and found that, for our family of 3, I was sometimes spending as much (or sometimes MORE than) $500 a month on groceries.  And we went out to eat a few times a week, too!  Many of you with children know that they are EXPENSIVE.  Worth every penny, but once you have a day care expense of $600-$800 a month, you have to start finding ways to save.  Plus, as a part of all the school budget cuts, my husband's job was cut and he took a job that cost him about 1/3 of his salary.  That hurt.  And then came the furloughs... you heard me mention those yesterday.  But... things happen, and you have to find a way to deal. 


That's why I use the Southern Savers website.


This website is couponing and grocery deals for dummies.  Jenny, the creator, has all kinds of tutorials to help you get started and understand how couponing works.  Click here to find some of her video tutorials.


Now, I am still not able to go and buy a cart of groceries for $5.  But Southern Savers has helped me to DRASTICALLY cut our grocery bill.  How drastic?  I cut it in HALF.  I went from spending an average of $100 a week to $50 a week.  I will tell you that a shopping trip takes a lot more time and effort than it used to, but to me, it's worth it.


First, I have to menu-plan.  Today, this involved me checking the freezer to see what we actually had and thinking about what dinners could be created with those ingredients.  (This is the obvious part of the game plan.  We all do this, right?) 

As you can see, there is a serious organization problem going on here! 
Does anyone else's freezer look like this?

For example, today I pulled out a top-round roast, potatoes, onions, and celery.  Well, that's easy.  Add some carrots and you've got crock pot beef stew.  So carrots went on my list.  And lucky for me, they are on sale this week!


Then, I hit up the Southern Savers site to see what the grocery deals are that week. 

I shop at either Bi-Lo or Harris Teeter, depending on who has the best deals for that particular week.  For me, Bi-Lo won this week.  Now, the Southern Savers site has this great feature where Jenny lists all the items that are on sale AND the coupon match-ups.  She also has check-boxes so you can check off everything you want and then print your personalized list.  You can even add your own items to the list. 

Then, I go and find my coupons that I can use.  This week, I have several that will help bring down the total.  I clip and check my list before heading out. 

Then, we hit the stores.  Now, I am taking a chance today, because grocery stores change their deals on Wednesdays.  Today is Monday, so there's a chance that they may be out of some of the things on my list.  But I've got my little shopping helper with me, and we're enjoying some Mommy-Sadie time today.

So... how did I do? 

I usually aim to try and get my savings to equal what I spent.  I came pretty close today.  I saved $36 and spent $38.  I am pretty happy if I come in at under $50 a week. 

Basically, this has changed the way I shop.  I used to start with a menu and then shop for the ingredients, and whatever they cost was what I paid.  Now I plan our menus based on what is on sale or what I bought previously on sale.  It seems so simple... I don't know why it never occurred to me before!

So... how do you shop for groceries?  Do you coupon?  Leave me a comment with your ideas, thoughts, insights...

Gifts In My Inbox

It is 9 p.m. and I am just now getting home.  Awfully late, but it was a fun day.  Zumba, dinner with the girls, FREE food at Earth Fare...

When I got to work, I realized I forgot my knee brace for Zumba... oops.  With all the knee trouble I have had lately, I thought I might be headed for disaster.  But after taking a week off, I thoght maybe it would be ok. 

After work I taught my Zumba class at school.  Then when it was done, I thought, the knee is feeling ok... maybeI will hit Zumba with Katie at the Y.  Definitely worth it!  Hopefully I am not speaking too soon, but I can till walk and my knee seems normal-sized...

Zipped over to Weight Watchers, thinking, I might be heading for disaster.  (Are you seeing a pattern here?)  I have not tracked my food and points all week.  I have tried not to eat like a maniac, but I have definitely been a little slack.  Plus-- I didn't work out all week.  BUT... I stepped on the scale... and LOST .4 pounds!  Now, .4 sounds like nothing, but if you have ever been on a weight-loss journey, then you know that ANY loss counts as a LOSS!

I celebrated by meeting my friends Angie and Mandy at Moe's.  I made healthy choices, except for the chips.  I just can't turn down the chips and salsa.  I have been known to sneak in a bag of Baked! Tostitos, but this time I was unprepared.  My "Close Talker in a Bowl" was fantastic.  Lettuce, grilled chicken, black beans, pico de gallo, black olives, cucumbers, pickled jalapenos, and cilantro.  You don't even need dressing!

Moe's Close Talker in a Bowl

Today I got a nice little surprise in my email inbox: 2 new Earth Fare coupons!  So I had to make one more stop before heading home.  I love going to Earth Fare.  Every time I go I find something new and fun!  Tonight I only spent $10, but I walked out with:

1.  Fresh low fat cheese ravioli
2.  Baked Cheese Curls (like Cheetos but healthier)
3.  Buffalo chicken rollers (chicken breasts flattened and rolled up with lots of goodies inside)
4.  Spinach and feta chicken rollers
5.  Bananas

Healthy Cheetos

Buffalo Chicken Rollers and Spinach Feta Rollers

I would say that's pretty good-- 2-3 dinners for this weekend already prepared?  A crunchy, cheesy snack?  Bananas?  For under $10?  Um, let me think... Yes please!  I will let you know how the rollers taste later this weekend!

I also read that they have new (FREE) cooking classes starting again soon.  I heart you, Earth Fare!

I am going to say to everyone reading (all 5 of you): if you have not gone to the Earth Fare website and signed up for their email list, do it RIGHT NOW.  They send out 2-3 awesome coupons a week and everything is always delicious!

So... tomorrow is Friday...  yippee!!!  Happy Friday, everyone!