Over the last few days, DH & I have been slowly talking abour our budget, our plans, our goals for the upcoming year or two. After seeing where we did well (and not so well) on our 2009 budget, we're ready to make some plans!

First, the $200 bonus I received at the end of the year went straight into savings. It's a tiny bonus, but every small piece to fuel our savings adds up. This year, once our cost of living increase is finalized, I'll increase my 401k contribution to eat that up, as I've done the last few years. I see my increase year to year as spare change adding to my check - never as whole dollars. And if I didn't have before, I won'tm iss it now.

Next, time to start deliberately saving. To me, this means funneling a portion of my paycheck directly into savings - the less work you have to do in order to save, the better. I still am collecting change is a 5 gallon jug at home - I will keep tossing in change and the odd dollar bill as they come to me. The jug is tucked out-of-sight at home, so there is zero temptation to use its contents, but in case of emergency, we know its there. I haven't tapped into the jug in more than 8 years, so I'm not too worried that I'll be doing that anytime soon.

Another idea I had, our entertainment budget is fairly generous - I want to reduce that by 25%, and use the remainder to really get our savings built up. We did not use our savigns over the holidays, neither did we use credit cards, so there is no pressure to pay off anything, but I see homes in our neighborhood going into foreclosure, and when our lease comes up - I'd like to be in a position to buy one of those homes. We currently are renting a townhouse in a neighborhood we plan to stay in for the foreseeable future.

For our entertainment, we will continue our weekly date-nights, but 2 date nights a month will have a $25 budget (for food, entertainment, etc.) one will be an average date night, the other - we'll go a bit fancier. Our project savings from that: $100 a month, which will add a nice cushion to our savings. It's easier to save when you can still have some fun. All I need now is an arsenal of cheap date night ideas and I'm all set. DH always votes for a movie, but in the winter, it's hard to find other avenues of entertainment in the Midwest - does anyone have some ideas for me? I need all the help I can get, over it's all movies - all the time. I haven othing against movies, but I love lots of variety.

I'm going to work on my cake-making skills - that will be a standard offer for anyone in our circle of family/friends for their gift. We will offer them a cake - it's both practical and affordable, cake mixes are super affordable and I always have a few dozen of those on hand, anyway. For very few people will we get gifts - unless the gifts come out of our gift drawer. Over the next year, I want to see how much we can save, without it feeling like we're under the microscope.

The best bit of advice someone gave me about money - no amount saved is too small. With that in mind, I've got to see if I've got anything I can sell on Ebay, to help bloster those numbers. After that, it'll be time to pull the recipe for 30-Minute Tiramisu - click HERE to take a look.

http://chicagoscookbook.blogspot.com/2010/01/30-minute-tiramisu.html

I'm a huge fan of pizza, but in the past wasn't too big on deep dish (I know, I know - a traitor to the local pizza - how could it be?) but after last night - everything changed. Completely.

DH loves to make pizza and grill - those are his cooking favorites and what he did last night was almost too good to share with everyone....almost. He's been wanting deep-dish pizza for a while, and I keep dragging my feet, pointing out other cheaper options, explaining that it takes too long, etc. Naturally, I've been hard to pin down. Finally, after watching a FoodNetwork special on the secret life of pizza and seeing a few of our hometown pizza places explaining how they make a deep dish - we felt so inspired. Or should I say, I was hungry enough while watching to think this would be a good idea. I don't know why it took me so long to convert.

This deep dish pizza was.....transcendent. It looked like something off a magazine cover, it really did. Until we cut into it. And began devouring it. The fragrant sauce, the hearty sausage, the ooey-gooey cheese, the buttery crunch of the crust giving way to doughy perfection. It was magnificent - no, words cannot describe how amazing this one single pizza was. It symbolized hope, it spoke to my soul - okay, maybe I'm being a little too melodramatic, but this pizza - there is nothing by which to compare it to. For a mere $3.45 in ingredients, all but one of which we had on hand anyway, we achieved perfection. (I only say we because I was so humbly allowed in the kitchen to slice the mushrooms and flatten the sausage - otherwise, I would've been banished from the kitchen due to my predilection for snacking on the ingredients.)

There are many recipes we try in life, some succeed, others drop by the wayside, but something like this - it deserves to live in infamy.

Oh, if I've got you hungry - click HERE for the recipe. I couldn't leave you hanging like that, now could I?

I'm all stocked up on cereal and Nature Valley Granola Clusters - thanks to the stacking of coupons at Dominicks -store and manufacturer coupons made this a super deal - regularily $3.79 a bag, I grabbed 2 for $.50 each. Over at Jewel, I combined this with a General Mills/Betty Crocker catalina deal and here's what I walked away with:

JEWEL - Buy $20 in participating products, get $5 OYNO
Jewel: transaction #1
3 boxes General Mills cereal ($2.79-$3.29 each regular price) $1.99 preferred card
2 bags Nature Valley Granola CLusters ($3.79 each regular price) 2/$5 preferred card
2 pouches Betty Crocker Cookie Mix ($2.39 regular price) $1.99 preferred card
-$1.00/3 General Mills cereal
-$.50/1 Nature Valley Granola Clusters (2)
- $10.00 catalina coupon from last week's sales
OOP = $3.19
Saved: $18.80

Received:
$5 coupon OYNO
$1.50/3 boxes General Mills cereal
50 bonus Boxtops for Education

Jewel #2:
3 boxes General Mills cereal ($2.79-$3.29 each regular price) $1.99 preferred card
7 boxes Hamburger Helper ($1.60 regular price) $1 each
-$.75/3 Hamburger Helper (2)
$1.50/3 General Mills cereals (from previous order)
-$5.00 OYNO coupon (from previous purchase)
OOP: $5.20
Saved: $15.60

Received:
$5 coupon OYNO
$1.50/3 boxes General Mills cereal
50 bonus Boxtops for Education

Dominicks:
$.98 - 1 gallon Lucerne milk (with in-store coupon)
$.99 - 18 count Lucerne large eggs (with in-store coupon)
$1.99 Oscar Mayer Bacon (4) (with in-store coupon)
$1.49 Cinnamon Toast Crunch
$1.49 Honey Nut Cheerios (1)
$1.24 CoffeeMate Caramel Apple coffee creamer (50% Off)
$.99 Oscar Mayer deli meat (9-10 oz. - mark down)
4/$6 Nature Valley Granola Bars & Clusters (with in-store coupon)
-$1.00 Nature Valley Granola Clusters (2)
-$1.00/2 Nature Valley Granola Bars
-$1.00 CoffeeMate coffee creamer, powder or liquid
-$.55 Honey Nut Cheerios (2)
-$.55 Cinnamon Toast Crunch
-$1.00/2 Oscar Mayer deli meat
OOP: $17.43
Savings: $34.79
Percent savings: 66%

Total OOP: $25.82

We were out of most fresh produce, so a quick trip after work with DH yielded some versatile produce to use for next week - lots of options with these affordable fruit and veggie options:

$.24 - heart of Romaine
$.35 - 2 cloves of garlic
$.75 - 2 extra large roasting red bell peppers
$.79 - 8 lbs. potatoes
$.42 - 5 medium bananas
$.99 - 8 oz. whole button mushrooms
$1.49 - 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
$3.99 - 3 lb. Italian sausage links

Total OOP = $9.16 (includes tax)

I also scopped up some coupon booklets while walking through Caputo's - so lots of deals to be had for the future.

Want an easy, no bake recipe for....tiramisu? Just click HERE to see how to put this together using lots of basics from the pantry and freezer - I actually have everything on hand to make this tasty treat. Looks like dessert will be served in no time at all!

TIRAMISU - 30 Minutes or less!!

Why is it that coming up with new recipes is always easier when it's snowing? Maybe it's because you don't want to go out driving in the blustery, chilly storm or maybe because you just feel more like being at home when those arctic storms hit. There is nothing like puttering around the kitchen, armed only with a spatula and an idea. That's when good things start happening...

In my kitchen this winter, I've been lucky enough to ride the biggest inspirational wave I've ever seen. I've created more than a dozen new cookie recipes, borrow ideas liberlly from the Food Network (of which I'm a hopeless addict!), making frugal and quick twists using the same basic flavors they do. What has that resulted in? Funny you should wonder, here's the list of new cookie recipes to come out of my kitchen over the last month or two: (P. S. - want to see the recipe? just click on the link!)

Decadent Chocolate Snowballs

Cranberry Almond White Chocolate Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies

Cookies 'n' Creme Brownies

Vanilla Creme Brownies

White Mocha Sugar Cookies

Orange Rum Oatmeal Cookies


There are a few of my new favorites, though I've concocted many more. My New Year's Resolution, like last year, is to record a new recipe a day or add 365 recipes to my online cookbook by the end of the year. While I cut it a little too close for comfort in 2009 (finishing in a blaze of typing on New Year's Eve), I'm starting this year out stronger (and much sooner) than ever. New flavors, more quick and easy ideas, and budget-friendly tips are on their way! I'm rigorously combing through cookbooks, recipe cards, online recipes, and re-vamping old favorites with new flavors to bring the most flavor and fun to the table!

Tell me: what is your signature flavor? What taste, recipe, dish makes you feel at your best?

My baking tip of the week: when making brownies or bars, replace water called for in recipe with a liquid that has more flavor. Try liquid coffee creamers, juice, milk, etc. to booster flavor while using something you already have on hand!

The snow we were predicted is coming down, turning the view from my windows into a picture perfect scene. Too much snow to drive in, so I'm working from home today. Which will save me a gallon or two of gasoline - yippee!! Though, I do have easy access to the peanut butter, so the savings may very well cancel itself out.

I've eyed some good deals at Caputo's:

$.79 lb. large roasting red bell peppers
$.39 lb. bananas
$1.49 each golden pineapples
$.59 lb. anjou pears
$.79 8 lb. bag russet potatoes
2/$1 mangos
$.49 lb. Florida juice oranges
$.99 8 oz. bag Fresh Express iceberg lettuce shreds
$.49 lb. Andy Boy Romaine Lettuce
4/$5 Francesco Rinaldi pasta sauce (love this brand - great for pizza sauce)
$1.19 lb. Pork Sirloin End Chops or Pork Country Ribs
$.99 16 oz. Prairie Sour Cream
$.99 Dutch Farms cream cheese, 8 oz. bricks
$.89 14 oz. Dutch Farms bagels

I see some cheap breakfast in my future using the bagels for sammies or along side some deals on fruit, and potatoes will be my primary side dish for next week's meal plans. I'm still good on sour cream, but may grab a few extra cream cheese for the freezer - I love making cheesecake, especially in the summer, so this is the best time of year to stock up on that. Tons of salad options with the romaine and bell pepper, so this next week will be super easy for eating. I even came up with a chicken recipe using the deals I see for the week - a Tropical Chicken in a Crockpot! What could be easier?

The best part? The chicken for this recipe is on sale at Butera for $.79 lb., though Caputo's has it for $.99 lb. It's about time the meat prices dropped, my freezer is getting a little empty, and this sale is just in the nick of time.

With the cold weather and the dreary skies, I haven't been too eager to go out and do any kind of shopping - and the stores here have been obliging with skimpy sales, Christmas clearance at only 50% off, and most stores didn't have much to pick from before Christmas anyway.

Last night, I stayed in and made my first whole roasted chicken. And never did I realize how easy that was! 5 cloves of garlic, some spices from the spice cabinet, a splash or two of olive oil, and dinner was delish! I took a little help from my good friends of Rice-A-Roni for some yummy chicken rice on the side, and we finished the head of lettuce DH bought on Sunday as a light, simple salad with some baby carrots (shredded), parmesan cheese, and a palmful of dried cranberries. Dinner was super simple, and I have leftover chicken breast to make into quesadillas, tacos, sammies, and any other lunch item we need for the week. I love a simple meal, and this will definitely go back into the rotation soon!

Another idea I had for roasted chicken flavoring - using free/dirt-cheap seasoning packets instead of raiding the spice cabinet. I've got oodles of Lipton dired mixes left from the last great catalina deal at Jewel and a few dozen Weber marinade packets from the freebies at Jewel over the past summer, so I will be using those to season everything from dips, to roasted pork tenderloin, to chicken, adding it as seasoning to pasta sauce, and anything else I can think of! While I'm challenging myself to cook more from the pantry and put all those freebies and cheapies to good use, I am also looking to round out the variety of stuff on hand in Annie's Market.

Since my pantry is fully organized and functional, my next step is to take stock of the freezer. I haven't really bought much meat in the past few months, so I will need to restock the freezer - slowly. My chicken breast supply is probably gone, and I'm hoping I've got the pork chops on hand to make Friday's meal - if not, there is always soup and sandwich.

I stopped at Jewel on my way to work this morning, grabbing Cascade, Dawn, and Crest - using a $10 cat that I generated when buying paper towel for my workplace. 4 tubes of Crest, 2 bottles each Dawn and Cascade for $13.18. Savings of $16.xx. For items I was out of, I'm glad to have found a deal just in time.

At this point, I'm nearly out of fresh produce - since I've been too cold/lazy to go to the produce market - but now, I'm off....to see if Caputo's has any sales waiting for me!

Coupon Savings Today: $10.00

For anyone interested in some recipes for pumpkin cookies, check out this post on my other blog, Chicago's Cookbook, for some delicious inspiration!

PUMPKIN COOKIES

Just one warning....the white chocolate pumpkin cookie dough was so yummy I had to store it in the fridge until I was ready to make them - I couldn't keep from eating the dough!

An unexpected bonus: For anyone allergic to eggs, this is a naturally egg-less cookie. Great for kids with allergies to help make - and eat!

http://chicagoscookbook.blogspot.com/2010/01/basic-pumpkin-cookies.html

Got to start the new year off with a tasty bang - and here it is! Tons of flavor, lots of variety, and a new recipe to kick the year off.

Monday - Adam's chicken nuggets, garlic mashed potatoes, salad
Tuesday - Lemon Pepper Roasted Chicken, chicken rice,
Wednesday - Ham and mozzarella paninis, chips, apples
Thursday - Chicken parmesan, garden salad, garlic bread
Friday - Tangy Dijon Pork Chops, potatoes julienne, corn
Saturday - Date night!
Sunday - Chicago-style deep dish pizza....at home!

Umm-hmm - I'm getting hungry already!
If the deep dish is a success, I'll be sharing that recipe with you. If not, there's always next week.....

In defense of winter weather, it elps me save money. Seriously, it does. It's too darned cold to go out shopping, but that's okay - yesterday, I sent DH out to grab a Redbox (movie rental) using a code I found online (which actually worked - woohoo!) and asked him to grab some lettuce and a tomato to go with our burgers for dinner.

Meanwhile, I stayed in, baked some pumpkin cookies out of the leftover refrigerated dough I made up myself when I was doing all sorts of holiday baking. I even have 3 rolls of cookie dough (each a different flavor) in the freezer. Since it's just DH & I, I just made one cookie sheet worth of cookies. I still have enough dough left on the Decadent Chocolate Snowballs to make 3 dozen cookies and ditto that for the Pumpkin White Chocolate Cookies.

So, my savings was small - $1.00 on the Redbox rental. But, there is no savings to small to be kept in my pocket!

Today, at the office is a co-workers birthday, since there is only 5 of us here, one girl will bring the cake, the office guy will bring bread, my boss is in charge of a card and small gift, and I brought in my crockpot to make spaghetti. Much of the fixin's for a good spaghetti sauce for me were nearly free and I didn't have to buy anything (as I always have the ingredients to make this on hand), so this goes down as a nice big savings to me. Much better than paying $3.00 for a loaf of french bread. Nope, I'm not kidding, that's what they get away with charging around here. The a lternative - everyone chipping $5-$8 and ordering a pizza. As tasty as that sounds, I'll feed them spaghetti and feed my savings at the same time!

Deal of the Day = Dominick's Super Coupons: $.99 milk (Can't remember the brand), $.98 - 18 count Lucerne Eggs, $1.99 Smithfield bacon - 16 oz. pkg. - limit 4, and Nature Valley Granola Bars 4/$6. Minimum $20 purchase satisfies all requirements.

Even though it was pretty cold outside, 3 degrees, but windchill made it feel like -17, I went out for a quick hounding/couponing run. Grabbed 6 newspapers from Menards (only $1 each there) and popped over to Target for my final 7 boxes of Swiss Miss hot cocoa. Used my last coupons, and grabbed all 7 boxes for $.14 total. $7 worth of coupons spent, and a handful of pennies liberated from the bottom of my purse.


As I was leaving, DH gets a call from his mother - his grandfather's 92nd birthday - they decided to throw a party. Naturally, we find out 2 hours before the party starts. Naturally....not enough time to make a dish to share, I asked DH to grab a bag of chips or box of crackers to contribute and found a birthday card among the stash I still have left from my days working for Factory Card Outlet. OOP for birthday party = $0. Yay! Moments where I wish I could strangle people for not planning ahead....priceless (or should I say countless?). For everything else, there are coupons.

Total $$ spent: $6.14
Saved $$: $10.14 (newspaper and hot cocoa savings)
Coupon Value Redeemed: $7.00
Number of Coupons Used: 7

New Deals: Ultra Foods - BumbleBee tuna = $.38 a can - limit 4

DH & I went into Chicago - our new years tradition. We go into the city - where it's eerily quiet, parking is plentiful, and the streets aren't overly crowded. This year, the tree at Macy's on State Street was beautiful - decorated in silver. Each year we go to see the tree, and like most year - I absolutely adored this one. Afterwards, we typically grab lunch in the city, though instead of an over-priced pizza place, this year we went to an old family favorite's of my husband, Nuevo Leon. This is the only restaurant I will wait in line for. The enchiladas in mole sauce are amazing. Best in the city, hands down. And a huge bargain, $6 a plate for salsa and homemade tortilla chips, 3 enchiladas with beef, chicken, or cheese and your choice of homemade sauce, beans, rice, and an appetizer. Where else can you eat that cheap in Chicago? Not even McDonalds. Total spent on lunch/dinner: $18.03 - and that includes tip!

We even popped into Avenue (clothing store) who was having 80% off select stuff, and I found jeans for $1.96! I can't tell you how happy I was about that. They were originally $35.90. A savings of $33.94! I can ring in the new year with that!!

After that, rather than spend $$/time on things we didn't need, we went home and DH helped me organized anthoer portion of my pantry. Little by little, things are getting whipped into shape. 2 shelves organized, 2 more to go. I'll tackle one today and the other tomorrow and by Monday, I'll start making my list of "endangered/extinct species" - all the that items I'm running low on or completely out of and need to desperately hound deals on. I'll post my list by the middle of next week - once I've got a good handle on everything we've got.

Any tips, hints, ideas, and suggestions for getting the deals are always appreciated - it takes a village to empty my pantry, and it'll take all the help I can get to refill it!

For the new year, I've been listening to some of the goals my fellow bloggers, couponers, friends, and bargain-hunters have been posting - and I'm finally ready with my goals. It took some deliberation, a lot of hope (that I could stay organized enough to track what I'm going), and I am ready!

For 2010, here are the few, fast, and easy rules for me to keep my budget and my life in balance:

1. Take stock of my market/pantry area as well as my freezer. Make lists according to what I need. Do not drive out of my area for a freebie - unless it's something we need. More shopping to be done to and from work - less gas and time required.

2. Spend 10-15 minutes per day researching the deals.

3. Donate monthly to the food pantry.

4. Track all coupons redeemed by DH & I. Reduce grocery budget to $175 month. $50 per month alloted for holiday dinners/birthday dinners - only for months when we are hosting an event.

5. Switch to reusable grocery. No More Plastic Bags!!

6. Finally, the big one: I resolve to save $10,000 this year through the cool use of couponing! All coupons count (loadable, newspaper, printable, online codes, etc.): electronics, craft supplies, grocery, dining, clothes, etc. No coupon is too small to count towards this goal!

Trying to stay ahead of holiday madness and planning a family dinner for Christmas Day - here's my menu, hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy New Year, or a belated Eid Mubarek. Season Greetings just seems so bland - I was thrilled Saturday when someone wished me a Merry Christmas - that's the first time I'd been wished that all season! I know everyone has to be politically correct, but is it so damning to wish someone a Merry Christmas? Sorry....I digress. Back to my somewhat scheduled meal-planning:

Monday - Pot roast, potatoes, and carrots at DaMama's
Tuesday - Meal-in-One (shephard's pie)
Wednesday - Omelets, hashbrowns, juice, toast
Thrusday - dinner at Gramma's - I'm bringing the desserts!
Friday - Merry Christmas!! Lasagne, spaghetti with Italian sausage, salad, garlic bread
Saturday - After Christmas bargain hunting....DH is in charge of dinner!
Sunday - Tacos al pastore, arroz, frijoles - (seasoned pork tacos with cilantro and onion, rice, refried beans)

I;ve been puzzling over the menu for two weeks, writing and rewriting what will be served, but I think - after too much consideration, I've finally got it all nailed down. Whenever I mention the party to someone, they remind me of a favorite dish that has to be on the menu. If you ask my friend, Bridgett - it would be the biscotti, my mom insists no party is complete without the eggnog crunch cookies, my mother-in-law, she tells me to make a double batch of the dark chocolate cranberry bars. With so many favorites and so my ideas to choose from, it's made it hard to narrow it down to the favorites of the season.

Before it changes again, here's what the menu looks like:

EggNog Crunch Cookies
Almond Cookies
Lemon Cookies
Citrus Macadamian Nut Cookies
Fudge
Penuche
Lemon Snowbars
Decadent Chocolate Snowballs
Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
French Cappuccino Bars
Chocolate and Almond Dipped pretzels (twists and rods)
Mini-Kiss Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies
Ginger Almond Biscotti
Southern-style brownies

For appetizers:

BLT dip
roasted garlic and pepper dip
French onion dip
sweet and savory meatballs
cheese cubes and smoked sausage slices served with pretzel sticks
wheat thins, pretzels, chips
baby carrots and cucumber slices

Monday - Mini-frittatas with swiss and sharp cheddar, toast, fresh fruit
Tuesday - Meal in One, brown and serve rolls
Wednesday - Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, salad
Thursday - Chicken rice, beans, tortillas
Friday - Omelets, hashbrowns, toast, juice
Saturday - Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, salad
Sunday - Annual Cookie Party! Will post full menu by end of the week

1 pkg. vanilla cake mix
2 eggs, minus 1 yolk
1/4 C. strong coffee, cold
1/3 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. almond extract (if you have coffee extract, use 1/2 tsp. with the 1 tsp. almond)
1 C. cappuccino chips (can't find these? use white chocolate instead or double the almond)
1/2 C. sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 13x9” pan.
Mix well all, but final 2 ingredients. Stir in chips and 1/2 of almonds. Spread evenly in pan.
Top with remaining almonds.
Bake 24-27 minutes, cool and cut.

I love entertaining, and now that hubby and I have hounded a new living room set (only $700 - beautiful micro-suede couch and loveseat), it's time to gear up for my annual Christmas Cookie Party. I'm planning a menu of seasonal favorites and an array of appetizers, sure to please any palate! With all the hounded cake mixes, flour, and cheap extract that I've been able to load up on - this is the ideal way to entertain on a budget! Can you believe that 7 of the cookies and bars start with a cake mix? How easy is that?!

Cookie and Bars selections:

Egg Nog Crunch cookies with walnuts
French Cappuccino Bars
Lemon Snow Bars
Diane's Almond Cookies
Southern-style brownies - new recipe!
Tuxedo Cookies
Ginger Pear Bars
Oatmeal Cookies (with craisins and walnuts & with golden raisins and almonds)
Classic Chocolate-Almond Biscotti
Shortbread Cubes - new recipe!
Cranberry Dark Chocolate Bars
Sugar Cookies
Buttery Lemon Cookies
Strawberry-Almond Thumbprint Cookies - new recipe!

Other sweet nibbles:

Chocolate dipped pretzels (with sprinkles, crushed peppermint, or toffee bits)
Almond dipped pretzels (plain, sprinkles, or shredded coconut topped)
Divinity - this is a new addition....let's see how it turns out!
EggNog Truffles - still working on creating this recipe

Appetizers:

Mini-frittatas
Blanco Pizza bites
Meatballs
Roasted garlic chicken spread with crackers
Veggie Dip (thank you Lipton!) with baby carrots and celery
BLT dip with toast triangles (gotta love this simple, affordable alternative)