My Items

Hello and Welcome to another Money Saving Monday. As you can see this week I am going over Amazon Prime and the great ways you can save on groceries. Of course, there are many other benefits, but those are for another blog. Before you can understand the savings, you must first understand the costs. The main membership is $119 a year, for students $59 a year and for those with EBT or Medicaid it is just $5.99 a month. Even better yet you can have a whole month free just to see if you like it! Do not just take my word for it, try it for yourself: Now that that that is out of the way let us get to the savings! For this blog I have used the Prime Pantry checkout and compared it to shopping using the Walmart online checkout. Now I know Amazon has a fee and Walmart does not, but you will see how quickly the savings add up. What I did was shop for the exact same or equivalent items at both. Here is my shopping cart for Walmart, just slide the pictures over to see them all: Because I did not check out of either shopping carts, I have the subtotal for $63.32. This gives 25 items the average individual coast of $2.53, which is not bad. To learn more about why I break down my pricing this way then visit my posts: Shopping Day Part 1 and Shopping Day Part 2 . Now I actually did the Amazon check out first and then the Walmart check out, but for this blog I did it this way for effect. I tried to keep the exact item or the equivalent. In the first picture of the Amazon slide it shows us that there are 26 items at the subtotal of $52.34, making the individual average $2.01. That is a 50 cent savings per item with a total savings of $10.98. To put that into perspective that is about 5 pounds of chicken or 10 bags of frozen vegetables. So how do we get the best savings from Amazon? They are great with food that is canned, bagged, or boxed. There are some areas that are partnered with Whole Foods, but it is still in the testing process and not in my area. The first thing I do is go to Amazon Pantry. These are the cheapest prices you will find on Amazon; in a way it is like the clarence section. Once there I click on the Deals section, not only does it have the Pantry low prices, but they have different extra deals that change almost weekly. There are also items with coupons attached, either a percentage or a dollar amount. Below is a photo step by step of how to navigate to the deals: Then next thing I like to do is shop the lowest price points in Prime Pantry. Since you must have a $35 minimum you can really pack your cart full! See following pictures on how to do this: Of course, there are many other ways to save using Amazon Prime Pantry, but this is a great way to start saving right away. Until next time, keep saving! Jacque

For Part 1 Click Here Hello and welcome to part 2 of my shopping day. I have to apologize because in my last post I said I would be posting later that day, that was Monday and this is Wednesday. Because of Covid-19 there are great opportunities in the shopping world to continue to help us social distance, but also can be a great time/money saver and that is the wonderful and frustrating Curb Side Pick-Up! I will explain the pros later but for now I the big con was the app wasn't working for Walmart. By the time I figured it all out my pick-up time expired and the only times available were the next day giving me little time to write the post about it. So I and using Wednesday's Food For Thought for Part 2. In Part 1 I explained how to plan out a Shopping List. Now I know people who can become obsessed with their lists and have to get exactly what they panned and are devastated when it doesn't work out. Don't be that kind of person. Life is not perfect. I planned on going to 4 stores and only made it to 2 Fred Meyer's on Monday and Walmart on Tuesday. The rest I bought off of Amazon, I will be doing a post on how to save big with Amazon pantry next Monday. for now I want to share the break down of the first two. Fred Meyer's a Kroger Company: This is a copy of my receipt, which is the personal parts are blotted out. Now on this list you can see I mostly Love FM for their fresh produce. When it comes to anything else I tend to find it much cheaper somewhere else. One fun part about shopping like I do is partly the Savings Section that shows the sale and coupon discounts. Here I saved $11.42. Don't just get stuck on that, because the best is the number of items verses the final price. I bought 32 items for only $82.40. That made the average price of each item only $2.58. I bought a Parmesan cheese wedge and two 2 pound Tillamook cheese loaves along with quality fruits and veggies. My main goal is not to be a super couponer, it is to be able to afford good food on a budget. Walmart: I tried to get a clear image of the receipt but is kept coming out blurry and difficult to read, So, I have copied and pasted it and added the blurry photo in case it loads up better than it looks. Season Brand Black Capelin Caviar, 3.5 oz Jar 1 × $4.28=$4.28 Great Value All-Purpose Flour, 5 lb 6 × $1.22=$7.32 Freshness Guaranteed Apple Turnovers, 10 oz, 4 count 1 × $2.97=$2.97 Great Value Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, 10 lb. (Frozen) 1 × $18.83=$18.83 POWERADE Zero Fruit Punch, 20 fl oz, 8 Pack 1 × $3.98=$3.98 POWERADE Zero Mixed Berry Blast, 20 fl oz, 8 Pack 2 × $4.48=$8.96 Pantene Conditioner, Daily Moisture Renewal, 17.7 fl oz 1 × $4.97=$4.97 Great Value Ultra Strong Paper Towels, Split Sheets, 6 Double Rolls 1 × $8.47=$8.47 Holland House White Cooking Wine, 13.1 oz. 1 × $2.18=$2.18 Great Value Frozen Apple Juice, 12 fl oz 3 × $1.18=$3.54 Old Orchard 100% Juice Orange Concentrate Frozen, 12 oz 2 × $1.68=$3.36 Great Value Squid Rings & Tentacles, 1 lb 1 × $6.84=$6.84 Frozen Raw Large Peeled and Deveined Tail-Off Shrimp, 2 lb 1 × $11.94=$11.94 Daniele Del Duca Pre-Sliced Prosciutto, 6 oz 1 × $6.88=$6.88 Great Value Brussels Sprouts, 12 oz 2 × $1.27=$2.54 Great Value Chopped Spinach, 12 oz 1 × $1.00=$1.00 Great Value California Style Vegetable Mix, 12 oz 5 × $1.00=$5.00 Great Value Broccoli Florets, 12 oz 5 × $1.00=$5.00 Great Value Broccoli Cuts, 12 oz 5 × $0.84=$4.20 Great Value Sweet Peas, 12 oz 3 × $0.84=$2.52 Morton Iodized Table Salt, All-Purpose Iodized Salt for Cooking, Seasoning, and Baking, 26 OZ Canister 1 × $0.92=$0.92 Golden Star Jasmine Rice, 20 lb 1 × $16.72 =$16.72 Mizkan Mirin, Sweet Cooking Seasoning, 12 oz. 1 × $1.96=$1.96 Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil 750ml 1 × $10.98=$10.98 Great Value Vegetable Oil, 1 gal 2 × $4.44=$8.88 BelGioioso Romano Cheese Wedge, Specialty Cheese, 8 Oz 1 × $3.97=$3.97 BelGioioso Parmesan Cheese Wedge, Specialty Cheese, 8 Oz 1 × $3.97=$3.97 La Choy Sweet & Sour Stir Fry Sauce & Marinade 14.8-oz. Bottle 1 × $2.48=$2.48 Fleischmann's Classic Bread Machine Yeast - 4 oz. 1 × $4.58=$4.58 Darigold Natural Unsalted Butter, 1 lb 2 × $3.58=$7.16 Darigold Natural Salted Butter, 1 lb 2 × $3.58=$7.16 Red Potatoes, 5lb bag 1 × $4.97=$4.97 Russet Potatoes, 20 lb bag 1 × $5.97=$5.97 Little Potato Company Blushing Belle Red Baby Potatoes, 1.5 lb Bag 1 × $3.57=$3.57 Carrots, 2 lb Bag 1 × $1.54 =$1.54 Fresh White Mushrooms, 8 oz 2 × $1.88=$3.76 Whole Baby Bella Mushrooms, 8 oz 2 × $2.08=$4.16 Total Items= 63 Order Total $208.34 This makes my Walmart average item higher than that of Fred Meyer at $3.30, but I have more big ticket items like Chicken Breast, 10 lb. (Frozen) 1 × $18.83, Shrimp, 2 lb 1 × $11.94 and Avocado Oil 750ml 1 × $10.98. If I were to take these 3 items off the average drops to $2.77 per Item. So by stocking up on things like $1.00 frozen veggies, I am able to buy things of quality like Pre-Sliced Prosciutto, 6 oz at $6.88.
Add both receipts together that's 95 items $290.40 with an average cost of $3.06 for quality items!
Now onto the Money Makers ! Ibotta = $1.40 Fetch = 1200 points Receipt hog = 180 points I am still waiting on a couple of apps to finish processing, for even more savings! So there you have it my breakdown of how to grocery shop on a budget. Next Monday I will share with you how to shop Amazon prime. A little secret, this is where I buy all our snacky stuff. Until next time, shop well! Jacque

As you may have guessed, today is my big shopping day. I live in a wonderful little town with all the perks of a small town. However, we only have one main grocery store, which is great for when you need to buy more milk and eggs, but very expensive to do my main shopping. On Wednesday and Saturday we have a great little farmers market during the late spring to early fall. Thankfully we live just 45 minutes from the state capital and can do a lot of our shopping there. In a perfect world where gas was free I would go into town once a week to optimise my shopping savings, but it's not so I am grateful for what I can do. This post is to show how I get ready for shopping and the steps I take to make sure I get the most bang for my buck! Step 1: Have a master grocery list. This is all your cooking staples the things you like to make sure to always have, or stalk up when you can. Step 2: Do inventory of what you have and don't. If you have enough take it off the list. Double check your recipes for the month (or week) to make sure you will have everything to make them. If you are missing something then add it to the list. Step 3: Go through your money saving apps and check off all the items you that coincide with your list. Add the extra savings to your list, things you only buy when on sale. If something has to be a specific brand or size specify that as well so you don't buy the wrong thing. If you noticed at the end of my list I have colors with store names. Make sure if the sales and discounts are store specific that you highlight that. To learn more about these click the links: Ibotta Fetch Rewards Coupons.com Most stores have their own apps as well so make sure to download them as well. Step 4: Check for sales. Go to the store web pages or apps and compare the sale prices. Highlight the item in the best price store color. Now I am all set for shopping with the best savings. Another thing you can do by planning this all out ahead of time is take advantage of the dive up, pick up, if that store provides that service. For instance Fred Myer does have the option and all of your discounts get added on when they run your phone number at the point of checkout. This evening I will be posting the results of today's shopping with all the coupons and discounts. Then how much money I make back with the receipt scanning apps! Until next, time happy shopping! Jacque

Today I wanted to mainly share the fluffiest, delicious pancakes I have ever had. I first had these in a hole in the wall diner in the Bay Area when visiting my sister in California. Being that I couldn't find a restaurant here in Idaho near me I went on a recipe search, to finally come up with my own recipe that was as close as I could get, and in my opinion turned out better as I love buttery pancakes. The bacon and eggs are an added bonus! Before I in on the recipes I would like to share the the pan that helps me make such beautiful pancakes and eggs: Gotham Steel Pancake Bananza . To read my review on this pan and other Gotham Steel pans click the link here: Gotham Steel Hammered Design Pan Review . I highly recommend these pans for any low to medium cooking. Now that that is out of the way, Let's get to the pancakes! Pancake Recipe Click here for printable recipe Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes Servings: 6 Ingredients: 3 cups All-purpose flour 2 tbsp 3 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Salt 1/2 cup Sugar 2 tsp Vanilla extract 8 tbsp Butter, unsalted 2 1/2 cups Whole milk 2 Eggs Directions: Mix 3 cups All-purpose flour, 2 tbsp 3 tsp Baking powder, 1 tsp Salt in one bowel Mix 1/2 cup Sugar, 2 tsp Vanilla extract, 8 tbsp Butter, unsalted, 2 1/2 cups Whole milk, 2 eggs into another bowel Slowly mix the dry bowel into the wet bowel until all is mixed and lumps are gone, batter needs to be smooth. Preheat your oven to lowest temperature (mine is 120F) for keeping pancakes warm. Add just enough butter to coat the pan and give the pancake a little crust. Do a tester pancake your pans. I pour a quarter size pancake, wait for it to cook and taste it. this will tell you if the pan it too hot, not hot enough, your batter is too thin, or too thick. It should fluff up to about 1/2" thick, fluffy and light. Add a thin layer of butter to keep pancake from drying out and put add to dish in the oven to keep warm. Repeat the process until all the batter is done. Either using a Gotham Steel Pancake Bananza Pan , or a good non-stick pan with a lid on low heat just above simmer, add very little avocado oil. Crack the egg into the pan, then clost the pan or add the lid. Once all the white is cooked and there is a thin layer cooked over the yoke it is done. I love air frying our bacon for a few reasons, 1. It isn't as greasy. 2. It isn't as messy. 3. It doesn't spit and pop at me and 4. It is one less pan on the stove. The directions are so simple, just add the bacon to the air fryer. Fry at 400F for 4to 6 minutes (depending on the thickness and how you like your bacon, my family likes it crunchy but soft). Flip the bacon and fry for another 4 to 6 minutes. Plate and serve! Until next time, eat and enjoy! Jacque

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They are so easy to make! You can buy the wrappers (which I did for tonight) or make them from scratch (which I will have in a future post) . For all of my money saving friends out there here is a great tip. Grind your own meat! Ground pork is around $5.00 a pound and you don't know exactly the quality of the meat, a whole pork shoulder can be found around $2.50 a pound. A $30 investment would be made back with only 12 pounds of meat. These three following photos show how I grind and mix the ingredients: Pork and Shrimp Dumplings Click here printable recipe Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes per batch Total Time: 2 hours Servings: 25 Filling recipe: 1 pound ground pork 1 pound raw shrimp peeled and finely chopped, or ground 4 cups shredded cabbage 8 cloves garlic, minced 5 stalks green onion, thinly sliced 1/4 cup tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger ( powdered ginger works and is cheaper but not as good) 1 tablespoon Kosher salt 1 tablespoon white pepper For wrapping: Around 60-80 dumpling/potsticker wrappers (depending on how full you make them) 1 egg white Directions: Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl. (I like to let it marinate for about an hour) Scoop one tablespoon of filling onto a wrapper, egg wash the ends either pinch the edges together or use a dumpling mold Make sure there is no air. In the dumplings when you seal them. Now you can simply steam them (dumplings) or fry and steam them (potstickers). For Potstickers, add oil to the pan on medium low heat, for 2-3 minutes. (they will stick at first then release when steamed) Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan, add lid let steam for 4-5 minutes. Using a spatula remove from the pan and repeat. If they stick to the pan add oil and gently remove with spatula. If you want to freeze them: using a cookie sheet with parchment paper, place uncooked dumplings on the sheet (not touching), put in the freezer and bag them in freezer bags once frozen. This way they don't stick together Until next time, Happy eating, Jacque

Hello and welcome to my very first ever "Food For Thought" Kitchen Stuff Review. Some may know that I recently turned 40 ( click here for my Turning 40 And Reflecting On Food blog post ) and was so blessed with some amazing kitchen goodies (my people know how to spoil me). One of my amazing gifts was $100 to spend on kitchen goodies since they did not know what all I had, (because I LOVE anything that make cooking fun and/or better). I knew exactly what I was going to get with it, especially after my oldest son caught my favorit ceramic pan on fire and ruined it (you can read all about that in my post , A Day In Mom's Shoes ), new pans! So, how did I decide on these? A while back there was a sale on Amazon for the Gotham Steel Pancake Bananza , I had a awful time making pancakes just days before and this seemed the perfect solution. I was ecstatic with the results! perfectly cooked pancakes and sunny side up eggs, that slid off the pan. No more needing a spatula or non-stick spray, an even though I could only cook one at a time it cooked so much faster that the food didn't have time to get cold. After I raved about how much I loved it my Mother-in-Law bought me an off brand larger pan thinking it was the same one and sadly it was junk. Worse yet, she had bought herself a full set of them and was so disappointed, which helped me to realize not all copper lined pans were equal. After a lot of research and reading reviews I decided on the Gotham Steel Premium Hammered Cookware – 5 Piece Ceramic Cookware, Pots and Pan Set , and I am so glad I did. They are thick which helps with distributing and holding the heat more evenly. They are light in weight and easy to stack and store. The only downside to them is they are medium to low heat pans so make sure you have pans that you can use for high heat cooking. That night for dinner I had already planned on making Yaki Udon in my wok but wanted to test out one of my new Gotham Steel pans and made thin sliced chicken breast. It is so easy to burn or dry out if using the wrong pan or heat temp. It turned out a beautiful golden and juicy brown and not a thing stuck to the pan. Normally I would be scrubbing a stuck on burnt layer off of my other pan and this just rinsed right off without even wiping it down. The next morning I tried my hand at the dreaded but much loved omelet. This to me was the ultimate test as I love making omelets. I use to make them often in my mom's restaurant on her expensive, wonderful omelet pan that was perfectly seasoned, and only used for omelets and eggs (and probably spoiled my opinion of any other omelet pan). It passed with flying colors! I used both the bigger and smaller pans seeing which would work best and decided I liked the size of omelet I got out of the smaller pan. The satisfaction of the omelet sliding off the pan is a feeling I had not felt in years. So, do I recommend this brand of pans? Absolutely! It is perfect for low to medium heat cooking. Like I stated before make sure to have pans for high heat cooking. Until next time, happy cooking! Jacque

I love Coupons.com! Not only is it an app you can download it's app onto your phone but it is also has a great website to work with. Unlike the other apps I have posted for Money Saver Mondays , Coupons.com was a website first where you could and still can print out coupons to be scanned. The great part about that is a lot of smaller stores are not yet on the digital app spectrum so you are still able to get your discounts there. There are three main ways to save: Adding your store loyalty cards, printing coupons, and using discount codes. Because the web site is so easy to use I will just be writing about the app which you can download from Google Play Store or the Apple ISO App Store 1. Adding Your Store Loyalty Cards: By adding your loyalty cards you are able to load your coupons onto that card and recieve your coupon discounts when you swipe or enter your loyalty card at the register. To load your card with the coupons after you have entered your information onto the app, just click the store you wish to shop at. Next you will see a list of coupons and rebates with a plus mark to the right of it. Simply click the plus mark and it will turn to a green check mark indicating it has loaded to your card and ready to be used at the store. 2. Printing Coupons: To print coupons click the 3 bars in the upper left corner of the app screen, a gray list will appear. The top option on the list is printable coupons. Click that and it will take you to a list similar to the loyalty card list. by clicking on the plus button to the right it will add that product to your printable coupon list. When you are finished click the "View Clipped" button in the bottom right corner, follow the prompts and print your coupons. 3. Discount Codes: Click the three bars in the top left corner, click Coupon Codes and it will take you to a list of "Best Coupon Codes". When you find a deal you like just click on it and it will send you to a link with the discount code that you can copy and paste into the apply discount code box at that particular online store. All in all it is and easy and quick way to save money and with the ability t apply the coupons to your loyalty cards it helps save time, paper and headache. Until next time, happy saving! Jacque

I would like to start off by saying this post is brought to you by my son who found out we were out of fresh baked bread and actually cried, despite there being store bought sandwich bread. Unfortunately for him I did not just jump up and make him bread, but I did promise him I would make some when I had the time, which happened to be 2 days later. White Bread and Buns Click here for printable recipe Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes Servings: 12 Ingredients: 2 cups lukewarm water (divided in half) 3 tsp active dry yeast 2 tsp sugar 1 Tbsp honey , (or Agave ) 2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp butter, room temperature, cut thin or cubed 4 1/2 cups bread flour ( all-purpose works as well) 4 Tbsp butter, for brushing over the bread Needed tools /equipment for stand mixer: Mixer Dough hook 2 Bowels Measuring cup Measuring spoons Table/counter space Bread pans Cookie sheets Parchment paper Needed tools and equipment for hand mixing/kneading: 2 Bowels Measuring cup Measuring spoons Wooden mixing spoon Table/counter space Bread pans Cookie sheets Parchment paper Instructions: In a bowl for the mixer, or standard if hand mixing, add 1 cup lukewarm water, sugar and yeast. Gently mix in the yeast so it can react to the sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Next add the other 1 cup of lukewarm water, honey/agave, salt, pieces of butter, and 4 cups flour to the bowl. If using a mixer set the kneading hook to the low speed until the dough comes together and is soft but not sticky. Add more flour if necessary. Mix until dough is soft and not sticky If hand mixing, use a sturdy wooden spoon to mix until too thick, then transfer to a floured space and knead the bread with your hands mixing in all the ingredients. Mix until dough is soft and not sticky Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or lightly floured counter space. Ideal room temperature if 75-90 F. Cover with plastic wrap or cheese cloth. and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough onto it. For Bread Loaves: Divide dough into 2 equal halves. Use your fingers to gently pat each half into an 8×12 inch rectangle while pressing it all over to remove any air pockets. Then gently roll the sides under to give it a nice smooth top. Put in greased 8”x4” bread pan. Let rise for another 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 390 F Coat the top with a thin layer of butter. Place pans on the lower middle rack Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until tops are golden brown Place on cooling area, butter the tops while hot to keep crust from hardening too much. Let cool or eat while still hot. For Bread Buns: Roll the dough into a long log. Cut log in half, then cut the halves into fourths, and the fourths into eighths, then do this once more making 16 rolls. Gently stretch and pull roll out to desired bun size. Keep in mind, the bigger the radius the thinner the bun. Cover cookie sheet (I use 2) with parchment paper then put rolls on leaving an inch between each bun. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Coat the top with a thin layer of butter. Place cookie sheets on the lower middle rack Bake for 12-15 minutes until tops are golden brown Place on cooling area, butter the tops while hot to keep crust from hardening too much. Let cool or eat while still hot. I hope you all enjoy this post and this recipe. Until next time, happy baking! Jacque

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