Mondays With Mavis…
Albertsons $.98
My favorite transaction this week took place at Albertsons. Here is what my transaction looked like:
30 Zone Bars $1.00 each
24 StarKist Tuna Packets $1.00 each {flavored tuna on clearance}
2 Haribo Gummi Bears $1.49 each
Rounded Up 30 $.55/1 Zone Bar 1/22 SS
Rounded Up 24 $.50/1 StarKist Tuna 1/1 RP
Rounded Up 2 $.30/1 Haribo Gummi Printable Coupon {NLA}
Final Price: $.98!
Later in the week I also picked up some fresh Meyer lemons and 2 gallons of milk. Because I have a good sized stockpile I did not need to make any additional grocery purchases this week.
What do you think about the Albertsons Coupon Round Up? If you had to choose would you rather have doublers every two weeks or be able to round up your coupons?
Obviously I didn’t spend a lot of time buying groceries last week but I did spend most of my spare time working on my backyard garden. Towards the end of the week the snow had finally melted and we brought in 5 yards of aged compost to fill the raised garden beds as well as a few other areas. Since the weather was relatively nice I thought it was best to take advantage of the sunshine and get as much prep work done as possible.
My long awaited seed order arrived as well. I know I should sit down a make a garden budget, but it’s hard. I know I won’t go overboard, but I also don’t want to limit myself to what I can and cannot buy for my garden. I am a sucker for seeds. It’s hard to walk past a seed rack and not stop to take a look.
Heirloom tomato seeds are my weakness. If I come across a new variety I just HAVE TO HAVE a packet. Some people spend their extra money on magazines and clothing, but all I want to do is buy a few {hundred} packets of seeds. LOL
Gardening is my hobby and to be honest, if I set a budget, I’m not even sure how much it would/should be. What do YOU think would be a good budget for someone trying to grow 2,000 lbs of food? $200? $400? $600? Help me! I have no idea.
Total Spent This Week $12.85
Total Spent This Year $133.10
Total Spent on Garden Seeds/Supplies $111.01
Stay Frugal,
Mavis
P.S. Would you be interested in reading a weekly garden post? If so, what topics would you like to see covered?
The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden. I highly recommend this book! Amazon has The $64 Tomato on sale right now for only $5.58.
Mondays With Mavis…
Last week Western Washington had a bit of a snow storm. Due to the snow piled up in my driveway and on the roads, I was unable to leave my house for 3 days. 3 Days! So instead of concentrating on shopping last week, I decided to stay in my pj’s and plant a few seeds instead.
I was able to start onions, celery and lettuce in trays like the one you see above. Luckily, before the snow storm, I was able to stock up trays, potting soil and a few seed packets at Home Depot. Starting seeds at home is a snap. All you need to do is follow the directions on the back of the seed packet and you’re good to go.
Since I only had a few grocery transactions last week, I thought I would show you how I used the $12 in catalina coupons I earned on my last Albertsons double coupon trip. I know getting FAB buys on fresh produce and milk can be difficult and that is why I LOVE using catalinas on them.
Here is what my transaction looked like:
Albertsons Milk $2.69
Braeburn Apples $2.06
Spinach $2.99
Bananas $1.85
Carrots $1.69
{2} Ice burg Lettuce $1.29 each
Green Onions $.69
Tomatoes $.77
Used $.55/1 Spinach Peelie
Used $2 Albertsons Store Coupon
Used $10 Catalina Coupon
Final Price $2.77 oop
Total Spent This Week $18.55
Total Spent This Year $120.25
Total Spent on Garden Seeds & Supplies $38.11
Did you get any snow where you live?
Have you picked up any FAB deals recently?
Corn Chowder w/ Bacon & Potato
My son had his braces tightened yesterday and was in need of something soft to eat. So I prepared one of his favorite dishes. Corn chowder. I went ahead and took a few photos hoping to inspire you to try this delicious recipe. It is one of our family favorites.
Start with 1 pound of new potatoes. Garden fresh is best.
Quarter the potatoes, toss in olive oil and fire up the bbq. I prefer to grill my potatoes in something similar to this.
Next, fry up about 8 slices of Zaycon bacon in your favorite cast iron skillet.
When the bacon is about 2/3rds cooked, add 1 finely chopped onion. The smell of onions cooking in bacon grease is heavenly. Continue to cook until the onions are browned and the bacon is near crispy. Set aside. When the bacon has cooled, chop it into 1/2″ bits.
Next, puree 1 1/2 cups of corn (I used frozen corn).
After you have grilled your potatoes, fried your bacon and onions, and pureed your corn add 1 cup of corn kernels, a pinch of dried thyme, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.
Add 5 cups of milk (I used 2%) and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Call your family to the dinner table, and dig in!
Corn Chowder w/ Bacon & Potato
1lb new potatoes
8 slices bacon
2 1/2 cups of corn
1 finely chopped onion
5 cups of milk (I suggest 2% milk)
Dried thyme, salt & pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
The Complete Book of Potatoes: What Every Grower and Gardener Needs to Know
Sign Up & Save With The Home Depot Garden Club!
Register with the Home Depot Garden Club to receive valuable coupons, savings, and gardening advice. I personally LOVE all the free garden tips and regional advise the Garden Club offers.
Sign Up For The Home Depot Garden Club: Save on Flowers, Gardening Tools & More
Did you know The Home Depot offers coupons and special savings for their Garden Club members? It’s true! So if you haven’t signed up for the Home Depot Garden Club, click on the picture above and sign up to receive money saving offers both via mail and email. I don’t know about you… But I LOVE coupons!
Sign Up & Save With The Home Depot Garden Club!
Become a member of the Home Depot Garden Club. You’ll receive expert advice specific to your region and access to exclusive savings, guides and videos. To sign up simply click on the above photo.
Free Burpee Vegetable Garden Guide
Attention gardeners… Sign up with Burpee Home Gardens to receive a free copy of Graden Fresh, a vegetable gardening guide!
An insightful yet fun vegetable gardening guide that answers your questions on everything from what to grow, to how much and when. This companion offers ideas, inspirations, and the support you need to explore – and succeed at – the world of home vegetable gardening.
Go HERE: Free Burpee Home Gardens Guide!
As The Trowel Turns…
Tomatoes. I am currently swimming in tomatoes. Everywhere I turn I see round (and not so round) balls of red, orange and yellow. After making a few batches of sauce (and packing them away in the freezer) I have now moved on to sun dried tomatoes. Or rather dehydrated tomatoes. Do you own a dehydrator? If you don’t… I think you should.
Besides drying fresh herbs, potato slices, zucchini and onions (which I use for winter soups) I also dehydrate all my excess tomatoes. My recipe is rather simple. Slice tomatoes in half (or quarters if they are the large Roma type tomatoes) sprinkle with a bit of Italian seasoning and toss with about a tablespoon of olive oil.
Lay seasoned tomatoes onto trays…
Turn on the food dehydrator and go about your day.
After you’re finished with work, errands and helping kids with their homework… Open the lid on the dehydrator take a deep breath and smile.
Pack cooled dehydrated tomato slices into jars (or plastic containers) and store in the freezer until you are ready to use. Personally, I like to add sun dried tomatoes to pasta dishes and use them on homemade pizzas. How do YOU use them?
This Nesco American Harvest Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun
Home Depot Garden Club: Sign Up For Special Offers And Promotions
Can you believe it’s time to start thinking about planting bulbs for next spring? Holy cow. Register with the Home Depot Garden Club to receive valuable coupons, savings and gardening advise. Now… If they could just come up with a coupon for keeping deer out of my front yard so I could plant some tulips. Now that would make me happy.
As The Trowel Turns… Raspberries!
Last week FAB reader Sarah asked to see pictures of my raspberry patch. Well, lately it’s been a hot spot for the neighborhood kids to hang out. Not only do they pick berries… but they play with our pet chickens as well.
This spring when we ordered baby chicks I decided to house the chickens just outside of the patch. I did this for two reasons. #1 Free fertilizer. #2 By having the “chicken run” within the raspberry patch the chickens would be able to take dirt baths to cool down during the long hot months of summer.
I tend to pick raspberries every other day. And when I do… the chickens tend to gather by my feet in hopes I will drop berries to them. Pictured above is a Jersey Giant chicken, she is suppose to grow to a whopping 10+lbs! Yikes!
When I first planted a raspberry patch (a few years ago) I ordered my raspberry canes from Spooner Farms. Everything you could ever hope to learn about how to plant your very own raspberry patch is on their website.
When your raspberry canes arrive in early spring they’ll look like this.
Planting was easy. I simply planted 7 rows… each about 12 feet long.
And waited for a patch of berry goodness to erupt. The first year you can expect your canes to produce 25% or their capability, the second year around 50% and after that… you’re looking at a full blown berry patch!
Here’s what our berry patch looks like right now (the berry’s should be done in about 2 weeks or so). 
For an initial investment of around $150 for 100 raspberry canes… I think it was money well spent.
I’m curious… What’s the your favorite thing you’ve ever planted in YOUR garden?
If you’re looking for some FAB recipes to enjoy this summers berry bounty… This is my new favorite book! The Berry Bible: With 175 Recipes Using Cultivated and Wild, Fresh and Frozen Berries
And these… These are my new favorite garden shoes. Sloggers Women’s Midsummer Garden Shoe.
