Healthy vs Cheap

Oh, bother! I love a deal so much....but I realize the economic importance of buying local....and I want to buy organic, cruelty-free, free-range, homegrown, pesticide-free (etc) products. Those things do NOT come cheap. I know, the more people buy local and organic the less expensive it becomes, but who knows how long it will take before it's really the better deal financially?? I'm in a quandry...so I buy the better product when I can afford it and when it's not toooooo bad of a deal, and the rest of the time, I buy commercially-produced food. *sigh* I kinda hate that I love the deal the most.

4/25/11 shopPING

I saved a bundle today and am so excited!! I spent $21 at 4 stores (yeah, I went to 4 stores with my 2 sleep-deprived children in tow. Call me crazy. It wasn't that bad, though, believe it or not.) and received $7 in +UP Rewards and will receive a $7 rebate as well. So, I spent $7 net! Not bad. Rite Aid was my biggest haul for less so I'm sharing below:

2 Spinbrush toothbrushes $7.49 ea. bogo (used 2 $2/1 coupons)
2 Orajel kids toothpastes $3.99 ea. bogo (used 1 $1/1 coupon)
Promo=buy $10 Arm&Hammer products, get $5+UP
3 PB M&Ms $.88ea (used b2g1 coupon). Got 2 $.88+UP
Subtotal= like $8.36. Used $5+UP I had previously earned. Spent $1.10 OOP. (and, remember, I earned $6somthing in +UPs for next time.)

$1.10, people!!

And, Rowan loves the Spinbrushes so, sure, I'll spend a few pennies to entice him to brush his teeth more. :D

I get such a thrill being able to buy stuff, FUN stuff no less, for very little money. It's an excellent hobby for me. I don't have lots of "extra" money hanging around to blow so this way I can buy stuff my family needs/wants and get a rush in the process. I guess it's like some people go on vacation, or do extreme sports, or take classes that interest them.... I coupon! I'm having my cake and eating it, too!

Any great deals you've found recently??

Mexican Turkey Loaf

I've been experimenting with meatloaf lately. I don't particularly like meat- it has to be verrrrry well seasoned for me to enjoy it. But, Chris is a carnivore. And, since ground beef is the cheapest meat you can get, I have it hangin' around. (Seen Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution?? Let's not go there.) So, I figured, if I add enough spices and extras to my meatloaf it'll taste good, right? Yes.

Recently, I bought ground turkey because it's leaner than beef, was on sale for less than $2/lb, and I assume (read: HOPE) it's sans pink slime. :} (Ok, I went there. Sorry.) So, I have this turkey. What to do, what to do...

LOAF!

I mixed up:
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 egg
1/2c milk
1c bread crumbs (I make my own)
~2T taco seasoning (don't have? Use 2t cumin, 1t salt, 2t chili powder, 1/2t garlic. That'll be close.
~1/4c salsa
~1/2c grated cheddar cheese
~1/4c chopped cilantro

Mix all by hand. Put in greased loaf pan. Bake @350F for about an hour. I'm gonna serve mine with sour crean, salsa, and corn chips. You could put yours in a tortilla, make guacamole, whatever!

We'll see if this turns out.... :P

The Wonders of...

...breastmilk. (and a rant) Ok, now you know I'm weird. Whatever. Yesterday both boys had goopy eyes- like, I'm wiping green eye boogers out of their eyes every hour. Yuck. So, I put some breastmilk in their eyes. No eye boogers today! Good thing I'm lactating. (I knew this stuff was useful for something other than nourishment. :}) Breastmilk is full of vitamins and anti-bacteria so makes sense that it would heal the ickys. I love me some natural remedies! It seems to me that big pharma has always just tried to copy the beauty of natural. Drugs work, too, of course, to stave off illnesses that are well underway. Too bad you can't get anti-biotics until you're sicker than a dog. All natural healers, many of which can be found in the kitchen, come cheap, and have no side effects, can be used at the first sign of symptoms to PREVENT most common illnesses. And you know you're little kids are not much better than a petrie dish. Besides, who wants to take the time to make an appointment, load up your sick kids, then wait in the doctor's office for 10 min of his time to hear "oh, it's nothing. It'll clear up on its own." or "yep, it's ___. Here's a prescription..." then on to the pharmacy to buy said drug, then to wait 3 more days for the meds to start working. Not me! Ok, I know there are plenty of people who do all this and look the other way from easy, tried-and-true, inexpensive home remedies. I don't get those people. If you're one of these, I don't get you. I guess, to each their own. I prefer efficient and safe. So, feel free to roll your eyes at me- I'm doing the same to you! :) And I'll just be home eating garlic and squirtin' breastmilk. heh heh.