If you are planning on catching some of the great deals at Target, click here to get a great coupon: get a $10 gift card when you spend over $50. 

I have a few more things to pick up, this will be great!  I was able to print 2!

Recipe: Tasty turkey meatballs

Ricky is known for his meatballs in our family, but sometimes I just want a simple (and healthier!) alternative.  I was browsing through Fitness magazine last month and I saw a recipe for Turkey Meatball Minestrone that I had to try.  It called for frozen turkey meatballs (which are horrible!) and I knew I should just make up a batch.

These are super easy and realllly tasty.  I promise, I'll share the soup recipe too.  It is absolutely perfect for the cold upcoming months.

Here's what you need:

• 2 packages of turkey meat: 1 plain and 1 spicy Italian sausage links(or sweet)
• 1 cup chopped green peppers, 1 medium onion (I throw in a chopper and then drain in a strainer)
• Italian seasoning, salt & pepper
• About 1 cup of bread crumbs (Italian are best), I usually start with 1/2 cup and add more as needed
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, or any Italian you like 
• 2 cloves of garlic

These are super easy, you will be amazed!

1. Preheat your oven to 375
2. Chop onions and green peppers by knife or in chopper.  I like to put them in a strainer and try to get out any extra juices.
3. In a large bowl, remove sausages from casing and combine turkey.  Mix together with your hands (take off those rings!) and add green pepper/onion mixture.  Add seasoning to taste (I like a ton, so I use about a tbl of Italian seasoning)
4. Keep mixing and add eggs, cheese and breadcrumbs.  Don't be afraid to get messy!  Once it looks almost like a meatloaf consistency, you know they are done.  **Ricky likes to make up a little meatball in a skillet to taste the seasonings before he cooks them all up...he's so clever! 
5. Take a cookie cooling rack and place it on top of baking sheet.   You may need 2-3 if you have enough, otherwise you can just rotate once one batch is done. 
6. Roll up the meatballs in about a quarter sized ball.  If you are planning on trying them in a soup, make them smaller
7. Bake about 12-15 minutes.  Just watch until they are golden brown.  

Here's what they look like on the rack, pre-cooked

Enjoy!  They are great with pasta recipes, in subs and soup.  I freeze this batch into about 3 bags for different meals.

How to save money without double coupons: step 3

The past two days I have been giving tips as to how to save money when you can't have double coupons.  Today is my last batch of advice.  I hope you are learning something!  Even if you have doubles, this is a great refresher on how to save extra money!  Everyone can use some cash around this time of year.

• Stockpile when you can.  This doesn't mean go Extreme Couponing and get 715 toothbrushes, but get what you can use if you have the coupons.  I stock up on toiletries and household items when a great coupon comes out.  I have enough toothpaste and fabric softener for at least a year!  All for free, cannot beat that!  
• Best advice: be realistic as to what you can use and the shelf life of the product.
  
• Most people are confused how to find the great deals.  There are tons of savings websites out there, but I cannot say enough about Afullcup.com.  I have found out about so many great deals earlier than other websites.  
  
•  Use both store and manufacturer coupons.  If you are unsure as to how this is done, here's a previous post of mine.  You can get a lot of cheap or free items by combining the two types of coupons.  
• Meijer has both Mealbox coupons and Mperks.  You can use both with manufacturer coupons, but not the two together.  Why do they make it so confusing!?  I wish they would make Mealbox coupons digital, it would make everything a breeze!
• If you see any coupons in a store ad, make sure to keep them and even grab extras when you go to the store.  
• Find a local blog which gives you coupon match-ups.  They do all of the dirty work for you!  My favorite for this area is Saving Addiction.  

What is your best money-saving tip?  Are you one of the lucky ones in a doubling area?  You might be and not even know it! 

Other posts:

• How to save money, day 2 
• How to save money, day 1

How to save money without double coupons: step 2

Happy Sunday everyone! 

Yesterday, I shared my first tip on how to save money in an area which doesn't double coupons: shop early.

Here are more tips for you:

• Shop sales.  This goes for any area, but especially when you have to make your money stretch further.  Once you start following the ads and what is on sale, you will be amazed at how much you can save.  Meijer, Family Fare and all of the drug stores offer early ad previews, so you can get a head start on your grocery list and menu planning.
• If you plan your menu to the sales, as well as using your pantry more often, you can save so much money!  My best tip is to have a weekly or monthly budget.  For our family, $100 seems to work each week.  Each family is different though!
• If you are stuck as to what to make, use an online resource like Allrecipes.  I love their ingredient search because you can find so many fun and different recipes you wouldn't have used before.  Once I find a keeper, I add it to my virtual recipe box.
• Once you know what's on sale, flip through your coupons and find even better deals.  I use A Full Cup for this, people do all of the work for you!  Go to specific grocery store's forum and they list coupon match ups.   I also love the Target forum.
• Do some research.  I know grocery stores in the Lansing area double coupons, so if I'm in the area visiting my parents, I might save a shopping trip for their local store.  There might be a store closer than you think!  When we were in Madison, our local Copps doubled every few weekends. 
• Since our Kmart does double occasionally, I do always check to see if there are any great deals that week.  Usually you can get great savings on items like wipes and baby products.

Tomorrow, I will finish up this blog series with my final tips.  I hope you are learning something! 

How to save money without double coupons: Step 1

When we moved back to Michigan last year, I was shocked when I found out there are NO stores in my area that double coupons.  Actually, we have one Kmart which occasionally does, but their prices are SO much higher!  It was a bit of a bummer, especially since the grocery prices are higher here.

After making some adjustments, I have learned to save almost the same amount of money.  It's sad watching that crazy Extreme Couponing show and realizing some areas of this country TRIPLE coupons.  I can't even imagine!

Here are some tips for everyone in the land of no doubles (or LOND in bloggy world).  

• Shop early in the day.  Especially Monday or Tuesday.  

• As the shelves are restocked, they mark down boxes that are not so pretty (ripped, smashed, etc).  Look for big orange stickers.  With cereal and crackers, this doesn't matter because the food is in another bag inside.  Who cares what the box looks like!  You can save 50% or more.  Use that with a coupon and you are getting super cheap items.  I stay away from cans, unless it is just the tag that is ripped. 
• Reduced produce carts go out early, as well.  I was almost stalking the produce lady last Tuesday when I realized she was marking down items.  I got 20lbs of Gala apples for $5...perfect for applesauce and baby food.  I also get potatoes, onions, grapes, berries (watch out for mold!), citrus.  
• Don't be afraid of markdowns in the meat section.  You can get great cuts of meat cheaper.  Stay away from browning meat, though!  I just repackage once I get home and throw it in the freezer.  Chicken breasts have been my favorite find lately, they bake quickly for a  weeknight meal.
• By the salad mix are bags of broccoli, stir-fry mix, squash, etc,  I LOVE these bags because I always can find at least one marked 40% off ($1.20) and they steam right in the microwave.  So quick and easy.  If I find a lot, I throw them in the freezer.
• On other non-food items, markdowns are done overnight or early.  
• Target has a set markdown schedule (great to know if you are watching an item):
• Monday: Kids Clothing, Stationary Items, Electronics, Baby
  Tuesday: Domestics, Food, Women’s Clothing, Pets
  Wednesday: Men’s Clothing, Toys, HBA, Lawn and Garden
  Thursday: Housewares, Shoes, Lingerie, Sporting Goods, Media, Books              Friday: Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry

Tomorrow, I'll cover more tips, including how to shop the sales ads!

Cut-a-Thon: a great way to give back!

Yes, the holidays are for gift giving, but it is also a great time to give back as well.  Most people think of Toys for Tots (which is absolutely amazing!), but there are other local charities out there. 

If you are in the Grand Rapids area, make sure you check out a great event this Saturday (November 19th).  Ecouter Salon in Rockford is hosting a Cut-A-Thon .

You can get a haircut for $30 or if you donate 8" (or more!) of hair, you can get your cut for $15.  This is a great time to get a new 'do!  ALL proceeds go to a local Michigan organization called Children with Hairloss.  They raise money to help children with any type of medically related hair loss. 


If you aren't in the area, you can still help out on Twitter!  You can post about the event and using #CutAthon.

Smart ones: great for Moms on the go!

 

Don't you hate when you are running around all day and realize you haven't eaten anything? It happens to me almost daily. I make sure the girls are fed and I barely have time to eat something myself! Even better, when I do actually make something the twins sit and stare like dogs at my plate. Somehow the food on my plate, although the same, is always better. Go figure!

http://www.eatyourbest.com/

While I don't usually eat too many frozen meals, I really love the Smart Ones brand. They actually have tasty dishes that are healthy too! If you have a sweet tooth, make sure you try their desserts. The cookie dough sundae is perfect!

When I got the opportunity to try the new Smart Ones Satisfying Selections, I jumped at the chance. I sometimes feel like one meal is never enough to fill me up. These meals are a larger portion, served in a steam bag. I was shocked when I looked at the nutrition facts, they are still really low in fat. Also, they were on sale and cheaper than the regular Smart Ones. After I paid, a coupon for $1.00/2 came out. Bonus!

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo.  Mmm!

The first meal I tried was the Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo. I was surprised that there was only 4 grams of fat in the whole bag. It was very tasty and I had to try my best to keep little fingers from grabbing the "curly noodles" off of my plate. It was a little peppery, but the sauce was very creamy (as you can see in the photo) and there were large chunks of white meat chicken. 

A few days later, I tried the Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry for dinner and I was a bit disappointed. I really wanted to try the Sesame Chicken anyway, but it was out so I grabbed this option. After pouring the bag into my bowl, I realized there were barely any veggies in it. I love broccoli and mushrooms in my stir fry, but this only had about 4 little pieces of peppers and a ton of rice. The only redeeming factors were that the sauce was good, there were big chunks of chicken and I love edamame. It would have been perfect if they added a vegetable variety to it! 

I will definately be a repeat customer of these meals, although I will stay away from the stir fry. I feel it is a great value for the price...you get a lot of food! 

Have you tried these meals yet? Here is a link for a Smart Ones coupon. I know there are some better ones in coupon inserts too!

Disclosure: This post is part of a SocialMoms product evaluation, for which I’ve been selected. I’ve been compensated for my time with 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Heinz.

Check out my guest post!

Hello!

Today I have my first guest post about taking surveys on Mrs.Weber's Neighborhood.  While you are there, make sure you check out all of the great tips and advice she has! 

Enjoy your weekend!  I am going to try to catch up on my reading and relax...as much as I can with 3 kids!