I want to make better food choices for us, but I really don't like to cook. I used to, but now it's more like a chore. "What's for dinner?" are three words I dread hearing. I figure if I can gather enough recipes to start varying what we eat, maybe I'll start to enjoy cooking again.

I've been using the library to check out cookbooks. It's been a great way to know if I want them before I buy. The two titles I have now are Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook and Eat Cheap, But Eat Well. Both are really good.

My other resource for cookbooks is Amazon. I go to the site a few times a day to look at the Kindle book offers. I've been able to grab several free and really cheap items that way. I look through the books on my tablet and decide if they're something I want to own or just borrow from the library. Today the cookbook section is pretty heavy with deals so I thought I'd share*.

These are two I can personally recommend. I've been reading Stephanie's food blog for at least a year, probably longer. I was so happy for her when she announced her first cookbook deal. Both of her titles are on special for $3.03 today.

I've also started to go to NPR for book and cookbook recommendations and they have these titles by Melissa Clark as one of their top choices for 2011 and 2010, respectively ($2.99 and $3.03). At this price these will  make excellent gift closet items.

These I can't vouch for but the prices are definitely right. All are .99.

 

All I can think of with these two is comfort food. The biscuits on the cover are making me drool ($2.99 and $2.51).

Phil's family spends a week camping at the beach near our house. Everyone takes turns making dinner. Last year was our first time getting our own campsite and I think the boys are going to want to camp more often. I can send them on their merry way with a cooler full of ready to heat meals. (free)

Tyler has been complaining about his lunch being boring. I told him picky eaters don't have many choices. Since this title is free, I thought we could go through it together and come up with some new things he may want to try. I love that the book is by bloggers!

I really hope I can get my kitchen mojo back. Tyler has asked a few times to help with dinner and I'm ready to let him.

What are your favorite cookbooks?

*I am an Amazon affiliate and these are affiliate links. You help keep me Starbucks card loaded when you make a purchase. Amazon prices change fast so always confirm the price before you add it to your cart. You don't need a Kindle to read Kindle books!

Retail Birthday Discounts Save You Big! | Fashionably Frugal Friday

I couldn't decide if today's post fell under Frugal or Fashion so I decided it's both. I wanted to remind you all to take advantage of your favorite retail stores' Birthday Club promotions. Programs like that are one of the main reasons I have a 'junk' email address. I love a free dessert just as much as the next person, but I'd much rather have a gift card or discount to one of my favorite stores. Case in point: Loehmann's Insider Club. 

I went shopping before BlogHer looking for tops and pants (OK, shoes too). The only downside to weight loss is not having 'professional' clothes that fit. My old work wardrobe is too big (I know, tiny violins) but I don't need office friendly wear often enough to justify replacing it. So, I figured a trip to Loehmann's was in order. They have fantastic sales, and occasionally mark things down even more with special color tag clearance sales. 

The day I went in, the Shopping Gods must have known I needed help. The store was having a Yellow Tag clearance where every yellow price sticker was an additional 40% or 50% off. Yes, Loehmann's is a store where you need to be prepared to roll up your sleeves and dig. But for savings like that, I say it's totally worth the time and effort. 

It wasn't until I'd picked out my items and was ready to check out that I remembered my birthday discount. Loehmann's gives their Insider Club members15% off in addition to regular sale prices. Because of my extra savings, I went back to the shoe department and grabbed a pair I'd put back thinking I only had room in my budget for one. Please say hello to the newest additions in my collection.

Both are by Steve Madden, who I love. Between the store sale and my birthday discount, I paid $48.06. That's total, not each. I also bought three tops, one if which was not part of the color tag clearance. Still, my total for all five items was $99.68! Considering the blue shoes alone are sale priced at $90 right now on Steve Madden's site, I think I did pretty well. 

Taking advantage of special offers like birthday and 'insider' discounts is a great way to save big, especially on designer items. Loehmann's is one of my go to places to look for the overpriced jeans I love so much.

Aveda, DSW, Sephora and World Market have good birthday reward programs. What's your favorite store reward? Do you know of any other retail stores who offer great birthday discounts?

Cheap End of Year Teacher Gift | Frugal Friday

I posted this on Facebook a few days ago, but now that my order arrived I wanted to share it here. I bought the book, Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes off Amazon because it was so cheap I couldn't pass it up. I'm so glad I did! The book is gorgeous. It's a hardcover from Sur la Table. It has 330 pages. It's all about different kitchen gadgets like cast iron skillets, tagines, braisers, dutch ovens, mattones and a whole bunch of other things I've never heard of but now want to own. 

Pardon my sub-par photography

The book is broken down by Asian, Mexican, French, Indian, Italian, Iberian and Moroccan cuisines. Each section has recipes with what to make with the various cooking tools. I'll definitely be copying a few things before I give it to her! The price has already gone up since I bought it, but having it in front of me I can definitely say it's worth the current $4.09. I had something else to buy so it shipped free. Even with the free Super Saver shipping, I ordered it Wednesday and it was delivered today. It was such a bargain, I feel I can even splurge on a cute apron or something similar.

*Affiliate link

Shop the Bulk Bins and Be Green | Frugal Friday

I know that shopping from the Bulk bins is a money saver. The bins are one of the things I like most about shopping places like Henry's. I get a lot of things pretty regularly: Phil's sunflower seeds, granola for Tyler, a variety of trail mixes, pretzels and some dried fruits. The savings buying in bulk as opposed to traditional packaging is noticeable. But I started to feel guilty about all the plastic bags I was bringing home so I cut back a little. Luckily I subscribe to every daily deal site out there and a few weeks ago I took advantage of one from Deal Pulp for two sets of reusable produce bags. I love them! I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to invest in them.

I bought 2 sets of 6

They are from Esse and so far are holding up perfectly. I haven't had to wash them yet. If they fall apart I'll let you know. I get compliments and questions every time I use them. While I'm no where near the family who generates almost zero consumer waste, we are trying to be more mindful and those plastic bags were a real sore spot with me. I have my own reusable bags for grocery's and have almost completely cut out bringing plastic bags home from store. Now I can continue to save at the bulk bins and feel that I'm still doing my part for the environment.

Do you have any more green grocery tips for me?

UPDATE: Score! There's another daily deal site I just read about, SaveMore, that is offering a $10 credit for new sign ups. They have Esse bags $20 for $8! These could be free with your credit depending on what you order (just pay $3.95 shipping). Fantastic! I bought two of the Produce 6 Packs at $11.95 ea. So, for just under $8 you can get two great teacher gifts. Buy two $10 grocery cards and you have two gifts for $14 each!

Thanks, My Frugal Adventures!

*Not a sponsored post. I think the bags are great. If you plan to order your own bags from Esse try code DEALPULP25 for 25% off. I don't know how many people can use it, but it was printed on my receipt to share.

Track Your Grocery Prices | Frugal Friday

Today I'm talking about tracking prices. I feel I still have a lot to learn about coupons and frugal shopping but I definitely know more than I did last year. When I go to the stores, increasingly I've been able to look at the price of something and know if A) it's a good price and B) if I might be able to get the item for a cheaper price at another store. I also keep the store circulars for several weeks so I can compare prices against stores and see what an individual store's sales cycle is.

Armed with that information, I'm better able to know when a special trip to the store is justified or not and if an item is at its stock up price. I haven't even considered starting a grocery price book, I keep track mentally, but if you're really serious about saving that's the way to go. When I finally get around to making my coupon binder, I think I'll have at least one tracking sheet in it for the items I buy regularly. 

 

Last week, Henry's had a great sale on meats. I don't typically buy meat there, mostly produce and items from the bulk bins, but the 72 Hour sale they were holding was a good excuse to stock up. I broke these down and froze them in more manageable meal sizes. The chicken breasts are huge so they're perfect for crockpot type meals. For $25.36 I now have enough meat for at least six meals.

Do you track prices? Have you noticed significant saving? Most importantly, do you have any recipes for all those pork chops?!

*Gift certificate provided by San Diego Bargain Mama and Henry's. No other compensation received. I love this store and shop there regularly. Opinions are totally my own. I'm serious about the recipes.

Stock Up Trips to the Store - Is it Worth It? | Frugal Friday

Oops! Forgot to schedule this for yesterday!

I'm going out of town this weekend. One thing I had on my to-do list is stock up on a few groceries for the boys. I didn't have time to do a major grocery run so I chose the best advertised specials from this week's grocery store fliers and made three stops to Albertson's, Ralph's and Vons. 

Yes, that is a kind of a lot of running around, especially with gas prices the way they are. But, I was able to take advantage of several specials and combine them with coupons for added savings. That's when making a special trip is worth the effort. For example, take a look at my Ralph's trip:

I took advantage of the March Into Savings promo and got an automatic $10 off my total. I forgot one coupon in my binder (grrrr!) so I only used 2 which took another $2 off. Before the coupons and promo my total would have been $49.48. For my 22 items I paid $18.60. Also, with today's purchase I've earned enough bonus points this period to get a $5 voucher good on any future shopping trip. 

My Albertson's and Vons trips were similar. I spent a little more at Albertson's than planned because I got a few things not on my list (green foods for Tyler's St. Patrick's Day lunch). Still, my total for 22 items was $46.60* ($104.63 before savings). My Vons total for 10 items was $20.42 ($40.84 before savings). 

Before savings: $195.31

Spent: $85.62

Savings: $109. 69

Items: 54

Not too bad. The most time I spent was in going through the fliers, cutting the coupons and making my lists. If the sales are good, and they include items you actually use, take advantage of it. At Albertson's, Honey Nut Cheerios are $1.88 this week. They are pretty much all Tyler eats so I stocked up. I bought 6 boxes (and one Kix for me). 

I used $4.65 in coupons and paid $9.51 for seven boxes of cereal, or $1.35 each. Since I really can't stand paying more than $1.50 for cereal, this trip was definitely worth it. I had two more $1 off coupons and would have purchased 5 more but I don't have that much room in my stockpile. 

People use the phrase "time is money" to say why they don't like to use coupons. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again: we make time for the things that are important to us! Saving money is important to me. Not paying full price if I don't have to is important to me.

Now, if only I could take that $109 in savings and set it aside. If I kept adding all my savings for the rest of the year, I bet I'd have my Louboutain's by Christmas! 

So, where do you stand? Is it worth it to you to make special trips to the store? How do you feel about couponing in general? 

IHop, Chik fil A, Coffee Bean | Frugal Friday March Freebies

photo © 2010 Ginny | more info (via: Wylio)

Make a note on your calendars. There are some great freebies happening in the first few days of March. 

March 1: IHOP is hosting its fourth National Pancake Day  from 7am-10pm. While the pancakes are free, the event is raising money for Children's Miracle Network. 

March 1: If you have a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf near you, stop into their spring open house from 4pm-7pm for free samples of either the Spring Peach Tea Latte, Spring Peach Iced Latte or Peach FruTea.

March 4: I love Chik fil A. They've hosted special military days in the past. Plus I appreciate that they are closed on Sundays. On Free FryDay, ask to try the new Heinz ketchup packet and get a free order of waffle fries. 

So much yumminess! And so much jiggly-ness if I take advantage of all of them! Do you know of any other freebies coming up? Leave them in the comments and I'll update the post.

*Always check with a location before you go.