Five Finger Discounts

I just received my monthly Stonyfield newsletter and learned that they are giving away a trip for two to a Vermont Organic Dairy Farm!

Here is what you will win if chosen:

• a two-night stay for two at Couture’s Bed & Breakfast (right on the farm) in Westfield, VT
• round-trip airfares for two*, plus a rental car (gotta drive a little to “get there from here”)
• two organic breakfasts for two, and a stipend for lunches and dinners
• a tour of the farm and the chance to learn by doing

*If the winner lives close to the farm, they’ll provide just ground transportation.

Visit Stonyfield to enter this wonderful giveaway!

Redplum just added a couple new Seventh Generation coupons. Matched up to a sale, you can score some FREE or really inexpensive cleaners.

Whole Foods Market also has a $1 coupon good on any one Disinfecting spray or wipes. You can stack this coupon with the above coupon for additional savings.

Seventh Generation also had a $5 Rebate available when you purchase 3 of their products but the limit seems to have been reached. If you printed it ahead of time, you are in luck!

Here are 5 great ways to stretch your food dollar by Rayven Perkins.  She has spent 9 years finding and implementing unique cost-cutting tips that allow her family to live comfortably as a one-income family.

The cost of food is going up, but you don’t have to spend more of your hard earned money on less food to feed your family. There are many grocery saving tips that all moms can utilize to stretch that grocery dollar as far as it can go.

Get a Game Plan
The most important grocery saving tip is all about planning. Before you go to the store, have a list written out with exactly what you need on it. Organize your list by store category, and do not shop when you are hungry!

If you can manage it, leave the kids with the husband or a friend and shop alone. Try to stick to the perimeter of the store for the best foods and prices, and when you do find a good deal, stock up!

Owning a freezer can be a good investment for times when you find deals too good to pass up. Buy as much as you can afford and store.

Use Coupons; Get Refunds
Don’t assume that there is so little money to be saved by using coupons that it is not worth your time. These days you aren’t saving a quarter on a tube of toothpaste by using a coupon, you’re getting 10 tubes of toothpaste for free.

There is a hidden art to successfully using coupons and refunds to your advantage. The main points to think about: use a coupon in conjunction with a sale. Often, this makes the item free, or pennies on the dollar. Buy as many items as you have coupons for.

Discount Food Providers
There are plenty of places to get food for frugal meals, you just sometimes have to think outside the box. In many communities across the country, a program called Angel Food Ministries is providing low cost boxes of food, designed to feed a family of four for a week, for around $30, no income qualifications needed.

And you can even get food – organic food- for free or at a heavy discount in many areas. Try volunteering at your local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or organic food co-op. Often, an organizer or someone willing to help harvest vegetables will get a discounted or totally free box of food.

Recipe Stretching Techniques
Want some frugal meals? Here are some great cheap meal ideas. Stretch your grocery dollar by stretching your food purchases. Instead of buying chicken breasts, go for the whole bird. It’s usually less expensive than the breasts alone, and can provide you with 2-3 meals.

Try using half the amount of ground beef called for in a recipe, and fill in the space with other quality foods. For instance, if you are making tacos, use half the meat and add in a cup of cooked rice and a can of diced tomatoes. Now you have Taco Rice, a filling and delicious meal!

Add a couple extra cans of beans to chili and half the meat. Or try slicing up onions, green peppers, zucchini, and even carrots to add into spaghetti.

Making sandwiches? Try adding more lettuce and tomato and less turkey. It tastes better, costs less, and you are getting even more nutrients.

Grow Your Own Food
Probably the best cheap meal ideas come from one’s willingness to grow their own food. Stop playing farming games on the computer and put that time into actually growing something at your own home!

It doesn’t matter if you live in the suburbs, the country, or even an apartment, it is possible to grow some, if not a good chunk, of your own food if you are willing to invest the time into it. It also makes a great family project.

Utilizing bio intensive farming methods, or square foot gardening, most people are able to grow at least their salad needs from a 4×4 foot square garden bed. The more room you have, the more vegetables you can grow.

And for the truly adventurous, why not try raising backyard chickens, or meat rabbits? A half dozen hens will bring you a good supply of fresh eggs (no rooster needed) and one female rabbit can produce 600% of her body weight in edible meat per year.

Plus, they take up very little space. Rabbits can be raised on a balcony, and their droppings make excellent fertilizer for your garden.

Though not all these methods will work for every family, there are certainly more frugal meal ideas that you can be implementing to save money on groceries. Examine your spending habits, and see what grocery saving tips you can try.

Find out more about how to stretch your grocery dollar on her website http://www.stay-a-stay-at-home-mom.com/tightwad-living.html

Special thanks to Rayven and Food Review!

If you have ever wondered where kids can get a free meal…wonder no more. KidsMealDeals is a great website that tells you where to go and get that free meal. All you need to do is enter your zip code and all the restaurants that are offering a kids deal pop up. Then, click on the actual restaurant that you are interested in and it will tell you what the deal is for that particular place.

This is also a great tool when you are traveling as you will be in a new, possibly unfamiliar area. They have a phone application for the iphone and blackberry that you can download so that you have the information available at your finger tips.

Special thanks to Clippin with Carie for sharing this site!

Wishing you and your families a very Happy Easter!

Have you ever wondered what the shelf-life of a certain food was? I’ve wondered, and because I have a keen sense of smell, I can usually figure out if food is still good or if it has gone bad just by sniffing it. But, not everyone has this special gift:) So here is your solution.

Still Tasty is your ultimate shelf-life guide. You can “search” by the name of your food or you can pick a category like “fruit” or “dairy” and see all the items within that category. The results will tell you how long it will last in the pantry, fridge and freezer.

Here is an example of the results for “bananas”:

They also give you “food tips”:

What a WONDERFUL guide!

Special thanks to MommaHughes from Meal Planning Mommies for sharing this great site.

Have you been thinking about growing your own fruits and vegetables but don’t know where to begin? Well, my husband found a wonderful website that I think you will find very useful. It’s from Kraft and is all about Home Farming.

You start off by entering your zip code so that it customizes the plan for you. Then, it takes you step by step through the process of planting your seeds, growing your fruits & vegetables and lastly harvesting and sharing.

One really cool feature is that you can add your “home farm” to the map. You can see who is planting near your home and what stage of “planting” they are in.

I will be posting our “home farm” pictures soon. At this point, we are still in “starter” cups:) We plan to transfer the little sprouts into larger pots in the next couple days.

I’d love to see your garden/home farm photos so please share them.