Clearance At Children's Place

A lot of the stock is already sold out but if you hurry you could still scoop up some good deals.

I found cute long sleeved shirts for 1.69 for Big Girl and new fleece items for Little Guy were as low as 2.49. That's cheaper than regular price at the Goodwill.

Standard Shipping is $5 no matter how much you purchase but if you use the code C99AA you'll get 15% off.
I went through ebates for an additional 3% back.

Pantry Challenge Day 28

Breakfast- Pancakes made from the last of the corn muffin mix.
Lunch- Little Guy is eating a packed lunch at preschool. Big Girl is eating a school lunch. Hubby took leftovers. I will probably have tomato soup from a can.
Dinner- Something simple like spaghetti. Side of corn. I'll make a garlic butter spread for the leftover french bread. Rest of pudding pie for dessert.

Pantry Fog & Pet Loss Grief

Monday I took my kitty to the vet for the last time and said goodbye. I'm still second guessing that decision and remembering the last few seconds of her life and watching the light go out of her scared eyes. It has not been a happy time here. I keep thinking I see her out of the corner of my eye. I had a dream about her last night and she was not the thin sick kitty she had become. She was the fat, spunky, silky fur ball from a few months ago. Some part of me thinks that I can fix my grief by immediately adopting a kitten who seems exactly like her. But that is not an option as Hubby really(!) doesn't want another pet. I've been through this before with two of my dogs and I know the grief eventually goes away but the love and affection stay. It will just take a little while to get to that part.

I've been fighting two of my major stress relievers. Eating tons of junk food and shopping for pleasure are so appealing to me when I'm emotional. At first I had to remind myself that food is not a cure for grief nor is it a shoulder to cry on. Food is simply fuel for our bodies. That was difficult to think about when all I wanted to do was crawl into a box of donuts.
And I've been trying my best to stay out of any store unless I have a need to buy something specific. We have too much clutter already and I would like to see our stagnant checking account numbers rise.

So far this week I have shopped at Aldi and spent $11 on staples and snacks for preschool. Yesterday I succumbed to my desire to shop and went into a new Dollar Tree. I spent $27 on toys for my kids, party favors, and groceries. This particular store has a small freezer section. I found a big bag of Green Giant white shoepeg corn and a bag of frozen blueberries. I'll go back again when I need to grocery shop.

As far as the pantry challenge goes I am committed to finishing the month and going into February. My in-laws will be here on the 10th so I will have to shop for them. Even though I didn't stick to just eating from my pantry I think I did a pretty good job of eating from our pantry so far. I think we've saved money.

Breakfast- veggie sausages and banana slices
Lunch- Soup, cheese and crackers for me and little guy. Hubby has leftovers. Big Girl is buying today (cheese pizza day)
Dinner- Pickle burger using old homemade pickles, a box of augratin potatoes I found in the pantry, green beans from the freezer, french bread that's in the bread machine right now. A chocolate pudding pie using things I found in the pantry.

Pantry Challenge Day 24 + 25 And not a happy day for me.

We've made the decision to put our sick kitty down. She has no interest in food and even dry heaved at the smell of her canned food. It's time. We said our goodbyes this morning. I have to say that I'm really not that interested in cooking or cleaning today at all. And I feel incredibly guilty about making this decision but I can't face the alternative.

Day 24-

Breakfast- the rest of the fruit pie and cereal
Lunch- Taco Bell on the way to Grandma's
Dinner- Kids ate at Grandmas while Hubby and I snuck off for a special 13th anniversary dinner.

Day 25-
Breakfast- pb toast and milk
Lunch- ? Maybe grilled cheese. Maybe yogurt.
Dinner- Hamburger helper made with boca patties.

It's time for another grocery trip. But, I just don't feel up to it. I think I'll throw some flour, water, oil, and salt in the bread machine and let it make us some bread.

Pantry Challenge Day 23

Weekends are hard for eating out of our pantry. In the future, I see us trimming our budget by trying to eat out only on weekends. We'd still save a nice amount.

Breakfast- Kids and I had cereal. Hubby had fruit pie.
Lunch- Fast food. It's been a busy day. Birthday parties, preschool previews, haircuts, etc.
Dinner- I think we're going out for dinner too. I'm not sure.

Birthday Party Favors.

We have two birthday parties next month so I've started thinking about gift baggies. I need to make about 30 baggies. I'm trying my best to keep things cheap and still get things that won't annoy other parents. You know- be light on the candy and keep the plastic junk toys to a minimum.

So far I just have:

After Christmas candy sticks that do not have holiday markings on the individual packages- I bought five packages for .25 cents apiece.

A small bag of jolly ranchers and a bag of bubble gum.

Mini containers of Playdoh leftover from the after Halloween clearance bag I bought a few months ago. Some of these ended up in Christmas stockings.

To supplement I just bought a few items from Oriental Trading Company with a 20% off code. (BEMINE). Mini back scratchers, some sticker puzzles, and train shaped suckers should be on there way here soon.

I'm trying to keep the cost per bag around $1- 1.50. I think three pieces of candy and one or two small toys should be sufficient.

Anymore ideas?

Pantry Challenge Day 22

Breakfast- whole grain pancakes and veg. sausage for the whole family.
Lunch- Big Girl has tofurky & cheese sandwich, pretzels, carrot sticks and a juice box. I'm having soup. Little Guy is having pbj and mandarin orange slices. Hubby is going out to lunch.
Dinner- Homemade veggie pizza.

I made a fruit pie with a few slightly outdated cans of fruit from the pantry. Now that I know how to make an easy crust I am no longer afraid of making pie. I just whip up a crumb topping with some baking mix, oats, a little butter and some sugar and we're good to go. I didn't add any sugar to the pie as the syrup was sugary enough. I did add 1/2 tsp. of baking soda to the filling to make it a little sweeter. It turned out great. Next time I would add a little cornstarch to the syrup to make it thicker though.