Taking Advantage of Sales

Today I bought 18 large bell peppers, 6 of each color of red, yellow and orange, for $5.94.  I cut up 12  of them to go in the freezer and filled two one gallon bags.  Then I put six peppers in the freezer to use up over the next few days.

I always slice the peppers before I freeze them. I don't chop any until I am ready to use them.  Even frozen peppers will snip fairly easily with the kitchen shears.

Frugal Accomplishments Last Week

Last week was a bit of a crazy week here.  I tried to accomplish everything I needed to do to be ready for 10 weeks of classes, spend as much time with my family as I could, and get in a little relaxation.  There were days where the three goals seemed to counteract each other, but all in all I had a great week.

School --  I bought my biology text book online, used, at a 20% decrease below the school bookstore price.  I still had to buy their manuals, but every little bit helps.  I cleared out several partially used composition books and I am using them for my summer classes. 

Cooking Supplies -- Grocery shopping was a little crazy, but I stocked up on a lot of pantry items like beans, rice, etc.  I have also shopped around and found the lowest price on the soy milk that is guaranteed nut free.  Amusingly the highest priced store in town has it at the lowest price.  I also ordered sunflower seed butter online.  I could find a better price using bulk shopping and I put 12 jars in the pantry.  6 smooth and 6 crunchy.  (I realize this sounds like a lot, but the jars are small and one batch of simple cookies using half a jar.) 
In addition to that I added some meats to our supplies.  12 lbs. of lean ground beef, 4 pounds of lean ground turkey and 2 large beef roasts....all yellow sticker, 2 days before date, and I saved $30 off the original price.  Everything went into the freezer immediately.

Clothing -- Both daughter and I were in need of summer pieces.  We shopped sales and managed to buy her summer wardrobe for 1/3 the cost of the original ticket by using sales and discounts.  I picked up three maxi skirts (two clearance and one regular priced) for a total of $22.  For science lab I have to have my legs completely covered and these work well without making me feel like I am suffocating in the heat.  I also bought two t-shirts on sale for $6.58 total.  I still need a few pieces to replace things I weeded out, but I will be thrift shopping for those.  I purchased 5 pairs of cargo shorts for my son and 1 pair for my husband, 2 pairs of shoes, 6 summer scarves, and underwear for myself using a gift card...so no cash out of my pocket.

We did up our internet data plan because of part of the video requirements for online school.  When we compared the prices, going over in usage was extremely expensive and we feel like the extra $20 increase in monthly bills is worth it.

Around Here

Spaghetti squash with chunky from scratch sauce 

We played until we dropped .

Practicing shapes and numbers using Dollar Tree crafting supplies.

First chocolate candy I have had since being diagnosed with nut and peanut allergies. 

Graduation

In the Kitchen

Sweet potato and veggie burger hash

Whole wheat pancakes with fried apples and sweet potatoes 

Egg free, milk free, nut free cake for my sister's 35th birthday

Tofu and blacken am pizza on white wheat crust

Food Allergies Suck

It is possible I have developed an additional allergy.  The allergist's office has told me to avoid all dairy in addition to the tree nuts, peanuts, fish and shellfish I already avoid.  The hives are bad, but the breathing issues are down right scary.

Busy Week(s)

This week and next are shaping up to be insanely busy. We just returned from a business trip to Statesville today, and my final exams and my daughter's finals are all finishing up between now and Monday.  My son's grad school graduation is this week, we are hosting a birthday party for my sister this weekend, my graduation is Tuesday of next week, and then we leave for a short vacation before my summer classes start.  I'll try to pop in if I get a chance, but it may be hit and miss.