Couponing for Thanksgiving: Part 2

As you know.....my family is on a strict budget in order to keep us as stable as possible in this very unstable economy.  So my plan was to use coupons for Thanksgiving.  I gotta say....it worked better than I thought it would!  So here's how it went:

Originally I was only hosting a small group of people on Thanksgiving....but that changed rather quickly!  Now I am hosting for my husband's entire family!  EEEEK!  Along with getting enough food to feed the masses, I still had to shop for my own household (two weeks worth of shopping to be exact!).

My local store runs a special once a month: $10 off of $50 or more (this sales excludes milk and turkeys, don't know why...but it does!)  Now....since you can only get the $10 off once....I had to make two trips that day.  I stratigically bought items that would result in me getting catalina coupons good for my next trip (which would be about 20 minutes later)!  I would rather not get into details about everything I bought, but to sum it up, my first trip was $70.47 before coupons....after coupons, I only paid $19.78!  A 72% savings!

Now, for my second trip, I had to get the turkey.  I needed to get the biggest bird they had to feed everyone and have leftovers for me!  If you remember, I could not use the turkey with the $10 off deal, which only meant I had to get $50 worth of groceries plus the turkey.  My total before the turkey was $82.15 (no coupons scanned yet).  I got a 21.99 pound bird @ $1.39/lb which cost $30.57.  Now, my store was running a special....the turkey would be $.67/lb if I bought $50 worth of groceries with it!  This dropped $15.83 off of my bird!  Before coupons and before my turkey savings, my total was $96.89.  After the $15.83 turkey savings (biggest coupon EVER!) and my coupons, I only paid $35.47!  A 62% savings!

My store does not double coupons...but if they did....boy....I may have walked out of that store paying almost nothing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Couponing For The Holidays!

It seems as though the one time of year it is vital to save money...we spend the most!  I love cooking for groups of people, so it's no surprise that I love Thanksgiving!  This year, my husband has to work, and my side of the family is going out of state.  So I have left an open invitation for family to come to my house for dinner!  Problem....we are living on a very strict budget!  One income is no joke!  My goal this year is to do "Thanksgiving with Coupons"!  Let's see if I can make a traditional dinner, with all the fixings, and spend as little as possible!  Now...what should be my target budget?

Leftovers

Thanksgiving is next week! We all now that no matter how well you try to manage the amount of food you make, there will always be leftovers! Whether you just heat up a plate of all your leftovers, or make the classic turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sandwich, it can get pretty boring. Here are a few yummy recipes I found that are easy and delicious! Enjoy!


Turkey Melts with Cheddar and Chutney

2 cups cubed turkey
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
3 minced green onions
1/4 cup mango chutney
1/2 mayonnaise
4 whole wheat English muffins, split, toasted
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Combine turkey, celery, green onions and chutney. Stir mayonnaise to bind. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Preheat broiler.
3. Arrange English muffin halves on baking sheet. Top with turkey mixture and cheese.
4. Broil a few inches from source of heat for 3 to 4 minutes until hot and bubbling.

(Courtesy of www.butterball.com)




Leftover Turkey Soup

1 turkey carcass
1/2 pot of water (enough to cover the bones)
1-2 cups of chopped celery
1-2 cups of chopped carrots
Use any leftover veggies you have in your refrigerator
Use all leftover gravy and dressing
If you have a leftover wild rice dish, throw that in also

Directions:

Break up carcass and place in a large pot. Cover with water and simmer until all remaining meat falls off of bones. Skim off fat and remove bones and skin. Add all the above ingredients to the pot and let simmer for an hour or so. Add salt, pepper, and favorite spices to your taste. Freeze leftovers - they're good anytime!!!

(Courtesy of www.cooks.com)