How to save money grocery shopping

I don't know about you, but over the holidays, I got really lax and didn't cook all that much. But, we ate though. How on Earth did we manage that one? Well, between all the holiday parties and eating out, I probably only averaged cooking about 1 or 2 nights a week for a couple weeks straight. Did I mention it was heavenly? Ah, the memories.

But, alas, we all know that it's way too expensive to eat out all the time. Heck, it's almost getting too expensive to eat all together! So, I've been researching online and trying to find some ideas on how to save on groceries and get better at meal planning. Here is a bit of a summary of my findings:

1. Don't go shopping hungry. (We all know that, right?)
2. Go alone. (Taking kids and husbands only adds to the grocery bill. Trust me, it's true.)
3. Make lists and stick to them.
4. Plan out your meals for the week before you go. This way, you will avoid any unnecessary trips to the store, thus costing you more money in the long run.
5. Try to avoid buying processed foods. (We all know they're not good for us, but the more processing a food goes through, the more expensive it will end up being.)
6. Only buy food at the grocery store. Save paper products, cleaning supplies, toiletry items, and medicines for stores like Wal-Mart.
7. Try sticking to the outside perimeter of the store where most of the essentials are located: dairy, bread, milk, meat, produce, etc.
8. Buy store brands whenever possible.
9. Stock up on price loss leaders. (These are the items that the stores put WAY on sale to bring you in.)

So, these are a few of the things I came across while researching. If you have any other tips, ideas, or advice, please feel free to share with the rest of us.

Visiting with Santa

Well, it's been a while since I've posted. I am pretty bad at uploading pictures to my computer, so that's why I'm so behind. Sorry. :(

Anywho, on Greg's side of the family, we always have a Christmas party, and this year was no exception. We had a delicious Dutch oven dinner and dessert, crafts for the kids, and a special visitor. I betcha can't guess who. (lol)

Brooklyn has really become quite the Santa Claus fan. She will go up to him, talk to him, and even sit on his lap. Hannah, on the other hand, is still pretty leery of Santa. Oh, she'll go over and talk to him, but she won't get too close. She would only sit on Santa's lap with Grandma. Here are some pics.

Hannah and Brooklyn with their crafts

Hannah and Grandma with Santa

Brooklyn and Santa

A Season of Giving

I love Christmas. One of the things I love most about Christmas is the giving spirit. For the past couple years, our neighborhood has hosted a little get together for people to bring donations for Christmas. It's great because we can get all the neighbors together for some hot chocolate and donuts, and stand around fires as we come together for a good cause.

Last night, our neighborhood had our annual Christmas get-together. We had a great turn out! I'm so grateful to all the people who helped out with treats and donations. With everyone's help, we were able to gather a lot of needed items to donate to The Family Connection. Hopefully these items can really help some people out there who are in need.

Another thing I love about this time of year is the reminder that it is about how blessed we are. We are truly blessed, and Christmas time can really bring out the best in good people. I love hearing heartwarming stories of people helping other people. That's what it's all about.

I also love getting together with family and friends to celebrate the season. It's great going to parties with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Savior. What a blessed time of year!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Hannah's surgery

Well, Hannah had surgery yesterday. She had her tonsils and adenoids removed, and got a new set of tubes put in her ears. She was just supposed to have a tube taken out, but when the doctor got in there, her left ear was infected, and he asked if we would be okay with doing tubes again. Since they were already in there, I told him to go ahead.

Hannah had to have her tonsils and adenoids taken out because of breathing problems. She has always been a mouth breather. She has also been a really loud snorer, and occasionally has apnea episodes while she's sleeping. We decided that her adenoids were giving her troubles and got her checked out. The doctor said that taking the tonsils out would also help with the problems, so we did both. I'm really glad we did it because after the surgery, the doctor told us that her adenoids were totally blocking off her nasal passage. And, he said that her tonsils were huge, too. Interestingly enough, on the way home from her surgery, she started to fall asleep in the car, and she had her mouth closed and was breathing through her nose!

Poor Hannah. I feel so badly that we had to put her through that, but it was something that had to be done. Right now, my biggest fight with her is to take her pain meds, but I'm making her take them at least for these first few days to keep her comfortable. She drank really well yesterday, and I'm hoping she'll continue that. We're all stocked up on Jell-O, popsicles, pudding, yogurt and ice cream, so Hannah should be set for the next few days. Hannah is such a little trooper. She's been such a good and brave girl through this. I'm praying for a quick recovery for her so she doesn't have too much pain.

Headlamps are the COOLEST!!

And, I totally have one. Yeah, I pretty much look like the dork in the picture except my head isn't shaved. Are you jealous? (lol)

Well, you should be. It's an Energizer brand, and it's got a red light, and 3, that's right, 3 different LED functions. It's equipped with an adjustable head strap and padding under the light for my forehead comfort. You can also adjust the angle of the light. It's perfect for those times when you get to the movies late and need to look for a seat. (Picture me walking in wearing a headlamp saying, "Excuse me, are these seats taken?" (hehehehe))

But, in all seriousness, I really do have a headlamp. Now, what on Earth would I need a headlamp for? Well, I have been running on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with some other ladies from the ward. We go at 5:30 AM, so it's still pretty dang dark outside. We have so much fun. Sure it's early, and I kinda feel like a crazy person wearing a headlamp, but it really does help. I really enjoy running, and it's been great to go with other people and chit chat on the way. Yesterday, we ran about 5.1 miles and it felt great. It's a little cold when you first start out, but by the end you're cookin'. Monday morning, it was drizzling a little and I wore a bright yellow rain-type jacket of Greg's. Not only was it big on me, but I looked quite conspicuous. Greg told me I looked like I was wearing a fishing jacket. I felt a little like the bad guy in "I Know What You Did Last Summer."

So, if you ever want to go running on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday morning, just come on over to my neighborhood at 5:30 AM. Then, you could see me wearing my headlamp. Or, if I'm feeling particularly cheeky one day, maybe I'll wear it to Wal-Mart. ;)

2 trips to Black Island Farms

The last couple weeks, the girls and I went to Black Island Farms. We went the week before Halloween with Mandee and her kids when Greg and Jamie were out of town. The girls all had a great time running, climbing and sliding. Here are some pics from the first trip:

Top: Brooklyn cheesing it by the pumpkins

Bottom: Hannah in a corn stalk tunnel

Top: Brooklyn on a slide

Bottom: Hannah with a big grin before she slides

Then, last Tuesday, Greg and I went with Jamie and Mandee and all the kids again. Needless to say, the second trip was much easier since the dads were there. It was really fun. We went on a "hayride" (I saw no hay - LOL!), and got to pick out our own pumpkins. Here are a few highlights:

Left: Family photo op

Right: Brooklyn picking her pumpkin

Left: Greg and the girls sliding down the big, white slide

Right: All of us on the "hayride"

I didn't have any pictures of Hannah picking her pumpkin because she didn't really want to. I do, however, have a picture of her picking her nose.

Aw, cute little Hannah.

Leelou Blogs Launch Party!

They're having some pretty cool giveaways. Check it out!