Diet & Savings

This is one of my first posts so I am attempting to coordinate the posting software, etc. So please bear with me!

 
 

At this point I am very proud of Jen and her efforts to save us some time, money, and make our family "healthier."

 
 

We have significantly cut down on eating out which has a multitude of effects. We're not spending an inordinate amount of time out of the house and our evenings are simplified. It is very nice to just have a quiet evening at home with Jen and Ryleigh after a long day at the office. Big picture is that we both have more energy - and more dishes - but we'll save that for another day! :)

 
 

By taking leftovers I daily am more productive at work and don't have to worry about going somewhere, driving there, determining who is going, etc. A huge stress relief. Jen has really taken care to get interesting and tasty meals from the blog that she is using.

 
 

I find our time well spent and I enjoy working with Jen on the meals once a week when I am actually home.

 
 

More to follow but stay posted!

 
 

Try commenting so I can see if it works! Clint

Let's get ready for...

... SAVING!

Got some more that catch up...

A couple weeks ago we took Clint's family out to dinner after church. 'Ol South in downtown Fort Worth offers a 20% off your entire bill if you show them that you checked into Yelp while at their restaurant.

Store: 'Ol South
Quest: Enjoy dinner with family

Purchases: dinner for 5

Savings: 20% off the total bill = $8 and change (I don't remember the cents part so I'll just count the $8 to be safe)

THEN... about a week and a half ago Clint and I stopped off at Sonic and used a coupon to cut our bill down...

Store: Sonic
Quest: LUNCH!

Purchases: 2 chili cheese coneys, 1 drink, and 1 tots

Savings: I had a coupon for a buy one get one free chili cheese coney dog; I already had a caffeine free vanilla diet coke (my fav!) so Clint got his own drink and side. Saved $2.99 plus tax and had a very cheap lunch = $3.24

Then... Clint and I went on our first date night since our sweet little blessing joined us. Nina and Papa watched our little Ryleigh while we went to Genghis Grill, strolled around the mall (scoring free his and her travel pillows from Sleep Number just for finding our "number" - like them on facebook to get your coupon for a free travel pillow), and then enjoyed some ice cream.

Store: Genghis Grill
Quest: date night

Purchase: 2 bowls

Savings: Our buy one bowl get another bowl free coupon saved us $9.99 plus tax = $10.81

TOTAL SAVINGS: $22.05

GRAND TOTAL SAVINGS TO DATE: $275.06

progress so far: 27.5%

Starting off July with getting caught up!

So... I haven't updated in a bit, so let's see if I can remember!

Store: El Chico
Quest: Lunch with Clint

Purchase:
2 entrees

Savings:
buy 1 get 1 free entree coupon by signing up for their online email program made our 3-course meal very cheap! Each meal was $10.49 with a buy one get one we saved $10.49 plus tax - $11.36

Then, to celebrate the completion of all my graduate coursework, we went to Red Lobster and I took my $4 off the purchase of 2 entrees coupon

Store: Red Lobster
Quest: celebrate!

Purchases:
Two 4 course for $15 specials

Savings:
$4

I keep feeling that there was a third update, but... pregnancy brain does NOT go away after the baby arrives... :) If I remember, I'll update then...

TOTAL SAVINGS: $15.36

GRAND TOTAL SAVINGS TO DATE: $253.01

Progress: 25.3% - a quarter of the way there!

Savings update!

Already I have another update on savings. Today's entry is an example of several different money saving strategies:

Sign-up bonuses
Coupons
AND
comparison shopping

With a new (ridiculously adorable) baby in the house, I have a ton of pictures that I have been meaning to get prints of and way too many empty frames around the house to ignore any longer!

Store: Shutterfly.com
Quest: 11 4x6, 2 8x10, 1 16x20, and 1 20x30 prints

Purchases:
All my prints needed plus 39 more 4x6 prints!!!

Savings:
If I had purchased my items through Shutterfly.com at cost, 11 4x6 prints at $0.15 each plus 2 8x10 at $3.99 each plus 1 16x20 at 17.99 plus 1 20x30 at 22.99 plus shipping plus tax would have been $60.34.

By signing up a new account, shutterfly gave me 50 free prints - so instead of 11 4x6 prints, I got all 50 for free! Then, I had a coupon card for $20 off a $20 or more purchase. This would have brought my total to $38.69.

BUT... walmart.com's photo lab sells the larger prints for much less. I removed the 8x10's and 16x20 from my order and placed the order through walmart.com (I had to leave the 20x30 because I needed a $20 minimum order to use my coupon).

My final orders were:
Shutterfly.com $11.88 for 50 4x6 prints and 1 20x30 print
Walmart.com $18.02 for 2 8x10's and 1 16x20
... bringing my total to $29.90

TOTAL SAVINGS: $30.44

GRAND TOTAL SAVINGS TO DATE: $237.65

Progress: 23.8%

Almost a quarter of the way there! :)

More savings to pile up...

I have a couple savings to get caught up on!

Clint got a haircut last week and used a coupon to cut the savings in half!

Store: Great Clips
Quest: trim my hubby's locks

Purchase: $14 haircut plus tip

Savings: $7 off coupon

Then, we did another Whataburger "end of the receipt" coupon:

Store: Whataburger
Quest: Lunch

Purchases:
Whataburger - free!

Savings:
$2.64 + tax = $2.86

Remember a while back when I bought a package of reusable/washable breast pads to get free shipping? Well, using them has already saved me 1 box of disposables!

Store: Walmart/ Amazon.com
Quest: not make embarrassing messes as a side-effect of giving my little girl the best nutrition possible

Purchases:
1 box of breast pads (essentially for free since I would have spent the money anyway on shipping) to replace disposable breast pads

Savings:
$5.97 + tax = $6.46

TOTAL SAVINGS: $16.32

GRAND TOTAL SAVINGS TO DATE: $207.21

Progress: 20.7%

YAY! Hit the 1/5 mark in less than a month! This is completely doable!

Saving, saving, saved!

Ok, I have a few savings things to catch up on...

I did another Amazon purchase thing. I wanted to get some books that had been recommended to me and were on my "to buy" list. Amazingly, after shopping around, I found it was actually cheaper to buy the books new and get an order of $25 to qualify for free shipping than it would be to buy the book used and pay for shipping individually.

Store: Amazon.com
Quest: add some books to my personal library

Purchases:
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God - $8.99
Radical: Taking back your faith from the American dream - $8.99
Letters from a Skeptic: a son wrestles with his father's questions about Christianity - $3.88

This would have been around $22 so it would not qualify for free shipping. I added on:

Washable nursing pads for $6.99

to bring my total to $28.85. Since I spend $3.85 over the $25 to save $8.08 in shipping...

Savings:
$4.23

Then... the big kicker savings... and we are getting rather personal, but this is real life with real life purchases (not like extreme couponing - who really NEEDS 100 bottles of gatorade???)

Store: CVS Pharmacy/ Medco by Mail
Quest: obtain a certain monthly med to insure Ryleigh doesn't get a sibling before we are ready for even less sleep

Purchase:
1 package - $35!!!

Feeling this was ridiculous and knowing my brain was calculating a year's worth of these costs, I looked for an alternative - our insurance company's mail order program. Through this, 1 month cost $5 (3 months at a time for $15). That is some serious savings of $30 per month!!! Now, to be fair, I will calculate only what I have save with my current purchase and will update each time I reorder until the end of the year.

Savings:
$90 (3 months purchased at $30 per month)

Then, we were going to go to Whataburger for lunch. Since the receipts print out a "do this survey and get a free whataburger" offer, I took them up on it. A free whataburger retails for nearly $3. So...

Store: Whataburger
Quest: lunch

Purchases:
Whataburger - free!

Savings:
$2.64 + tax = 2.86


TOTAL SAVINGS: $97.09

GRAND TOTAL SAVINGS TO DATE: $190.89

Progress: 19.1%

Savings!

So, today's savings is a bit more unconventional...

At walmart, I returned one of the packages of diapers (they only had the size 2 diapers and not the size 1... go figure!) and bought the correct type (which had 10 more diapers in the package) with a coupon and saved even more!

Store: Walmart
Quest: get the right kind of diapers

Purchases:
return old package
get new package

Savings:
$1 off coupon
$1.05 returned

Then... Clint needed an Otterbox for his iphone. Could have cost $44.88 at Walmart, but we went to Amazon instead - less than $20! But, shipping was about $5 making the total $25. If I put $25 worth of items in my cart then I would qualify for free shipping. So, I did some shopping and added some breastfeeding pads (glamorous, I know!) and a clearance iphone case for me. The total went to $27 and I got free shipping. $2 more saved me from paying shipping and I needed more pads anyway!

Store: Amazon.com
Quest: get Clint an Otterbox

Purchases:
Otterbox $20
Case $2
Pads $5

Savings:
$3 (I spent $2 more to avoid $5 in shipping so I saved the difference between paying shipping and buying more products)

TOTAL SAVINGS: $5.05

GRAND TOTAL SAVINGS TO DATE: $93.80

Progress: 9.38%

And the savings keep piling up!

So... last night we used a coupon...

Well, backup. I have an app on my iphone where I can "check-in" to different locations and get points. I can then redeem these points for rewards. We redeemed 400 points for a $25 restaurant.com gift certificate. Last night, we enjoyed Hibachi Japanese food for practically half-price. The total with 2 entrees, tax, and tip was right at $50. Minus the $25 and we have saved more $$!

Restaurant: Tokyo Steakhouse
Quest: Eat dinner

Purchases:
Chicken dinner - $16.99
Garlic Steak dinner - $21.99
Tax
Tip

Savings:
$25 gift certificate

TOTAL SAVINGS: $25

GRAND TOTAL SAVINGS TO DATE: $88.75

Progress: 8.875% towards my goal

Today I plan to exchange some diapers and use coupons on the ones I really need to further increase my savings! I'll check back in later!

A Challenge to SAVE!

In light of the new TLC show Extreme Couponing and my own frugal background/ upbringing, I am going to attempt a unique challenge that will last the remainder of the 2011 calendar year.

I will endeavor to save my family $1,000 by December 31, 2011 through coupons, special offers, rebates, etc. Normal price reductions at the store DO NOT count. There must be an element of effort on my part. :)

Let the fun begin with last night's conquest and the inspiration for this challenge. How it went down...

Store: Babies R Us
Quest: Buy diapers and wipes for our little Ryleigh

Purchases:
216 ct. wipe refill $6.99
60 ct. Little Snugglers $17.99
60 ct. Little Sugglers $17.99
30 ct. Pure & natural $11.99
30 ct. Pure & natural $11.99
72 ct. wipes $2.99
Temporal Thermometer $49.99

Savings:
Buy 2 Pure & natural get $5 off
Spend $65 on wipes and diapers get $15 off
$0.75 wipes coupon
$2 wipes coupon
$2.50 diaper coupon
$2.50 diaper coupon
$3 diaper coupon
$3 diaper coupon
50% off thermometer coupon - $25 off
$5 mail-in rebate on thermometer

TOTAL SAVINGS: $63.75

GRAND TOTAL SAVINGS TO DATE: $63.75

Progress: 6.375% towards my goal

Isn't that cool! Especially since my total before tax was $61.18 - I saved more than half off my entire purchase. And, since I used my rewards card, the savings will continue to pile up. The final kicker is that I had a gift card - so really, all this loot cost us nothing! But, I won't count that in the savings... :)

5 dinners in 1 hour

I subscribe to groupon and living social and those kind of websites that offer great deals on useless things you would rarely use. Occasionally, however, a deal comes across the email universe that is tempting enough to try. 5 dinners in 1 hour is a subscription off a blog www.5dinners1hour.blogspot.com where the author Michelle composes menus of 5 dinners that can be fully prepped in 1 hour... TOTAL! Perfect for a new little family with a brand new baby.

So, we have tried 2 of the menus - LOVE!!! So easy and simple. I love opening my fridge and seeing ready made meals instead of assorted food items without any cohesion.

I'll start blogging about and reviewing the recipes as I try to get better about blogging. :)

Disappointed in myself...

As despressing as the title may be, this is not a depressing post. I'm just disappointed in myself for waiting so long to post.

We have a little baby girl!!!

Ryleigh Maerie Hoover was born Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 5:27pm weighing 6 pounds 10.7 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. Our baby girl was beyond beautiful and we have been so blessed to have her in our lives. Enjoy some pics!

See! I told you she was beautiful! :) We are so happy! She is now over 6 weeks old and growing so strong and healthy - I can only thank God for her!

Oh Happy Day!

The news has finally broken and we are PREGNANT! Yesterday marked the end of the 13th week, the end of the 1st trimester, and the beginning of being able to openly talk about our precious Baby Smidgen.

But, Clint and I have actually known about Smidgen for a while. We found out that we were pregnant on July 22nd - the day we were leaving for our vacation. What a surprise and we weren't completely convinced - although the pregnancy test was obvious enough. We took another test while on the road on July 23rd and got the same result. So, on the long, long drive to Florida, we scheduled a doctor's appointment on August 6th after we returned. Our appointment went perfectly and the doctor confirmed that we were pregnant. We returned a few days later to meet the OB/GYN and ended up getting our first ultrasound! It was so amazing to see our little 1 cm Smidgen.

Now, we have had a couple more appointments, a TON of tests (all of which came back great - for which we are thankful), and even got to hear the baby's heartbeat a week and a half ago. Smidgen is now pushing "lemon-size" at 3-3.5 inches and should hit 1.5 ounces this week. We are so excited and are busily preparing ourselves, our lives, the baby's room, and everything for Smidgen's arrival somewhere around March 26th (our due date).

Catching Up

Shame on me... It has been a month and a half since my last post! Wow! I'm ashamed of myself... and even still I don't have too much to talk about! *I know - that's a first!*

Well, I know I have talked a lot about our diets and weight loss endeavors and so far we have been quite successful. Clint has easily hit fifty pounds and I am pushing forty pounds! That's in less than 7 months - I think that is quite impressive and a healthy rate of loss.

Now that we are losing the weight, we are also going to be modifying the quality of our foods. I am trying to make a switch to more raw (not uncooked, but less processed), clean, organice foods. Now, hold on, I'm not going off the deep end, but I just think that the fuel we give our bodies should be high-quality and meaningful. Too often, meals are an after-thought and we end up throwing trash into our system. Then, we wonder why we feel sluggish and bloated.

Instead, we are creating meal plans (side benefit: this helps a LOT with budgeting and grocery bills!) full of whole wheat breads and pastas; fresh, organic fruits and vegetables; appropriate serving portions; and limited processed foods.

Then, just for fun, I made this trail mix from raw ingredients at Central Market. Yay for being healthier!

Yummy Food Pictures!

A delicious breakfast pizza, the recipe is complements of Clinton - very yummy and easy to make! Just use a canned pizza dough, white gravy for the sauce, and then pile on your favorite breakfast toppings like sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and cheese!
Black Bean Burgers - recipe is several posts below...

Avocado Soup - looks good, but it wasn't my favorite.

Carrot and Onion Quiche...

Penelope in the Bluebonnets...

Other assorted catching-up pictures...

Last Sunday Clint and I took our CHL (concealed handgun license) class which consisted of a class with a written test and a field test. Lots of fun and we both passed! Another tick off of the bucket list.

Then, we just purchased Clint a new to him truck!!! Say hello to King Tritan (my name for the truck, not Clint's). A very nice 2005 F-150 in a very sexy charcoal gray color.

I don't think the next picture requires a comment... Ok, maybe it does... And now, in the center of the ring, Clintoni Hoovoni!

Uh-Oh! Time for Catch-up!!! Penelope's Second Birthday!

For Squirt and Penelope's second birthday, we took them to Krystal's Hamburgers for a yummy kid's meal of a hamburger and french fries and then went to Fort Woof for some fun play-time. Enjoy the pictures!

Yes, that is an entire hamburger bun in her mouth. Don't worry - she has it all under control!

Look at her licking her chops!

Christ Chapel Bible Church

Last night at church we learned about the amazing process and procedure of the Passover, the symbolism of the Seder meal, and the relevance to us as the body of Christ. Also last night we were challenged to fast and pray for our church as we embark on a new building project. This time of fasting can be as short or as long as God leads us, but I feel challenged to fast, pray, meditate, and reflect during my work day. So, for the entire time I am at work, I will be fasting, reading the Bible (during lunch and my conference time), seeking God's plan for our family's financial contribution to CCBC, and refocusing my attention on God.

I decided to do this during work, since this time seems to be the time when I get most caught up in other things. I get most stressed, over-worked, immersed in tasks, and exposed to worldly behaviors during the 7:30-4:30 time block. So, instead of eating breakfast this morning, I read in Dueteronomy about God's provisions and deliverance. Instead of eating lunch, I will meditate on God's word and reflect on His amazing love for me. Instead of snacks, I will dedicate my actions to God's will.

Clint has also committed to fasting and praying with me (albeit, at different times and in different places) during the lunch hour.

Please pray for us today.

March, March, March...

Yeah, so, I haven't exactly posted in the last week, but I didn't want to bore anyone. I still don't really have anything to add today, but I was feeling guilty about not posting...

Our diet is going really well. We are maintaining quite a bit of our vegetarian experience - eating meatless meat, veggie rich dishes, and enjoying our local vegan restaurant. I did break down and succumb to a horribly strong BBQ temptation last night - but I got a pulled pork sandwich with very little sauce... Not too bad I don't figure. But, our diet must be working because Clint is hovering at the 20ish pounds lost mark and I hit the 17 1/2 pound mark this morning. After so long seeing the scale increase each time I dared stand on it (and I do mean "dare" since the thought of getting weighed scared me to death!), I love seeing the numbers decrease! I'm not that good about using thedailyplate.com, but I am doing a lot better about portions and healthier choices.

You know you are restricting your diet when:

* your favorite chocolate ice cream makes you think about running on the treadmill for 3 hours
* you care more about calories than prices when you are at a restaurant
* your iphone has become a portable dietician and personal trainer
* thedailyplate.com is book-marked on any internet-ready device within 3 miles of you at any moment
* you snack on whole grain sandwich thins and light cheese instead of a candy bar
* water is your best friend
* you know the gym class schedule by heart (and have the app!)
* your lunch conversations at work are dominated by weight watcher, 24-hour fitness, and how many points/calories is your lunch
* and the number one indicator that you are on a diet:
~~~~~you dream about All-You-Can-Eat Buffets~~~~~ (unfortunately, very true - just ask Clint about 3 nights ago...)

More delightful Recipes to Tickle your Tastebuds!

DELICIOUS Black Bean Burgers (a la vegetarian)

Ingredients:

1/3 pound fresh mushroom, chopped
1/4 bar cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream (or half sour cream half ricotta cheese)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (seeds optional)
1 tsp salt
black pepper
cilantro
1 T flour
3 T chives

Directions

In a small skillet, saute mushrooms for 7-10 minutes until cooked. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix with cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs. Set aside.

In another small skillet, heat olive oil and saute the onions until they soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, cumin, and cinnamon and saute for 2 more minutes.

Pour beans into a food processor and pulse until almost pasty. Add onion and seasoning mixture and mushroom mixture. Pulse repeatedly until mixture is chopped and combined but not pureed.

Transfer to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Shape into patties and pat in extra bread crumbs.

Fry in olive or vegetable oil over medium heat until crust forms. Serve as a hamburger!

AND NOW...

Potato Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chili Sauce

Ingredients
Chili Sauce:
2 T olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 large green chiles, roasted, seeded, peeled, and chopped coarsely
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp marjoram or oregano
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 pound waxy potatoes (yukon gold preferred)
1/2 pound kale, washed, trimmed, and chopped finely
3 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup stock
3 T lime juice
1/8 cup pine nuts
salt

Corn tortillas

Directions:

Sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the onions in oil for 4-7 minutes until soft. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a simmer, and then remove from heat. When the mixture has cooled enough, taste and adjust seasonings. Puree in a blender until smooth.

Filling: Peel and dice the potatoes, then boil until tender. Drain and set aside. Cook the garlic in olive oil until sizzling and slightly browned. Add the kale, sprinkle with salt, and raise the heat to medium, stirring constantly to cover the kale with oil and garlic. Partially cover the pot to steam the kale until it has wilted, 4-6 minutes. Add in potatoes, stock, lime juice, and salt. Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash some of the potatoes. Cook another 4-5 minutes until stock is absorbed. Add more salt and lime juice to taste. 1 minute before it is finished, add in the pine nuts, reserving a few for garnish.

Ladle some sauce into the bottom of a greased casserole dish and spread around. Take a warmed corn tortilla and spoon some filling into the center. Roll tightly and place seam side down in the dish. Repeat for all the tortillas and filling. Spoon remaining sauce over the top, sprinkle with paprika and pine nuts. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 until sauce is bubbling. Serve.