Savory Salmon

One of my favorite fish is salmon. I have prepared it in the following ways: 

• Pretzel crusted
• En papillote
• Pesto
• Mustard and beer

Most recently, I prepared it simply but it was delicious. I seasoned the filet with paprika, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, pink Himalayan salt, and pepper. I baked it for 25 minutes and served. 

Easy, fast and delicious. That is all there is to it. 

Publix Shopping and Saving

I have highlighted items that I purchased this latest shopping trip to Publix in separate posts. My goal was to feature individual items rather than have a long post with tons of items. 

The total items were: 

• 4 cans Progresso soup
• 1 package of Publix coffee filters
• 1 RiceSelect rice
• 1 Fage yogurt
• 1 Quaker Multigrain Flakes
• 2 Sea Best
• 2 Green Giant Steamers

I spent $18.47 and saved $25.99. I also received $3 in rebates from SavingStar and ibotta. 

It pays to be a savvy shopper. Not only do I save money on shopping, I also earn gift cards and other benefits from the rebate apps. 

Couponing: Soup

I have found that a can of soup is a quick and easy lunch during the work week. I posted recently about Progresso soup sales, coupons, and rebates. The deal has come around again. 

Progresso soup retails for $2.31 and is on sale as a BOGO. 

Here is the breakdown: 

   $4.62 for 4 cans of soup

-  $1 digital coupon

= $3.62

-  $1 SavingStar rebate

= $2.62 or 66¢ each

Couponing: Coffee Filters

Coffee filters is one of those items that is an unsung hero. You can clean screens, deodorize rooms, garden, and lots of other uses for coffee filters. As a glasses wearer, coffee filters are great for cleaning lenses!

Publix has a digital coupon for a $1 off a package of Publix brand coffee filters. A package of 200 retails for $1.29. 

I feel silly buying them since my primary coffee maker is a Keurig. Check out all the things you can do with coffee filters here. 

Couponing: Quaker Multigrain Flakes

I have gotten into the habit of searching in the Publix app digital coupons using the word "free". There are free items periodically!

This time is a free box of Quaker Multigrain Flakes cereal. The 17 ounce box retails for $4.65 and Publix is offering it for free! That is a no brainer!

Couponing: Free Yogurt

It seems that most of my harrowing coupon stories take place at Publix. This is no exception. 

I went to Publix to purchase a series of items. One item is Fage yogurt. Publix had a digital coupon on their app for 1 free container. When I arrived at Publix, I was pleasantly surprised to see a blinkie for 55¢ off 1 container. 

Ibotta also had a 50¢ rebate. 

Here's the breakdown: 

$0 for 1 container

- 55¢ manufacturer coupon

= -55¢ 

- 50¢ ibotta rebate

= - $1.05 

No out of pocket on this one!

Couponing: Competitor Coupons for Beverages

In certain areas Publix considers Target a competitor. My local Publix accepts Target coupons. 

Before Halloween, there was a coupon in the Target ad for a free $5 gift card with a purchase of $15 of select beverages. That same week Publix had some of those beverages on sale: B2G2 12 packs. 

I stocked up on 12 pack cans that week. In order to make the $15 minimum, I had to buy 2 B2G2 deals for a total of 8 cartons of cans. 

While I was at Publix, I wanted to take advantage of the sale on Progresso Organic Soups. They were on sale as a BOGO. The Publix app also had a $1 off digital coupon on 1 can. SavingStar also had a $1 rebate on 1 can. It was $0.99 for 2 cans after coupons, sales, and rebates. 

The total shopping trip was $31.29 with a savings of $37.13 and $1 rebate. 

My goal is always to have the savings higher than the out of pocket. 

Free Cheerios

I've posted a lot about apps I use for budget shopping. There was a great deal on ibotta for a new Cheerios flavor: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios. 

The deal is to purchase a family size box of Pumpkin Spice or Honey Nut Cheerios and get a free box of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios on ibotta. Easy enough!

Once I was at Walmart, I noticed that some boxes had a coupon on the box for $1.05 off of 1 box. That was perfect since I was purchasing 2 boxes. Each box retailed for $3.64. 

In addition, SavingStar had a $1 rebate for 2 boxes of General Mills cereal. 

Here's the breakdown: 

    $7.28 for 2 boxes

-   $2.10 in manufacturer coupons

=  $5.18 out of pocket

-  $4 rebate from ibotta

= $1.18

-  $1 rebate from SavingStar

= 18¢ or 9¢ each

I learned to coupon a little over 2 years ago and I haven't looked back!

Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti Squash

Need I say more? 

I found this delicious recipe on Pinterest and have made it a few times in the last few months. 

It's a flavorful pasta dish without the carbs, gluten, and guilt of pasta. Spaghetti squash for the win. 

I added fresh basil and tomatoes to the mix at the end. I felt that it needed a kick of freshness. 

Christmas High Tea

Last year, I was invited to a Christmas Tea sponsored by a local church. At the tea, there was an opportunity to volunteer to host a table for the following year. Guess who signed up!

I've always loved entertaining and have been sad the last few years having a smaller abode without room to host parties. This was a great outlet for me.

There is one hitch! I do not have any China or elegant dishes anymore. I've moved so frequently from city to city and state to state that I've given a lot of it back to my mom for safe keeping.

I had to find a way to get a hold of dishes for this event without breaking the bank.

I went to work visiting thift shops and online postings on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.

That did the trick and allowed me to acquire beautiful dishes at a low cost. 

I was able to host 8 ladies with whom I work. What a lovely evening of fellowship, worship songs, an encouraging speaker in a beautiful setting. Each gal felt like a precious jewel! I was so pleased to be part of this lovely event! Perhaps I'll host next year!

Thanksgiving 2017

I have to admit that it has been difficult to be back in the habit of blogging since the hurricane in September. Where does the time go? 

Here we are in the midst of the holidays spanning from Thanksgiving until New Years.

This was the first year in almost 6 years that I did not have to work on Thanksgiving. The previous years I worked in the Canadian division and observed Canadian holidays. 

We had a mini-banquet with my department this year. I brought a veggie tray decked out like a turkey. Thank you Pinterest!

On Thanksgiving Day, we had a small celebration with some friends from church. It was nice to stay local. I refreshed the veggie tray from the previous day and brought a pumpkin pie. Since my husband does not eat eggs, I found a recipe that is eggless. Amazingly delicious!!!

Now we're in a mad dash with Christmas around the corner. I love all the activities this time of year!