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About Me

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Mother of 2 and wife to Travis.I am a Jill of all trades,master of none. I like to dabble in everything, so follow me on my journey; raising kids, working towards a healthier lifestyle, new recipes, menus, homeschooling, crafts,enjoying our home the Great Smoky Mountains, etc...What we call...LIFE :-)

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Marinated Pork Chops


Marinade:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lime juice
4tsp balsamic vinegar
2tsp sugar
2tsp Worcestershire sauce
1tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 clove garlic,minced
6 boneless pork loin chops

In a large Ziploc bag, combine the first 8 ingredients; add the pork chops. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Drain and discard marinade. Grill pork chops, covered over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or 160 degrees. (I put a wire rack in a cookie sheet and put these in my oven on 500degrees for about 10 min and flipped once after 5 minutes)


I was pretty skeptical on these, I thought the combination of the marinade was a little weird.. HOWEVER they were AMAZING! So good! Even Sissy said "These are some good chops Momma!"
I served these with baked potato and baked beans and it was perfect! With the marinade it kinda tastes like a steak!  :-)

Try these out this summer, you won't regret it!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Saving Money

Saving Money....Who doesn't want to do that?!? Well, changes in our house recently have forced us to figure out a different strategy and so I jumped in with both feet and this is where I am so far...

Yard Sales: I have always loved yard sales but, I love them even more now since that is where I will be getting the majority of our clothes,shoes,and junk  from now on  :-)  Here is an example of why I LOVE yard sales!
Here you have 2 pairs of Timberland boots(Retail:$45-$50), a pair of Superball shoes(Retail $50) and a pair of Keen sandals(Retail $55)   The total for all 4 pairs retail would be around $190-$200.....I PAID $8 That's right folks $8 for all of these shoes and they don't even look like they were wore that much! I was SUPER excited about these.

With gas prices the way they are I will have to scope out the good yard sales before I leave the house!

Now on to the shopping...My new obsession is coupons! I have used coupons in the past but I never used them to the full potential...Now I know how,and let me tell you I will never go back the other way!

Some things that I will NEVER pay for again(b/c you can get free with coupons):
*Deodorant     
*Soap
*Tooth brushes
* Tooth Paste
*Shampoo/Conditioner
* Body Wash
*Band aids
*Antacids
*Razors
*Air Freshener
* Just to name a few, there are LOTS of other things that you shouldn't pay for because you can get it free with a coupon!

Here are some shopping trips:


These are priced $7.99 at Walgreens. With coupons I only paid the tax on them, so around $2. That's almost $16 saved! And these are GREAT for the arthritis in my knee from multiple surgeries!


These were priced $1.99 at CVS. With coupons I paid just .49cents a piece for them! :-)


  
Paid $19.26 for this order. (The deodorant not on sale cost $5each) Saved $75.14


             With tax I paid $5.44 for this order at Walmart-keep in mind those body wash are $3each! :-)


This was a large trip I had at Kroger, here is what your looking at:

40 boxes of pasta- ALL FREE (Some for me, some for family, and some to donate)
Cheez-Its
Triple pack of  Gerber puffs
Pinesol
2 pks of Hillshire lunch meat
4 pks Butterball Turkey Bacon
4pks Starkist Tuna -FREE
Ground Turkey
PAM
2pks Kraft Cheese
2 bags Boulder chips
Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns (cheap for a cook out- I don't like buying these..cheap...white...blah)
Sourdough Bread
3 BRUT Deodorant- FREE
(There was also a gallon of milk don't know why it's not in picture)

My total was $157 and some change on this order. I PAID $ 37.02!!!   :-D YAY!!

I would also love to have a garden to save EVEN MORE money and to do some canning with my momma.. That hasn't happened yet so for now I am going to be looking to friends with abundant gardens...hint hint   HA HA

**** Just so everyone knows I AM NOT A "Extreme Couponer". Those shows are fake and there are ALOT of BS that goes behind the shows, not to mention some of them commit coupon fraud in order to get those huge orders for pennies!!!!

I am trying to be a frugal as I can since we have gone from a 2 income family to just 1. So any more suggestions would be appreciated! :-)