December 2009

Hi everyone,
If you didn't make it to Winco this past week, there is still one more week of their sale. I flier came in the mail near the beginning of the month. There are some great coupons in it. There are also some great deals that require no coupon. These prices are good through December 13th (next Sunday).

Navel Oranges limit 10 lbs - .18/lb
10 lb. bag of russet potatoes limit 1 - .68 (that's 6.8 cents per pound!)
Petite Sirloin Steak, family pack - 1.88/lb (one of my favorite all purpose cuts of beef)
Pork Sirloin Roast (in the bag) - .99/lb (also one of my very favorites cuts)
Deli Sliced Roast Beef - 1.98/lb
Co-Jack Cheese - 1.98/lb
8 inch pumpkin pie 2.48
Walnut Halves and pieces (bulk) 1.98/lb
Raw Shell on Shrimp 2.98/lb (in 2 lb bag - 5.76 each)
Wild pacific keta salmon 3.98/lb
Planters peanuts 16 oz.- 1.79 (good for your food storage)
marshmallow 16 oz. - .78

I went last night and they seemed to have plenty of everything still. We'll be having a pork roast for dinner tonight and then pork stir fry later this week. For the petite sirloin we will have swiss steak and cilantro lime tacos. I'll include that recipe, it's a good one :)

Other things to think about: I found this quote on Safelygatheredin.blogspot.com If you haven't explored this blog, I highly recommend it. Load of good recipes, thoughts, and quotes all regarding provident living.

"Provident living requires us to develop proper attitudes—a willingness to forego luxuries, to avoid excess, and to fully use what we have—learning to live within our means.



Unrestricted by programs and projects, bricks and mortar, the Lord’s real storehouse is indeed in the homes and the hearts of His people. As the members of the Church follow the counsel to become self-reliant, they represent an immense pool of resources, knowledge, skills, and charity available to help one another. This storehouse, the Lord has said, is “for the poor of my people, … to advance the cause, which ye have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven.” (D&C 78:3–4.)"



Robert D. Hales, “Welfare Principles to Guide Our Lives: An Eternal Plan for the Welfare of Men’s Souls,” Ensign, May 1986, 28


Think about trying to get your donations made for the Idaho state tax credits before the end of the year. There are two categories and the donations can be made by cash or non-cash items. The two credits include one for Educational Entities (school or libraries mostly). Books, DVDs, Video Tapes, CD are some good examples of what may be donated to the library.

The other credit is for donating to Youth and Rehabilitation facilities. The most common of these that people donate to are the ARC and the Idaho Youth Ranch. Unfortunately the DI does not qualify for this credit.

For both of these you can get a credit of 50% of the value of what you donate on your state tax return up to a credit of $200 (for each of the donation categories - Education and Youth and Rehabilitation). That is $400 off of your state taxes!

Below is an excerpt from the Idaho Individual Tax Return Instructions. Please see the full instructions http://tax.idaho.gov/forms_indiv_09.htm or your tax professional for information specific to your situation.



LINE 25 CREDIT FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO IDAHO

EDUCATIONAL ENTITIES

If you donated cash or goods to qualified educational entities, you may claim a tax credit.

The credit is limited to the smallest of:

• one-half of the amount donated,

• 20% of the tax on line 23 (total tax owed for the year),

• $100 ($200 on a joint return)

LINE 26 CREDIT FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO IDAHO
YOUTH AND REHABILITATION FACILITIES

If you donated cash or goods to qualified educational entities, you may claim a tax credit.



The credit is limited to the smallest of:

• one-half of the amount donated,

• 20% of the tax on line 23 (total tax owed for the year),

• $100 ($200 on a joint return)

See this for complete instructions: http://tax.idaho.gov/pdf/2008/EPB00004i_10-24-2008.pdf#page=6

Back to School deals 8/4/09

Hi,
Here are the best deals I see this week for back to school specials. Thanks to http://www.krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/ for some of these.

Office Depot

• FREE Scholastic Glue with minimum $5.00 purchase
• Office Depot Brand Pencil Pouch $.05
• Tug Pencil Sharpener $.10
• Paper Mate #2 Pencil 10 pk $.25
• Office Depot Value Notebook Filler Paper 150 sheets $.50

$0.99
• Office Depot Brand 12” Acrylic Ruler for Binder
• Office Depot Brand Marble Composition Book 100pgs
• Office Depot Brand Paper Clips
• Sharpie Accent Pocket Highlighters 6pk
• Liquid Paper Smooth Coverage
• Paper Mate Ball Point Stick Pens 10pk

$1.99
• Tug Brand Book Covers
• Mead Assorted Pocket folders
• Aluminum Ruler
• Pentel Clic Erase Grip
• Fiskars Scissors for Kids
• Mini Clip Board
• Mini Milk Crates
• Paper Mate Eraser Mate Pens
• Expo White Board Eraser
• Expo White Board Cleaner
• Memorex CD-R Media 10 pk

$2.99 Items
• Office Depot Brand Wire bound Notebooks
• Office Depot Brand Notebook 3-hole punch
• Expo Fine Dry Erase Markers 4pk
• Rubber band Ball
• Mini Sport Stapler
• License Notebooks
• Paper Mate Gel Pens
• All Sharpie Accent Mini

Office Max

• Paper Folders $.01 (Limit 6)
• 12″ Wooden Ruler $.01 (Limit 3)
• vPencils (12pk) $.10 (Limit 3)
• Filler Paper (150 sheet) $.10 (Limit 3)
• Composition Books (100 sheet) $.50 (Limit 6)
Target

• 3×5 Index Cards (100ct) $.40
• 8GB USB Drive $19.99
• Crayola Washable Markers (8ct) $1.50
• Pink Pearl Erasers (6ct) $1.50

Walgreens

• Binder or Book Cover $.99
• Corner Office Legal Pad (50 sheet) $.19
• Notebook (3 subject) $.99
• Paper Clips (100ct) $.29
• Paper-Mate Highlighters (6pk) $.29
• Penway Folders (2 pocket) $.09 with in-ad coupon
• Penway Yellow Pencils (10pk) $.19
• Pilot Easy Touch Pens $.99
• Pink Eraser (2pk) or Pencil Cap (15ct) $.29
• Rulers $.29
• Splash Mini Highlighter $.19
• White Poster board (22×28) $.19

Staples:
Filler paper: .01 - Thru Wednesday only!
notebooks, 100 sheet .75
Staples glue sticks 4 pk: 1.00
Z grip pens 7 pk: 1.00
Mechanical pencils, papermate sharpwriter .07 mm, 5pk: 1.00

Shopko:
Crayola pencils 12 pk, markers 10 pk, watercolors, white out, fiskar scissors: .99
papermate 12 pk pens, 5pk mechanical pencils, index cards: .50
Ticonderoga pencils 12pk, Crayola washable markers, Fashion theme books: 1.50

Fred Meyer:
Crayola colored Pencils: .89
Glue Sticks, Avery 6 pk: 1.99

Deals this week 5/25/09

Fred Meyer:
Chicken Breast B/S frozen Kroger brand 1.49/lb
Strawberries 1.50/lb
Van Camp's Pork & Beans .39 first 3
Cantaloupe .48
Coupons in ad, pick up at front of store
1/2 gallon milk or OJ 10 for $10
Fred Meyer macaroni & cheese or Chicken noodle or Tomato soup 4 for $1
2 lb medium cheddar cheese 3.99
Dreyer's Ice Cream 2 for $5 (I think I have a coupon for $1 off this, wonder if I can use both)
All Swimwear 50% off
Extra 50% off Apparel and home clearance (Monday only)


Here is a link to get $3 off on Coppertone sunscreen. I know I need to restock on sunscreen and I think I'll take this coupon to WalMart this morning before we head out for our family outing to Silver City this morning. http://coppertone.com/coppertone/index.jsp I really do love internet coupons. :)

Honks

I just found a great dollar kind of store. Everything is NOT a dollar though. But, all items that are $1 are $.88 on Tuesday. They have bread for $1.25. I got some Roman Meal and Idaho Bread Company bread. They had some nice looking hot dog and hamburger buns, French bread, etc.

I got some dry roasted peanuts (taste good) 7.5 oz, socks, containers, and a cold 20 oz soda all normally $1.00, today $.88! The store is huge and I'm sure there are a lot of other bargain there.

It is on the corner of Five Mile and Overland near Albertsons.

Deals this week 4/28/09

Hi everyone,
I really didn't get too excited about the deals this week. I decided to try the Walgreens deals. I got three things for free and soup for darn close to free. Here's how to do it. Beware, apparently you must buy more items than you use coupons to get the register reward coupons. Print the Got2B coupons and the Cambells coupons twice.

Transaction 1

Got2B Hair Products 2/$10
Use this: http://got2b-production.s3.amazonaws.com/coupon.html ($2 off 1)
Earn a $5 RR when you buy 2 (register reward prints out when you check out)
Final Price: $.50 each

2 - Cambells Soups $.59 with in ad coupon
use this: http://promotion.familytime.com/cscc/default.asp ($1 off 2)
Final Price: $.09 x 2

Out of pocket: 5.50+.18= 5.68

Transaction 2

Nivea Body Wash $4.99
Earn a $4.99 RR when you buy 1
Final Price: FREE!

2 - Cambells Soups $.59 with in ad coupon
use this: http://promotion.familytime.com/cscc/default.asp ($1 off 2)
Final Price: $.09 x 2

Out of Pocket transaction 2: 4.99 + .18 - $5 (RR from transaction 1) = .17

Transaction 3
Rembrandt Toothpaste or Mouthwash $5.99
Earn a $5.99 RR when you buy 1
Final Price: FREE

You need to buy one more item on this transaction, I bought some plants 2/$3 tomatoes, peppers, broccoli.

Final price if you buy 1 plant: 5.99+1.50-4.99 (RR from transaction 2)=2.50

Now you will get another 5.99 coupon to use on some more plants or anything else you might need or your next visit. Be sure to check the expiration date though. They are only good for a couple weeks.

I'll send you more info about how our 72 hour kits are coming tomorrow.

Eva Lu

Deals of the week 4/19/09

Hi all,
I looked through this weeks ads. Here is what stuck out to me as deals:

Fred Meyer
Petite Sirloin (my favorite) 2.99/lb
Broccoli .58/lb
Whole Fryers .79/lb

All bras (or most) 19.99 each (there is also a !5% off coupon thru Wednesday) final price $17
Get the coupon in the paper in the front of the store or at customer service.

Lowes
9 pack broccoli plants 3.48
blueberry gallon size plants 6.98

Albertsons
3 double coupons in the Sunday paper. You can now use internet coupons for this. For more info on how to put together a great shopping trip at Albertsons see:
http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/2009/04/we-have-confirmed-that-idaho-and-utah.html


There are also a couple other good coupons.
chicken - frozen in 4 lb bag 1.79/lb
power bars - .68 each --think 72 hour kits

Happy Shopping!!

Good News!

Wheat and Morning Moo are in stock at Costco again. If you missed getting some before they ran out like we did, I thought I would let you know. Marty picked up both wheat and Morning Moo for me today. I am having second thoughts about the Morning Moo. It is in a 5 gallon bucket, 37 lbs. I feel like I need to repackage it in smaller containers, like cans or maybe I could just seal usable sizes in my foodsavers. Any thoughts?

One piece of super good news. We have a new food storage store in town. It is called Food 2 Store and is next to Eddy's Bread Store off Fairview/Locust Grove. The owner is Doug Hastings (can't remember his wife's name). The wife, whose name I can't remember, is Gary Clayton's sister, in case you know the Claytons who used to live in this area. Food 2 Store is a Blue Chip distributor in case you have heard of Blue Chip. And they carry Morning Moo. Someone was asking me about dehydrated veggies and they do have plenty of different kind of veggies and fruit - freeze dried. One other thing that I was happy to see was those pitchers with the plunger thing. It was about $10. These are good for mixing up the dried milk products or juice. :)

I've been hoping to see a store like this open with the economy the way it is, people are paying more attention to thier food storage. I wish the Hastings much success with their business.

Here is their website with a list of what they plan to carry. They don't have everything in yet. I hoped to find Taco TVP, which my some in family really like. They should be getting that in pretty soon.

www.food2store.com

So, I compared the price of the big bucket of Morning Moo to the more usable #10 can of morning moo they had at Food 2 Store. The cost per pound in the bucket from Costco is 1.49/lb, the price in the can is 3.10/lb. So it is quite a bit more, but more usable. Humm....It's a quandary.

And lastly, today is April 15th, Tax Day. It's a big day for me because I prepare taxes. A big sigh - Whew!! So, I will have more time to devote to finding ways to inspire you all to live more providently, frugally, abundantly, aware, able to find great deals, and to prepare every needful thing.

"The best storehouse is the family storeroom..."Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing" (Doctrine and Covenants 109:8).
~President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008)

Coupon Shopping 101

Hi girls,
This is one more email where I will simplify a coupon shopping trip to Albertsons for you to get FREE FOOD. It is a little complicated and tends to overwhelm some people. If you are some of those people, follow these steps to get FREE FOOD and some really great deals! You only have until Tuesday to do this though.

Step 1:
Print Internet Coupons.
Go to this link. It may ask you to install a coupon printer. Just do what it says. It is something that keeps you from printing multiple coupons.
Print 2 of this coupon.
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=qa4feam40829255&bt=vi&o=54716&ci=1&c=GM&p=I45nUFQV

Next go to this link. http://www.progressotastechallenge.com/Progresso_Soup_Coupons.aspx
There are 2 coupons on this link. Print both of them twice - 4 coupons all together.

Now you will have a total of 6 coupons for Progresso soup.

Print these instructions!


Step 2:
Go to Albertsons.
Put these items in your cart:
6 boxes of Betty Crocker Cake mix
4 cans of Progresso soup - traditional or Rich and Hearty only, not vegtable or light or the other varieties.

Step 3:
Coupons
Get out your progresso soup coupon for 1.10 off. You have 2 of them.
Find your progresso soup coupon for 1.00 off 2. Use just one of these this time.

Step 4:
Check out.

You should pay approximately $11. You will get a $10 off your next purchase. Take these items to your car.

Step 5:
Next trip thru.
Put these items in your cart.
10 cans of progresso soup
1 package of your favorite gum or other other item that you need for about $1.

Step 6:
Coupons
Get out the rest of your progresso soup coupons.
There should be 2 - $2 off 4 cans and 1 - $1 off 2 cans

Step 7
Check out.

You should pay about $1 after the coupons and the $10 off coupon. You will get another $10 off coupon.

Step 8
Your choice. There are some in store coupons in the ad, in the front of the store. Potato chips for .98- limit 2, Kraft salad dressing for 1.68, Grandma Sycamore bread (super good bread) for 1.68 (no coupon, just on sale). There is also b/s chicken and hamburger at the butcher block for 1.99/lb. You are just looking to spend $10 to use up your coupon.

Step 9
Go home. Put away your bounty.

Total Spent: $13.50

Possible purchases:
14 cans of Progresso soup
6 boxes cake mix
2 bags potato chips
2 loves bread
3 lbs b/s chicken
1 package of gum

There are other items in the store on great sales, but these are nice things for your pantry for the beginner coupon shopper. After you do this a few times, you may gain more confidence and will be able to do more. But, baby steps. If you try too much the first time, it will end up crazy.

Please let me know if you have questions.

Crockpot Sunday

For our Crockpot Sunday today, I tried fajitas and they were fabulous. I bought a pork loin roast from Winco (actually 3 in a package) for 1.43/lb. I cut it up in strips along with a couple green and red peppers (also on great sales at Winco) and an onion. I saute'd them briefly in my crockpot, which I can take off it's base and put it directly on the stove, I love it. If you are in the market for a new one I would recommend it. It has a nonstick inside and is lightweight and easy to clean. Then sprinkled Laurey's Fajita seasoning over the top and stirred it. I put it on medium high for around 3 hours. It was a little juicey when we got home. So I took the meat and veggies out and put the juice back on the stove to reduce it down. Then I added the meat back in stirred and yumm! We had it will tortillas, salsa, sour cream and cheese.

Here is a link to see my crockpot: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000065UF2/qid=1068435245/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1_etk-kitchen/002-7293462-8630432?v=glance&s=kitchen&n=284507/flyladynet-20

I just received a great link to some more crockpot recipes from someone in my missionary mom group. Let me know if you try any of them. http://www.50plusfriends.com/cookbook/crockpot/index-5b.html

Rich Americans

Hi Everyone,
I hope you enjoyed our great Stake meeting (those of you in our Stake). It really gave me a lot to think about with Elder Costa and our attitude about how bad our economy is. Poor Us! "Our happiness is not bound to the economy. It is bound to the Gospel."- Elder Costa. To hear of the stories of the people of Chili and the extreme poverty they lived in, the sacrifices they made to attend the temple. They were happy. A difficult life in many ways, but more simple in others. There would not be so many choices to make on how to spend our money.

I remember a man I met who was from Ecuador. He told me in his broken English, "when people of my country join the church, they become rich." I thought that he met they were rich in that they now had the gospel and Christ in their lives, much fuller richer lives. When we asked he about it he replied that while that our understanding was true, he said they also increased in their wealth. Elder Costa brought up on more than one occasion the scripture, "If you keep the commandments, you will prosper in the land." I think Elder Costa has seen this particular promise fulfilled in his life as he has been raised in what we would consider extreme poverty, became relatively wealthy , and was willing to give it all up on more than one occasion because of his convictions. But, God has continually blessed him in many ways.

I know that he gave me a lot to think about as a provident living specialist and as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Crockpot Sunday

Crock Pot Shepherd's Pie

4 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 1/2 c. grated cheese
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, diced
Garlic to taste
1 lb. lean ground beef
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme (I used basil)
t Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. frozen vegetables (I used 1/2 corn and 1/2 peas)

In a skillet cook onions with oil until translucent. Add garlic. Add beef and cook until brown. Stir in tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, stewed tomatoes, and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix cornstarch in 1 cup of cold water. Add to skillet and cook, stirring until liquid thickens slightly. Pour into crock-pot. Layer vegetables on top of meat mixture, cover with potatoes, then cover with cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

Enjoy!

Debbie

Crockpot Sunday

Do you have plans for dinner tomorrow? Here is a great crockpot recipe that uses cheese which I (and many of you) now have a lot of.

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Serves 4

2 cups chicken broth
2 (8-ounce) packages frozen cauliflower (fresh is ok too)
1 medium stalk celery -- cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium carrot -- cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion -- cut into eighths
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper -- to taste

1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese -- shredded

Throw all ingredients except milk and cheese into a crockpot and cook on low until vegetables are very tender, about 4-6 hours.

Carefully pour mixture into work bowl of food processor fitting with steel blade or into blender container. Cover and process until smooth. OR, if you like it a little lumpy and bumpy like I do, use a potato masher and have at it in the crockpot itself--mash to your heart's delight.

Place your cauliflower mixture into a saucepan; stir in milk and cheese. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and mixture is hot.

Per serving: 235 Calories; 16g Total Fat; (59% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 46mg Cholesterol; 701mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: A big green salad and some whole grain rolls make for a nice supper.

Deals of the week 1/30/09

I found a great new blog http://grocerygirls.blogspot.com/
This is the blog of a gal apparently living in Meridian, so the sales are local. She has some good info especially on old Meridian Albertsons (Meridian/Cherry Lane) because her husband works there.

Albertsons:
Boneless Skinless chicken breast 1.77/lb
Ex Lean ground beef 1.99/lb
Beef loin steak 4.99/lb
GM select cereals 2/$5 plus free milk with 4

Fred Meyer
Bone in Chicken breast .99/lb
Broccoli .88/lb
Grapefruit 3/$1

Crockpot Sunday

Chicken Breast Supreme
6 chicken breasts
mushrooms
can of mushroom soup
swiss cheese
chopped fresh chives
bacon

Put chicken, mushrooms (sliced or whole) in crockpot and pour the soup and chives over the top. Cook on high if chicken is frozen and medium if it is thawed for 3-4 hours. Top with cheese and bacon and cook another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with rice and steamed broccoli.

Deals this week

Hi,
The clearance sales are getting good now. I went out Saturday evening and found a few great sales. I'm not sure if they are continuing this week or not. Maybe today and then later in the week. Anyway, what I found was Target has 30% off the 50% off. I found a few great t-shirts for me and a couple of pair of Levi's for Marty all at great prices. A couple of my t-shirts were under $2!

Old Navy has a similar sale, 50% off the clearance price. I did find a couple pretty good deals on pants for Wesley who's legs are getting longer than his pants.

Kim wrote earlier in the week:
I found some great deals today. Macy's has an
additional 50% off clearance. JCPenney has an
additional 40% off clearance. Old Navy has an
additional 50% off clearance. I found some great stuff
for almost nothing.
Kim

Thanks Kim!!

I am doing my Costco membership renewal this week. If anyone needs a Costco membership, I would be happy to add you to ours. The best deal is if you split one. Each membership comes with 2 card (traditionally husband and wife), but they don't care who the partners are. So, the membership costs $40, if you split it, that is $20 each. Let me know right away if you would like to do this with us. I'll partner you up if I can.


Here is a great tip send to us by Starla. Also, look for Shelf Reliance at Costco this month. Here is a link to the items they carry. I know you can order these directly through costco.com with no shipping. Or you can order directly through http://www.shelfreliance.com/shop/frs

Eva Lu,
I don't know if this is a tip, but what I have liked is something I didn't think I was actually going to when I first got them. I bought 2 of those can roller things that they had on sale at Costco (probably 2 years ago) from Shelf Reliance. The ones that you put the cans in the top and they roll through and you rotate your storage with them. They are the ones that sit on a shelf, not the whole floor unit. I thought they were a pain, and took up too much space, but I put them together and found spots in my pantry for both of them. The labels are useless because they fall off all the time (I think my label maker will make better labels, just haven't gotten to it yet). But I love them now. I have soups and olives, tomatoes, etc. in them. I have such a hard time rotating my can goods that aren't in these rollers...it's glaringly apparent to me how well they work. I also can see at a glance if I am getting low on, for example, Cream of Chicken soup. I just wish they were smaller, I'd get more (or if I had more space somewhere!!). My in-laws have a huge, homemade one in the middle of their food storage room in their basement...if someone knows where a handier, small storage space friendly one is available, I'd love to know!

Love your updates!
Starla

Thanks Starla,
You and Kim get a prize this week for sending in tips!

Suze Orman Free Book Download

Hi Everyone,

Suse Orman was on Oprah yesterday and has offered her latest book "Suze Orman's 2009 action plan" for free for the next week. This offer expires Jan 15th.

The basics of her "plan" is to get out of debt first (credit card), then build up a savings of at least 8 months of your living expenses. Eight months is the average of how long it takes in this economy to find a new job if you lose your job. I think her ideas are sound.

She includes methods for getting out of debt and good investing ideas.

One thing that I am not sure about is her idea that you should be completely out of credit card debt before you build up a savings account. I think that you need at least a month's worth of expenses saved in an emergency account before you tackle the debt. This little bit in an account can give you peace of mind, be there if something happens, and is vital to becoming self reliant. I know on paper it may not be the best. You certainly can't earn much interest on money in a savings account and you are definitely paying out interest on the credit card debt. In spite of that, I believe that 1-3 month's expenses in an account is vital.

The other thing is that you have an impulse to buy something, instead of putting it on a credit card, you must take it out of savings to pay for it. This makes you stop and think a little harder. It is much harder to spend "real" money. If you do decide to buy the item, then you must have a plan to pay back the savings account. I think a person with a savings account spends differently than a person with no savings.

As the book download, I haven't yet got it to completely download. I get pieces of it with errors. I think that the server it is coming from is probably a little too busy. I will just keep trying. I would just send out a copy of the file to those who want it if I finally get it, but it asks you not to do that. So, I guess I won't. :)

Good luck!
Eva Lu

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081119_tows_bookdownload

#3

Good Morning,

Here is the next food storage top 10 item. It has to do with essentially making something out of nothing. It will require an explanation. The point is that if you are looking for ways to use what you have, you may find something more than what you thought you had. I had some mostly rotting pears, but found a new favorite.

3. Pear Vinaigrette - We picked pears at our parents home in Rupert. They were little and pretty scared, but we thought they would be good to eat, which they were. After a week, they were over ripe and would be rotting soon. Marty asked if we were going to can them. Uh, no, way too much work for the very small pears. We (ok Marty) had just made applesauce though and I thought maybe he could just run them through the applesauce maker, which he did. So we got sort of runny, but very tasty pear sauce. I looked up pear recipes on the Internet and found the pear vinaigrette recipe which is one of my all time favorites.

Here is the recipe:


Pear Vinaigrette



1 (15-ounce) can pear halves in juice, undrained (I just used the pear sauce)
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of ground red pepper

To prepare dressing, drain pears, reserving 1/3 cup pear juice. Combine pears, juice, vinegar, and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

Yield: About 2 cups (serving size: about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

New Year's Resolutions

Hi Everyone,
I have been thinking about what kind of Provident Living New Year' Resolutions I want to make and accomplish this year. Of course, I will keep working on building up and using my food storage. Not perfect, but practice makes more perfect. I think I really made some improvements this last year. I would like to know what food storage successes you all had, favorite finds for your food storage, or new food storage recipes you discovered last year. I am going to give you my top 10 of my best find of the year, many of which you have heard before, sorry. I'll send you one or two a day. If you post your favorite or favorites, I will give you a prize. You'll like it, I promise. If you are not in the Cloverdale Ward, I will still give you a prize. :)

1. Costco canned chicken (makes great soup and chicken salad) - I'm sure the church cannery chicken is good too, and maybe cheeper.
2. Costco (again) precooked bacon, shelf life 6 months, longer in freezer. Makes everything taste better. Relative low fat, 3 grams fat, 3 grams protein in 2 Tablespoons. I am on a low carb diet, so this is a great way to get a little more protein in my diet and no carbs. I recently tried heating it up in the microwave and then adding it to my cottage cheese. Delicious!! It made it a little crunchy.

Good luck and send me your top finds.

Winco deals

When I was at Winco last night I saw some great deals!!! Wheat Thins, etc. 1.24 a box max 4, Chex granola bars 6 per box $.98 a box.

Just thought you might want to know!
Jenny

Deals of the week Jan 3

I saw a couple of great deals this week, I thought I'd send them out to you as I'm not sure how long they will last.

First, Costco has tamales on sale, I think the regular price was around $13, they are $4.88 for 13 pork tamales. I bought 3 bags and will freeze 2 of them.

Everyone of course has their Christmas stuff on sale at great discounts. Fred Meyer had, in addition to all the other Christmas stuff, white tissue paper. I think there were 20 sheets the final cost was $.24. I was there a couple days ago and they still a lot of Christmas stuff.

I have been out clothes shopping this week. I prepare taxes during the Spring and needed to get a few things for my "professional" wardrobe. The best deals I found this week are Dillards on New Years Day had a 50% off the clearance prices. The place was a zoo! They will do deeper discounts and have a 50% or 70% off the clearance price sometime in the next couple weeks. If you read in the paper or hear when it is happening let me know and I will let everyone know.

Kohl's had some decent discounts, but I think it will be better in a week or two. I found a couple nice things at Ross too. One was a cute jacket that was missing a button. At first I thought I would have to steal a button off the sleave, but then I saw it came with an extra button. It was marked down to around $9 due to the missing button. Burlington had some pretty good deals and some pretty nice clothes. I was excited to find a pair of brown pants that fit (petite = no hemming) and were a good price $11.99. I have looked everywhere for the perfect brown pants and finally found them. Yay!

I have been thinking about how we all will have to learn to be better crockpot cooks due to our new meeting schedule. I copied a few recipes out of a cookbook I found. I will let you know how they turn out. In the meantime, my favorite crockpot recipe is on my blog, myprovidentliving.blogspot.com. Just look on the right side under the labels. Look for Thai Chicken Crock pot. BTW I saw chicken thighs (with bones and skin) for $.99 per pound at Winco, in the fresh meat area. The Thai Chicken recipe calls for thighs and when fully cooked, the chicken will practically fall of the bones. Just take the skin off before you cook it.

Sorry it has been so long since I have sent out an email or posted on my blog. I've been a little lazy with Christmas and all. And as always, if you see a good deal, please share it with us all. Email me and I will pass it on.