Our Blog Has Moved to Our Website!

You can sign up here to see our blog, "Meal Planning Monday"!

http://yourstrongtower.com/

Meal Planning Monday - Tasty Tomatoes

http://yourstrongtower.com/meal-planning-monday-tasty-tomatoes

Website is Now Up!

Hello Faithful Followers!  The Strong Tower website is now up: http://www.yourstrongtower.com/

Consequently, the Confessions of a Coupon Queen blog has moved there as well.  You can sign up right on the home page to receive notifications of new blog posts. 

Here's a link to this week's Meal Planning Monday post: http://yourstrongtower.com/meal-planning-monday-farmers-market-2

CouponChief.com

              I really love shopping and I especially love shopping online!  In fact, I probably do more shopping online than in the stores.  With all the things I have to keep me busy – teaching Coupon Workshops, playing golf with my mom, financial coaching appointments, painting classes, etc. – it just seems like I don’t have any spare time to run to the mall.  Plus, I love getting packages in the mail…  It’s like Christmas in July!

            Being a Coupon Queen, I always make sure that I’m using coupons when I shop online or in the store.  I was delighted when I discovered a great source of online coupon codes at CouponChief.com!  This site has coupon codes for whatever I’m looking to buy, whether it be books (Borders), Iams cat food (Pet Smart), coupon binder supplies (Office Max), pink lipstick (Sephora), or lacy unmentionables (Victoria’s Secret).  There are coupon codes for hundreds of websites including such popular ones as Walmart, Target, Amazon, Old Navy and Macy’s.

            There are two reasons the CouponChief.com is going to be the first place I stop for online coupon codes from now on.  First, the website is very easy to navigate and isn’t cluttered with ads like many other coupon sites.  The second reason is that I can actually earn money for myself by sharing my coupon codes with their “Pays-2-Share” program! Here’s how it works.  You register on the site, upload your coupon codes for various websites, and CouponChief.com will pay you 2% of the sales when someone uses one of your uploaded coupon codes (see the website for details and limitations.)

        So, go check out CouponChief.com for yourself and start saving and earning money now!

            Don’t forget to become a fan on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/couponchief



Meal Planning Monday - Vacation!

             

              I just got home from a four-day road trip with my brother, Jim, to attend a family wedding in Buffalo (which actually has fantastic weather in July.)  Vacations are fun, but if you’re not careful you can blow a big wad of cash on meals when your family is travelling. This week I’m going to give you some great tips for eating well on the cheap when you’re out of town.

            Whether you are traveling by car or plane, it makes sense to pack your own snacks so you’re not paying an arm and a leg for them at airports and gas stations.  Snacks like granola bars, trail mix, pretzels, apples, and dried fruit are inexpensive at the grocery store (especially if you’re using coupons!) and they pack well.

            If you are travelling by car, make sure you’ve saved some space for a small cooler!  Instead of blowing $25 on a fast food lunch for your family, pack some sandwiches or wraps, cut-up veggies and dip, chips, and fruit.  Save room in that cooler for bottled water and soda!  You can purchase that at the grocery store for a fraction of the price you’ll pay at a convenience store.

            When you are booking your vacation reservation, consider staying at a hotel that includes breakfast with your room.  Depending on the size of your family, this can save you a ton of money!  If you travel frequently, make sure you’re signed up for your favorite hotel chain’s rewards program.  On this recent trip to Buffalo, my brother got a free room, plus discount coupons on meals and free drinks at the hotel’s bar/ restaurant for being a Holiday Inn Platinum member.  (Saving $ runs in the family!)

            One savings trick that my husband and I used last winter in Hawaii was to make lunch our biggest meal of the day.  Dining out is especially pricey in resort locations, but you still want to sample the local fare.  We would eat lunch at swanky restaurants around 1:30 or 2 PM.  The entrées were ½ to 1/3 of the price at lunch time, and the service was usually great because they aren’t as crowded as dinner time.  If we found ourselves getting hungry in the evening, we’d find a bar/ restaurant that had good happy hour specials and have some drinks and appetizers at a discount.  We also stick to water and rarely buy soda at restaurants.  You can easily add $2 - $3 per person to your tab before you even order any food with soda.  For a family of four, that could be as much as $12 - yikes!

            If you’re driving to your destination, take your cooler up to your hotel room.  Stop at a local grocery or drug store and buy your bottled water or soda there instead of at the hotel vending machines, where you’ll pay three to four times the amount.

            Finally, it may be worth your while to purchase an Entertainment book for your destination city for the restaurant and attraction coupons.  Entertainment books are usually deeply discounted by early summer.  I hope these tips help you to eat well without breaking the bank on vacation!  Use the money you save on food on drinks to do something fun, like an extra day at the amusement park, or a surfing lesson!  Happy Trails!

             

Meal Planning Monday ~ Delightful Desserts

This week’s post is by Leah Kelley.

            We've given you a few weeks of dinners, one post about snacks, and one about lunches.  I think we need to take a break from meals.  So let's talk about dessert.  Who doesn't love dessert?!  Sometimes our family has a "Backwards Dinner.”  It's where we have dessert first then dinner.  I remember it being such a big deal when I was a kid...  I thought I had the coolest parents ever!  Instead of a meal for each day, I’m giving you seven of my favorite thrifty desserts. 

Banana Pudding ~ This is so cheap and easy to make.  All you need is a box of Vanilla Wafers, box of instant vanilla pudding, and a few bananas.

Strawberry Shortcake ~ Find Bisquick and Strawberries on sale and you have a thrifty dessert.

Ice Cream Sundaes ~ What kid or adult doesn't love ice cream?

Brownies ~ Catch a good sale at Remke or Meijer and you can find brownie mix for FREE!!  Top them with icing or just throw them in a bowl with some strawberries and Cool  Whip.

Cookies ~ Chocolate Chip and Sugar cookies are the favorites around here.  During summer I'll make a batch of sugar cookies, spread about an inch thick of chocolate ice cream on one, then top with another cookie.  Easy homemade ice cream sandwiches.

Angel Food Cake with Berries ~ Whenever I can find marked down angel food cake I buy at least two of them.  I freeze one, then slice the other up and top with berries and Cool Whip.  (If you haven't noticed - I love Cool Whip!)

Fruit Salad ~ I use whichever fruits are in season, which makes this a cheap and tasty dessert option.  I use bananas, pineapple, tangerines, grapes, strawberries, box of vanilla pudding, and a splash of orange juice.  This makes a good breakfast also.

I say live it up once a week (or at least once a month) and have some dessert for dinner!

Meal Planning Monday ~ Brown Bagging It!

          My husband, Nick, started a new job at General Electric as an Electrical Machine Repair Technician several weeks ago.  It’s a great job with excellent pay and benefits and no travel!  However, because the job is second shift, it has thrown a big wrench into my Meal Planning.  Now when I’m making dinner, it’s just me. 

          Occasionally, all of us will have shifts and changes in our schedules that can affect our Meal Planning.  Job changes, going back to school, kids leaving for college, or taking care of an elderly relative can all cause interruptions to our best-laid plans.  The trick is not to abandon Meal Planning, but to adjust and get right back on wagon.  For those of you have been meal planning for a while, you know how much time, money, and stress it saves!  So I am trying to adjust and live by one of my favorite sayings: “Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape!”

          Some of the dinners that I like to cook make great leftovers for Nick to take to work the next day: turkey and gravy, spaghetti with meat sauce, chili, beef stew, and chicken soup.  Some of my dinners are best eaten freshly cooked, like grilled chicken and steak, so I am scheduling those on the weekends when we can eat together.  I’m also buying Nick some hearty convenience foods to pack and take to work, like Chunky Soup, Boston Market frozen meals, and Bob Evans mashed potatoes in individual serving bowls.

          This week I have a lot going on during the week (Coupon Workshop, golf lesson, ice cream party), so I won’t have much time to cook for myself….  So here’s my Meal Plan for Nick’s lunches at work.  Hopefully it will inspire you to break out of the “sandwich rut” for lunches and other meals on the go!

Monday ~ Shrimp Scampi Salad.  I found some steamable Shrimp Scampi at Kroger this past weekend for $2.99.  I’ll make a large green salad that Nick can put the shrimp on for a nice dinner salad.

Tuesday ~ Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.  I will cook this for my dinner on Monday.  There are always plenty of leftovers with this meal so I will freeze some for another time.

Wednesday ~ Campbell’s Chunky Chicken Soup and a “Dagwood” sandwich (ham, turkey, provolone cheese, lettuce, and tomato on whole wheat bread.)  Yes, it’s okay to have a sandwich, just not so often that you get tired of them!

Thursday ~ Roast Beef and Gravy with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans.  (I use a good quality package of roast beef luncheon meat for this.  You can also cook a roast on the weekend or in the crockpot during the week for this meal.)

Friday ~ Boston Market Southwest Style Chicken dinner, with fruit and yogurt for dessert.

Saturday ~ Nick’s Birthday!  We’re having people over for a grill out (jalapeño cheese Mets and chicken sausages), then we’ll watch the UFC pay-per-view.  If you didn’t know, I watch cage fighting and I love it!

Sunday ~ Grilled Salmon with Potatoes and Salad