Wednesday was an anniversary of sorts for Wes and me. Not our wedding anniversary, but it was the day we pledged to be together forever (neither of us was certain we ever wanted to take the “Legal” Plunge again). Our normal anniversary celebration includes dinner at a nice restaurant to the tune of $100 or more. No expense is spared. This time, we just had to spend $1200 on transmission repairs to my trusty workhorse of a minivan. It was very disappointing to shell out that cash from our reserves and make the sacrifice of alone time with Wes.

Wes laid out chicken for dinner, which wasn’t particularly inspiring to me… because I was still pouting about the car and the lack of a “special” evening. Since his hand is broken (that’s TOMORROW’S post), I promised to make dinner. So, when I pulled into the driveway after work, I got my sulky self out of the car and made my way up the front walk… then I saw it… our OVERFLOWING herb garden filled to the gills with Basil! I plucked two or three leaves… then just pulled a whole stalk up. I had a PLAN.

We love Thai food. It’s where most of our date nights end up taking us. With that in mind, I went on a mad hunt for a recipe. This is what I found:

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (you can use breasts, but the thighs are more flavorful)

1 large red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
2 Tbsp olive oil or grape seed oil
1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

Hot cooked rice

Method

1 In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper, chili powder, and turmeric. Set aside.

2 Rinse chicken, pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Put into a bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over all the pieces. Coat well and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

3 In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the onions, peppers and garlic from the pan and put into a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Use the same pan for the next step.

4 Add 1 Tbsp oil to the skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add one half of the chicken pieces, spreading them out on the pan so they are not crowded. Brown for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken pieces are cooked through, and no pink remains, remove from pan, add to the bowl with the onions. Cook the second batch of chicken pieces the same way. Remove from pan, add to bowl with onions.

5 Add the coconut milk, minus a couple tablespoons, to the skillet. In a small bowl, mix the remaining coconut with the corn starch to dissolve the corn starch. Add the corn starch mixture back to the skillet with the coconut milk. Cook on medium heat and stir till thick and bubbly. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce. Add chicken mixture, basil, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes more to cook through.

Serve over rice. Serves 4.

Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com

This was quite possibly the BEST homemade Thai dish I’ve ever tasted. It’s simple to make, very flavorful (halve the salt though!) and everyone loved it. Even the children ate it!

Even better, it was SO cheap (I doubled the recipe):

• Chicken Breast 2 lbs @ $1.99 per pound
• Coconut Milk 2 cans @ $.79 a can
• One onion @ $.50
• Spices @ $.25
• Garlic @ $.10
• Peppers (free from garden)
• Basil (free from garden)
• Rice @ $.50 for 2 cups

So, I fed my family of 5 an amazing celebratory dinner for less than $7.00 total.

Even better than having the great food for really cheap… for me, the disappointment of not having dinner out evaporated the moment Wes took his first bite of dinner and proclaimed it some of the best Thai food he’s had.

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Someone asked me what this Snoopy Dance is that I keep referring to.  Well, instead of a big long post today, I am sharing… a snoopy dance…

…and some of my favorite reads from the last week:

• I Pick Up Pennies gives us her thoughts on frugal gifts
• Bargain Hunting Wife shared one of her favorite things
• Savin Some is having a ROCKING giveaway
• Mom of 2 Dancers found my weakness… Halloween and Wilton!
• Frugal Wench shares some REALISTIC ways for folks in a tough spot to get cash fast
• Trent @ The Simple Dollar posted about the national average for food spending for a family of 4.  I’ve referenced their website and I almost danced.  With my shopping habits and coupons and all of my favorite frugal blogs, I average about 75% of the THRIFTY plan. 
• Wise Bread posted some great frugal tips for back to school
• Kristin at BeCentsable shared her suggestions on choosing cuts of meat
• My post Shopping Tips - And A SNOOPY DANCE was included in the Festival of Frugality this week!
• The Carnival of Personal Finance over at One Caveman’s Financial Journey included my post Winning The Grocery Game

Well, that’s all me and Snoopy got today!

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This is a repost of an entry from January, when my blog had no readers except my husband and best friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to comment.

The setup: Every night, our family sits together at the dinner table. There are very few exceptions to this rule. There are two chairs of major import at our dinner table: The Special Chair, and The Topic Chair. The children rotate their seats every night so that each of them gets an opportunity to sit there. The child who sits in The Topic Chair is allowed to… you guessed it… choose the topic. The child who sits in The Special Chair gets to talk first. Over the last several years, we have had some incredible conversations and have also been enormously surprised by the things we’ve learned about our children during our family dinners.

Last night, the topic was “If you could create any law, what would it be?” Given the current political goings-on, we were happy to get up to our elbows in this topic. The laws we chose went like this:
10 year old: Everyone 10 and older could drive
12 year old: All households should have a cap on the amount of water they are allowed to use.
14 year old: Gays and Transgendered people would all have equal protections under every law. (WOW)
Wes: A flat consumption tax
Me: Every able bodied OR able minded person (as many handicapped people can still provide infinite value to someone’s existence) would be required to volunteer a minimum of 2 hours per week of their time.

The conversation then rambled and we discussed the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) that was developed during the Great Depression. Wes and I had a lively debate about whether working in return for public assistance should be compensated at a living wage, or too low for a family to scrape by on. Now, being that I was a single mother with physical disabilities working a 3rd shift waitressing job for quite a while, I can intelligently speak on the subject of public assistance. The pros, the cons, and the realities of the situations facing people who need to ask for that assistance.

Where am I going with this? Well… my youngest daughter started to cry. We’ve sufficiently scared the 10 and 12 year old children so much, by discussing the Worst Case Scenario of people who live in poverty in this country, that they are terrified at the thought of growing up and leaving home.

We have a strict honesty policy with our children. Wes and I feel that, if they’re old enough to ask questions and open a dialogue with us, we owe them straightforward (age appropriate) answers. They all have their own savings accounts and get their monthly statements in the mail. I am working to teach them about budgeting, comparison shopping, saving for things that matter, and conservation. I don’t think that they will grow up to make the same mistakes I have made with money. I plan to give them a head start and a good working knowledge of money dos and dont’s.

Now to convince my youngest child that it’s ok to let go of my leg and play outside again.

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 WHERE ARE MY KROGER COUPONS?????

I have been eagerly awaiting my new copy of the Entertainment Book. Well, it finally landed in my mailbox today. I barely made it back into the house before ripping open the packaging, lustily flipping through the pages in anticipation. HAHAHA… MINE ALL MINE! But, wait… there are NO Kroger coupons this year.

That’s right, folks. All of those fantabulous Kroger coupons are not contained in this year’s Entertainment Book. Now, don’t get me wrong. I think the Entertainment Book is nifty, but I only ever got much use out of the Kroger coupons. 2 for 1 restaurant deals are fabulous… but we don’t eat out that often. The travel deals can be great… but we’re in conservation mode, not travel mode. There are a TON of shopping deals … but other than groceries and necessities, I don’t shop much.

Last year, my Kroger coupons paid for the price of the book, 5 times over. This year… *POUT* I guess I’ll just have to take my auto-renewal off now. No point in getting a book that doesn’t fit my family.

Last year, the Entertainment Book was a GREAT deal for me. But, without my main reason for buying it, it’s not a real bargain anymore. No matter HOW GREAT the deal is, unless you use it, it’s still money down the drain.

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Last week, we had a surprise visitor. We opened the curtain to our back sliding glass doors and saw not the normal two, but THREE dogs wagging their tails at us. Now, I’m not an expert on animals, but I do believe it’s the very first time I’ve ever seen a dog circumvent a fence to get IN.

The visiting dog is about 3 months old, but already bigger than a full grown mid-sized dog. His paws are roughly the size of saucers. He’s black and brown brindle and oh so very beautiful. He’s not fixed and has no tags, but does have a collar. The children put up signs all over the neighborhood saying Lost Dog and giving a short description with our phone number. We’re all hoping nobody claims him.

I realize this may be just about the UNfrugal decision we could make, but we have fallen instantly and completely in love with this little (ok, big) bundle of fur. If nobody claims him, we’re going to keep him for our very own. He looks like this:

He’s what is called a Plott Hound. I’ve named him Bagheera, because he sits so proudly and sedately behind Wes’ feet when he’s in the kitchen puttering. He is very playful and energetic, but the moment he comes into the house, he’s perfectly calm and sedate. (Maybe Hobbes and Req will take some lessons!). WHEW…3 big dogs…. time to get a 2^nd job to pay for the food.

Has this happened to you? Have you ended up falling in love with an animal that you KNOW you shouldn’t keep but your heart decides for you? In my case, this is the 2^nd time it’s happened. The first time, it was Wes that I kept. *grin*

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First, and most important, I must amend an oversight on my Contest Winner’s post from Wednesday.  I linked back to all of the blogs who gave my contest some link love.  I forgot the one I’d been thinking about the most: Tell Me More, Tell Me More.  I have been singing Grease tunes in my head for days now, ever since I first saw the link back.  I invite you all to go take a look, because she’s got some nifty stuff!

In other news, my post Part Six of One Hour With Teri Gault was included in the Money Hacks Carnival over at PF Buzz, the Financial Dilemma Edition.  In case you haven’t read the interview with Teri, part six is where she gave us some rocking tips on saving money.  I hope you enjoy reading the great articles.  It’s a huge roundup.

My other post Publix - Where Shopping Is A Pleasure was included in the Finance Fiesta #13, the Triskaidekaphobia edition.

This has been a madly crazy week for me, so I won’t tell you how many unread articles are in my feed reader (988!), but I will share with you the ones I’ve gotten to read and starred to share with you.

• My Dollar Plan - No More Nanny: Teach Me To Cook
• My Precious Pennies - Puppy Pads as a frugal alternative to baby changing pads?  Check it out!
• Creatively Homemaking - Swiffer Coupons!
• Cash Money Life - Get Paid To Shop With EBATES
• Money Saving Mom - September ALL YOU coupons!
• No Debt Plan - Money Down The Drain - Inefficient Laundry
• A Gaggle Of Girls - Amish Friendship Bread Starter (I really really want to find time to do this!)
• No Credit Needed - Carnival of Debt Reduction (Gotta read all of these!)
• Bible Money Matters - Finances and Personal Responsibility: Who is to blame for your money problems?
• The Digerati Life - I want to work smarter not harder
• Money Saving Mom - Dave Ramsey Labor Day Special (OMG!  Everything is $10.  I’m stocking up!!!)
• Saving and Giving -Rite Aid’s BOGO Policy, straight from Corporate.
• Wise Bread - Fake it Till You Make It, Thrift on the Sly
• Zen Habits - 25 Painless Ways to Free Up an Hour a Day for Your Goals

Ok, that’s a few of them :)  I’d love to read some of your favorites.  Feel free to link back to your favorite articles in our comments section.

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This is the 10^th and FINAL part in my series “One Hour With Teri Gault”, the result of a fantastic telephone interview with Teri, the founder and CEO of The Grocery Game and TeriToday.com.

Disclaimer: Please note that I did not use a voice recorder for this conversation, so all of the answers are paraphrased from memory and very detailed notes, not direct quotes.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve developed a coupon organization system based on the use of The Grocery Game and the social networking that goes on with other coupon clippers on blogs and message boards, as well as a charitable piece that centers on sending the expired coupons as a group to the Military Overseas Coupon Program. What advice would you give to me, as another mom starting out in business for herself?

Compartmentalize your time and do NOT let business bleed into your family time. If that means you don’t bring your laptop or cell phone along, then don’t bring the laptop or cell phone. Really keep focused and remember that the priorities of others will not always be the same as your priorities. Make sure you establish and stick to firm boundaries when it comes to your time with your family.

I try to keep on a regular schedule whenever I’m home. I make sure to take time to exercise, even if I’m multitasking and reading the trade magazines or business articles to stay current whenever I’m on the cross trainer. We both know how hard it is to be a working mom, and we’re always multitasking.

It’s also important to take time for yourself. Set aside time for yourself, make appointments if you have to, and always keep those appointments with yourself. I’m kind of a health nut. When I’m eating something, I’m thinking about whether it’s good fuel for my body or if it’s not good fuel. Obviously, it’s not possible to do this every single time, but it’s really important. If you get run down and sick, you aren’t going to be any good for anyone.

So, that’s my biggest suggestion. Make sure you compartmentalize your time and make sure you keep enough of it for yourself and your family.

Well, that’s the end of it. My hour with Teri Gault, founder and CEO of The Grocery Game. I certainly hope that this hour (or two weeks, haha) has been as enlightening for you as it has for me. I’ve really enjoyed sharing everything Teri and I discussed with you and getting your feedback and comments. Please don’t stop sharing those great ideas and thoughts here.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about Teri’s tips. What advice would you give me?

***If you sign up for The Grocery Game, give me a hand and tell them  sent you.

As always, if you like what you read here, I invite you to sign up for the RSS Feed, or just Subscribe via Email.

This is the 9^th part in my series “One Hour With Teri Gault”, the result of a fantastic telephone interview with Teri, the founder and CEO of The Grocery Game and TeriToday.com.

Disclaimer: Please note that I did not use a voice recorder for this conversation, so all of the answers are paraphrased from memory and very detailed notes, not direct quotes.

What do you do with all of your expired coupons, or coupons you know you absolutely won’t use?

I used to send them to the Military Overseas Coupon Program all the time. Now, I use a lot of them for photo shoots. Some photographers want to see me surrounded by them or throwing them up in the air. But when I end up with lots of them, I go to Teri’s Message Board and check to see which base they’re currently sending to, and send them there.

I was really excited to hear this, as I’ve been doing the same thing. My Coupon Management System has a set of instructions on how to participate in this exchange. We’re supporting the Yokohama base, in Japan.

Do you throw your expired coupons out? There are lots of overseas military families who could sure use the help!

***If you sign up for The Grocery Game, give me a hand and tell them  sent you.

As always, if you like what you read here, I invite you to sign up for the RSS Feed, or just Subscribe via Email.

I never imagined that Momma’s Coupon Management System would drum up so much interest or so many entries. I am truly humbled by the participation and thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It feels good knowing that my system has the potential to do as much good for someone else’s grocery budget as it has mine.

I need to send a very special thanks to those of you who linked back to the contest. If not for you, all of these wonderful folks wouldn’t have found the contest or been given a chance to win. If you all have not already, please give these folks a look (I apologize in advance for any mislabeling):

• Tell Me More, Tell Me More
• Money Saving Mom
• Freebies 4 Mom
• Need A Nap 2
• Centsible Savings
• Mommies With Cents
• Birdie Says Tweet
• Jen’s Whimsical Life
• Native Cal Gal
• My Precious Pennies
• EmmyJMommy
• Oh Susanna O
• The Mama Hood
• Elle Recherche
• Frugal Addicts Anonymous

And now, without further ado (that means Momma’s done babbling) ……

The winner of Momma’s Coupon Management System is comment #144…… Southern Seven!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

144

Timestamp: 2008-08-27 12:14:57 UTC

Johnny… show her what she’s won!!!

As you can see below, the system is bound in a very sturdy and stylish cover. These come in multiple bright and colorful shades.

Inside the beautiful, yet rugged exterior, our winner will find all of the tools needed to keep her coupons organized and at her fingertips.

You’ll notice that Momma’s Coupon Management System is portable and goes great with a beverage. *giggle*

Thanks again for all of the entries. I’ll be sending an email to everyone who entered, with a coupon code for $5.00 off their own Momma’s Coupon Management System. Keep an eye on your inbox, if you’re interested.

If you enjoy what you read here, or just want to toss your two cents worth in, please sign up for the RSS Feed, or just Subscribe via Email. I’ve sure loved having you all here so far!

This is the 8^th part in my series “One Hour With Teri Gault”, the result of a fantastic telephone interview with Teri, the founder and CEO of The Grocery Game and TeriToday.com.

Disclaimer: Please note that I did not use a voice recorder for this conversation, so all of the answers are paraphrased from memory and very detailed notes, not direct quotes.

From what I can tell, The Rules vary based on each franchisee. They all have different suggestions for coupon organization systems and successful shopping with coupons. Some lists have coupons that repeat and others don’t. Have you considered recommending one method over another?

The Rules actually don’t change based on franchisee. They are developed by our Research and Development department based on store policies, marketing and sales cycles. Some lists don’t repeat coupons because those stores’ sales cycles don’t repeat great deals on those items often enough to make repeat coupons a worthwhile for our subscribers. So, The Rules templates are always written with getting the best deals for our subscribers in mind.

I can honestly say that The Grocery Game has a LOT more going on in the background than I ever guessed. Whatever they’re doing, it is certainly working.

Do you shop with different methods at one store over another? How do they vary?

***If you sign up for The Grocery Game, give me a hand and tell them  sent you.

There is the LAST day left to leave a comment here or link to my contest for a chance to win a Free Momma’s Coupon Management System with OVER $1000 worth in coupons included.

As always, if you like what you read here, I invite you to sign up for the RSS Feed, or just Subscribe via Email.