HO HO HO!!!

Yep I am already thinking about Christmas! Can you believe it's only 2 months away?!!! I am so excited I can't hardly stand it this year! I want to put the tree up NOW but Brandon is not going for it. :)

AND!!! I am almost DONE Christmas shopping. As in the kids are done, neighbor gifts, friend gifts, family gifts, Christmas jammies, even the stockings are done and just my Grandma's and a niece's gifts are left. Oh and buying our ornaments which we will do around Thanksgiving.

Last night at my mom's we were talking about Christmas. The comment was made by someone that shall remain anonymous ;) that, "I can't afford to buy gifts yet I don't have any extra money right now."

Well. . .

I challenged myself this year, like back in March, that I was going to spend very little if anything on Christmas. As in ZERO dollars out of our bank accounts. And ZERO dollars on credit cards cuz we never put Christmas on credit cards EVER and never will. My goal included all gifts, decor, our tradition of new ornaments, Christmas jammies, EVERYTHING!

Anyway, you're now thinking, "Steph this is impossible!"

I say nope! I have planned this very carefully.

And I'm not the first person to have this idea. Over on my blog roll check out my friend Allison's blog - "Living the Fancy Life." She is having a FREE Christmas.

These were the rules I set for myself:

I could either sell stuff around the house like outgrown toys or clothes on ebay, online classifieds, consignment sales for $$$.

or

Use coupons and sales to get things for free or almost free.

Also any gift cards to Walmart or anywhere given to us from family and friends for various reasons I have saved ALL year to use towards buying Christmas gifts.

Plus by being a Discovery Toys consultant I got free toys throughout the year that I saved as gifts for my kids.

I started saving my "outgrown junk" money (we'll call it OJ for short) and it accumulated FAST.

I have also accumulated $200 in gift cards.

I have used rebates, saved tokens and other things for free stuff from companies, used a bazillion Kohl's, JC Penney & TRU coupons (I've gotten over $100 in FREE stuff at Kohls alone) , printed internet coupons for all kinds of things including My Little Pony products to name one, shopped online using discount codes, the list goes on and on. The great thing too is by shopping online the stuff has been shipped straight to my house so no wasted gas driving around. Many places have free or discounted shipping too.

You would not believe some of the deals that are out there and I can't tell you about them all because then that would ruin Christmas for some of the people that read this blog. ;)

Just Saturday night I got the last item on Ella's Christmas list when I found this little beauty on sale at Smith's Marketplace for $10!!! She has wanted her SOOOOO bad and she is always priced at $24.88 - $26.99 depending on where you go. I have waited and waited for a good sale. Plus I had some Catalinas - coupons you can spend on anything that print at the register to use - that made her even CHEAPER. I was so excited I almost wet my pants right there in the toy aisle! She sings when she drinks her bottle and everything!

I would just like to remind everyone that being frugal is not the same as being cheap. People who are cheap don't like nice stuff. I definitely like nice stuff I just like to keep as much of my money as I possibly can. I am not an impulse shopper and I wait to get the very best deal I possibly can on everything. Just a couple hundred dollars of OJ money has been spent to buy ALL of Christmas.

I am not trying to brag I just hope people know it can be done. You don't have to break the bank to provide a nice Christmas. And that's not what Christmas is about anyway. Christmas is about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am excited to be done shopping because now I can spend what matters most and that is time. I now have time to spend with my family enjoying the snow, the spirit, baking, singing, serving others, everything that is Christmas without the stress of shopping and over spending and I can't wait!

Food for thought. . .

On a message board I frequent a mom suggested several ways she was going to try to keep her family healthy during this bad flu season. Besides the usual take vitamins, wash hands, clean the house, etc she suggested eating healthy foods and cooking less processed meals. I thought this was a great idea! Fresh fruits, veggies, and whole grains are going to help your body fight off germs. PLUS if you stay out of fast food restaurants and restaurants in general that's less contact you have to have with sick people. Just think of the potential sick restaurant employee who is just coming down with something who is cooking or serving your food! Ewww gross!

Besides the potential added health benefits just think of all the money you will save cooking at home! Now I don't cook everything straight from scratch but I do try my best to stay away from heavily processed foods. We eat a ton more fruits and veggies now that we are using the co-op and I am buying their breads now too which are 100% all natural and only $2/loaf for the sandwich breads and $2.50-$3.50/loaf for the artisan breads. The breads come from here:

http://www.azeats.com/azbreadco/ourbreads.htm

and here:

http://www.alpinevalleybread.com/

Here's what we ate this week. I've also figured how much each entire meal cost. Remember I coupon, shop sales, use rebates, stock up when things are free or almost free, use a co-op etc.

Monday - Hamburger Soup

This is something my grandma and mom made all the time! It is a family favorite and full of flavor. I served this with homemade biscuits.

Hamburger Soup

1lb ground beef browned

1 yellow onion chopped (I brown about 1/4 with the meat)

2 cans or 1 quart stewed chopped tomatoes (do not drain)

1 can tomato sauce

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

3 cups diced potatoes

1 cup green beans (optional and I used fresh)

1 can or 2 cups frozen corn

2 cups water

3 beef bouillon cubes

salt and pepper to taste

Total cost for this meal including the biscuits was $2.99. It served all 5 of us with a couple having seconds. Plus it served 3 of us lunch the next day.

Tuesday - Chicken & Stuffing, Italian Squash, garlic bread

1lb boneless skinless chicken breast

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1/4 cup sour cream

1 box Stove top or other packaged stuffing

1 1/2 cups water

Mix water and stuffing mix. Set aside. Place raw chicken in casserole. Mix soup and sour cream and pour over chicken. Pour now moist stuffing on top of chicken. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Squash dish

2 cups Sliced squash (I used Mexican Gray)

1/4 cup sliced onions

1 tomato diced

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

Top with grated cheese. I used Colby Jack.

Bake in the oven with the chicken dish until squash is tender.

Garlic Bread - Self explanatory I hope. :)

This meal was a little more processed but still healthier than some.

Total cost for this meal $2.64. It served 5 with leftovers.

Wednesday - Chili Verde & Spanish rice

I used this recipe:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chile_verde/

I served it with warm corn tortillas, sour cream, lime and Spanish Rice.

This meal took quite a bit of prep and cooked 3 hours but it was sooo yummy! Total cost $4.40. It served 5 plus lots of leftovers.

Thursday - Mini Pizzas

1 batch of bread dough or Rhodes roll dough

Spaghetti sauce, grated cheese, toppings.

Bake at 375 until crust is browned and cheese is melted

These are a favorite at our house because the kids get to make their own. They are so much healthier than frozen or pizza delivery. If you are into baking your own breads I have found yeast is the cheapest at Macey's. You can get instant yeast for $2.50 for 1lb!

Total cost for this meal $3.57 and made 12 mini pizzas.

Friday - Breakfast for dinner

Blueberry & Lemon Muffins - I even used fresh blueberries I had frozen from the co-op

Scrambled Eggs

Hash browns

Applesauce

Sausage

Total cost $3.53. We had 12 muffins leftover for tomorrows breakfast and 1/2 lb of sausage.

Total cost for 5 dinners $17.13 and we stayed home and didn't get exposed to any germs!

The Law of the Garbage Truck

This story was shared with me the other day and I just had to pass it along. . .

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car drove out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital! This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home or on the streets. The bottom line is successful people don't let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.

Have a marvelous, garbage-free day! The seeds you plant today determine the harvest you reap tomorrow.

Couponing 101 with Steph

So I've had a lot of people asking me how I do what I do. Like people calling me on the phone and stuff. I've even had several people almost begging me to take them shopping with me so they can see how it's done. Yes, I am that cool.



Now I would love to take anyone shopping with but getting up at 5 am to run to the grocery store on Wednesday morning kind of ruins it for some people. I can barely get up myself so I understand. A month or so ago I typed all this up and emailed it to a couple of other friends who were ready to up their couponing game. Anyway all of this information and tons more can be found at my favorite website http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/. They even explain things better over there. PYP was started 5 years ago by two moms here in Cache Valley Utah (Hyde Park to be exact). I was led to it several years ago by an ebay seller turned website owner Kim of http://www.youcanmakethis.com/. The owners of PYP are top notch people and for that reason PYP is free and will always be free which is way cool. There are a TON of other grocery/couponing sites that charge a monthly fee for their service and tips.



This is how I do it. You may like to organize things differently but this is what works for me. Something to remember is Utah is losing all it's Albertson's stores except 2 in St. George on Oct. 25th. Also as I said this was typed for some friends several weeks ago. So when it says last week it was really a few weeks ago. I'm too lazy to redo the whole thing. I've still had some great recent trips like this week I got Kellogg's cereal for FREE, Ronzoni whole grain pasta for .20 cents/box, granola bars for .50/box. . . Even though the below list is older I think it still paints a good picture of how I organize my shopping trips and the possible scenarios with some of these sales.



Here goes:

#1 Get some coupons.

I get 3 copies of the Sunday Paper. Some experts recommend 1 paper per member of your family but 3 has been enough for us.




I have signed up with Smith’s and get coupons from them about every 3 months.




In Utah the Red Plum insert now comes in most people’s mail. Not mine, (because apparently I just think I'm that cool, according to my zip code I am not) but ask your family or neighbors if they are using them and get extras.




Tons of coupons are now available online. Each month there are 100’s of new coupons. Check PYP’s "Printing Pennies" forum for links to all of them.

#2 Organize

Figure out a way to organize your coupons that works for you. I like to cut all my coupons. I keep them organized in a Coupon Caddie. Seen here http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/caddie.htm. I only take the coupons I am going to use to the store. I don’t take all my coupons to the store which means I sometimes miss out on deals but that’s okay. Some people leave their inserts whole and file them by date. They clip only the coupons they will use and right before they use them. Some people keep all their coupons in a binder with baseball card protectors and keep all their coupons in those. Apparently I have not evolved to that level yet. I highly doubt I will ever be a binder carrier but that's okay. You have to do what works for you.

#3 Planning your meals

Shopping with coupons requires you to plan your meals a little differently. I plan my meals by the month. We eat 30 different dinners during the month. Each month is a little different by just a few meals so I know how much to stock up on of certain products. I know in 12 months time we will eat 18 cans of green chilies so when they are on sale I stock up. Or in 1 years time we need about 120 boxes of cereal. We eat out of our food storage every single day. At the beginning of the month and each week a small portion of our food budget goes to just a few fresh items like sour cream, milk, eggs, etc. Even cheeses and meat I store. Like I got Tillamook cheese for .80 cents a lb a couple of weeks ago so I have 10 lbs, shredded and chunk, in the freezer. We have 105lbs of all different kinds and cuts of meat in the freezer as well.

#4 Storage organization.

Keep your food storage organized. There’s lots of ways to do this but you need to know where everything is, how much you have and when it expires. If you don’t all that $ you saved by couponing is pointless.


#5 Rock Bottom Prices

I only buy items when they hit rock bottom prices unless it’s something I absolutely have to have. Here is a good price list that shows rock bottom prices for groceries in Utah. You will need to cut and paste it into your browser. When things hit a 5 star deal and occasionally a 4 star deal I stock up.



http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/PricePoints.xls

#6 Grocery store ads and promotions

Each week I pair my coupons with grocery store ads. This is easy because PYP has done all the work by posting each stores ad paired with the available coupons and it tells you where to find the coupon if you are a person that doesn’t clip them until you use them. PYP also tells you what kind of deal it is a 3 star, 4 star or 5 star. You can also sign up for these free shopping lists to come straight to your email. The lists are also usually out on Monday two days before most of the ads start in Utah giving you plenty of time to plan. They do have other states shopping lists. Go to the site and check it out. http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/

Not only do Smith’s and Albertson’s have sale prices they also have special promotions each week. Sometimes it’s instant savings. In this case you purchase a certain number of specified products or specified products up to a certain amount and the register instantly takes off $$$. This is calculated BEFORE coupons. Sometimes you get $ back in the form of a Catalina coupon to be used on your next shopping trip. This is also calculated BEFORE coupons and will come from the Catalina machine. These spend like cash at the store they were earned at. PYP also puts these deals and available catalinas on their shopping lists.

The trick to using these is to make sure you stay right at the increment you have to spend to earn the Catalina. If it says spend $30 or more and get $15 ONLY spend $30. If you want more, do another transaction and earn $15 again. Do this again and again for maximum savings. Use your $15 from the previous transaction each time you check out. Albertsons will let you do 3 separate transactions at a time after that you have to get in line again. With the instant savings you can usually do as many as you want in a single transaction.

Double coupons – Most weeks in their ad and in the Sunday paper Albertson’s has printed double coupon vouchers. Each one will double one coupon up to an additional $1. The trick is you can only use one set per shopping trip. So you have to take your stuff out to the car and walk back in again. Sounds like a lot of work but I think the savings is worth it. Last week Smiths had unlimited double coupons for 3 days. No one knows if this will be something they do more often but watch for it. PYP listed tons of items and where to find the coupons to go with this double coupon promo as well.

So. . .

Sale prices + coupons + available double coupons + store instant savings/catalinas = maximum savings on your groceries.

#7 Make a list

I first use PYP’s shopping lists. They have a shrink feature so you can highlight the items you want, then shrink the list so only the items you will be buying print. I then make lists for each of my transactions. I organize my coupons in little piles for each transaction with a paper clip.

#8 Shop early


Besides without kids it’s important to get to these sales early especially in Utah. I go each Wednesday (the 1st day of the ads) and at 6am when the stores open. This way I will get everything on my list in the right amounts to get the most savings. Another good day is Saturday morning at least for Albertson’s because they restock during the night Friday. Also take your ad with you. That way you can make sure you get the right stuff or if you have questions about which size you can look.

So here is a list of my shopping transactions. I have done them 2 different ways the first shows savings by product and the second shows savings by transaction. Maybe this will help you see how/where I was able to save. I always calculate the savings from a Catalina on the products I bought to earn it.

(I) = Coupon I got from the Sunday inserts or Red Plum insert in the mail
(IP) = Internet Printed coupon
OYNO = Catalina, money you can spend on your next order. Like cash back.

Trip #1 Smith’s for double coupons & Proctor and Gamble buy any 4 P&G products (mix or match) save $4 instantly.

Transaction #1
6 boxes Honey Bunches of Oats $1.88
- $1/2 boxes (I) x 3 = -$3
-$3 double coupons
Earned $5 OYNO for buyin 5 boxes
Final price $.05/box

4 Raid Wasp & Hornet Spray $4.89
-$1/1 can (I) x 4 =-$4
-$4 double coupons
Earned $2 OYNO for buying 4 cans
Final Price $2.39/can

Transaction #2
Used my $7 earned on the last transaction as tender

4 boxes 40 load Tide $5.88
-$4 Instant Savings
-$1/1 box (I) x 4 = -$4
-$4 double coupons
Final price $2.88/box

4 216 count Puffs tissues $1.69
-$4 Instant savings
-$.25/3 boxes (I)
-$.25 double coupons
Final price .57/box

Crest toothpaste $1
-.50/1 box (I) x 4 = -$2
-$2 double coupons
Final price FREE




4 20 count Tampax $2.99
-$4 Instant Savings
-.50/1 box (I) x 4 = -$2
-$2 double coupons
final price .99/box

6 cartons Yoplait Yogurt .60
-.60/3 cartons (IP) x 2 = -$1.20
-1.20 double coupons
final price .20/carton

8 Pillsbury Toaster Strudel $2
-.55/2 boxes (IP) x 4 = -$2.20
-$2.20 double coupons
Final Price = $1.45/box

2 Ritz Bits sandwiches $2.99
-$1/1 box (IP)
-$1 doubled
Final price $.99/box

4 Duracell Batteries 4pk $2.99
-$1.50/1 pack (I) x 4 = -$6
-$2 double coupons (Smiths will only double the coupons up to $2 total value)
Final price .99/pack

3 Nalley Pickles $1.99
-$1/1 jar (I) x 3 = -$3
-$3 double coupons
Final Price FREE

8 Mentos Gum .$1
-.55/1 pack (I) x 8 = -$4.40
-$3.60 double coupons ( Smith’s will not double over the value of the item)
Final Price FREE

2 Kelloggs Rice Krispies $1.50
-$1/2 boxes (I)
-$1 doubled
Final Price .50/box

2 12 count Kelloggs Pop Tarts $1.50
-$1/2 (I)
-$1 Double Coupons
Final Price .50/box

3 Secret Deodorant $2.33
-$1/1 (I) x 3 = -$3
-$3 doubled
Final Price .33/deo

4 Right Guard Deodorant $1
-$1/2 (I) x 2 = -$2
-$2 Double coupons
Final Price FREE

1 Degree Ion Deodorant $2.49
-.75/1 (I)
-.75 Double coupons
Final Price .99/deo

3 pack Juicy Fruit Gum $2.19
-.1/1 (I)
-$1 double coupons
Final Price .19/3 pack

3 pack Twizzlers $1.67
-$1/3 (I)
-$1 double coupons
Final Price $1/bag


2 6packs Dannon Light and Fit Yogurt $1.88
-$1/2 6 packs (I)
-$1 doubled
Final Price .88/6 pack

3 Danimal Crush Cups $1.88
-$1/1 Cruch cups (I) x 3 = -$3
-$2.64 double coupons
Final Price FREE

3 Danimal Drinkables $1.88
-$1/1 drinkables (I) x 3 = -$3
-$2.64 double coupons
Final Price FREE

2 Eggo Waffles $1.50
-$1/2 (I)
-$1 double coupons
Final Price .50/box

1 Keebler Sandies $2.50
-$1/1 Sandies (IP)
-$1 double coupons
Final Price .50/pack

4 6oz Land o Frost Bistro sliced Roast Beef $2.99
-$1/1 Bistro (I) x 4 = -$4
-$4 doubled
Final Price .99/pack

1 16oz Land o Frost Ham $3.49
-$1/1 (I)
-$1 doubled
Final Price $1.49/pack

3 tubs Land O Lakes Butter $1.25 (marked down because close to expiration)
-$.50/1 tub (I) x 3
-$1.50 double coupons
Final Price .25/tub

Total spent at Smiths $66.18
Total Saved at Smiths $214.12
Saved 69%

Trip #2 Albertson’s

Transaction #1
3 24 oz Dove Shampoo $4.99
-$1/1 Bottle (I) x 3
4 Vasaline Lotions $5
-$1.25/1 bottle (I) x 2
-$1 double coupon
-$1 Double coupon
-$1 double coupon
Earned $12 OYNO from Unilever
Earned $15 OYNO because I spend $30 before coupons
Final cost FREE

Transaction #2
6 boxes Q-tips $3.49
-.30/1 box (I)x 4
2 24oz Dove Conditioner $4.99
-$1/1 bottle (I)x 2
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
-$.30 double coupon
Earned $12 OYNO from Unilever
Earned $15 OYNO because I spent $30 before coupons
Final Cost FREE

Transaction #3
6 BC Cookie Mix $1.67
-.40/1pouch (I) x 6
8 Pillsbury cookie dough $2.50
-$1/2 packs (IP) x 4
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
Earned $15 OYNO because I spent $30
Final Cost for entire transaction $5.60

Transaction #4
5 All Detergent $3.50
-$1/1 bottle (I) x 5
6 BC Fruit Snacks $2
-.40/1 box (IP) x 6
1 box BC cake mix $1
1 tub BC frosting $1.50
-.55/ both Cake & Frosting (I)
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
Earned $15 OYNO because I spent $30
Final Cost for entire transaction $6.05

Transaction #5
4 BC cake Mix $1
1 BC Frosting $1.50
-$.55/both cake and frosting (IP)
4 Chex Mix $1.67
-.50/1 bag (IP) x 4
2 jars Skippy Natural PB $2
-.75/2 jars (I)
2 Ragu Spaghetti Sauce $1.67
-$1/2 jars (IP)
2 Lipton Rice Sides $1
-.75/2 pouches (I)
1 Yoplait Yo-Plus Yogurt $2.50
-$1/1 pack (IP)
1 Breyers Ice cream $3
-$1/1 (I)
1 Degree Deodorant $2.50
-.75/1 (I)
1 Suave Body Wash $2
-.50/1 (I)
1 Vasaline Lotion $2.50
-$1.25/1 bottle (I)
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
Earned $15 OYNO because I spent $30
Earned $1 OYNO because I bought 2 Skippy Naturals
Final cost of for entire transaction $3.71

Transaction #6
2 Pringles Chips $1.50
-$1/2 cans (I)
1 box Pampers Diaper $18.99
-$1/1 Pampers (I)
1 tub Pampers sensitive wipes $3.49
FREE when you buy any Pamper’s diapers (I)
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
Earned $5 OYNO for buying $20 in P&G products
Final cost for entire transaction $12.99

Transaction #7
2 Pringles Chips $1.50
-$1/2 cans (I)
1 box Pampers Diapers $18.99
-$1/1 Pampers (I)
1 tub Pampers sensitive wipes $3.49
FREE when you buy any Pamper’s diapers (I)
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
Earned $5 OYNO for buying $20 in P&G products
Final cost for entire transaction $12.99

Transaction #8
18 jars Ragu $1.67
-$1/2 jars (IP) x 9
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
Earned $15 OYNO for spending $30
Final cost for entire transaction $1

Transaction #9
18 jars Ragu $1.67
-$1/2 jars (IP) x 9
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
-$1 double coupon
Earned $15 OYNO for spending $30
Final cost for entire transaction $1

Total Spent at Albertson’s $43.34
Saved at Albies $371.74
Saved 89%

Trip #3 Macey’s
15 Speed Stick Deodorant 2/$4
-$2/1 stick (Someone stuffed a ton of coupons in my sister’s mailbox!)
Final cost for entire transaction FREE

Total saved $623.21 or 86% off my grocery bill

Cost of coupons:
$11.80/month for my newspaper subscription.
About $5 in printer ink and paper.

Time printing, organizing my list 1 hour
Time shopping about 3 hours between 2 days

Basically I made $151.60/hour and I don’t have to pay taxes on the money I saved unlike if I had a job outside the home.


I could write a whole other post on being frugal but not cheap. I think in today's world being frugal is definitely an asset.

Fall has brought. . .

MUCH cooler temperatures, fall leaves, a little snow and

Preserving food,

(No grapes this year. Who can forget last years fiasco?

Baking,

This is Brandon's zucchini bread. Yes, seriously, it's Brandon's. My specialty is banana bread. It has vinegar in it. You should ask me for the recipe. :)

Apple picking,

Ray-Ray and Ella in the apple tree.

And the highlight of the month?

New well drilling.

Food Food Food

Since I haven't done a "what are we eating" post for a while . . .

Sunday -

Roasted chicken

roasted potatoes & yams w/garlic

steamed artichokes

green salad

Fresh baked bread

Monday-

Chinese Chicken Salad

Fresh fruit

Tuesday-

Garlic & fresh Ginger Pork Chops

Brown Rice

Steamed green beans

Wednesday-

Pancakes

Eggs

Bacon

Thursday-

Beef Fajitas

Friday-

Chicken Stir-fry w/ snow peas, broccoli, carrots, bok choy, mushrooms, onion, celery

Steamed rice

Saturday-

Hamburgers

Sweet potatoe fries

green salad

And for the rest of the month-

Taco Soup

Pork Roast

Beef Tacos

Waffles

Chicken Rolls

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Spagetti

Homemade pizza

Hamburger Soup

Chicken & Stuffing casserole

Cheesey Ham & Potato Bake

Lasagne

Hamburgers on the grill

Chicken Alfredo

Breakfast Burritos

Beef Pasta Bake

Meat Loaf

Tex Mex Chicken

Chicken Enchiladas

And now I'm hungry!

10 Years Old!

10 Great New Things You Can Do As a Ten-Year-Old:

1. Eat ten pieces of cake.

(one for each year right?)

2. Brag about blowing out ten candles.

(Nine is, like, for amateurs.)

3. Count your age using all of your fingers.

(That pinky's been waiting for this day!)

4. Say, "Oh, oops, that was SO nine of me."

(Especially fun around younger kids.)

5. Kiss those single-digit days good-bye.

(Hasta la vista, little numeros!)

6. Remind everyone you're only six years away from a driver's license. . .

(Is there a speed limit for growing up?)

7. . . . and only one "e" away from being a TEEN.

(TeEN! See?)

8. Have everyone address you as "Your X-Cellence."

(A Roman numeral you can actually use!)

9. Celebrate being a decade old.

(The best thing to happen to the nineties was ME!)

10. And Finally. . . enjoy being a perfect ten!

Dear Christian,

here are so many cool reasons to celebrate being ten. . .

and to celebrate being you!

Happy Birthday!

We love you!!!

P.S. Being 10 means you can go to Sushi with your family for your birthday dinner too!