Coupon Junkie & Food Item #6

Hi everybody!  I know I’ve been gone longer than usual, but I’ve been nursing blasted head cold and haven’t been very motivated the past few days.  But I’m back today with a tank full to post about.  Ready. Set. Go!!
Do you use/like coupons?  I admit that I am a coupon clipper extraordinaire!  Mostly with grocery items, but also cosmetics/cat products/household items.  Here is a sample of what I usually lug to the store with me come “shopping” day: Just on the food ones alone I saved almost $7.50.  Every penny counts, right?  Now I can go spend that $7.50 at Starbucks!  I kid……maybe.  :)  I only have a few “rules” that I follow when using coupons so here they are:

1. I only save coupons for items that I would normally buy.  To me it’s not a deal if I’m purchasing something I wouldn’t otherwise buy.
2. I don’t use coupons that are “buy 2, save $x.xx”.  Usually coupons toting that are for items that I wouldn’t generally buy 2 of so when you boil it down I’m not saving anything.  I’m actually spending more.
3. If my grocery store doesn’t carry the item that I have a coupon for I will not drive to another store simply to use it.  Again, no saving there.
4. Lastly, if I still have a coupon in my purse after 2 grocery trips chances are I won’t use it so I get rid of it.

It isn’t always easy to find good coupons online in Canada.  The site I use the most is called save.ca.  They usually have some pretty great deals.  Most of my coupons are clipped out of magazines, though.  I’d love for you to share your coupon tips in the comment section.  I’m always game for new ways to save!
The weather in these parts has been downright dreary this past week.  And I’m not the only one in this house with a cold.  My hubby and DD have it, too.  I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed that DS is spared.  In trying to stay warm and keep my nose clear all at once I’ve been drinking lots of hot fluid.  My favourite thing to make has been tea lattes.  I’ve been combining 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond breeze with a 1/2 cup of water and a teabag (the flavour varies) in a sauce pot.  I let the mixture get to just about the boiling point then it gets turned off and left alone to steep for 5 minutes.  Heavenly.  I made this one last night:
So comforting.  I sipped on it while browsing through my newest cookbook! 
 
So far I’m really liking the looks of this book.  I plan on making a few recipes then writing up a review for you. 
Next on the “post of the day” agenda is FOOD!!! WOW!  That’s a lot of oats!  But they’re not all the same oats; there’s kamut flakes, steel cut oats, Quaker oats and Only Oats in the mix.  There’s been some snacking; One night I defrosted some quinoa stew and served it with garlic toast and grated red pepper goat cheese: I’ve been into pizza more lately than I have in years.  One night I baked a Ristorante pizza which served as dinner and lunch the next day:  And we got pizza on the way home from DS’s game yesterday because the kids school was running a promo where you get one medium, one topping pizza for $3.99 and $.50 gets donated back to the school.   We also picked up a bruschetta pizza as one just wouldn’t have been enough for the 4 of us.    
I ate 2 slices of that and have 2 left for today’s lunch.  And lastly, the day my cold was at it’s worst I had eggs and toast; my comfort food when under the weather. On to what I am thankful for this week.    That would be my job.  It’s not my dream job by any means, but they pay is great, the benefits even better and I work with a good group of ladies, including my awesome boss.  I know that there are people who would love the job that I landed so when I’m feeling a little blue about it I remind myself of that.  The benefit plan is really good and when combined with my hubby’s we get all our med’s and dental visits “free”.  That’s HUGE for a family of 4.  And now for food item #6….already!!  Only 4 more to go after this!!! BEANS!  Any kind will do here for sure.  Be sure to add it to your grocery list this week!  Remember that you can always check the Thanks & Giving tab at the top of the blog for items #1-5. 
I’ll sign off with a picture of DS after a sleepover Friday night and an out of town game yesterday afternoon: Done like dinner!  :)
Bye for now!!