Cause you gotta eat

So there was a time when I got all wrapped up in Extreme Couponing. I really wanted to get my groceries for near nothing. But, it does come at a cost, time. You have to spend so much time in order to save money. I have saved 99% on my groceries before, and that was awesome. But most of the time I would only save between 20% and 30%, which if you shop savvy (don't always buy brand names, test out the store brand, sometimes they are the same in different packaging) is the same amount I am able to save anyway. I was spending 5-15 hours a week planning (yes this was before I did 3 months of meal planning) and clipping coupons. Then there was the shopping... When I had coupons it would take me so much longer, and my boys... Well, they are boys, and no amount of free cookies or balloons will keep them busy for the hour it was taking me in the store each week.

I decided that couponing was not for me about 2 years ago. I was pregnant with my third, and my
other boys wanted me to play with them. I didn't have the energy or the time to do both, and I started thinking... add another kid in the mix and there would be even less time. So I stopped clipping and going though all the adds. Now I do still go on the King Soopers web site, because you can add digital coupons to your card! It takes almost no time at all. I don't keep track of what I load on my card. I load everything (you never know right?). Then it is a wonderful surprise when I save a little I wasn't expecting.

If you want to save even more money, then by all means coupon. For me I feel I am saving enough, and eating what we like, without coupons.

Tonight is a fend for yourself night, or FFY. My "night off" from cooking. These nights are a saving grace for me, helps me keep my sanity, helps with the pocket book, and helps clean out the fridge. But does it really mean that I don't fix anything??? Not really. So what does FFY look like with my boys, seeing as they are 1, 4, and 6? Obviously, the 1 year old doesn't have to make his own dinner, but the other boys do. So FFY usually is a PB&J for my 4 year old and a Ham sandwich for my 6 year old. The hubs (when he is home), baby and I enjoy leftovers of some sort. Having a left over night is not always a favorite, but it is an necessity. We almost always have left overs of some sort. If it isn't in the fridge it is in the freezer. When I pack up left overs from a dinner, I will put it in the fridge. If after 3-4 days we haven't eaten it, I will usually pack it up and put it in the freezer, saving it for a night when I am really short on time.

Sometimes if they are lucky I may make a trip through a drive though, but I really try not to do that. I remember when I was a kid, even a teenager, actually all the way until I was about 28, I thought that fast food was cheap. That was before I started to really enjoy cooking. Now, I have come to realize that those golden arches really are made of gold. Even though $1 burger sounds cheap, you can't just have that, so with the fries, and maybe another burger and a drink you are up to $5. Then you have to add in the hubs meal (another $7) and the kids meals (about $8 for 2), and we are looking at $20! That as much as I spend on groceries some weeks!! I can make the whole family burgers (about 10) with fries and a drink for about the same cost as one meal, and it tastes a whole lot better. Anyway, that is why we don't eat out nearly as much as my boys would like.

So, question for all of you... Do you have a FFY night? What usually comes of it in your house?

Last night while I was tucking my 4 year old in, he asked if we could eat cookies for breakfast. Of course he would want cookies, and while I am sure he meant the traditional chocolate chip or sugar cookie, my spin on the breakfast cookie is what he got.

I looked around on Pinterest of course, but I didn't have all the ingredients for most of the recipes. So, I improvised, combined some recipes and substituted some ingredients for things I had on hand (the is NO way I am going to the store again today, only once a week thank you very much). Here is what I came up with...

Logan's Breakfast Cookie
INGREDIENTS:
3 ripe bananas (masked until creamy)
1/2 c peanut butter
1/2 c vanilla yogurt
1/4 milk
1 t vanilla
2 c quick oats
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c chocolate chips
1 t cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray cookie sheet with oil.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, then add the last 4. Let sit for a few moments (so the oats soak up some of the moisture). Then scoop spoonfuls on your oiled cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-20 min, depending on the "doneness" you like. Take out of oven, allow to sit on cookie sheet for a few, then move to cooling rack. ENJOY!