The plan

I've been working hard at managing our finances this year, but in the last 6 weeks or so I have really ratcheted-up the cost-saving strategies at my disposal.
I joined Swagbucks and have earned almost $15 in Amazon gift cards. Likewise, I opened an Amazon rewards Visa and by using it judiciously to pay some of our monthly expenses (and of course paying off the balance each month) I now have $125 in Amazon gift cards. I'm trying to earn enough gift cards to buy Zachary the Kindle he wants for Christmas without having to spend much "actual" money.
I've been reading lots of coupon sites and really working store sales. I'll never save as much as some people do on their food budget since I buy very little processed, prepackaged food, but have found that I now typically save 20% to 30% at the grocery store. I spent the last two months building up a stock pile of food and toiletry items, so now I can pick and choose only the best deals.
The freezers are full of local fruits, veggies, homemade sauces, and bread from the day old bread store. Sunday I bought 16 loaves of whole grain bread for just over $10. I always have bread in the freezer and never find myself having to run out to the store to buy a loaf for $3 or more.
I still do all my cooking and baking from scratch, which I know saves us loads of money. Tastes better and is better for us, too.
I worked out a plan this weekend that shows it is possible to pay off our credit card debt and our car loan in one year. While it's possible, I'm not sure how likely it is, as I didn't figure in college tuition, but I'm encouraged nonetheless.
I've been playing the prescription transfer game, so far garnering $75 in Hy Vee gift cards just for transferring our prescriptions. Once I'm done at HyVee, I plan to transfer 4 prescriptions to Kmart for another $100 in gift cards. I love our small pharmacy, but they understand why we do this and welcome us (and our money!) back with open arms. Of course it would be better not to have any prescriptions to transfer, but our fate has dictated otherwise, I'm afraid.
All of this takes a lot of effort and a fair amount of time, but it's definitely worth it. We've saved hundreds in the last two months - about $700 in fact - just by watching for sales, cutting coupons, and practicing frugality.

Now that I'm stocked-up, I've decided to only spend $50 a week this month on groceries and toiletries. Our month starts on the 26th, and so far, so good. Since I'm mostly shopping from the freezer, I decided to make a weekly menu plan.


Sunday: Chicken chili burritos and sweet corn
Monday: Rebaked potatoes, green beans, salad, pumpkin pie
Tuesday: Lentil Chili, veggie platter, corn meal muffins
Wednesday: Veggie-beef stew over cheesy polenta, fresh veggies, gingerbread and applesauce
Thursday: Garlic pasta, steamed broccoli, fresh tomatoes, french bread
Friday: Pesto, sliced tomatoes, garlic bread, apple pie
Saturday: Whole wheat pasta with ricotta cheese sauce, mixed cooked veggies, garlic and rosemary focaccia
It's hard for me to stick to a menu plan, but if I stay flexible I probably won't resist too much.

I must admit I went a little crazy with the coupons at first and my girls are tired of being my coupon accomplices. They're still willing to head to Walgreen's with me or to Target or HyVee when I need a couple extra buyers, but now I try not to ask more than once a week!