Swedish Almond Cake...

Want a sweet treat that takes just a few minutes of your time and costs pennies to make? Try this recipe for Swedish Almond Cake... it is delicious. This recipe was given to us by a lady where my hubby works. Everyone in the family loves it.

1 stick butter (melted)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup all purpose flour

A handful of sliced almonds

Powdered sugar for dusting

Beat together the butter and sugar. Beat in all the other ingredients one at a time. Spray 9” cake pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with wax paper. Pour batter in and top with sliced almonds. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Free $25 worth of groceries at Smiths...

Did you know that until March 31st, if you transfer any prescription over to Smiths pharmacy and scan your savings card, they will give you a $25 grocery credit on your savings card? (I can only speak for the ones close to me in West Jordan, UT... check your local Smiths to see if they participate).

I just did one yesterday! That's $25 of free groceries next time I go in to shop. I don't know if there is a limit on transferred prescriptions... check with your Smiths Pharmacist for more details.

(New prescriptions not included... Transfers only. Transfers from one Smiths to another Smiths don't count.)

Jordan Landing Sams Club Special Of The Week...

This 8 pack of Energy Smart 13 Watt (60 watt equivalent) light bulbs was bought for $2.86. No that is not a typo... We bought 8 packages, but there were STACKS of them. Can you say *HOAD? These are usually around $12 per package.

Head on over to the Jordan Landing Sams Club in West Jordan and pick you some up... or better yet, give them a quick call first to make sure they still have them... with a deal that hot, they could run out any time. I checked before posting and they still had them.

Good Luck! :)

*HOAD = Heck of a deal.

Generic Please...

Did you know that a lot of generic brand merchandise, (also referred to as store brand merchandise), can be at least as good as it's brand name counterpart for a fraction of the price? This week I found out that Walmart has a generic version of Pantene shampoo (Equate). And guess what? It is awesome and is almost HALF the price of Pantene! They will often tell you on the label of generic/store brand items what brand name they are comparable to. I use generic/store brands for:

• over the counter medicines


• prescription medicines


• other toiletry items such as mouth wash, skin care, or beauty items


• cleaning products


• sandwhich, storage and trash bags


• baking ingredients such as sugar, flour, salt and dried herbs or spices


• lots of other grocery items including lower fat peanut butter, canned fruits, vegetables & soups, pasta, jams, jello's, marinades, juices, drink mixes, refrigerated biscuits, cereal bars and even hot or cold cereal

While some store brands don't taste exactly the same as brand name merchandise, for the most part it's not that they taste bad... they just taste different! In fact some of them taste BETTER. Additionally, did you know that some generics are manufactured by big name brand companies? (Just google "who makes store brands" or something similar to read through some interesting findings.) A lot of what you pay for with brand names is the fancy packaging. You will notice that with generic/store brand items that they don't have the well known cartoon character on the front of the box or the bright, beckoning colors that make them stand out above the rest. They will also often be placed on the higher or lower shelves so that the first things you see are the money making brand name items, shelved right at eye level!

Of course, not all generic/store brand items are interchangeable with the brand name counterpart. Take Coke & Pepsi for example and the store brand cola's. Most people say that you can definitely taste the difference there. But there is much less of a difference with generic orange soda and root beer! Generic brands are definitely experimental. You have to try them to find the ones you like. Some are better than others and it will be up to you and your family as which ones are good enough to be on your shelves and which aren't.

Now you don't get coupons for generic merchandise most of the time, (although sometimes the store will send you coupons through the mail or in their mailers), still, often they can be even cheaper than a brand item that happens to be on sale and has a coupon. Keep an eye out and always compare before you buy. :)

Food Storage Made Easy...

The past couple of posts we have been talking about food storage. If you have never visited this site...

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/

... I highly recommend that you go on over and have a peek. Jodi and Julie have lots of good helps including a babysteps checklist that they will email to you weekly to get you started. Here is what they have to say about it...

"If you follow our checklists for one year you will have your 72 hour kits, water storage, 3 month supply of normal foods, and your entire one year supply of long-term foods as well as some critical non-food items. We started this program to help people with their New Year’s Resolutions to get their food storage done, but if you sign up later you will automatically start with the very first checklist so that you won’t miss a single one!"

There are also tutorial videos, worksheets, instructions and handouts that you can print off. I signed up... you should too. :)

Food Storage item of the week...

As I was glancing over the Smiths Ad I noticed that there were a couple of really good deals this week to stock up on for food storage.

• American Beauty Pasta (select 16oz varieties) end up $0.49 each when you buy 10.


• Classico Pasta Sauce (10-26oz all varieties) end up $1.49 each when you buy 10.


• Nature Valley Fiber One or Cereal Bars end up $1.49 each when you buys 10


• Kellogs Nutrigrain Bars and some selected cereals end up $1.69 each when you buy 10

Add coupons to those prices and you could make out very well.

The nice thing is they have ALOT of "Buy 10, receive $5 off" items in their ten item mega event. You don't have to buy ten of one thing, you can buy five of one and five of another and get $0.50 off each item. (Limit three $5 off rewards PER TRANSACTION.) Take a look at the current Smith's AD here to see what else is included on this deal and if you do nothing else this week, choose ten items to add to your food storage shelf! (Even if it is just ten bags of the pasta, it will only cost you $4.90).

Smith's also has 83% lean Ground beef in pkgs of 2lbs or more for $1.89/pound and selected 2.5 to 4lb, (depending on what cut you choose), bags of frozen Kroger chicken for $6.96 each. Additionally you will find their 32 oz bars or shredded Kroger cheese for $4.99 each and Mountain Dairy Milk for $1.59/gallon.

(*Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any misprints by the grocery store chains OR by me. Check your mailers to confirm prices, or go online here for Smiths to look at the AD's for yourself.)

Food Storage...

We had ward conference this past week and our Stake President talked about food storage. How many times do we have to hear this counsel before we take heed and start buying some extra food to have on hand? When we moved here to Utah about a year and a half ago our family gave away all of our food storage. We have not as yet built up our food storage here to even a portion of what we had there.

Personally, I was deeply motivated by his words and have decided to put this on my priority list. Do you have your food storage started? If not, take the advice Pres. Allan, who was a counselor to President Murphy last year... Set up a shelf somewhere in the basement and put one can on it. Voila! You have now started your food storage. Now get going and add to it. :)

One quick and easy way to get your food storage going is to buy extra when you find a *HOAD. Each week retailers have a couple of items that they reduce drastically to get you in to their stores. These are excellent items to begin stocking up on for food storage. When purchased with coupons, the items can cost next to nothing. Examples may include jars of pasta sauce, cans of fruit, granola bars, cereal... you name it. The sales vary from week to week and if you pay attention and plan ahead a little, you can have a selection of food sitting on your shelf in no time at all.

Don't think you have enough money to stock up on a few items? Use the money saved from cutting coupons (even if it is only $5) to purchase a few extra items each week.

Another event that happens in Utah around General Conference time is the "case lot sales". At this time when you buy one of their specially advertised cases, you get a discount because you bought in bulk! Aim to pick up at least one case of something this Conference, (the first week of April), and you can be well on your way to getting your food storage started. :)

*HOAD = Heck of a deal.

Turn that channel...

Oh the dreaded infomercial! Who doesn't want that fabulous video that will help you to lose 100 pounds in a week or the make-up that makes you look 30 years younger in just two days. How about the blender that makes all your meals for you in 20 seconds or the art set that lets your kids draw like they have a college degree?

Lets face it. Most of the infomercial products out there are just not what they make themselves out to be, but watch the commercial for half an hour and you may just find yourself talked into purchasing one.

There are two additional immediate problems with infomercial products. First, they are usually way over priced for what they are, and second, the shipping and handling can be as much as the product price itself.

If you are an infomercial junkie, (or even an avid QVC shopper), switch the channel or turn off the TV immediately. You can save yourself from impulse buys that can cost you hundreds of dollars a year! :)

Seasonal shopping... March!

What should you be on the look out for this month? The following items are some of the seasonal items that you may be able to find good bargains on during the month of March:

• clothes


• shoes


• hosiery


• washers and dryers


• ski equipment


• skates and other winter recreational equipment


• storm windows


• luggage


• gardening items


• hardware & paint