Vacation Planning......Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Because of family stuff, we didn't get to take any kind of vacation last summer.  Well, if you don't count driving almost 1,000 miles in a big circle the week of the July 4th holiday to take care of family business and attend a funeral.
Nope, not what I'd call a fun trip.

The last summer vacation hubby & I took was 2 summers ago, to Maine.  #1 son was working all summer and daughter wanted to stay home instead, so it was just #2 son and us.  Oh, and we took along BIL and the nephew too.
When we vacation, we do it as frugally as possible.  Last trip, we rented trailers at a campground and made day trips to do/see stuff.
Here's a photo of #2 son and nephew in front of Steven King's house....

And here they are along the shoreline in a smal inlet near Bar Harbor....

I love Maine....every since I worked there in theatre for 2 summers while in college.  I still have a friend who lives up there I enjoy visiting when we get a chance to go.
I've told hubby that if we must retire someplace warm, I get to have a small cottage in Maine to escape the heat in the summer....I don't do 'heat' well....

Anyway, I am beginning the planning for this year's escape, er....I mean trip.  Because of Band Camp, we only have about a 2 week time frame the latter half of July when we can go. 
The only kid who will be accompanying us is #2 son, since both his older siblings will be working all summer at camp.
So I need to take into consideration destinations/activites that a 14 yr. old boy will like.  Well, maybe 'like' is too strong a word, since he is sullen and doesn't 'like' anything beyond his guitar, playing online games and texting his friends.  'Tolerate' might be a more appropriate word.....

So can anyone think of some place that isn't too hot & has nice scenery(for me), historical stuff and good food(for hubby)and won't annoy #2 son too badly-especially since he has to be there with his....sigh and eye roll....parents?

I know #2 son would probably enjoy an amusement park....but only if we take a friend of his as well and only if we drop him/them off for the day and don't go in with them.
Oh, and don't even mention disney anything to me....we don't do disney.

It has to be someplace we can drive to, as we don't fly.  We are open to driving to a destination that's more than 2 days away if there are things to see/do/stay along the way.
We like oddball stuff as well as going off the beaten path.
Hubby is 'into' native american stuff.
We are not big into shopping on vacation.
We've been to Maine and all of New England various time, Niagara area(both US and Canada), Ontario/Toronto, Maryland/Delaware beach areas, Virginia Beach, NC Outer Banks and the Crystal Coast, Myrtle Beach, Erie PA, a resort outside of St. Louis.  I've been to Minneapolis/St. Paul area on pleasure but w/out the family.

Anybody have any thoughts or ideas I can explore?
Please give them to me! ;-)

Sluggy

What to Do with Leftover Ground Beef Meals?...make Enchiladas!

So what do you do with leftover meatballs and a slice or two of leftover meatloaf?
That was my problem earlier this week, as we had both of these leftovers from last week's menu.

My solution was to make Beef Enchiladas.

First I took the meatballs and meatloaf leftovers and crumbled them up.  I took chopped onion(about 1/2 cup)and sweated them in some olive oil.  I had a can of chopped green chilles so I added that to the mix once the onions were translucent.

 Next I made the Enchilada Sauce.  You can see the recipe HERE.  You can also use a canned sauce if you prefer.
Take a large roasting pan and coat the bottom of the pan with the Enchilada Sauce.

Next I gathered the other ingredients I needed....flour tortillas, grated cheese(cheddar and montery jack), a can of refried beans, and the enchilada sauce and meat filling.

Then it was just a matter of plopping some meat, some beans and cheese onto a tortilla and rolling it up, placing it in the roasting pan.

Cover the enchiladas with sauce....

Top with grated cheese....

Cook in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes and here's what comes out....

 Each enchilada serves 1 hungry person, so this pan served 5.  Young children would probably only eat 1/2 of an enchilada.  I usually make 6 in a pan but someone ate one of my tortillas.lol

Optional...Serve with lettuce, tomato, guacamole or sliced avocado and sour cream.

My Cost Breadown
enchilada sauce  $.80
tortillas   $1.00
meat filling  $0-leftovers
1 can green chillies  $.16
1 can refried beans  $.50
2 blocks of cheese  $2.50
Total....$4.96

Since I didn't use all the meat filling, the leftover meat is being reinvented Again tonight in Tacos!
Meatballs, Meatloaf, Enchiladas, Tacos....That's 4 meals out of 2.75lbs. of ground beef.

Sluggy

Easy Enchilada Sauce....Make it Yourself and Save $$$!

Before you reach for that can of icky overpriced Enchilada Sauce at the grocery store again, give this recipe a try!
Here's what you need to make it....

Red Enchilada Sauce

2 TB Oil(I use Olive/Canola but reg. Veggie is fine)
2 TB Flour(any kind)
2 TB Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 8oz. can Tomato Sauce(I use pureed Tomato)*I had leftover tomato paste/sauce so I dumped that in too.*
2 Cups Water
1 tsp Salt(I use Sea Salt)
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

Heat your oil in a large saucepan(2 qt. or larger).
Stir in Flour and Chili Powder; cook for 1 minute.

 

Add your Tomato Sauce/Puree.

Add your spices.

Now add the water.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.

It's ready to use!

This recipe makes enough for 1 meal's worth(a pan of enchiladas).  If you noticed in the photo of the ingredients, my tomato puree is a lot bigger than 8 oz.  I always make a double or quadruple batch when I make the sauce.  Just double or quadruple the ingredients.  I always make enough to freeze or to make a second batch of enchiladas for the freezer.

You can adjust the proportions to taste....more chili powder for spicier, less salt for less saltiness, etc.  I've even put some large chunks of peppers(poblanos)in the sauce for added flavor.

It's really just tomato products, flour, spices and water.  So easy to make so don't pay what they charge for it in the store....especially if you don't have a coupon and it's not on sale!lol

Cost Breakdown....
$.30 Spices
$.01 Flour
$.39 can of Tomato Sauce
$.10 Oil(Olive, Veggie would be less)
$0  Water

Total....$.80 per meal

I'll be posting my Leftover Enchiladas Meal that used this sauce in a bit.

Sluggy

Quickie to CVS to roll some ECBs...3/1

I had a $10ECB to roll that was expiring on 3/1.....

1 x Schick Quattro Razor $8.99
2 x Crest Rinse used Raincheck $3.50=$7.00
1 x Gatorade 6 pack on sale=$4.50 **daughter needs for track**
SubTotal...$20.49

Coupons Used
1 x $4/1 Schick Quattro ManuQ=$4.00
2 x $2/1 Crest Rinse ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $10 ECB=$10.00
Coupon Total....$18.00

$20.49-$18.00=$2.49 +$.15 tax=$2.64

$2.63 put on gift card....$2.64-$2.63=$.01 OOP

I earned the following ECBs...
$4 Crest Rinse x2
$3 Quattro Razor
Total...$7 ECBs

Nothing exciting here.....keep moving.....

Sluggy

What I Bought at Rite-Aid this Week.....2/28

I had been in my local store on Saturday & saw that they had marked down some varieties of Dove Shampoo to 50% off.
Egads....there were $1.50/1 ManuQs for that expiring on Sunday!  So you know I sat all day Saturday, praying nobody bought all the marked down 'Poos, so I could buy them on Sunday.lol

I also had a Holiday Gift of Savings $20 Certificate to spend and figured now was as good a time as any, so here is what I bought......

8 x Scott TP on sale BOGO $1.29=$5.16
4 x Sunsweet Prunes on sale $2=$8.00
3 x Dove Shampoo on clearance $2.49=$7.47
1 x Listerine PocketPacks on sale=$3.99
1 x Anti-Monkey Butt Powder on sale=$3.99
2 x Sure Men's Deodorant on sale BOGO=$3.29
2 x Carefree Pantiliners on sale $.99=$1.98
2 x Blistex Lip stuff on sale $.99=$1.98
2 x Luden's Cough Drops on sale $.99=$1.98
10 x Cadbury Creme Eggs on sale BOGO $.88=$4.40
SubTotal....$42.24

Coupons Used
1 x $5/$20 Purchase AdPerks Q=$5.00
2 x $1/2 Sunsweet Prunes ManuQ=$2.00
3 x $1.50/1 Dove Shampoo ManuQ=$4.50
1 x $1/1 Listerine PocketPacks ManuQ=$1.00
2 x $1.50/1 Sure Men's Deodorant ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $1/1 Carefree Pantiliners PeelieQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 Blistex Lip ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 Luden's Cough Drops ManuQ=$1.00
2 x $.25/1 Luden's Drops GOL Q=$.50
5 x $.50/2 Cadbury Creme Eggs AdPerkQ=$2.50
Coupon Total....$21.50

$42.24-$21.50=$20.74-$20.00 GOS Certificate=$.74 OOP
SCRs qualified for....$3 Listerine, $3 Anti-Monkey Butt=$6.00

$.74-$6 SCRs=$5.26 Moneymaker!

Should haves.....
I should have used a $2 off any Skin Care item over $2.99 Wellness IPQ with the Anti-Monkey Butt Powder.  I would have had an additional $2 to spend or approx. $1.20 to spend and get closer to a $0 total at the register.

I also should have used a $1 off any Oral Care item over $1.99 Wellness IPQ with the Literine Pocket packs...but again, I didn't have one with me.

If you still need to pick these 2 items up this week and you can use the Wellness Qs, be sure and print one up to use when you go to Rite-Aid!
Don't be a bonehead like me....

OH!!!
If you are looking to do the SCR #24(Purchase $50 in select products for a $25 rebate) here's a bit of info.  Though it's not listed/pictured in the SCR Directory, the Luden's Cough Drops ARE part of this deal!
I went to input my purchase info. yesterday for this transaction and not only did the Carefree items show up as qualifying for SCR #24(which they are listed as qualified in the directory), but the Luden's also showed up!  If you are close to the minimum purchase &/or need cough drops, these are a cheap option.



Sluggy

Go Enter the Giveaway at Marilyn's Money....Ends March 5th

My friend Marilyn over at MARILYN'S MONEY is having a Giveaway.

Go check it out Here.

Hurry though....it ends at 8pm on March 5th!

Sluggy

$30K Savings Challenge FEBRUARY 2010 Totals....a Great Month!

I have posted my FEBRUARY End of Month 30K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have to report that we finished up February in the Black.

The amount we ended the month of February with was.......$4,094.60

Income
Besides Hubby salary we had a hefty amount in Rebates and some rolled Coins under the Income Heading. Hubby also got a Bonus check from work...yay!
Not sure where the Bonus $ will end up but I'm putting it into the Savings Challenge for now. Without it, we are at $966.20 in savings for Feb.

Outgo
As for the expenses in February.....

The electric bill was $399.10, just a few dollars more than January's bill. Since Feb. is the most expensive month here for heating, I am good with that number.

 The credit card bill seemed also a bit high(over $1K) but was paid off(like every month)so no interest charges at least.  On second thought, the cc bill wasn't too bad, since hubby didn't make as many Cash Withdrawals this month.  He used the cc more for gas and such instead of cash.  When you combine the cash withdrawals and the cc charges this month against those charges combined in previous months, they average about the same per month.

We had some large out-of-the-ordinary expenses in Feb. 
The car insurance is due then, so that was almost $1300.
The other BIG expense was our part of #2 son's dental extractions, $475.00, after the insurance paid their part.

All other regular bills...Cable, Internet, Phone, etc. are the same each month. 

The Food Budget costs for February are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food/Toiletries spending in February was under the budgeted $250(due to the rebate money that came in last month)and our Savings percentage was a whopping 91.12%!

Looking Ahead to March....
The cc bill is on track to being under $500 this month, which is always good. ;-)
There are three non-monthly charges this month--the quarterly sewage bill(not very much), the County/Municipal Tax Bill and our State Tax Bill.
One tax bill is over $1K, one is under $100, so that's approx. $1200 in extra expenses for March.

YTD Standings....
We have a Year To Date Total of $4,850.25 in Savings.  To save $30K for the year, we need to put away $2,500 per month average.  We are almost on target after 2 months....Jan. was dismal but Feb. was great due to the bonus.  I'm looking to only put away $1400 in March due to the Tax bills since it's a high bill month.

So how was your February financially?  Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.   Do you have any tricks or tips that help you to end your month before the money runs out?  Let us know!


Sluggy