Hello! Happy Memorial Day to all of you in the US, I hope it was a good one for you!! 🙂
I love this time of year when the flowers are blooming and making everything all pretty and happy again. A picture from my garden.
We also enjoyed some delicious grilling this past week. These Asian-Style Baby Back Ribs were delicious!! Yum, yum!
Has anyone been watching the show Extreme Couponing? I only got to watch it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it just happened to be marathon day for it. I must have watched 6 or 7 episodes before I couldn’t take it anymore. Listen they may be getting some good deals but they are not making up menu plans with what they buy on the show that is for sure (unless of course you count croutons and a sports drink dinner worthy?). Seriously, one lady bought 100 bags of croutons and others had thousands of tubes of toothpaste in their stockpile. Um why? Just because somethings free doesn’t mean you have to buy it. So many processed foods too. I just didn’t really get it (hey I’m all for saving a buck, just not to those extremes I guess) and don’t even get me started on taking up bedroom space for overstock. Yikes! I did like though that there were a couple of shows where some of the participants did extreme couponing simply for the sake of giving it all away to those in need. That was awesome to see!
For those wanting more information on couponing (including Canadian coupon sites!) please check the resources I’ve pulled together for you here.
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Weekly Resources:
Free Weekly Meal Planner Printable ~ @ Anything but Perfect
Chalkboard Menu Board Tutorial ~ @ Homebased Mom
My Menu Plan:
Monday: Hearty Pita Tacos
Tuesday: Applesauce BBQ Chicken served with baby potatoes and veggies
Wednesday: Macaroni and Cheese Casserole with turkey sausages
Thursday: Leftover buffet
Friday: Quick Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Thai Beef Salad with Crispy Noodles
Sunday: YOYO – your on your own! (I love this acronym as seen on Mama Castner’s blog)
Have a great week everyone!!
WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU PLAN THIS WEEK?
Menu Plan Monday guidelines and banner selections are here.
Liz@HoosierHomemade says
Hi Laura,
I totally agree about Extreme Couponing, I think it’s crazy. I could go on and on with my opinion…but I won’t 🙂
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
Kelli @ 3 Boys and a Dog says
Liz, I was just laughing about this post because I wrote about this exact same thing this week – about not being a “couponista” how funny is that?
Laura|no more spending says
Thanks for hosting Laura…the Thai Beef Salad lokks lovely!
April says
Yum! You have an awesome menu set up for this week. I’m off to check the recipes out now. I also love the YOYO tag, I’ll have to borrow that one to! Happy Memorial Day and have a great week!
Miranda says
Those ribs look amazing! Definitely going to have to try those. I did get a chance to watch that show for the first time last week… unbelievable. I am with you. There can’t be very good meals coming out of there. I myself need to find a way to get my grocery list down though, so I may try couponing (just not extreme) and shopping around the sales. Thanks for hosting today!
Kelli @ 3 Boys and a Dog says
So funny!! I wrote about this same thing this week. ROTFL!
Jackie Lee says
mmm… the applesauce bbq chicken sounds wonderful. I found the taste of home website from looking through your menu one week… so thank you. I used to get the magazines and didn’t even think about checking for a website. I get quite a few recipes from there now. 🙂
Miz Helen says
Hi Laura,
Your menu looks great and I love the YOYO Tag, I will be using that for sure. Thanks for hosting and have a wonderful week!
Gretchen says
I have yet to watch that show mostly because I don’t have cable, but I am not a fan of couponing in general except maybe for diapers. Anyway, the applesauce chicken that you linked to sounds wonderful. I may have to try that out soon.
Denise says
Your menu sounds great, especially the Mac & Cheese casserole. I need to figure out how many carbs are in a serving of that to see if it fits into my eating plan. I’d love to try it!
As for EC, I agree. I’m all for saving money but see no point in hoarding and buying so much others can’t find what they want/need. It’s a bit too extreme for me! 😉
Have a great week, Laura!
Wendy @ Celiacs in the House says
That printable meal planner is great. Thanks for the link. I have a YOYO meal on my plan, but didn’t know that’s what it’s called. 🙂 I brought home a new panini press from a food blogging conference and the family has fallen in love with it. I put it on the menu plan to give mom a night off. I’m not hearing questions on what’s for lunch anymore either. They’re making lots of panini combos on their own. Wish I had bought one years ago. I caught part of one of the coupon shows and was turned off by the shelves of processed food. We just don’t use or need that stuff even if it is cheap or free. Have a great week, Laura.
Crftysahm says
Laura,
I totally agree with you about the show. On one of my groups we have been discussing the good and bad points of the show. I won’t get detailed here, just say that any one watching should be aware that it is totally staged, is not possible in many areas, and their shopping trip is not their normal buy. In my opinion it is just organized hoarding. One lady stock piles diapers for the day she “might” have a baby?
Thanks for hosting this site. I linked to your 52 Weeks challenge this past week, hoping to get some more done this week.
Skinny Mom's Kitchen says
Yes I saw it for the first time last week too and was at first intrigued and then kinda disgusted. The food they were buying was so unhealthy and processed. One couple had like 50 bags of chips..it was crazy.
On a healthier note..this past week I lost 2 pounds and now only 6 pounds away from my goal weight. My total weight loss so far is 36 pounds. Meal planning along with freezer cooking have been my key strategies. My menu plan this week will reflect 1300-1500 calories a day to help me get to the finish line…then it is all about maintenance 🙂
Have a wonderful memorial day!
Kiersten from love,live,and inspire says
I agree Laura! After I watched an episode I actually felt sick to my stomach. All of that food and personal care items just sitting there going to waste when there are so many people in need! It really is just another form of hoarding. I did love the one or two episodes where they gave everything away . That’s what they all should be doing! Have a great week!
Tracey M says
What a wonderful link-up you host! We love ribs here and those Asian ribs sound very tasty. Thanks again for hosting the link up!
Corrie (Brennan's Mom) says
I’ve not seen the show but I always wonder how people manage to get groceries for free! The best I’ve got is the $0.75 coupon for the yummy parm/asiago cheese blend we like!
Growing up, we had a “yoyo” night too – however my sister (whose night it was to cook when we had the yoyo) called it “Choose your own adventure night”… She always ate cereal! I couldn’t have one of those now – my husband is cooking impaired… 😉
Thanks for hosting, off to check out the couponing sites – I’d love to save some money – I scratch cook so any help is always appreciated!
April says
I don’t know how I got the post mixed up, but my MPM link goes to my potato salad recipe! lol I have a link to my actual MPM post at the top of my potato salad recipe now, so everyone can click through to it. Sorry for the mix up!
Vanessa @ Vanessa's Values says
I haven’t been able to watch Extreme Couponing {we’re saving by only having basic cable 🙂 } but I have seen some previews and heard a lot about it. I really hope that it doesn’t turn people off from couponing, because it can be done in a responsible way while still saving money. I do think that being able to give though is a great thing.
Jami @ An Oregon Cottage says
Ugh- I’d read on some blogs about the Extreme Couponing and that was enough for me. A number of years ago when I first discovered coupons I bought stuff i used to never buy and after a number of months I stopped in disgust (the ingredients in some of the “healthy” stuff was awful!) and now just use coupons for health and beauty things. And only what we need- that’s key.
I was able to fill a bag of toiletries for a shelter from our small stash, though- that was cool!
Storm says
I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts on Extreme Couponing! I’m all for saving money, and having a “stash” of frequently used items in the pantry, but some of these folks take it a little too far. It’s sad to think what they have bought may only get wasted since it might not be used before it expires/goes bad. 🙁
jennybean says
I would love to see extreme couponers show how they plan meals, but unfortunately they don’t do that.. wonder what they eat every day? At least on one show they did show a couple having a big party with twenty some guests I think and they went through their stash to get rid of it and spent less than $50 on what they needed to fill in using coupons. That seems a bit more realistic but still doesn’t fill in that gap. Thanks for the resources, I’m checking them out now.. I need to get better at meal planning. This week I’m making DH grill whatever we have in the freezer and we’re just gonna have salads with it!
Martha (MM) says
That show is unbelievable! It’s impressive but totally crazy! Most of them are just a different kind of hoarder, and every episode is basically the same thing over and over. I’m bored with it already. Have a great week Laura and thanks for hosting 🙂
Kristi says
I don’t have the time or patience to do that kind of couponing. I do really like the one episode that showed them giving all their haul to the different charities. I mentioned when we were watching yesterday that if some of them keep going without using their stuff, they will be on the next marathon: “Hoarding: Buried Alive”.
Linda Stoll says
I loved couponing back in the day when all stores took double coupons and then there were refunds you could send for. Those were the days! Free food, great deals, a pantry full of food for the days when money was tight! Checks coming every day in the mail that paid for extras …
When it comes to extreme couponing, I’d love to see more people donating their food to soup kitchens or food pantries. There’s a fine line between stocking up and hoarding. How many bottles of hot sauce or bags of croutons do you really need? When do you think you’re going to drink all that soda or use all that hotdog relish?
;-{
Let’s share the wealth!
Shrinking Mommy of 2 says
not sure why I can’t link up today but here is my menu for the week
http://shrinkingmommyof2.blogspot.com/2011/05/menu-monday_30.html
Fran says
I watched Extreme Couponing for the first time last weekend also. I thought it was downright rude to take all of one kind of item, leaving none for other shoppers, and to sneak around store limits by going through more than one checkout. Not to mention stockpiling more stuff than you can possibly use before it gets too old. Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD! And I didn’t know what all the funny looks were from other people in the store, if they were real people being inconvenienced by the hoarders, I mean couponers; or if they were staged to show amazement.
Marishannon says
I used to be a big couponer and had an extra bedroom for storage (okay, that is only because my extra bedroom is my food storage room since I have no pantry and only so much cabinet space), but I was never that extreme. But it is easy to “cross that line” from careful stockpiler to hoarder. It is almost like an addiction for some people! Of course, most couponers aren’t like the ones on the show, but they are the ones that drive the ratings 🙂
Susanne says
That show is morbidly fascinating. It made me think these people just had a glorified case of hoarding. None of the stuff they buy “50” and “100” of is healthy. But as weird as it seems I just can’t stop watching it. LOL.
Sarah says
I agree with Martha and Kristi! Those people on Extreme Couponing are hoarders! The point is to only get enough to last until the next big sale where the product is at it’s rock bottom price again. IMO they should be donating a lot of that to people in need since they can easily replace their stockpile with more freebies. I just don’t understand why you would let your stockpiles take over your house like that.
Leigh Anne @YourHomebasedMom says
Thanks for all the great menu ideas and for sharing my chalkboard tutorial. I’m going a little chalkboard crazy at my house!
Gina says
Thanks for the link, Laura! We love that Mac & Cheese casserole, though it was hard to turn the oven on this week with the high temps outside 🙂
Laura says
My family loved it!!
Diane says
I love this menu planning and the recipes! My problem is my daughter and I are on Weight Watchers, and I would love to find someone who is cooking simple, family-friendly Weight watchers type recipes. Do you know of a blog like that?