My Blog

Revised 2014

What to Buy in January

January’s themes are all about about new beginnings, a healthier lifestyle, getting organized and being successful in the new year.

The month of January is also:

• Time to plan Super Bowl parties*
• National Candy Month*
• National Egg Month*
• National Hot Tea Month*
• National Meat Month*
• National Slow Cooker Month*
• National Soup Month*
• National Wheat Bread Month*
• National Oatmeal Month*
• National Hobby Month

*expect to see sales and coupons centered around these promotions

January features great deals in these categories:

• Low Fat Brands and Diet Products – nutrition drinks, weight loss shakes, 100-calorie products, etc
• Super Bowl Party Foods  – Snack foods, Soda, Sandwich Items
• Stock your medicine cabinet – Cold Medicines, Pain Relief, Vitamins
• Winter Foods & Beverages – Coffee, Hot Tea, Chili, Soups, Stews
• Home Organization Products – Closet organizers, drawer organizers, baskets, storage bins and home office organizing supplies like file folders, hanging files, binders and file boxes.
• Electronics – New HDTVs, home theater systems and other electronics will be unveiled mid-month so retailers will start putting old stock on clearance. Sales will begin in January and spill over into February. If you don’t mind a year old model, this is a great way to save cash on large purchases. Look for the biggest sales around mid-January.
• Fitness Equipment & DVDs – You wil find sales on these items from retailers but keep an eye on Craig’s List as those buying new equipment seek to sell their old (many times in excellent condition). Also,
• Home Linens – January is the traditional month for “white sales”. You will be able to find some good deals, but you may be able to find even better deals if you wait until June as many retailers are promoting sales for wedding presents.
• Calendars – By the end of this month, we’ll start to see prices on calendars go down.
• Home Remodeling – The colder winter months are a slow time for many building contractors. Look out for promotions as they often offer incentives to bring in extra business.
• Jewelry – Retailers will offer huge discounts of 50-70% off fine jewelry before their prices start rising again for Valentine’s Day.

• Christmas & New Years Party Items
• Wrapping Paper, Ribbons, Bows, Gift Tags, Ornaments, Artificial Christmas Trees, Christmas Cards
• Christmas Baking Products (sprinkles, cookie/candy molds, cupcake liners, etc)
• Seasonal Baking Products (canned pumpkin, karo syrup, pumpkin baking mixes, etc.)
• Winter Clothing (coats, hats, gloves, boots, sweaters)
• Fragrance Gift Sets – prices on these will increase by Valentines days so take advantage of lower prices now and look for clearanced holiday packages.
• Cosmetics – check Walgreens and CVS for clearance tagged items. Be sure to match up those coupons.

In Season Produce – look for lower prices on these items:

• Apples
• Brussels sprouts
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Clementines
• Grapefruit
• Greens (cooking)
• Kale
• Kiwi
• Leeks
• Lemons
• Lettuce
• Oranges
• Parsnips
• Pears
• Shallots
• Spinach
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tangelos
• Tangerines
• Turnips
• Winter Squash

Do your New Year’s goals (notice I didn’t say resolutions) involve better nutrition? If so, here’s a sale you don’t want to miss. Through January 18, when you buy three ebooks from Kitchen Stewardship, you get 50% off your ENTIRE order. All you have to do is use code 2014 at checkout.

Maybe you’re wanting to help your family start the day with a healthier breakfast (click the image above) ?

Or maybe you’re wanted to cut out processed foods and cook more from scratch?

“The Everything Beans Book” will help you stretch your budget by showing you how to buy less meat, and stretch what you do buy.

Would you like to give your busy family healthier snacks?

Is your goal to pack your children more nutritious and creative lunches?

Or maybe you just love your dessert! Well, have your cake and eat it to with these Smart Desserts!

Personally, I have read the Healthy Lunch Box and I have incorporated several of Katie’s ideas. I think this time around I’m going to try The Healthy Breakfast Book, Better than a Box and Healthy Snacks To Go.

Which ebook caught your eye?

I’ve been waiting patiently for January to get here because I couldn’t wait to try out my new Erin Condren Life Planner.

Most of you know that I usually create my own household management binder that includes room for daily to do lists, menu plans and much more. Lately, however, my friends have been raving (like lunatics) over their Erin Condren Life Planners. So when I got my hot little hands on a $20 off coupon code, I jumped on it.

For 2014, I’m using this baby….

It even has my name on it!  I thought I’d give you a quick run through in case this might be something you could use to keep chaos at bay.

First is has a Special Dates two-page spread where you can see all your birthdays and anniversaries at a glance. I really, really need this as everyone in my family knows I am the WORST at remembering birthdays.

Then there’s two pages that encompass a Year at a glance for July 2013 – December 2014

Each month gets its own two-page spread, with a place for notes on the side.

And my favorite…each week gets its own two-page spread with room at the bottom of each day for notes. I’m going to use this space to do my meal planning and the note area to the left side of the page to keep my shopping list.  Each day is broken down into sections for morning, noon and night so you can make your plan of attack.

In the back, there are pages of colored stickers so you can color code your family’s activities. There are also stickers you can use specifically for games, birthdays, hair appointments, vacation, etc. If you are a family with more than two kids or have kids that are involved in the more than one extra-curricular activity, I would suggest adding extra color coded stickers to your planner (there is an extra charge to do so).

There’s also a two-sided folder to hold loose papers….

And a resealable see-through pocket, and year at a glance calendars for 2015 and 2016 along with complimentary, personalized gift tags.

I have to admit, I’m pretty impressed. My only concern is the small size, but I’m remaining optimistic. Also, I’m cutting all my stickers in half, because three stickers take up a whole calendar square and with five kids, well, that just isn’t gonna work for us.

If you’re interested in a Life Planner from erincondren.com, head on over and create an account. When you do, you’ll receive a $10 credit to use on anything on the site.

I cannot begin to recount all the times my crock pot has been a life saver.

Saved me just a bit more time so that I can run one more kid to one more activity.

Saved us from spending extra money to eat  a meal out on one of those “I’m going crazy and I’m taking you all with me” kind of days.

Saved the kids from hearing, “for the last time, get OUT of the kitchen. I am trying to cook dinner!”.

So in honor of crock pots, here’s a super quick, super easy recipe for Crock Pot Ranch Pork & Potatoes that our entire family gives a thumbs up.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:20]

Oh how my family loves Beef Stroganoff!

The white wine in this recipe is what gives it a little extra pizzazz, but it is optional so you can leave it out if you like.

Also, I add my mushrooms in at the end because we like them not to cook down so much. If you’d like a more traditional stroganoff, then you can add them to the skillet at the same time as the onions and garlic.

Also, if you’re in a hurry, you can just use cream of mushroom sauce in the can and skip the flour and beef broth. In this case, the steps would change to this:

• Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 minutes or until onion is tender.
• Add wine and simmer for 3 minutes
• Stir in cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup sour cream and mustard.

Then return ground beef to the skillet…..

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:19]

For the past year, I have been all about all things kitchen and cooking. From small appliances to fun gadgets to new recipes, I just can’t get enough. For Christmas, Hubs surprised me with an Emeril Cast Iron Griddle (swoon) and my oldest daughter gifted me with an immersion blender. Heaven.

It may be because of this small obsession that the Norpro sale at Zulily caught my eye. I mean, come on. Smart kitchen tools starting at $6.49? What’s not to love?

Here are some of my favorite offerings:
Norpro Multipurpose Grater & Juicer $8.99

Norpro Stainless Steel Avocado Slicer $8.99

Norpro Porcelain Butter Keeper $6.99

Norpro Knife Organizer – Set of Four $7.49
And even though it’s a bit pricier, I just LOVE this bowl. I can see it on my countertop filled full of fresh fruit. *smile*

Norpro Bright Stripe 24-Oz. Bowl $19.99

Head on over to Zulily and check out the Norpro Kitchen Sale, then leave me a comment and let me know what catches YOUR eye.