In the spirit of the new year, I would like to be more organized and

I use coupons all the time! I don't buy canned items, corn, tomatoes

beans, tomato sauce/paste, cottage cheese, sour cream etc. unless it's buy one/get one and I have a decent coupon for each item. I save lots of money. I usually have a saving of $20 or more each time I shop. It only takes a second to gather a coupon and it helps our budget.

 
Yes, our Winn Dixie has gas savings also. They put meat on good

buy one/ get one sales and I go there and also save on gas at the save time. Woo Hoo!

 
Would you believe I shopped Publix for several years before I found out they would take coupons on

the free item? And I learned that and that they would accept competitor's coupons from the Iheartpublix.com blog. If you're not familiar with it, check it out. She lists unadvertised specials also. I think it's called the Happy Report, there's a story there, lol. Just go to her site and check out Publix deals. Her coupon database is great and searchable. On Mondays, she posts the ad that starts that Wednesday or Thursday, along with links to some coupons that apply. Nice to get a head start on the deals.

http://www.iheartpublix.com/

 
Yes, as well as Winn Dixie, Wallmart, Target or any other food

store. I do use the I heart Publix and southern savers. I just didn't know about the 2 you linked to. Plus I really like the coupons Publix emails that will just automatically come off the bill with check out. They really do go out of their way to get your business.

 
It's still a bit of an adjustment--especially after the holidays. I'm not sure what happened but she

requested both Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, then ate somewhere else. She also requested a WHOLE turkey and a WHOLE duck, then complained there was too much food. I nearly lost it. I called a friend of mine who said, "She paid for the option. You gave it to her. What she does with that, is none of your business." That's true, but it's a bitter pill to swallow. Especially after they ate out a ton over the holidays and didn't tell me. I could have cut back and made fewer things but I had no idea. Seriously frustrating.

On the whole though, it's been a great experience. I am just wrapping up my 22nd week of cooking for them. I've made over 175 dishes (nearly all of them are new) and really honed not only my efficiency in the kitchen, but my budget skills.

The gig ends when she graduates from nursing school in May, so I've got about 20 more weeks to go. I'm trying to push myself to try more challenging recipes or cuisines I'm not that familiar with. Realizing I don't have that much more time left, I need to focus on that a bit more.

It's been one of the most significant challenges of my life, and I'll be the first one to say it's also had a tremendous reward. So glad I took the leap.

 
I've sort of forgotten all their "needs" which I think were pretty many, but have you

looked at the cookbooks Quick and Easy Thai and Indian. They have unusual things (I was just refreshing on the Indian (by Madha Jaffrey) and they are not "run of the mill".

 
Excellent suggestion. Thanks! I've cooked out of the Madhur Jaffrey Quick and Easy but

didn't realize it was part of a series. I have other Indian cookbooks but the Madhur Jaffrey Quick and Easy book is the one I reach for more. Looking forward to getting a copy of the Thai book. One of my favorite cuisines.

 
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