99 Cent Only Store for Christmas!

As usual, The 99 Cent Only Store was my hero for Christmas. All the decorations on my tree came from there, as did most of the wrapping paper.

For stocking stuffers I made home made hot cocoa mix and the cute canisters came from the 99 Cent Only Store.

The pets even got ...erm I mean Santa brought...gifts from The 99 Cent Only Store!

Sophie wasn't too happy with her sweater...so I couldn't get it all the way on.  :)

So once again, The 99  Cent Only Store is a lifesaver.

Baked Spiced Apples - Under $5!

Oh yeah! It's getting to feel A LOT like Fall! (Sorta)

I love love LOVE this weather...well when it gets chilly at night until right before sunrise. Then we get into the 80's until nightfall again. But I'll take it!

This is the time of year I love to bake! The house smells awesome and winter's just around the corner!

And, if you follow this blog, you know the drill.  Hardly a recipe when I cook, and this is no different. This is a 99 Cent Only Store blog as well because everything came from the 99 Cent Only Store!

Baked Apples

Brown Sugar (.99 cents - used half)
Butter (.99 cents for 4 sticks - used one stick)
Cinnamon (.99 cents - used a few shakes)
Raisins (.99 cents - used half the box)
Pumpkin Spice (already had)
Apples (2/.99 cents - used 4)

Slice the top off your apples

Core the inside of your apples

In a saucepan melt the rest of your ingredients together. I used a stick of butter (that's right...a STICK), about a cup or so of brown sugar, couple shakes of the spices and a handful of raisins.

Melt and mix.

Then spoon into your apples and put back in the sauce pan.

Put the tops on and Bake at 375  for about 30 minutes covered, until soft-ish.

I usually use red apples, but the 99 Cent Only Store had only green.  Since green apples are tart, it was the perfect compliment to all the sweetness. So I shall use green from now on!


So...all in all...99 Cent Only Store stuff...this dish was literally under $5.00

Breakfast for 3 - Under 2 Bucks

1 Dozen Eggs = .99 cents
1 bag Hashbrowns = .99 cents

It was just myself, the mister and one of my nuggets for breakfast.  2 eggs a person = 6 eggs total for a cost of just under .50 cents.

I browned one bag of hashed brown taters and served the eggs on top.  Some of us topped that with some salsa we had.  A filling breakfast, feeding three, for roughly $1.50!

99 Cent Lunch - Rice Noodle Soup!

Simply Asia Garlic Sesame Rice Noodle Soup Bowl hit the spot today.  It's an icky humid rainy day outside today.  My office is FA-REEZING cold. With a rainy view from a cold office - SOUP was the cure!

.99 Cents was the price....3 minutes was the waiting time!

Bagel Breakfast

This week I was surprised to find cream cheese at The 99 Cent Only Store.  So I grabbed TWO!  Weight Watcher's cream cheese at that!

A little stroll to the bread isle found me some bagels!

Tuesday Morning found me a yummy easy and fast breakfast....with coffee of course!

Roasted Veggies and Linguine Pasta

Easy Peasy - as usual!

This week at The 99 Cent Only Stores, I found fresh broccoli, fresh mushrooms, fresh green onions and linguine. Oh yea! It was ON!

Broccoli, Green Onion, Mushrooms and Garlic

I washed everything, chopped and put it all in a pan for roasting in the oven.  Poured some EVOO over it all...salt, lemon pepper, garlic...tossed and roasted in the oven at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or so.  I opened and re-tossed them during that cooking time.

Personally, it's up to you how roasted you want them to be.  I wanted the broccoli to be green and fresh with a crispy bite!

Then serve with the pasta and shredded mozzarella cheese over the top.

Broccoli                                   .99
Green Onions                           .99
Mushrooms                              .99
Pasta (2)                                  .99
Mozzarella Cheese                   .99
_________________________________
           TOTAL                  $ 5.94

*I had the EVOO, garlic and seasonings.

The Receipt

Hello! Another adventure at the 99 Cent Only Store!  I posted, as usual, the picture of my car trunk LOADED down with the $65 worth of buys on my Facebook.

My cousin said that she wanted to see my receipt..you know a list of items I purchased for those bucks.  So here it is.

My 16 year old loves the canned Vienna Sausages..don't ask me why...she does.  And I also stocked up for at-work-lunches to eliminate about $50 from our debt a week from eating out.

Depending on when you go, 99 Cent Only Stores has good produce. It's different each time I go. This time I got a bunch of broccoli, mushrooms, lettuce, green onions and cucumbers.  I get eggs (they carry medium and large) and milk (they carry Whole and 2%)  They also carried Weight Watcher's brand cream cheese and bagels..which is a CHEAP breakfast for the family!  I also purchased a few food storage containers and my 13 year old was with me...she found a great scarf she liked!

This trip is different than the last and the one before that....and so on.  It depends what we need, what I see and what I'm in the mood for.

Creamy Potato and Cauliflower Soup!

This is usually a winter delight - but it's so easy I couldn't resist!  This makes a HUGE pot of soup! It fed 4 last night and 3 people for lunch today...with the fourth being a teenaged girl...I'm sure there will even some after she's done.... ALL for around THREE BUCKS!


Creamy Potato and Cauliflower Soup


1 Head of Cauliflower
1 Bag of Potatoes
1 Bunch of Celery

Boil potatoes and celery first. 

Then add cauliflower until it's softened. As with most of my recipes - your seasonings are up to you. I added oregano, salt, seasoned pepper and EVOO.

Then CAREFULLY add some veggies and some broth into a mixer. 

Cover loosely with the lid and start whirring on a low setting, ending on a faster setting to pulverize it all. Add it to a pot. Repeat this until it's ALL done. One thing I do is leave the last batch a bit chunky, but you can blend all of them to have an entirely creamy soup.

Put it back on the stove and warm up. Add some milk or cream. And serve!

Some extras you can add is cheese and sour cream!

Baked Rigatoni

This is a dish that's easy to do and thanks to 99 Cent Only Store...I fed my family of 4 with PLENTY of leftovers for around SEVEN BUCKS!

Here's the Recipe and Savings!

(You can cut this recipe in half...but I love having leftovers to feed the mass of teens in and out of our house during the summer days and nights!)

2 Bags Rigatoni Pasta

1 Can Whole Tomatoes

1 Can Garlic & Onion Tomato Sauce

1 Bag Cheese (variety is king at the store - so choose what kind you want)

2 Pkg. Italian Squash

*There's your $7.00

Seasonings can be whatever you have on hand!

Boil the pasta until it's al dente - you don't want them mushy and falling apart. 

Drain noodles. 

Rough chop whole tomatoes. 

Put the noodles back into your pot you cooked them in and add the whole tomatoes and sauce and stir. 

Add the cheese and any seasonings you want from simple salt and pepper to garlic salt, oregano, basil or any Italian seasonings you wish! And STIR!

Pour everything into a casserole dish and back at 400 for about 20 minutes. 

AND EAT!!

I was lucky to find Italian Squash at the 99 Cent Only Store and I sauteed that in some EVOO with a dash of salt, pepper and oregano and there's my side!

Oh...and for dessert - Chocolate Chip Cookies....so for a grand total of about $8.00 for dinner for 4 AND leftovers galore!

Breakfast Tacos

Unfortunately as my life goes - it was a BUSY morning in our household. I woke up at 5:30am as usual and scampered to the kitchen to start 3 pasta salads for myself, one of my kids and my mister for lunches. While that was going I had to make breakfast tacos for everyone....take out the dog, get coffee started and attempt to get myself together for work.

When I had everything just about done, I went to throw some clothes on and there was Vallie Cat MEOWING to get in her 'mommmie's' room (my daughter). So, I opened the door to let her in...discovering that I forgot to wake up my kid! (She goes to work with me during the Summer) GASP! I rushed in and woke her and got her going.

Threw some clothes on and back to the kitchen to put the tacos together and put the pasta salads in 'To Go' carry alongs for lunches.

WHEW! It's a wonder I got out the door at all this morning!

So, for my very first 99 Cent Only Stores food post - it's not glamorous in the least. It's cell phone pics - from my oldest at my request! Gak!

Breakfast Tacos For 5
*For around 5 bucks!*


1 Bag Frozen Tator Sticks             .99 cents
Eggs                                            .99 cents
Cacique Queso Fresco Cheese       .99 cents
Tortillas (I had these already in the fridge) (but are usually a buck or so anywhere)
*Total (without tortillas) is $2.97 (before tax)

- I browned the tator sticks in a skillet with a little bit of oil. As they cooked, I chopped them up to resemble hash browns.

-When the tators are done, I added the cheese that I chopped up and put a lid on the skillet to soften the cheese. After it's soft, I mixed the skillet to blend the cheese with the tators.

-I cracked 6 eggs (so that would be around $0.495 worth) and cooked, mixing the tators and eggs.

-Lastly I turned off my burner and put the lid back on to steam any uncooked eggs.

-Spoon them into the tortillas - or eat right out of the skillet!

For additions - you can add ketchup, picante sauce, any extra cheese,and any seasonings. Don't forget 99 Cents Only Stores has a HUGE selection of spices and seasonings!

I fed a clan of 5 this morning! 2 Tacos Each!

THANK YOU 99 Cent Only Stores!

Living The 99 Cent Lifestyle!

Hi there! My name is Dawn and I'm a mommie of two teens (and the teen friends who travel in and out our revolving front door!) and a wife to a wonderful mister.

Budget : The total sum of money allocated for a particular purpose or period of time. 

That word pretty much dictates everything we do - cooking, school activities, mommy and daddy activities, clothes, shopping in general! It's tricky and frustrating - and challenging. But I love a challenge!

I love to cook! I love to cook GREAT food! I am also a vegetarian, married to a meat-a-vore and have one child that's a veggie and another that's a partial veggie. SO - as you can see - just cooking is a challenge in this house!

I discovered the 99 Cent Only Stores a years back - and have always enjoyed the bargains I get on cleaning items, toiletries, dishes and food!

The last few times I went - I was amazed that on a tight budget and with a total of maybe 60 bucks, I filled my truck which in turn filled my pantry and subsequently filled my family's bellies with food and deals!

I decided to then write this blog and share how to shop and cook on a budget. Cooking good food, from the 99 Cent Only Stores that look great and taste great and good for your wallet!