Thomas typically does not enjoy sloppy Joe's because they are so messy. I, however, end up craving them every once in awhile. They are also fairly cheap and quick to prepare for a couple of busy, working college students. I decided to give these a try the other night and Thomas loved them! Not only were they great for a quick dinner on the cheap, but these "un-sloppy" Joe pockets are also great cold for lunch the next day.
Here's what you'll need:
1 pkg refrigerated pizza dough ($2)
1lb lean ground beef ($3)
1 can sloppy Joe sauce ($1)
Brown and drain the ground beef. Season if desired (I chose to season mine with black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder). Stir in a can of sloppy Joe sauce. Roll out pizza dough and cut it into circles. I used a cereal bowl to cut mine out. Place the circles on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Spoon some of the sloppy Joe filling onto one side of the circle. Fold over other side the other side of the dough to make little handheld pockets. Use a fork to press and seal the edges. Poke a couple small holes in the top so the pockets do not explode in the oven. Bake on 350 degrees until golden brown. I have seen some recipes that add cheese too, but I like mine without.
Pair this recipe with a side of steamed veggies and you have a complete meal for $7 that can feed a family of 4-5 with leftovers for lunches the next day!
Remember when I said you should make a wishlist of the items you have been wanting to purchase for your home, kitchen, wardrobe, etc., and try to find them on Craigslist, at yard sales, and on Ebay for lower prices? Well you should also be searching the store circulars for deals too. The Brita water filter pitcher has been on my wishlist for some time now because I despise wasting money on bottled water and hate drinking chlorine and zinc infested tap water (in our area you can really taste it...ick). Unfortunately we also live in a rental unit with an older refrigerator without a built in filtration system. We tried at one time to purchase the Brita faucet mounted water filter, but it did not fit on our faucet so we ended up returning it.
Anyway, I have been holding off on purchasing the Brita pitcher simply because I haven't had time to go out and get it. Waiting ended up paying off big time! I was out shopping with my mom and sister yesterday when I noticed the Brita pitchers were on sale for $18.99!
I had received a $20 Target gift card from a friend just before Christmas. Not only did I have a gift card, but I had a coupon for $3 off a new Brita pitcher. This brought the price of the pitcher down to $15.99. In addition to being on sale for $18.99, Target was also running a promotion for 1/2 off any other Brita product with the purchase of any Brita pitcher. Because I could get any other Brita product 1/2 off, I decided to stock up on filters. Target offers a 4-pack of filters for $18.99 (they are usually $6.99 each so you're saving $8.97 by purchasing them in a 4-pack instead). Half off $18.99 abour $9.50. I also happened to have a coupon for Brita filters $2 off any multi-pack. That brought the prices of the filters down to $7.50 for 4 (or $1.88 each).
My total after coupons was $23.49. After tax and my gift card. I only paid $5 out of pocket for my brand new Brita pitcher and 4 filters! If I would have purchased this item right after receiving my gift card, I would have paid $25.99 for the pitcher and $18.99 for the filter. But by waiting, watching sale adds, using apps on my phone, and being patient, I saved $21.49!
One last way I saved on this purchase was by using my iPhone. If you're not using the Ibotta app yet, you need to stop what you're doing and go download it NOW!!! This is a free app that allows you to earn money back on groceries. These are not weird grocery items that no one ever buys either. You can earn money back on items such as milk, diapers, bar soap, shampoo, granola bars, snack crackers, fruit, dry pasta, frozen family size dinners, cereal, oatmeal, frozen pizzas, bread, body lotion, over the counter medicines, and cleaning supplies. The grocery stores are not weird hole-in-the-wall stores either. They are stores like Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Walgreens, Sam's Club, Kroger, Dollar General, Costco, and CVS. You perform activities such as reading a fun fact, voting in a poll, post on Facebook, Tweeting, or watching a video to earn. Then all you do is scan the barcode on the product after you purchase the it, take a picture of your receipt, and send it in easily right on the app, and you receive your rebate within about 24 hours. You can also earn by going to see certain movies and eating a certain restaurants. After you have at least $5, you can cash out using PayPal, or purchase gift cards.
Anyway....Brita just happened to be on Ibotta the past few weeks. There is a $4 rebate on any Brita pitcher! By redeeming this offer, I earned $4 off of the purchase of my Brita filter. This brings my total savings to $25.49 and my total out of pocket cost for my Brita pitcher and 4-pack of replacement filters to $1 out of pocket!
Now I can begin saving even more money by bringing my own water to work and school instead of purchasing the despised bottled water! I'd say this purchase has already paid for itself just in the 24 hours I have had it!
One great way for college students to save money is to take advantage of their student ID card. The following is a list of retailers and restaurants that offer student discounts:
1. Amazon: 1 year free subscription to Amazon Prime.
2. AMC Theaters: discounted movie tickets on Thursdays.
3. Apple: 8% off in stores or online.
4. Amtrak: 15% off tickets.
5. Banana Republic: 15% off.
6. Charlotte Russe: 10% off in store.
7. Burger King: 10% off at certain locations.
8. Dairy Queen: 10% off at certain locations.
9. JoAnn's Fabrics: 10% off.
10. The Limited: 15% off.
11. Pizza Hut: 10% off at certain locations.
12. GM: Various discounts on GM and Chevy vehicles for college students and recent grads.
13. Greyhound bus lines: 20% off tickets.
14. Qdoba: Free drink with purchase.
15. Chipotle: Free drink with purchase.
16. Subway: 10% off.
17. Waffle House: 10% off.
18. Arby's: 10% off.
19. Chick-Fil-A: Free drink with purchase.
20. Buffalo Wild Wings: 10% off.
21. Valvoline Instant Oil Change: 20% off.
22. Annie's Frozen Custard (Edwardsville/Glen Carbon, IL): 10% off.
23. Penn Station: Free drink or small fries with purchase.
24. Bull & Bear: Half off appetizers.
25. Hollywood Tan: 25% off lotions.
26. Scott Credit Union (My favorite discount EVER): $50 free when you open a checking and savings account, and get a debit card.
27. Papa Murphy's Pizza: $10 Tuesdays- any size!
28. AT&T: 10% off bill.
29. 54th Street Bar and Grill: 10% off.
30. Clarkson Eye Care: $30 off eye wear.
31. Coldstone Creamery 10% off.
32. Great Clips 10% off.
33. Culver's: 10% off.
34. Mojo's Music (with RoverTown app): Free guitar strings or drum sticks.
35. Jack in the Box 10% off.
36. La Fonda (Edwardsville, IL): 10% off.
37. Los Tres Amigo's: 10% off.
38. Pasta House: 10% off.
39. The Cup (Edwardsville, IL): 10% off.
40. Verizon Wireless: 25% off.
41. SGT. Pepper's: 10% off.
42. Edison's Entertainment Complex (Edwardsville, IL): 10% off food and beverages.
43. IHOP: 10% off.
44. To-Do's Party Supply (Edwardsville, IL): 10% off.
45. Quizno's: 10% off.
ALDI is one of my favorite places to purchase groceries! Although they do not accept coupons, their prices are super low because they do not advertise as much as larger grocery stores, they do not offer free bagging like most other grocery stores, and they carry their own brands. The following is a list of items I purchase at ALDI on a regular basis, and the amount of money I save by doing so.
1. Produce: I absolutely love purchasing fresh produce, especially in the spring and summer when most of my favorites are in season. If I go to Walmart or another grocery store chain for my produce, I always feel like I am overspending and my produce goes bad sometimes before I get the chance to use it. When I buy my produce at ALDI, I am getting a great price and it seems to last longer for some reason.
Bananas at ALDI $0.38 per pound v. Bananas at Walmart $0.58 per pound.
Fresh Brussels Sprouts at ALDI $1.50 per pound v. Walmart $2.79 per pound (when you can find them).
Oranges 3LB bag at ALDI $2.99 v. Walmart $5.99.
Fresh green beans at ALDI $1.99 for a 2LB package v. Walmart $1.99 per pound. That's like half off!
Russet potatoes 5LB bag at ALDI $3.49 v. Walmart $5.99.
Fresh asparagus bunch from ALDI $1.99 v. Walmart $3.99
2. Olive oil: My family is not only Greek, but really into healthy cooking as well as Italian cuisine. So we tend to go through a lot of olive oil. High quality extra virgin olive oil at ALDI $2.99 per bottle v. Walmart $6.99 per bottle! That's a savings of $4! I also love the olive oil cooking spray. If I were to purchase this product at Walmart, I would spend $3.99 per spray can v. $1.99 at ALDI for a savings of $2.
3. Meat: Some cuts of meat can be found on "Manager's Special" for an extremely low prices. But when I can't find good cuts on special at the regular grocery store, I head over to ALDI. Family sized packages of boneless pork chops are usually priced around $4.35 each v. Walmart $7. Boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins 2LB packages at ALDI for $3.80 v. $5.99 at Walmart. One pound packages of ground turkey $1.99 at ALDI v. $3.99 at Walmart.
4. Spices and Herbs: I cook and bake with so many different spices. Because I have a history of high blood pressure, I also make my own spice mixes instead of purchasing the premixed envelopes. If you have walked the spice aisle at regular grocery store lately, you know that the price of certain spices can set you back as much as $7 or $8 for a single jar! At ALDI, spices are $0.99 per bottle. In addition, the bottles are larger than most you purchase in the grocery store. They do not carry all of the spices that you will find in the grocery store, but most of them I use on a regular basis such as cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, paprika, cinnamon, parsley, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. You can also find table salt for $0.32 v. $1.50 at Walmart.
5. Frozen Pizzas: Because Thomas and I are both working full-time and going to school full-time, some nights it is easier just to toss a frozen pizza in the oven. I know that when I purchase frozen pizzas from ALDI, I am getting a great quality pizza for not a lot of "dough" (hehe, sorry I had to). ALDI frozen pizza $1.99 v. Walmart $4.79.
6. Fish: Most of the time we like to eat healthy so we tend to buy a good amount of fish. A bag of 4 salmon fillets (which is two meals for us or dinner one night and lunch the next day) $4.99 at ALDI v. $7.99 at Walmart. A bag of 4 pieces of Tilapia at ALDI $4.99 v. $6.99 at Walmart. Shrimp is also very affordable at ALDI; just $3.99 for a bag of peeled and de-veined v. $6.99 at Walmart.
8. Wheat Bread: I can stock up on my favorite wheat bread from ALDI for $0.99 per loaf v. $1.99 at Walmart. Since bread freezes so well, I buy several loaves as a time so we always have bread on hand.
9. Milk: No matter what kind of milk you like to drink, it is most likely cheaper at ALDI. Since we are thinking about starting a family soon, I have switched to drinking vitamin D milk. This is only $2.99 per gallon at ALDI v. $4.09 at Walmart.
10. Honey: This is another ingredient we go through a lot of. I love putting this in tea, making Asian inspired dishes, drizzling it on toast, making sopapillas (a Mexican dessert that is kind of a fried tortilla topped with honey and powdered sugar), etc. At ALDI, this honey costs just $2.99 v. $4.99 at Walmart.
