I need to find a better system for grocery shopping and couponing. This week I’ve gone to the store damn near every day to pick up one thing or another. As for coupons, I clip a few for things I know I need, but it doesn’t amount to more than a couple bucks in savings. Last week I used one coupon and saved $1 on salsa. That ain’t gonna help pay the mortgage.

This week I thought I had improved my skills when instead of using a coupon for Tully’s coffee at $5/lb, I used one to buy a huge tin of Yuban coffee for $9. Good job, Amy! Surely that not only saved several dollars, but the sheer volume of that tin ensures we won’t need to buy coffee again for months, maybe years!

But I just realized upon closer inspection that the tin is 2 lbs, so I once again only saved $1. AND now we have to drink shitty coffee for weeks.

I’m hoping the solution will come with more cooking and shopping experience. I get totally overwhelmed by recipes. Making a shopping list for one is hard enough, let alone a week’s worth. Of course my husband prefers to go without a list, and just come up with a meal plan on the fly once he sees what’s on special. So cocky.

For next week my mission is to map out all the meals by Sunday and get all the groceries purchased by Monday. Out of necessity, I will also watch a few episodes of Extreme Couponing this weekend to inspire me, in hopes that I too can one day have a pantry filled with twelve dozen boxes of Twinkies, 200 cans of soda and a lifetime supply of Doritos.

This list of tips on the show’s website was actually kind of helpful. I know I will never have the dedication to clip coupons with amazing results, but these two are good reminders for me.

– Extreme couponers don’t buy an item when they need it — they buy it when they can get it at the lowest price. These savvy shoppers then stock up when the going’s good (and cheap), so they save money in the long run.

– To save big at the grocery store, you need to forget brand loyalty.

Of course I attempted to overlook brand loyalty with my coffee couponing and that didn’t do me much good.

My dairy/soy-free eating has not been too painful to date, until last night. Desperate to satisfy the cheesy needs of myself and my 3 year-old, I made this mac-n-cheese recipe. I learned that while dairy substitutes are great in moderation – a little almond milk for pancakes, or some fake cheese to top a pizza – when you dump them all into one recipe, it tastes like glue.

I really wanted to like it. The first bite I thought I did. But by bite three it almost came back up. I withheld my disgust from my daughter in the hope that she might enjoy it, but it was soon clear that she was also unimpressed. So we both ate cereal instead.

I won’t give up on the dairy-free Daiya shreds yet, but I need to find a less cheesy creation for next time.

I like to think I’ve got a smidge of creativity in me, but I am not a very crafty person. But my 3 year-old loves to do craft projects, and is always asking me to help (the nerve!). She gets tired of doing the same old thing, so last week in a ”Mommy I’m bored!” moment I suggested we make paper dolls. I cut the doll and clothes while she colored them in.

Admittedly not the most artistic project, but hey – it kept her busy for a bit. Until she drew the nose and then went ape-sh*t because she didn’t like how it turned out.

I attempted to make this a learning moment about how there are different types of noses and bodies, and all are beautiful. She wasn’t buying it.

After that episode I began to research craft blogs by mothers far more creative than I for ideas. Boy did that make my paperdolls look even more lame. This blog has amazingly cute and stylish ideas by a mother of four, which begs the question – where does she buy her cocaine? I cannot fathom finding the time and energy for such creativity, but I like to look at it.

I made a meatloaf! And so my domestic transformation continues. These things are actually pretty easy to make. Who knew. And a no brainer for a 3 year-old who loves ketchup.

I wouldn’t say it was delicious, but it was decent. Next time I’ll try another recipe. This is the one I used.