Back to School Give Away!

Thanks to Nestle, I am doing a series of posts about keeping your sanity while heading back to school. For some households heading back to school can be hectic and costly. Of course you'll be buying school supplies, and most will buy school clothes or uniforms, and then there are extracurricular activities and all the gear that is involved with those things. But, you can't forget the "extra" costs that add up, like those runs through the drive thru when you just can't seem to make schedules work with dinner.

Well, as you know it is back to school for me - as a teacher of course and I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve for keeping things sane on the home front and keeping as much money in my pocket as possible! I'm sharing these tips in a couple of posts and giving you guys the opportunity to win a $500 Walmart gift card thanks to the nice folks at Nestle! This post is all about:

Dinner on a Dime in a Jiffy

First off, my family rarely eats out on weekdays. I love to eat out at restaurants, but since we don't have a whole lot of extra disposable income, we like to save it up and eat somewhere really nice on the weekend two or three times a month rather than use it up at fast food restaurants. This means I have to keep my freezer and pantry stocked and ready to go so I can fight the temptation to pop through a drive thru.

I have lot of quick fix meals that I can go to on a weeknight when I am pooped. My thoughts are your recipe arsenal should include lots of quick weeknight dinners, some of which do not require fresh or frozen meat. For instance, I have a favorite comfort food type meal called chicken croquettes that takes canned chicken. This is great for days when I forget to thaw out the meat for dinner! Tuna casserole is another good one for those oops kind of days. And, there are still other nights when you are just too exhausted or it is too late to even think about cooking a real meal, so I like to keep a few quick prep meals in the freezer, like Stouffer's lasagna or frozen pizza. Then you can just pop it in the oven and throw a salad together, and viola! Dinner is served. Even though it may not be gourmet, it is quick and satisfying and it is cheaper than fast food. And, chance are, it is probably healthier as well.

Getting dinner on the table doesn't have to take a lot of time, and eating at home is almost always cheaper than eating out. Not to mention, it also allows you to have a little quality time with your family after everyone has been away for the day at work and at school. What better way to connect with your family than over a family meal?

You Want to WIN a $500 Walmart Gift Card to Help Defray Some of Your Back to School Costs?

You'll have three weeks to enter - each week you'll get another chance. You can enter each week!

Here's what you need to do:

Fill out the form with your name, email, and your favorite weeknight dinner.

For extra entries you can:

• Tweet about this give away (up to once per day!). Grab this and post it on Twitter: @CentsibleSawyer is giving away a $500 Walmart Gift Card thanks to Nestle! Go enter HERE: http://tinyurl.com/npowf6

• Grab my button and post it on your side bar or add a text link to this blog on your side bar - then come back and leave a separate comment.

• Blog about this give away and leave a link in the comments section here.

• Post it on Facebook with a link back here then leave a comment here with your Facebook link.

Come back next week for more ways to enter! This Contest ends August 21 at 11:59 EST. The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced August 22.