Giving Back To Him

Good-by....

2010-02-26T11:15:00.004-05:00

March 12th, will be one year, since I started this blog. It's been a great year. A challenging year. I started this blog to introduce my friends to couponing, and the many ways to save money. These were not my ideas, simply ideas that I passed along to readers.

While I still enjoy blogging, I have made the decision to quit. This is largely due to some health issues that I have had in the last few years. I feel like I need to lay blogging aside and focus on finding answers and hopefully, healing. Sitting is one of the worst things I can do for my back and blogging of course requires sitting at the computer.

I will not stop couponing, unless I come to a point where I can't shop. I sure hope not. :) I know there are lots of other blogs out there that talk about deals, couponing, and other shopping tips. I am planning to shut this blog down after a few weeks.

Keep on saving, and putting your heart into your home!

Thank you all for the comments and encouragement you have been to me in the last year.

I love you all!

This week's freebies

2010-02-26T11:01:00.008-05:00

This is my favorite freebie for the week!
-Coupon for an 8 oz package of Sugardale pepperoni

-Timer (Free from Amazon with swagbucks)
-Family Fun magazine
-2 Tea bags and $1 coupon from Yogi Tea
-3 Pack free fragrance sampler from Victoria's Secret (Pink Nation Members)

Kroger:

-Kashi cereal, free with a coupon from Recycle Bank

-6 Oikos yogurt , free with raincheck and coupons (Thank you to Michelle for 5 of these!) -The other one I found in the yogurt Isle at Wal-Mart. :)

-2 Bumble Bee tuna pouches, free after .55 coupon doubled

Wal-Mart:

-2 Olay Body wash and 1 Olay lotion, free plus a money-maker after coupons and rebate!!

CVS:

-2 Gold Emblem candy, free after scanner coupon

-Not pictured (because I ate them :) Small package of Gold Emblem almonds, free with RIB coupon

-Not Pictured (gave them to my mom :) 2 Speedstick Deodorant, free after coupon and ecb's

Pretty good week, 24 freebies. :) What did you get this week?

Free Microfiber Towel!

2010-02-25T14:51:00.002-05:00

Go here, to request your free microfiber towel! I know our van could use a good wash and shine right now! :)

Thanks to unemployment survival for this tip!

Free Reach Floss and Toothbrushes!

2010-02-25T14:38:00.005-05:00

Print this $1/1 Reach floss or toothbrush coupon and use at Wal-Mart on Reach floss. Wal-Mart sells several varieties of Reach floss for only .97! (Regular price)

Kroger has select varieties of Reach toothbrushes and floss priced at $1 this week, so FREE floss or toothbrushes after the coupon!

You'll need to fill out a simple form, and you will have access to the coupon.

Thanks hiptosave!

Free Deoderant at Kroger

2010-02-24T22:00:00.002-05:00

According to several blogs I have read, Kroger has Right Guard deodorant on sale for $1. Buy 2 and use this 2/2 coupon to get it for FREE!!!

Thanks ThriftyandChicMom!

Coupon Count

2010-02-24T18:18:00.002-05:00

Ok, since Michelle was the only one who guessed, she's the winner! The total count from January first to now, is 217! Michelle was only 8 off with her guess of 225. :) Way to go!!!

In January, we did an "Eating from the pantry challenge", so it would probably have been higher without that.

Happy couponing!

Just for fun..

2010-02-23T21:28:00.005-05:00

I enjoy keeping track of spending, coupons, etc.... So this year I decided to keep track of how many coupons I am using. (Excluding extra bucks) I was surprised when I counted up this years total! I thought would be fun to have you guess, so if you want to take a shot at guessing, leave a comment in the comment section!!! :) No cheating!! You can't go back and look at my spending posts. :) This is the number of coupons I have used, not the amount of money I have saved. You just might be inspired to start counting your own coupons. It helps me stay motivated, to keep track of savings!

Coupon Carryout

2010-02-23T20:42:00.003-05:00

There are many places to buy coupons from, but thanks to my friend Janet, I discovered one close by! Obviously the closer the location where your coupons ship from, the sooner you get them in your mailbox. Coupon Carryout ships from Harrod, Ohio which is around 2 hours from Mt Vernon. Ohio shoppers , you might want to bookmark this site for the future!

Thanks Janet!

Huggies Wipes Deal!!!

2010-02-23T14:55:00.004-05:00

Update: OK, the price is back to 7.99 now!!!

Read all about the amazing deal on Huggies wipes at CVS on Michelle's blog!

Deals around town

2010-02-22T18:13:00.004-05:00

Cvs:

:::If you have the coupons from CVS's Reinventing Beauty magazine, you can use the $1/1 Gold Emblem, Almonds coupon on the snack size, (.99) to score free almonds!!

Wal-Mart:

:::In the 2/21 SS, there is a $3 off when you purchase 1 Bandaid product and one Neosporin product. Buy one package Diego Bandaids for 1.18 and 1 tube Neosporin, for 3.87. Use the $3 coupon and pay only 2.05 for both.

:::Have you done the $15 Olay rebate yet? Here is are a few money-making scenarios for Wal-Mart:

Purchase 1 Olay lotion 4.47 (Smaller bottle)

2 Olay Body wash 3.87 each (Smaller bottle)

Total 12.21

-Use 2/1 Hand or Body lotion from 1/17 P&G

-Use 1/1 Olay Facial Moisturizer or Facial Cleanser or any Olay Body Wash, In-shower Body Lotion, Bar Soap or Hand & Body Lotion from 2-14 RP

-Use 1/1 lotion or body was from ? P&G I think this was from 2/7 P&G

Total 8.21 plus tax = 8.74 (Ohio tax) :)

Submit for $15 rebate 6.26 money-maker!!!

If you get more than one Sunday paper, you could do 3 lotion or 3 body wash, etc....

Kroger

:::Bumble Bee tuna pouches (Light) .90 Use .55/1 from 2-21 SS FREE

:::Mento's Gum 1.50 Use .55/1 coupon from 2-21 SS

:::Healthy Life Flax or 100% whole wheat bread $2 from 2-07 SS $1

Coupon Highlights for 2/21

2010-02-20T12:54:00.005-05:00

I don't clip all my insert coupons, but here are a few that I am excited about:

Good deals at Wal-Mart:

$1/2 Halls 20 ct or larger. I believe Wal-mart price is around 1.32, so .82 each when you buy 2.

$1/1 Celestial seasonings tea. Wal-mart price is around 2.23-2.87, so 1.23-1.87 after coupon

.75/1 Velvet Ice cream. Anyone know the price?? This is possibly the world's best ice cream. :)

Kroger:

I am not sure of all the prices on these, but I considered these worth clipping and price checking:

.55/1 Mento's gum. I think the price on these is around 1.50, so .40 after double coupon

$1/1 Revlon beauty tool. Kroger will occasionally put Revlon makeup and beauty tools on sale for 40-50% off. This coupon will make the nail clippers free!

.75/1 No Yolk noodles. These are regularly priced at 2.19, or 2.29 so .69 or .79

.60 off 6 Dannon single serve cups or one four or six pack Light and Fit. I have seen the Light and Fit four packs on sale for $2, so .80 after double coupon

.75/1 Chex cereal. Wait for a sale, and combine with the .75 coupon doubled, should make a for a good price!

.75/1 Velvet Ice cream. This will double to 1.50, anyone know the price at Kroger??

.55/1 Bumble Bee Tuna pouch. I have seen these on sale for $1-$1.25, which would make these free or almost free. Anyone know the current price?

This Week's freebies

2010-02-19T11:49:00.006-05:00

Not a lot of free stuff this week!

*Insulated bag from Nestle (I think this was a Sam's club or Wal-Mart freebie)
*Weight Watcher's magazine
*Sample of hair repair serum

2 Pillsbury sweet rolls, .95/1 coupon doubled at Kroger

Hormone Heresy, from Paperback swap

Home made laundry detergent (Powdered)

2010-02-18T11:03:00.005-05:00

I apologize for the "out of focus" picture!

By stacking a coupon with a sale, I can usually find detergent for the same price or cheaper than I can make it. Recently I ran out of detergent and there was no sale! So I decided instead of paying full price for detergent, I would make some, out of ingredients I had on hand. This recipe is similar to a lot of homemade detergent recipe's I have seen. But instead of liquid, this is powder. I prefer this one for several reasons.

::: It takes up less space. 72 loads of powdered detergent fit in a smaller container than 72 loads of liquid.

::: It takes less time to make it. Simply grate the soap, stir in the powder and fill container.

::: No "ick" factor. :) The liquid detergent is slimy, separates and is just doesn't look very nice. :)

-If I lived in an area where I couldn't count on my coupon/sale method for cheap detergent, I would definitely go with this recipe:

Homemade detergent:

3 C. Fells Naptha soap finely grated (2 bars)

3 C. Washing Soda

3 C. Borax

Mix well and store in an airtight container. Use 2 T. per full load. The original recipe recommends using hot water to dissolve the soap, but I find that using warm water works fine.

Makes 72 loads. This takes me less than 10 minutes to make.

I use my Bosch attachment to grate, but you can use whatever you have. Hand grating can be time consuming.

-This will not get your water sudsy or make your clothes smell good. I use fabric softener, so I don't miss the smell. ;)

Malt-O-Meal coupons

2010-02-16T20:43:00.004-05:00

Edit: Monica says:
"All I could find was puffed rice and puffed wheat. :( :( All the others are in the $3-$4.50 range."
Wal-Mart has several types of Malt-O-Meal cereal (small bag) priced at $1. There were two types at Mt Vernon Wal-Mart. (Can't remember which, sorry!) Go here, here and here to print .75/1 coupons.

Thanks moneysavingmom!

High value Pillsbury coupon!

2010-02-16T20:22:00.002-05:00

There is a .95/1 coupon available here for Pillsbury sweet rolls. Kroger will double these which makes the smaller size (4 ct) free!

Thanks Michelle

Kroger Triples Picture

2010-02-12T13:27:00.007-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, Kroger is tripling coupons up to .5o this weekend so of course I had to go get some deals!!!

OK Here's the whole pile: ;)

Total before coupons, $85.88
After coupons: $16.70, plus I have another $4 catalina to use , from purchasing the Purex,
so $12.70!
I accidentally got 9 bags of Chex mix instead of 8, and the one Cellfire coupon didn't come off, so I lost $2. And because I was afraid my total was going to be negative on the second transaction, (in the first one, Cellfire coupons came off multiple times) I got the English muffins so I wouldn't have to grab candy bars at the checkout (this is an embarrassing situation to be in) to get in the black! So dumb!!! So all in all I lost around $4 for my mess ups! GRRRR!!!! $4 may not seem like much but it's 1/3 of my total!!!

First transaction:
-2 Purex 2.99 each (plus I got back a $4 coupon)
-Pampers Wipes .49
-2 Tony's pizza .39 each
-I Suave deodorant Free
-2 Freshlike veggies .39 each
-2 Steamfresh veggies .39 each
-4 Chex mix Free
-1 Chex mix 1.50 (growl!) :(
-1 Fiber one yogurt Free
-1 Betty Crocker icing .71
-2 Blistex .04 each
-3 loaves Healthy Life bread .50 each (I wanted more but there wasn't any!) :(
-Lever soap .39

Second transaction:
2 Purex .99 each (With $4 catalina coupon from previous transaction)
4 Chex mix Free
3 Healthy Life English muffins .69 each
1 Fiber One yogurt Free

So how did you do? :) Let's hear about all the deals!!!

This Week's freebies

2010-02-12T13:14:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures of free food and other items that I got this week:

I did two different transactions at Kroger, to take advantage of the Purex catalina deal, so 4 bags Chex mix per transaction.
-8 bags free Chex mix. Free after triple coupons
-2 Fiber One yogurt Free after triple coupons and e-coupons*
-1 Suave deodorant Free after triple coupon
*E-coupons can only be used once, but my husband and I each have Kroger Plus cards since I lost my key ring version. So I used his card for the second transaction.
These came in last Sunday's Columbus Dispatch (In the plastic bag :)
- Fiber One bar
- Sample of Fiber One cereal
-Coupons

Free Skein of yarn. This was a Facebook freebie, and this is the second roll they sent me!

-2 Free Starkist pouches Free with $1 coupon from Vocal Point

-Free Oreo's (facebook freebie)

What did you get this week? ;)

Kroger Triples

2010-02-12T08:48:00.005-05:00

In case you haven't heard by now, Kroger is tripling coupons up to .50, through Sunday, February 14. (Thanks to Michelle for alerting us!!)

Michelle has some coupon match ups here and you can find more match ups at Stretchingabuck.

I got up bright and early this morning (OK, so there's nothing bright about getting up at 6:00 am :) and came home with some great deals!!

Here are a few deals that weren't mentioned in the links above:

Note: The $1.50 sale tags are no longer on the Chex Mix (Cheddar and Original) but are still ringing up at $1.50.

-Betty Crocker pouch potatoes 1.29 .50/1 Bettycrocker.com ( Free) (This coupon was previously available but has reached its limit)

-Solo cups and plates 2.49, .50/1 1-31 RP (.99)

-Yakisoba dinners (ethnic foods isle) 1.09 .50/1 1-03 SS (Free)

-Healthy Life bread $2-2.79, .50/1 1-03 SS (.50-1.29)

-Healthy Life English muffins 2.19, .50/1 1-03 SS (.69)

-Healthy Life hot dog/hamburger buns, 2.19 .50/1 1-03 SS (.69)

-Select varieties of Pepperidge Farm bread 2.69, .40/1 1-10 SS (1.89)

-Huggies Wipes (tub) 2.60, .50/1 1-17 SS ($1.10)

-Listerine pocket packs 24 ct. 1.77, .50/1 1-03 RP (.27)

-Comet 1.29 .35/1 1-24 SS (.24)

I am hoping to get my weekly "freebie" post up a little later on, as well as pictures of my triple couponing! :)

Kroger, CVS and Wal-Mart

2010-02-09T09:08:00.006-05:00

With another snow storm coming in, I decided to shop late last night and made it back around 11:30. I am tired but glad to be able to stay home and watch the snow from inside!

Here are my favorite deals for this week:

CVS

Dawn dish soap .99 Use the 1/1 Dawn hand renewal coupon from the P&G booklet FREE

Trident Layers chewing gum .99 Use the .75/1 coupon from 2/7 SS .24

Cheerios BOGO prices starting at 4.29

*Use 2- 1.25/1 chocolate cheerios coupon if you printed it last week (print limit now reached)

*Or 2- 1/1 Honey Nut coupons here and here. 1.79-2.29 for 2 boxes. Or .80-1.15 each when you buy two.

Wal-Mart

Old Orchard 100% Juice 1.72-1.99 Use the .50/1 printable previously available from coupons.com 1.22-1.49

Thai Kitchen coconut milk 1.44 use the 1/1 coupon available on coupons.com .44

(We use this to cook rice, amazingly delicious!!)

Starkist Tuna Pouches $1 use the 1/1 printable available from vocalpoint. FREE

Kroger:

Edge shave gel $2 use .75/1 from 1/10 SS .49 after double coupon

Gillette Satin shave gel for women on closeout for 2.29 Use .55/1 from 2/7 P&G 1.19 after double coupon

Purex detergent 2.99 use .35/1 from 1/10 RP 2.29 after coupon (This is less expensive than Wal-mart)

(This is part of the Daytona event, so if you buy 10 participating items, you get an additional .30 off)

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers 1.89 Use .75/1 printable .39 after double coupon

Free Sample of Burt's Bees toothpaste

2010-02-08T10:19:00.003-05:00

I have seen lotion soap and shampoo made by Burt's Bees, but never toothpaste! If you want to try a free sample, go here.

Thanks hiptosave!

Reading Goals

2010-02-08T10:07:00.009-05:00

Before I got married I used to read a lot. After I had babies, I found it very hard to find time to read. (Let alone concentrate and actually get what I read!) I don't have any small babies right now, but my life is a LOT busier than it was before I got married! Reading is a great brain exercise, but that's not the only benefit.

Reading books keeps me out of a rut, thinking the same old things and doing the same old things. Most of us moms who stay at home all week don't get a lot of adult conversation or other opportunities to stretch our minds. I have noticed that if I don't read books/blogs/engage in adult conversation, my brain feels dull and I am very unmotivated! So:

This year I have a goal of reading a minimum of 12 books. My "real" goal is 24 books or 2 per month, but I am trying to be realistic. :) I used to think I didn't have time. But I noticed that I have time for things that I really want to do. If I really want to read then I will make time. It's like anything else, blogging, sewing, couponing, scrap booking. If every minute of my day is full, (and it is) then I need to cut one activity for another. I can choose to make a simpler meal for a few more "spare moments", leave my house a little messier, or get up fifteen minutes earlier.... All it takes is one chapter a day. That's 28-31 chapters per month, which is all it takes to get through most books. Posting my goals on this blog, helps keep me motivated. :)

So far this year I have read:

-Parenting is your highest calling, AND EIGHT OTHER MYTHS THAT TRAP US IN WORRY AND GUILT (I highly recommend this book!)

-Clothed with Dignity

I am currently working on:

-The Total Money Makeover

-The Duggars, 20 and Counting

Some books I hope to read:

-Hormone Heresy

-The Endless Steppe

-Shepherding a Child's Heart

-Eternity in Their Hearts

-And the Shofar Blew

Any recomendations?

This week's freebies

2010-02-05T18:27:00.006-05:00

I got quite a few freebies this week. :)
First picture:

::: Dove Men's body wash Free plus overage, at CVS after ECB's and coupons
::: 2 Johnson's Buddies Bars Free with printable coupon at Kroger
::: Skein of yarn (Facebook freebie)
::: The Duggars 20 and Counting, Free from paperback swap. (Looks like the Post Office tried to squish it in my box! :(

::: 7 Oikos yogurt free at Kroger with coupon and raincheck
:::2 free Dawn dish soap free at CVS with coupon and raincheck

:::5 Pouches Old El Paso side dishes free after double coupon, catalina, and e-coupon

:::7 cans Rotel free after double coupon and mega saver discount

::: 16 ct Always Infinity pads free with coupon

::: 3 Oikos yogurt free with coupon

I wish I could get all my freebies in one picture, but they don't all "happen" in one day! :)

8 Home Made Simple coupon books!

2010-02-03T09:40:00.003-05:00

I was able to sign up for 8 Home Made simple coupon booklets, on 8 different links!

Go here and click on each one of the three Cascade coupon links. Fill in your information and your coupon booklets are on the way!

Thanks, Michelle!

In addition to those three, go here, here, here, here, and here to request 5 more!

Thanks hiptosave!

Did you know? (Please tell me I am not the only one who didn't!)

2010-01-30T17:38:00.002-05:00

I have been using swagbucks for nearly a year and just yesterday I found this;

Every couple weeks Swagbucks sends out an e-mail to swagbuck users. At the bottom of the e-mail, there is a swag code you can paste in your account. I think the amounts vary, but the most common is obviously only one. In the past I have always deleted these. Terrible! :) These codes usually expire whithin a couple weeks. So don't delay. :) I might even have an extra $5 amazon gift card if i had redeemed those. If you're new:Swagbucks is a search engine that awards points for searching. You can then redeem those points for gift cards and other prizes.If you want to know more about swagbucks and how it works go here. Believe me, you'll want to check it out. :)

Eating From the pantry wrap-up for January

2010-01-30T14:34:00.009-05:00

Wow. I can't believe January is over. (Well almost) I thought I would just be dying to do some mega couponing once the month was over. But really I am not. I am looking forward to the second week of Kroger's mega deals though. :)

My goals were:

#1. Spend $80 or less on groceries for the month of January.

::: I ended up at $49.09!

This is food only and does not count the meal we took to a family gathering in western PA. We were responsible to provide food for 19 people and spent around $20.

#2. Make no more than 4 grocery shopping trips.

::: I think I went about 6 times. So I blew this. :)

#3 Buy only fruits, vegetables, and dairy. (I allowed room for free and "killer" deals)

::: I bought a few things like bread and noodles, since we were tired of eating Hawaiian sweet rolls from the freezer and the noodles were a decent price.

Over all I am happy with how the month went. I spent more time in the kitchen cooking from scratch. :) But I survived! I am hoping to do a bulk-cooking day sometime in the next month. I think cooking in bulk will save a lot of time and energy for me.

The crazy thing is that my pantry, fridge, and freezer aren't really any emptier than they were at the beginning! I am totally serious! This is largely due to Travis's contributions. I appreciate the fact that he is willing to chip in since he eats here, but he has definitely brought more than he's eaten. He has little time or resources to cook and so he saves a lot of money by bringing food for us to cook and share instead of eating out every single meal.

Here is what my pantry/food supply looks like currently:

If you want to see pictures of my food at the beginning of the month, go here.

At the beginning of the year, I started tracking my grocery and household spending/savings in a spread sheet. The last half of 2009, I was drawing $50 for my weekly spending on grocery and household. I decided to start 2010, by only drawing $40. You know how much faith it takes to push 4-0 on the ATM machine? Whew! Since this was my idea and not my husband's and I had told him about it, I was afraid of failing and having to tell him I was going back to $50. :) But it didn't happen! We made it just fine. You might wonder why I am doing this? While we are not among the rich, neither are we homeless, or among the poorest. But in these difficult times, one never knows when work (and pay) will end, so why not save for the (even leaner) lean times? :) So my total grocery and household budget for January was $160.

Actual money spent: $75.54! 49.09 was grocery and 26.45 was houshold which includes diapers.

I would love to say that the extra $80 plus dollars went into savings but it didn't. :) I added this to my clothing budget since I needed more than my budgeted $50 this month. I say need, but some of it WAS want. :) I LOVE clothing. It. is. definetely. my. weakness. :) I am glad to have a budget to keep myself in check. We have a budgeted amount of $150 per year per person on clothing. With growing children who make holes in socks and water that bleaches clothing....it's hard to stay within that.

So final numbers from January savings tracker: (Household and grocery)

Total value of items before coupons and discounts: $352.88

Total spent: $75.54

Savings of $277.34 or %78.59

This number is a bit inflated since most of us don't buy everything at full price. And some of us don't like buying ANYTHING at full price! The real question of whether coupons are worth it or not, is this: How much were you spending weekly before you started couponing versus how much you spend after you started couponing? If you are spending the same amount and just getting more stuff you don't need then you're not saving money. Even with shopping at Aldi and watching sales, I was spending $70 minimim, every week before I started couponing 2 years ago. So I am happy to have that number down to $40! That's a savings of $1,560 per year! Yay! I say couponing is worth it! I know $40 is not realistic for everyone. We only have two children and I buy one pack of Pull-ups a month for night time, to wear on my 2 year old. Diapers can take a big bit out of your budget!

So how is 2010 going for you? Any other survival stories from January's Eating From The Pantry challenge? :)

This week's freebies

2010-01-28T20:53:00.006-05:00

-Holland House Cooking wine was free with a coupon I recieved in the mail.

-Suave deoderant Free with a 1/1 catalina coupon at Kroger

-2 Quaker snacks free with a .75/1 coupon doubled at Kroger

-10 Oikos yogurt Free with $1 coupon at Kroger

-15 Steam fresh frozen vegetables free with .50/1 coupon doubled

-4 Ortega taco seasonings free with .75/2 coupon doubled at Kroger (Didn't get my own picture.) :)

::: When I say "This week" I mean since the last freebie post. :) Just to clarify...

:::You know, it's hard to define FREE! We all pay for newspapers, ink and paper so we might pay a few pennies per coupon or sheet of paper printed. I bought the Steamfresh and Oikos coupons on e-bay. The yogurt came out to .08 each with the coupons I bought and the frozen veggies were .17 per coupon. But I am still putting these in the FREE category. :)

Modesty Tip: Tank Tops

2010-01-28T14:47:00.014-05:00

If you're concerned at all about modesty, it's pretty hard to buy clothing off the rack that's ready to wear. I often end up having to sew it in, sew it up, or pin it shut! :) In the case of tops....it's a lot harder. How are you going to fix a low or short top? If it's not there it's just not there! You may already know this, but tank tops are THE modesty item!!! I wear tank tops 4-5 out of 7 days a week. Wear a matching or co-ordinating tank under a "too low" top and voila! You're now fit to be seen in public! :) The same goes for a short shirts. Especially t-shirts. Tuck the tank in and you won't be revealing 3 inches of skin when you bend over. ;) Or if it's long enough, leave it out for a layered look.

I find most of my tanks at thrift stores. If the neckline still isn't high enough, you can often turn it around and use the back in front. That tip comes from my mom. :) Also, if you find the perfect tank that's 2 sizes too large, it's very easy to sew up the sides and trim off the excess for a good fit. It still takes awhile to find tanks that have decent necklines, but once you find them you can wear them over and over!You'll want to have some basic colors that you can wear with a lot of different items. I suggest:

-Black

-White

-Tan

-Gray

-Brown

I also use red, pink, and several shades of green. I prefer all cotton, t-shirt type fabric. It's soft and comfortable. I am currently looking for a navy tank top. I don't mind searching awhile since I love treasure hunting at thrift stores. I know it's out there, and it'll be found!

Post Cereal coupon and deals

2010-01-25T23:12:00.004-05:00

Hiptosave has the scoop on how to get a $2/1 Post cereal coupon. (Raisin Bran, Shredded wheat, or Grape Nuts)

Note: I could only print this in Firefox.

Kroger has several varieties of Post cereal priced at 2.50, included in the Mega Event. (.50)

K-Mart has Post cereal on sale for $2 this week, so FREE!

Wal-Mart has Shredded Wheat for 2.32. (Only .32!)

The final week of Eating From The Pantry!

2010-01-25T22:25:00.006-05:00

My total spending on food so far this week is 9.98. Not everything is pictured here, I bought a few things at Wal-Mart. The picture above was today's Kroger shopping. :) I finally found some Oikos vanilla yogurt. It was being stocked as I rounded the corner and my heart skipped a beat. (You know that feeling? :) The lady that was stocking said she ordered blueberry and none came....so I guess it's not her fault. :) I am still waiting ....

The chips and cooking wine were free. In my Eating From The Pantry Challenge, I allowed myself produce, dairy and "killer deals". The noodles and bread don't fall in those categories, but my noodle coupon was expiring and .79 is still a good deal. The bread was 1.99, buy one get one free. So while I cheated a little but, last week and this week, I am still way under my monthly food budget of $80, at $49.09!!

I don't currently have a dishwasher, but we will likely be purchasing a house in the next 6 months, and are planning to install a dishwasher. At .49 for the best dishwasher detergent I have ever used....I stocked up! I have tried a lot of different brands and types and so far the Electasol Finish tabs outrank them all!

So we are down to the final week and honestly my cupboards don't look much more empty than they did on January first! Seriously. I will try to post a picture of my pantry on January thirty first. A friend gave us a TON of food, and even though he eats a very large amount, when he eats with us, we still have lots of food in the house. :)

So here are my menu ideas:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal/frozen peaches
Cereal
Yogurt

Lunch:
Greek pita pockets (we didn't eat these last week like we were planning)
Fried potatoes/ham/gravy/mixed veggies
Frozen soup from the freezer peas
Ham and Cheese sandwiches apple slices
French onion soup with French bread
Leftovers

Supper:
Brown rice pilaf/broccoli
Broccoli Risotto/corn pudding
Samon patties/mixed veggies
Tuna Melts
Venison Roast/potatoes/green beans
Leftovers

Unadvertised Mega deals

2010-01-25T22:13:00.003-05:00

Anyone else excited about the Mega Event at Kroger??!!

I don't have time to do coupon match-ups, but I found a few items included in the Mega Event that were not advertised in the flyer:

(These prices include the .50 mega discount)

Chex Mix 1.99

Land O Lakes tub butter margerine spread 1.19

I Can't believe it's not butter quarters 1 lb 1.49

Chi-Chi's Salsa 1.99

Dixi Bowls and plates (Smaller size) 1.99

Solo cups 1.99

Daisy Sour cream 1.79

Finish Electrasol gelpacs and tabs 20 ct. 2.99 (USE $2.50/1 coupons!!)

Nature Valley clusters 2.49 (Blahhhh!!)

Kleenex facial tissue 1.19

I found a complete list in the dairy section, by the yogurt. Happy savings!!!

Free Taco seasoning at Kroger!

2010-01-25T10:35:00.004-05:00

Update: This price is good through 1/31/10

Ortega Taco seasoning is only .73 at Kroger. (As of last week) Use the .75/2 Ortega products from the 1/24 SS to get free taco seasoning.! (If your store doubles) I forgot to check the sale end date on the tag. Hopefully this price is still good for a while!

2010-01-23T16:03:00.002-05:00

I have one more freebie that I recieved today and I just had to post a picture!!!! Now technically it's not a "real" freebie. If you've never heard of Paperbackswap, you need to check it out! Basically, you list books that you have and don't want anymore. (Not limited to paperback) :) Another member can then claim it and you mail it out at your own cost (usually around 2.25) and when he/she recieves the book you get a credit to request any book you want. Your book will then be mailed at the cost of the sender. Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, retails for 24.99! I am excited to read this book! I added this book to my wish list sometime last summer and just this week it was my turn to claim the available book! Yay! To read more about PBS, go here.

This week's freebies

2010-01-22T17:56:00.006-05:00

This was a good week for freebies from the mail. I have two pictures, because I was afraid some of the freebies from the beginning of the week would get eaten before I got to Friday!
:::Woman's Day (free one year subscription)

:::Always Sample pack including a coupon for a free pack of Alway's Infinity!
(I had requested this before but since we moved I was able to request again with our new address)

::: Free sample of Stacy's Pita chips (in the mail)

::: 2 Free Wonka gummies at Kroger with $1 coupon

::: 2 Free Flavored water with H2O Essentials .75/1 coupon doubled at Kroger (1/18 SS)

:::Refresh Your Nest coupon booklet (In the mail)

::: Family Fun Magazine(Free one year subscription)

:::Weight Watchers Magazine (Free one year subscription)

Note: I don't have time to read many of the magazines I get, but most of the time these will have coupons!

Week three of Eating from the pantry

2010-01-20T16:46:00.006-05:00

I had planned to show pictures of my groceries and post a menu for each week of this month. Well, I guess it's not going to happen this week. We were gone over the weekend, came home Sunday night, unpacked, did laundry, and got to bed late. Monday morning I got up, finished laundry, and packed for a 24 hour ladies party with my mom and sisters down in Columbus. Around Monday evening both my children started with runny noses and coughs. We had a fun time talking, and shopping but now this is Wednesday and I still have to empty my shopping bags from yesterday. Normally I rush home, throw everything in the washer and examine each item over and over...re-living the thrill of the "find". :) Maybe tonight after everyone is in bed... :)

A homeless friend of ours asked me to replace his coat zipper and so my afternoon was spent ripping out seams, pricking my fingers, and wiping noses and cleaning peanut butter off the floor. But this same friend also blessed us with groceries! He had no idea of my "eating from the pantry" month, still doesn't... :) It included #10 of potatoes, several loaves of bread, meat, and canned items. I am amazed! And, ashamed....our friend has been eating several meals a week with us and I admit that I was frustrated a few times and inwardly complained about the stress of having to make more food, wash more dishes...and now this man who has no home and sleeps in his truck, brought food to us! I am humbled..... God truly is blessing us.

This week just stinks in the "couponing deals" department!! At least for the Mt Vernon area. So far I have spent around $5 including the Steamfresh coupons that I bought on e-bay. And the only thing I can think of that we need yet for the week is milk.

How's everyone doing? Feeling a little tired of it all? Going for an extension? :)

3 Free Issues of Family Circle!

2010-01-18T08:54:00.004-05:00

Michelle has the details on how to get 3 free issues of Family Circle! I love free magazines. :)

(Thank you Michelle! )

Week Three coming later in the week...

2010-01-18T08:48:00.004-05:00

We're back home after a relaxing weekend with John's extended family. The beginning of the week (and really, the whole thing :) is very busy, but I am hoping to get my "Week Three of Eating From The pantry", post up by Wednesday. We have lots of fruit and leftovers so I will not be needing to buy much this week. Hope it's going well for the rest of you that are doing this! I will say there were several days last week when I was tired of the whole thing. But it didn't last long and I am excited once again, about using what I have and saving money! :) I am amazed at how full my freezer and pantry still are! It feels like I have hardly made a dent in my stockpile!

This week's freebies

2010-01-13T23:29:00.006-05:00

Almost every week I get completely free grocery and household items. So I have decided to start posting a picture of each week's freebies! In the future I will be posting this more toward the end of the week, but since we are leaving for the weekend, I decided on today.

There is a bag of Steamfresh Green beans that's missing from the picture because they are already eaten! ;)

Kroger:
Wonka Gummies - On sale for $1, used 1/1 coupon
G2 Gatorade on sale for .87? -Used .50/1 coupon from 1/10 RP (Coupon doubled)
2 Steamfresh Veggies -On sale for $1, used .50/1 coupon from 1/10 SS (Coupon doubled)
Walmart:
Stacy's Pita chips (Free coupon in the mail) Facebook I think?
Yoplait Smoothie (Free coupon from Pssst.)
Reach floss -.97, used 1/1 coupon from a SS insert (Not sure which)
CVS:
M&M's on clearance for .39, used 1/2 blinkie coupon

1/1 Duck tape coupon

2010-01-13T23:24:00.002-05:00

Go here, to print a coupon for 1/1 Duck brand packaging tape.

Wal-mart sells the 50 yard rolls 1.08. So only .08 after the coupon!!!

I found these with the packing supplies and mailing envelopes.

This week's grocery shopping

2010-01-13T23:16:00.004-05:00

I am not taking time to post pictures or a list of all my food purchases for this week.

But I will give you my total and some details for accountability's sake. :) All my groceries fit into one of the three categories that I allowed for myself except, I did cheat a little! :) I bought a pack of pita pockets for $1 and some manager's special whole wheat buns marked down to 1.29. We were getting tired of the white dinner rolls and I don't have time to bake bread this week. But I think you'll forgive me (if I need it :) because my total only came to $13.26. That includes 1.75 I spent for -20 1/1 Oikos yogurt coupons that I bought on e-bay.

I might pick up some Cheerios at K-mart yet this week, for .50 per box. But even with that, I will be well under my $20 budget.

For those of you who are doing this or half doing this :) how is it going?

2/1 Welch's Sparkling grape juice!

2010-01-13T19:40:00.002-05:00

Eden, said she found a 2/1 coupon for Welch's sparkling grape juice on smartsource.com!

I couldn't find the coupon myself, but it might not be available for my zip codes.

Wal-Mart carries Welch's Sparkling juice for 2.97, so only .97 after coupon!

Thanks Eden!

Week two, Eating From The Pantry

2010-01-11T21:45:00.005-05:00

OK, so I got this up on Monday after all! :)

I am actually a bit disappointed that my pantry stock isn't disappearing any faster! I was hoping for bare cupboards at the end of January. Wouldn't that be a wonderful feeling to just start over? Maybe I will have to extend it. :)

Here is this week's menu:

We are leaving for Pennsylvania on Friday, so this is Monday-Thursday:

Monday

Breakfast: Cornmeal mush, yogurt

Lunch: Leftovers from previous week

Supper: Old Fashioned Turkey Soup, Dinner rolls, Salad, and canned fruit

Tuesday

Breakfast: Pancakes/eggs

Lunch: Tuna Melts, salad, applesauce

Supper: Mexican Chicken roll ups, corn, Applesauce

Wednesday

Breakfast: Cheerios, oranges

Lunch: Old fashioned Turkey soup, peas

Supper: Greek pita pockets, Potato soup

Thursday

Breakfast: Pancakes, eggs

Lunch: White chili, green beans

Homemade French Onion soup, Baked corn

My husband made a comment about liking soup so well he could eat it everyday, so guess what? He will get as much soup as he wants!! Soup is very easy to make in large quantities and easy on the budget.

Last week's menu ended up very different than I had planned! Some meals got switched around and others skipped because we had so many leftovers!

A day in the kitchen...

2010-01-11T19:33:00.006-05:00

I had great plans to go shopping, do a "Week 2 of Eating From The Pantry" post, and some other things...well, my day didn't go as planned. Probably because I had too much on my "to-do" list. Instead, I washed one mountain of dishes after the next!

(I have limited counter space, so i have to stack clean dishes in two places!)

I hadn't washed any dishes since Saturday evening, so the stack was quite large! I also (finally) cooked up my 20 pound turkey that I had bought before thanksgiving at .29/lb. Whew! I am happy to have 26 cups of cooked/chopped turkey, and 7 cups of broth in the freezer, but......I am sick of turkey smells and dishes!

Hopefully I can get my "Week 2 E.F.T.P.C." up tomorrow. :)

Free Sample of Purex 3 in 1

2010-01-08T23:44:00.003-05:00

Purex has a free sample available for Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheet. Supposedly these have the detergent/anti-static/ and softener all in one package! If you want to try it out, get your free sample here.

Thanks moneysavingmom!

I have been wanting to try these, since they came out and never found a good enough price. Has anyone tried them? Give us a review. :)

Free Sample of Emergen-c Alert

2010-01-07T08:09:00.004-05:00

Here's a great freebie for the winter season!

Request your free sample of Emergenc-E Alert fizzy berry, drink mix.

You can also sign up for a free sample packet here. (Click on Free Samples, in the top, right hand corner.

Thanks hiptosave!

Christopher and Banks FREE shipping, no minimum!

2010-01-07T08:03:00.004-05:00

Today you can get free shipping at Christopher and Banks from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm only. There is no minimum purchase! Enter promo code 9612.

Printable coupons

2010-01-07T07:51:00.004-05:00

There are lots of printables out there and I don't print nearly all of them, but I found a few you might be interested in. :)

1/1 Wonka Gummies (Supposedly $1 at Kroger, haven't ckecked)

.55/1 Old El Paso green chili's (If your store doubles, these should be nearly free.)

1/2 Kraft cheese

Thanks Michelle!

1.25/1 Marcal napkins I've heard these are around 1.50 at Giant Eagle

1.50/ Wet Ones (I think these are around 1.97 at Wal-Mart)

(I printed this one a while back, and couldn't print again, but if you haven't printed it....it should work)

Thanks Moneysavingmom!

Cvs deals

2010-01-04T23:01:00.004-05:00

CVS has all their Christmas clearance to 75% off. (As do Wal-mart and Kroger)

-There are bags of M&M's marked down to .99, and there is a 1/2 M&M blinkie in the candy isle. So .49 each after coupon!

-If you recieve a 1/2 Gold Emblem candy at the scanner, you can use it on the small boxes of CVS candy in the Christmas clearance. There are Mint Chocolate chip cookie dough bites or brownie bites marked down to .39!

-Look for the CVS Re-inventing Beauty coupons in a little leaflet by the make-up isle. There are magazines for .99 with the coupons inside, and there are also the little coupon leaflets laying on top. (For free of course!!)

Pictures of my pantry and shopping

2010-01-04T22:14:00.016-05:00

Here are some pictures of the food we will be eating in the next month:

The goals I set for myself are:

1) Buy only dairy, and produce (Unless.....there's some far out deal like healthy cereal for .25 a box!!!!)

2) Spend $80 or less on groceries, ($20 per week)

3) No more than 4 grocery shopping trips for this month

* I don't have a pantry, so this is my main food cupboardRefrigerator:

Small freezer:
Deep freeze:

Miscellaneous food storage:

Looking at all that, I feel confident that we can go at least a month on this plan!

__________________________________

Below, I have a picture of what I bought today:

-18 Dannon Yogurt @ .30 each = 5.40

-5 Oikos Greek yogurt Free with coupon!!

-Dannon Activia 12 pack on managers special for 2.99, used 1/1 Q so 1.99

-Mom's Best Naturals .79 (Was supposed to be .04, but e-coupon didn't come off! :(

-Lettuce 1.93

-Spinach 1.69

-Avocado 1.00

-Oranges 1.49

-Grapefruit 1.99

-Cheese 2.29

Total: $18.57

Now you are probably thinking 35 cups is an insane amount of yogurt. The fact is that I have to ration this to make it last 2 weeks! My children were already making plans on the way home from town, to eat 2 yogurts each, as soon as I get it into the house! We don't always keep this much yogurt around, but I found a lot for a great price, so it came home with me. :)

And now for the Menu:

-For breakfast, this week we will be eating either grits, cheerios, cornmeal mush, or oatmeal.

Monday:

Lunch- Wisconsin potato and ham soup/brussel sprouts (yes my kids eat these)

Supper- Spaghetti/ Hawaiian sweet rolls (Found at Aldi for .25/dozen) and salad

Tuesday:

I am planning to spend the day with my sister, so I will be taking a citrus spinach salad and John will eat spinach salad and leftovers. :)

Wednesday:

Lunch-Rotisserie chicken/ butternut squash/corn/dinner rolls

Supper- Farmer style pork chops (crock pot)/fried rice/brussel sprouts

Thursday:

Lunch- Zucchini quiche/dinner rolls

Supper- Corn Chowder/Tossed Salad

Friday:

Lunch-Leftover potato soup/ Salad

Supper-Mozzarella tuna melts/ Veggies and dip

Saturday:

Lunch: Cheesy noodles/Baked Pumpkin

Supper: Ham and cheese pizza/Salad (Yeah for the fifth time!)

Sunday:

Lunch: Pork chops in cream of mushroom sauce/fried rice/Acorn squash

Supper: Leftovers

-As you can see, we are big salad eaters! I haven't been able to eat salad for a while because of my oral surgery, so I am hoping I can eat salad again starting tomorrow. I try to have a veggie for every meal and some type of meat once a day. Usually we have one day where we eat vegetarian. This week, Thursday will be meatless. :) Some of you are probablyfreaking out at my menu! Honestly, we like eating this way and my husband helped choose the menu. Also, we rarely eat dessert. We do eat a lot of fresh fruit in between meals.

Week one, of "Eating From The Pantry"

2010-01-04T09:01:00.008-05:00

Deep breath. Here we go:

I took pictures of my food supply around January first. I realized that we could probably eat from the pantry for several months!

Last night my husband helped me with meal plans. I was very thankful for his help, because this looked very overwhelming to me!

Here we are, cookbooks in hand. :)

So now I have a long list of lunch and dinner ideas to choose from. I will be back later today (I hope) with this week's menu plan and grocery list. After I resize my pictures, I will add pictures of all the food in the house. :) Blogger takes foreeeeeeeever to upload full-sized pictures.

5 Coupon Inserts this weekend!

2010-01-01T23:31:00.002-05:00

I am hearing there will be 5 inserts in this weekend's paper! I think I'll be buying extra's!

Go here to see a preveiw.

(Thanks to stretchingabuck!)

$5/5 Healthy Choice coupon

2010-01-01T09:50:00.002-05:00

I don't buy a lot of microwave meals, but it's nice to have some on hand for the days I am gone and my husband is working from his office! :)

Healthy Choice is a fairly...well, healthy choice :) for microwavable meals. I have seen these priced less than $2 at Wal-Mart. So with this $5/5 coupon you could get a pretty good deal.

Thanks hiptosave!

Coupons have re-set!

2010-01-01T09:40:00.002-05:00

Coupons.com is one of my favorite printable coupon sources. These coupons have re-set again, since we are at the beginning of another month!

One of my favorites is still there:

.75/1 No Yolks pasta. My Kids will be happy for more noodles!

Finally, I found them!

2009-12-29T08:55:00.004-05:00

For those of you who use the folder/trading card holder pages to hold your coupons, I have finally found the pages at Wal-Mart! (Please tell me I am not the only one who couldn't find them!)

I bought mine at Staples, for an outrageous price. Can't remember the exact price at this moment...something like $3 for 10 pages. Anybody know the exact price?

So yesterday I found them at Wal-Mart, in the oddest place!! On the backside of the tobacco counter, up front with miscellaneous merchandise, on the bottom shelf. So if you're looking for these, check the front of your store. They were priced at 5.77 for 35. Definetely a better deal in my opinion. I haven't tried these yet, so I don't know how the quality compares to Staples.

.04 cereal at Kroger!

2009-12-29T08:46:00.004-05:00

If you have a Kroger nearby, you may want to take advantage of this deal:

Mom's Best cereal is priced at 2.29. (1.99 at some stores)

Use this .75/1 coupon (It will e-mailed to you after you sign up)

Stack with a .75/1 e-coupon from Shortcuts.com

.04 or free, depending on your store's price!! (And your store doubles coupons)

My children really like the Mom's Best version of Honey-Nut Cheerios.

Free Granola sample

2009-12-29T07:32:00.004-05:00

Sign up here, to recieve a free sample of Galaxy Granola. There are 2 varieties to chose from. I love healthy freebies!

Thanks VaLita!

Eat from the Pantry challenge

2009-12-28T16:23:00.003-05:00

Moneysavingmom is hosting an "Eat from the Pantry Challenge" for the month of January. I have a lot stuff to use up from my stockpile, and freezer, so......I can't believe I am saying this, but I will try it!!

My grocery shopping goals for the month of January are:

1) Buy only dairy, and produce

(Unless.....there's some far out deal like healthy cereal for .25 a box!!!!)

2) Spend $80 or less on groceries, ($20 per week)

3) No more than 4 stops at the grocery store

Ok, that sounds really crazy, even to myself! But I can try, right??

Recycle bank

2009-12-28T16:07:00.004-05:00

Read here how you can get a free, full size bottle of Seventh Generation dish detergent, and more (very) high value coupons! I ordered my coupons on December 19th and recieved them today!

With my 100 points I got:

-A coupon for free detergent. 50 points (limit one per person, per month)

-A $1 coupon for Powerade (free at Wal-Mart and Kroger) 10 points

-A $2 coupon for everybody's Nuts Pistachio's (Should be free or almost) 10 points

-A $3 coupon for Marcal Small Steps product (2 pk Paper Towels at Kroger for 3.89) 30 points

Go get your free stuff!!!

(Thanks Moneysavingmom!)

Swag buisness

2009-12-28T15:54:00.005-05:00

If you use swagbucks, and have redeemed Amazon gift cards (or you're considering it) :) here is a little warning. Don't "buy" the $25 Amazon card, you are getting much less for your money, than you get by buying 5- $5 gift cards. Let's do the math:

Cost for one $5 gift card: 45 swagbucks

Cost for one $25 gift card: 345 swagbucks

You are paying 69 swagbucks per $5!!!! A rip off!!! Just for the convienience of pasting one code into your account versus five.

This woman does not like to get ripped off, or see her friends get ripped off...so here's your warning! :)

Now who would like to take 2 extra minutes to paste the 4 extra codes into your Amazon account and save 12.50 in real money? That's a pretty high hourly rate!!

Seasonal Clearance

2009-12-28T15:34:00.006-05:00

Don't forget to watch for seasonally clearanced merchandise. Last year I stocked up on clearance wrapping paper, bows, and decorations for 50-90% off. This year I didn't have to buy any of that stuff. (Ok, I bought 2 poinsetta's for .99 each on Black Friday, and $2 worth of ornaments from Dollar Tree.) But it was so nice to have 99% of my stuff on hand. So watch when you're out shopping.

Currently Wal-Mart, CVS, Kroger, and Dollar tree have clearanced Christmas items to 50% off. I think i'll wait for the 75-90% off deals. :)

Taco Bell Freebie!

2009-12-24T14:19:00.003-05:00

Taco Bell is offering a free Fresco, soft Taco with this coupon.
I had mine today when I was out and about for some last minute shopping. It was delicious!!!

Note: This is a Smart Source coupon and would only print in Firefox for me.

(Thanks Michelle)

Kroger- FREE guacamole!

2009-12-21T21:33:00.004-05:00

Here's a deal you might have missed in the Kroger flyer:

Wholly Guacamole is priced at $1 this week.

Use a 1/1 printable coupon from here, or a 1/1 coupon from the 10-25 SS.

(Note: there are 2 Wholly Guacamole coupons in this insert, one is expired and one is not)

FREE!!!

This week's CVS deals

2009-12-21T21:04:00.009-05:00

After a few, very "blah" weeks at CVS, I finally decided this week's deals were worth stopping for. I almost felt strange walking into CVS after a few weeks off! :)

I'll break it all out for you newbies: (Wave, Janet and Valita!) :)

Huggies Wipes 3.49

Listerine mouth wash 3.99

Nivea body wash 5.99

Thermacare heat wrap 2.49

Crest Pro-Health toothpaste 2.88

Alteril Sleep Aid (I got this as a filler to get my total to $20)

Total 20.83

-Coupons:

-CVS coupon, "Get $4 in ECB's when you spend $20"

-$2/1 Nivea body wash

-1.50/1 Listerine coupon

-.75/1 Crest toothpaste

-.50/1 Huggies wipes

-2/1 Huggies wipes CVS coupon

-1/1 Thermacare CVS coupon

New total: $13.08

Plus Tax : (1.36) Equals 14.44

Minus 12.88 in ECB's, equals $1.56

Plus I got back, in extra bucks :

$3 for buying Listerine

$2 for buying Crest

$5 for buying Nivea

$2.49 for buying Thermacare

$1.99 for buying Alteril

$4 for spending $20 (Coupon listed above)

For a total of 18.48 back!

Net profit of $4.04!!! Woo-hoo! I love it when CVS pays me to shop!!

Go out and do some CVSing this week!

-To learn more about making CVS work for you, read here.

A few unadvertised deals at Kroger

2009-12-17T22:23:00.003-05:00

Kroger has Heluva Good dips priced at 2.18.

-Use the .75/1 coupon from 12-13 SS and pay only .68 after double coupon

Breakstone's sour cream is priced at 1.89

-Use the .55/1 in the 12-13 SS and pay only .70 after double coupon

Welch's juice (cartons in the refridgerated section) are priced at 1.99

-Use the $1 coupon from 12-13 SS and pay only .99

I'm lovin' my Kroger..... :)

Free Shipping day!

2009-12-17T11:32:00.007-05:00

385 merchants are offering free shipping today with no minimum purchase!
See the complete list here.
Here are a few sites that are included:

-Elf Cosmetics

-Eddie Bauer

-Christoper and Banks/CJ Banks

-The Apple Store

-GNC

-Gander Mountain

-Meijer

-Levi's

-Overstock.com (excluding media)

-Pottery Barn (limited to in-stock items)

-Piper Lime

-Nike

-Ugg

There are 351 more, on the list with restrictions, such as "minimum order of $25", etc....

-Some sites require a code which you'll find at the link above. Others will automatically give you the free shipping. Don't forget to go to retailmenot.com, for coupon codes, to save even more!!! Plus, go thru e-bates for a percentage of your cash back!!!

P&G news

2009-12-15T09:33:00.003-05:00

This morning I got the following notification in my e-mail.

"Dear Rachal,
Beginning December 31, 2009, P&GeSAVER™ coupons can no longer be downloaded to your Kroger® Shopper's Card.
Please redeem all P&GeSAVER coupons you now have on your Kroger* Shopper's Card by December 31, 2009.
We value your loyalty to P&GeSAVER and are very sorry for any inconvenience this causes.
Don't forget: You still can take advantage of valuable P&G samples and savings delivered right to your home through P&GbrandSAMPLER®.
Thank you,
The P&GeSAVER Team"

So, no more P&G e-coupons after December 31rst. I am a little disapointed by this, but out of the three e-coupon sites, I use this one least. So it could be worse!

No Yolks Pasta coupon

2009-12-14T17:14:00.004-05:00

Coupons.com has a coupon for .75/1 No Yolk noodles. My Kroger has these priced at 2.09 and will double up to .99. So .59 for noodles!! I don't often buy noodles since they normally cost too much for my budget. My children LOVE noodles and for .59, I will definetely be getting my two bags!!!

(Thanks hiptosave)

I don't know if Wal-Mart carries these, has anyone seen them?

This week's spending

2009-12-11T18:09:00.009-05:00

My friend Michelle, at Frugalandthriftymama has her weekly spending posted, along with pictures of her deals...and since she asked.....here's mine. :)

Total weekly spending on household and grocery: $45.11

Wal-Mart: $18.07
I think this is the first time in my life that I have bought chicken broth! I usually make it from bones (that sounds gross I know) or bouillon. Thanks to deal alert from my friend Janet, I got the marshmallows for .50 per bag. Just in time for cranberry salad and rice Krispie bars! The marshmallows are on rollback to .75 and I found coupons at Kroger for .50/2 bags!!

Aldi $9.19

-Not pictured: 2 bags of brown sugar and 1 bag of powdered sugar. (I stopped by Aldi on my way home from therapy since these items were out of stock on Wednesday.) And yes we will use all those onions. Right now we go through a bag in about 2 weeks! And hey, they were only .49 per 3 lb bag!

Kroger: $17.35
The tissues and soap were free. :)
Cvs: .50 out of pocket and profit of $4.50

Not pictured: A pack of peanut M&M's that I bought for .50 (for my children.) :)

I got the monitor free with a coupon and it produced $5 in ECB's which I can use on anything I want at CVS!!! Yaaa for Money makers! I will donate the monitor.

The rest of my $50 budget went to treat the children at McDonalds. :) My husband pretty much refuses to eat there, because he was raised in a more "healthified" manner. So I take the children occasionally and they think it's the best place ever!

5/1 e.p.t coupon!!

2009-12-11T10:10:00.004-05:00

Ahem! Ladies, today I bring you a coupon that has the power to bring peace of mind, calm to your day and sometimes....great happiness! I can't begin to count how many pregnancy tests I have used in my life! Fortunately I found a pretty cheap way to get them! So here is the coupon:

$5/1 e.p.t product

According to Colin, these sell for 5.99 and up at Wal-Mart! This is the 3rd time I have seen this coupon but the last 2 times it was gone by the time I went to print it! So HURRY!!

Note:

I could not print this in Internet Explorer, so I used Firefox and it worked great.

Think outside the (dollar).

2009-12-09T16:17:00.011-05:00

Our family doesn't spend a lot on Christmas or birthday gifts. Some years we have bought gifts at Goodwill for the children, such as bikes, ball/glove. There are lots of items that are in wonderful condition, donated to Goodwill, simply because the previous owners were tired of them!

This year, thanks to Swagbucks I spent less than a dollar on our family's Christmas! And I didn't have to set foot outside my house.

Valued at $71.05 (Free shipping for buying over $50)

I paid .97!!

-Little Pim Spanish learning DVD's (set of 3) for the children.

We have been wanting to get these for our children and were hesitant to pay the $44 +. Auralie and Judah both love to try out new languages and these are great educational DVD's!

-Settlers of Catan, Seafarer's extension, $15. For my honey. :)

I bought Settlers Of Catan for John's birthday this spring. The game is for 2-4 players. With this extension, 6 can play. (If you haven't played Settlers of Catan, you are missing out!)

-"Once a Month Cooking" $10 For Me. (Yep, I picked out my own gift...my husband said I could!)

I have been wanting to try the 1-2 day cooking a month thing that Crystal does, and this sounds like a great way to learn.

So how did I do it?

In this post, I explained how you can win points for using the Swagbucks search engine. I estimated that, by cashing in my points for Amazon gift cards, I could have $80 by Christmas time. At the end of November, I had earned a total of $75 in Amazon gift cards. I also got a $5 Alice.com gift card for 12 Swagbucks. (No longer available at this price). Since I had used 4.?? for a Leslie Sansone workout video on Amazon.com, I had a little over $70 to spend for Christmas. And since I wanted to avoid the possible shipping delay by ordering in December, I decided to spend the .97 and order at the end of November. I am currently 9 points away from winning my next gift card. So, I will have earned $80 in ten months, plus I have a $5 gift card for Alice.com!!! I am sure there are some of you who thought this was a bunch of hype and I wouldn't be able to do it. :) Well I am smiling and happy with swagbucks!

I am not telling you all this to say that I think it's wrong to spend money for Christmas, or that my "Swag money" is the best way to shop. But I am saying this: Think creatively. Don't just run to Wal-Mart and buy what ever hits your fancy in the toy isle. Christmas is about Jesus, about loving and giving from our hearts.

This Christmas I am glad to give the gift of "saved money" to my husband. (Along with Settler's of Catan) :) This is one way that I can help my husband and make our money reach further.

If you want to start earning and saving, try out Swagbucks!
Read here about how it works.

$5 off your Purchase at Hallmark!!

2009-12-05T09:11:00.003-05:00

I love this type of coupon!

Go here to print a coupon for $5 off your purchase at Hallmark! No minimum requirements! Hurray for free cards!

Thanks moneysavingmom!

Homemade Doll House

2009-11-30T22:07:00.005-05:00

(Sorry, this is a scan of a copy from a magazine)

A few weeks ago, Monica found a cute idea for making a bookcase into a doll house. This idea would be great as a Christmas gift for a little girl, or someting you could work on together. When she "outgrows" her doll house, take out all the furnishings and use the shelf for books and hobby collections!

You'll need a small, two shelf bookcase, found in many thrift stores or department stores.

The Doll Bunk Bed:

-Make colorful wall coverings by installing spring rods in the back and hang brightly colored cloth on the rods.

-Use two inch thick foam and cover with cloth. (Gift wrapstyle, and secure with hot glue or velcro dots. Simple rectangular pillows should be easy to make with fiberfill or quilt batting, and fabric.

-You can purchase small ladders from pet stores and your bunk beds are complet!

Or:

-Cover the back and side walls with scrapbook paper.

-Make or buy little pieces of furniture and arrange it in "groups" for bedroom/living room/ kitchen, etc..

Here are some ideas I found for homemade furniture:

Dollhouse Beds: Large dollhouse beds can be made from empty cheese boxes turned upside down. Simply turn the top of the box over, and make a mattress by gluing on a layer of batting. Cover the batting by gluing on a piece of fabric. Make a headboard for the bed with 4 ¾ inch craft sticks. Paint enough craft sticks to span the width of the bed vertically and another horizontally. Glue the sticks together with wood glue, and let the glue dry completely before attaching the headboard to the bed.

Bedding, Curtains, and Rugs: Dollhouse bedding, curtains, and rugs are easy to make with small crocheted doilies. Fill in the larger holes in doilies with narrow satin ribbons. The same doilies can also be used for small throw rugs. If you want matching curtains for a complete bedroom ensemble, gather and tie doilies to small dowel rods above windows with narrow satin ribbons. Doilies make beautiful frilly looking curtains and bedroom accessories.

Matchbox Drawers: Matchboxes that hold wooden matches make fantastic dollhouse furniture. To make a large chest of drawers stack and glue together two or more large match boxes. After the glue has dried, the chest of drawers can be painted with acrylic craft paint or covered with wood grain contact paper. Make knobs by gluing on gold or silver pony beads.

I am sure you could find a lot more ideas online by simply Googling "home made doll house furniture!!

-Thank you Monica!-

More deals for Cyber Monday

2009-11-30T08:08:00.007-05:00

Here are a few more deals you might be interested in:

Christopher and Banks has everything priced 30-50% off. (Online only) Plus FREE SHIPPING!!! There is no minimum purchase. I tried adding a $5 item to the shopping cart just to make sure. IT REALLY IS TRUE!!!

You can get $25 gift certificates at Restaurant.com for $2. Use code SAVE. If you are unsure how this works, go here.

30% off Alice.com gift cards. (You could get some for your own use!)

EDIT: The gift cards are 15% off, but if you share the deal on facebook, you get 30% off!! That does it!!! I am getting a facebook account!!! :)

Free Shipping at JCPenny.com on orders over $25. Use code, 25MERRY at checkout.

Don't forget to go through Ebates to get an additional percentage back!! (If you don't know how this works, go here.) Happy Saving!!

Staples Freebies!!

2009-11-30T07:43:00.007-05:00

I am so excited about a deal I just did from Staples!

Today is Cyber Monday and many online stores are offering great deals and free shipping!

Three deals:

:::Today only, you can get $25 worth of Sharpie products for free! my total came to .24 after the coupon code was applied. The code is 96140.

:::Now through December 26, you can get 20 pks of AA Duracell batteries for 12.99 and submit for a 12.99 rebate, limit of 2. (You can submit the rebate online) It will come in the form of a staples reward check. (You need to sign up for Staples rewards if you haven't already done so.) You can then spend that money for anything you need at Staples. My husband buys a lot of paper and ink at Staples, so this is a great deal!!!

:::Through December 19, Staples is offering double rewards on Hp ink purchases. So instead of getting 10% back, you will get 20% back!! Also, if you have used HP cartridges, you can recycle them at Staples and get $6 added onto your Staples rebate check for each one!!!

-I combined the online Sharpie deal with the Duracell battery deal. After Staples rewards and the coupon code, I will pay .24 for $25 worth of Sharpie products and 1.71 in tax for 40 Duracell batteries!!! The coupon seemed to have some kind of glitch in it, and so I called 1-800-891-0195. I was not put on hold at all and the lady I talked to was extremely heplful and applied the code herself. She said they were trying to get the bug worked out, but it wasn't working yet. So you can wait until the code works or place your order online. There were lots of items out of stock, so I would advise you to do this deal soon if you are planning on doing it. If you get your order shipped to your house you will pay around $9 in shipping. (Unless your order is over $50) Select a store to have your order shipped to and you will pay $0 in shipping!

I am no longer drowning in boxes

2009-11-23T19:32:00.002-05:00

We are partially unpacked. It's a loooooong process! I probably won't be doing any major posts on here in the next week, but you can see some pictures of my house here. Hopefully I can soon post pictures of our house in a moved in and finished state.

One thing I am very happy with, is a cupboard to put my food in! Believe it or not, I got all my food stockpile into the kitchen!

I'm drowning in a sea of boxes!!

2009-11-19T11:55:00.005-05:00

No not really....just feels like it!

Things are moving along, but there's a lot more to be done. I keep trying to imagine myself on the other side....only a few more days! My children are cooperating well enough for which I am thankful! This morning they answered the door while I was in the shower. :) The mail carrier wanted my signature for a piece of registered mail, so they brought it into the bathroom and I signed it from the shower!! Auralie said she talked to him for a while and told him I was in the shower! A little embarrassing!! And they were still in their pajamas at 10:30! He probably wondered if I was recovering from a hangover!

I will not be online very much for the rest of the week, so see you next week!

1.50/1 Wet Wipes coupon!!!

2009-11-18T09:49:00.004-05:00

Here's a coupon I am super excited about:

Save 1.5o on your next purchase of Wet Ones!

I love having these in my van! When we're shopping, I wipe the children's and my hands after exiting each store. Call me a "germaphobic", (is that a word?) but after dealing with so much sickness already this year I am all for prevention!!!

Hint: These wipes contain alcohol and are great for removing ink stains!

(Thanks hiptosave!)

100 FREE Photo cards, including FREE shipping!

2009-11-16T19:42:00.013-05:00

I am so excited about this deal!!! I just ordered 100 free photo cards from SeeHere.com. When I saw this deal yesterday, I convinced the rest of the family to dress up and head out for a photo session. Taking pictures with a tripod and no one behind it, DOES NOT WORK FOR US!!! So we went on over to my parents and Mom shot our pictures. The children got tired of posing VERY FAST and we got some interesting ones, but I guess it'll capture us in real life! :) I have never ordered from this site before, so I don't know about the quality of these pictures. But for FREE, I will try it!

Warning: There are a lot of people trying to do this deal, and the site has crashed multiple times since yesterday, but it seems to be running smoothly now.

You will need to order them in 2 sets of 50, since only one promo code can be used per order.

::Go here, and create your account, if you don't have one already.

-If you are creating a new account you will also get a credit for 100 free photo prints! (Shipping is not included)

::Choose any photo card 4x8 or 5x7, envelopes are included

-You can add more than one picture to the card.

-You can choose several different designs, for any combination of 50.

:: At the checkout enter code freebies4mom-1109. (case sensitive) This code expires 11/30/09 Thanks to Heather at freebiesformom.

:: Your total will be zero! (Shipping is free)

::If you want to order another 50, use code newbaby(case sensitive)

~ I tried copying and pasting the codes and they didn't work. You will have to actually type them in.~

***If you see a promo code flying around for a free ornament or calendar at SeeHere, don't waste your time. The code will work, but you will get an e-mail stating that you didn't meet the purchase requirements. Apparently this was meant to be used with a "Santa package".

Goodwill Sale

2009-11-12T07:49:00.003-05:00

For the local shoppers:

Goodwill is having a customer appreciation sale this weekend. This includes Mt Vernon, Newark, Utica, Johnstown, and Pataskala. Sale dates are November 13, 14, & 15.

-75% off all books, tapes, movies, cd's and records

-75% off toys and games

-50% off all skirts, pants, suits, and blazers

-50% off all electronics

-25% off all coats, sweaters, and shoes

-25% off all glassware

Shabby Baby...

2009-11-11T20:49:00.007-05:00

Just so you know...I am not getting paid to advertise for Shabby Apple.....I am only drooling!

If you're checking out the site, don't forget to look at the little girls dresses!

Delicious, simply delicious!!

I am wondering, if I could replicate this:

Or these cute bows:

Or maybe I could make these and add 6-10 inches to the hemline. Just dreaming...

I wear mostly skirts and not a lot of dresses, but this is putting me in the mood to look for some cute dress patterns!

Shabby Apple

2009-11-11T10:34:00.008-05:00

Does this dress make anyone else want to be pregnant??? (Just for a day.....) Way too cute!! I wouldn't look like this anyway....I get too puffy! Still, It's a beautiful dress!Shabby Apple has the cutest clothing! I would never pay that much, and wouldn't feel comfortable wearing most of the clothing on here, but I love to window shop on this site! Shabby Apple just released their new maternity line. And oh the shoes.... The clothing on this site is soooo my style!! I love clothing with a feminine look, but without the lacy, pink, victorian...ok you get the idea! This site is classy, elegant, and just beautiful!!!

Maybe I can make some of these items myself. Or put buy them with my swagbucks! (Don't get any ideas, I am not going to be sewing maternity clothes!!)

$2/1 Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice!

2009-11-04T21:53:00.003-05:00

Print a $2/1 coupon for Welch's sparkling grape juice!

I am so excited about this coupon, because our anniversary is coming up in a few weeks!!

Thank you hiptosave!

2 New CVS coupons!!!

2009-11-04T09:46:00.003-05:00

Michelle has a post here on how you can get a $5/30 coupon for CVS.

Go over to hiptosave and read how you can get a $5/20 CVS coupon!! This one doesn't expire until 12/31/09!

Thanks Colin and Michelle!!

Keeping it real

2009-11-03T21:36:00.008-05:00

From time to time I have to post reality photo's....I am always amazed and find it laughable that some of you think my house is always clean and in order.
Ok...I just figured out why all my pictures are turning out yellow. (I have the night setting on!)

What the picture above does not tell you is that it's 9:00 pm. The reason I am folding laundry in my pajamas is that half the occupants of the house have no clean underwear left, and the laundry has been squished in the basket and piled on top of the dryer for the past 9 hours. I am not one of those people that can't go to bed until all the work is done.....believe me. But I don't feel like digging through piles of laundry tomorrow morning to find clean underwear.

And in case you're still not convinced that I am normal and unorganized....

:::I stopped at Wal-Mart 5 times in the last 4 days. (Including one stop at 10:30 pm)
:::My 4 year old daughter exclaimed at the dirty condition of the microwave. (Several days later my husband couldn't stand it anymore and cleaned it himself!)
:::My son took a nap today between 5 and 9, because therapy takes half a day on Tuesday's and Friday's. (I still don't know if he'll actually sleep tonight)
:::We're moving in two and a half weeks and I haven't packed a thing.....I think I have a plan. (Fingers crossed that it works)
:::I find bread crust and other food items in strange places such as, underneath my dresser!
:::I could write the entire alphabet on the dust that's covering the entertainment center.
:::My children have watched waaaaayyyyy too many Pooh video's in the last few weeks.
:::Somedays I am still in my pajamas at noon.
:::I write the same thing on my daily "to-do" list multiple times before it actually gets done.

I could add more but I won't.

So, just because I am smiling at church and you see a clean house 2 days out of 365, does not mean I "have it all together"!

75% Off Candy Clearance at CVS!!!

2009-10-31T11:04:00.005-04:00

This morning I met my friend Michelle for coffee......yes we braved the rain. And it was worth it!!

Afterwards we stopped at CVS and found great deals on candy! All the Halloween candy is 75% off!!! In the picture above your seeing about 15 pounds of candy regularly priced at over $60. (Who pays regular price for candy??!!) I paid only 3.55 cents after the sale and coupons!!! Now before you think we're going to pig out on this stuff.....wait! At least one bag is going to my Mom, two bags are for a party I am planning next week, and most of the other bags are going to family gatherings over the holidays.

Coupons.com has 2/1 coupons for Wonka and 2/1 coupons for Nestle.

In the 10/18 Red Plum insert you'll find 1/2 coupons for the smaller bags of Nestle and Wonka.

If you're going out today, you might want to stop by and check out the candy clearance at CVS!!!

Puritan's Pride sale!!

2009-10-29T11:18:00.009-04:00

I have been using Puritan's Pride's Pre-Vites for my children. I love Pre-Vites because they contain "No Artificial Color or Flavor, No Milk, No Lactose, No Gluten, No Wheat, No Yeast, No Fish, Sodium Free."

Right now Puritan's Pride is having a Buy one/Get one or Buy 2/Get 3 sale on most of their vitamins and supplements! I usually buy vitamins when the buy 2 get three sale comes along. That's 5 bottles for the price of two! The regular price per bottle for Pre-Vites is 7.29. They come in bottles of 100 chewable tablets. So if you do the Buy 2/Get 3 Free deal you pay 14.58 for 5 bottles. This will last over 8 months for my 2 children. If you use code TAPEB10 , you will save an additional 10%.

By going through e-bates, you get 5 % back! If you haven't signed up with e-bates yet, now is a great time to do it! It's free, easy to use and you earn cashback everytime. E-bates also offers coupon codes on many online stores, this is where I found the extra 10% off code for Puritan's Pride. All you have to do is click through e-bates anytime you shop online. There are thousands of places to earn cash back, from photo developing, clothing, Vitamins, and much more!

I just ordered an 8 month supply of Multi-Vitamins for my children, for $18.11 shipped! Plus I get back .90 through e-bates !

Lots of unadvertised deals at Kroger!!!

2009-10-26T17:28:00.006-04:00

Michelle has a great list of this week's match-ups here.

I found some deals today at Kroger that were not advertised in the sale flyer:

Items in the 10/10 Mega event

Playtex Living gloves 1.00 1/1 10-04 SS FREE!!

Playtex Hand saver gloves 1/1 5-03, 6-28 SS FREE!!

Dole Mandarin oranges 15 oz 1.00 (no coupon )

Fruit Chillers 2.29 1/1 printable 1.29

Betty Crocker potatoes 4 oz 1.19 .25/1 9-13 SS, 10-04 SS , .40/1 printable .39-.69

Halls cough drops, not sure on the price, maybe 1.50 ??

Snuggle 3.79 3/1 10-04 RP .79

Sunny D.50(includes smoothies) .25/1 various magazines,.55/1 printable FREE

Yo-plus 1.50, 1/1 9-13 SS may be some E-coupons on Cellfire and Shortcuts, 1/1 printable FREE-.50

Reynolds wrap 35, 80 sq feet 2.99

Reynolds Parchment paper 30 ft 2.99 .75/1 10-11 SS 1.49

Special K bars 1.49 .75/1 printable FREE

Quaker True delights bars 2.99 1/1 8-23 RP, 1.99

Yoplait multi packs (Dora, Trix, etc..) 1.49 -.35/1 10-04 SS, .40/1 coupons.com, .40/1 Betty Crocker.com .69

Birds Eye Steamfresh veggies 1.99 (Includes lightly sauced) .50/1 10-18 SS .99

Land O Lakes Fresh buttery taste 1.29 .50/1 10-18 SS .29

Not included in the mega event
Dole Mixed Fruit is on sale for 1.27 .55/1 8-09 SS, .75/2 Printable .17-.52

Sorry about all the weird spacing, Blogger is being very contrary!

A pineapple coupon!

2009-10-24T12:48:00.004-04:00

I am so excited! Coupons.com currently has a .75/1 coupon for Del Monte pineapple. Print yours here. Coupons like this don't last long, so if you're plannning on printing this coupon, you'll want to print it now!

(Thankyou hiptosave!)

If you haven't smiled yet today....

2009-10-22T14:49:00.002-04:00

You gotta read this!

Monica found a funny article about hardcore couponers.....Read here!!

What's in a name?

2009-10-21T22:39:00.004-04:00

A lot, actually. Especially if you're a doctor.

I hate changing doctors. But sometimes you just have to. It's very disturbing to search for a new dentist and find names such as:

Ruff.

Savage.

Payne.

Jump.

Why didn't those guys choose a football career?

I need all four of my wisdom teeth taken out and you can bet I won't be choosing Dr. Ruff!

Oh Dread.

Free $15 gift code to the first 300,000!!

2009-10-20T09:56:00.003-04:00

Quick! Go here and enter your e-mail information to get a $15 gift code for the Kodak Gallery! I have done some photo developing with them and was pleased with the results. Hope you are one of the first 300,000!!!

Thanks Crystal!

FREE Nature Valley Nut Clusters at Kroger!!

2009-10-19T19:16:00.005-04:00

I had to make a trip to Columbus today to choose carpet for the house we are moving into and so I decided to do my "Krogering" down there. It's always fun to check out other Kroger stores! :)

Here's what I found:

-Nature Valley Nut clusters are included in the 4/10 Post Cereal/NV Granola bars/Fiber one bars!! When you buy four participating items, you pay only 1.50 each! But of course we don't stop there! WE HAVE COUPONS!!!! Use 1/1 from 10-04 SS or 1/1 printable. (Remember to hit back/refresh) Plus, load 1/1 from Cellfire or Shortcuts onto your Kroger card and....get 2 for free!!! (When you buy 2 more items.) See this weeks Kroger match-ups here. You can easily get your 4 items for free or mere pennies, by combining paper and e-coupons.

Other items included:

**Chex Mix bars

**Curves bars

**Post Shredded wheat is included in the "select varieties"

-Use .55/1 Post Shredded wheat from 10/11 SS and pay only 40 cents!! (If your Kroger doubles)

FREE luggage tags!

2009-10-16T08:21:00.004-04:00

Read here, how you can get 2 FREE luggage tags! Design your own or choose a pre-selected image.

Thank you Colin!

Free Tote

2009-10-15T21:23:00.007-04:00

Red Gold is offering a FREE tote bag to residents of IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, OH, OK and WI who sign up for their e-newsletter. Remember to use you "spam" account and not your personal e-mail. This offer was available some months ago, and I received mine in about 6 weeks. If this bag is the same one offered last time around it's a good-sized, heavy-duty bag. I have used mine quite a bit.

Thanks, Hiptosave!

2-4 Free weeks of The Mt. Vernon News

2009-10-15T07:56:00.004-04:00

If you live around Knox County, you probably get the Shoppers's Mart. On page 5 of the current Shoppers Mart, you will find a coupon that you can mail in, to get 2 free weeks of the Mt Vernon News. (For all you couponers, think: 2 FREE INSERTS!) :) This offer is only good for those who have not had a subscription to the Mt Vernon news for the past 90 days.

Also, on page 3, you will see a coupon for a month's free subscription to the Mt Vernon news for NEW OR CURRENT subscribers! This cannot be mailed in, but must be presented to a Mt. Vernon News Employee on October 17th 8:00-noon. The News will be collecting old newspapers and magazines, in their efforts to "Clean up Ohio One Piece At A Time." So if you happen to be in Mt Vernon on Saturday morning, you might want to take advantage of this offer. 4 Free Inserts from this one!!!

Moving Tips

2009-10-14T08:28:00.004-04:00

It'll soon be time for me to start packing and sorting through all my stuff. So far I've been collecting boxes, as well as newspaper, and plastic grocery bags for wrapping breakables. We've only ever moved one other time since we've been married, and that was only a partial move. The last time we moved to North Western Ontario for six months, so this feels very different. We are moving to a location only 25 minutes away and moving ALL our things.

Here are my questions?

*Is there such a thing as an organized move? If so, please share your ideas?

*Do you label boxes according to the rooms they belong to, or list all the contents?

*What systems do you use for unpacking? (Dishes first? Clothing first?)

*How do you keep freezer food from thawing during the move?

-Any advice you have would be appreciated!

I'm back!

2009-10-12T23:33:00.004-04:00

So...did you give up on me? :) I almost did...

Life happens and well....you gotta roll with the punches. I am truly happy that summer is over. I'm ready for the "curl up with a cup of coffee and stay inside" days. We are on schedule to have closing for our house on the 28th of October. Yep...16 more days, and no I haven't packed a thing. But don't panic! We have 30 days after that to move. We have a housing possibilty in the works...nothing certain.

So, now what? :) I have decided to take a little bit of a different path with Giving Back To Him. Michelle does such an amazing job with blogging about all the great deals, that I have decided to cut most of that from my blog. I am not completely cutting this out, but I won't being doing any regular "deal-talk" posts.

but I w I am hoping to do at least one post per week, but we'll see how it goes. My husband is working more from home than he has in the past, so guess who gets the computer? No laptops at this house. :)

I really enjoy blogging, but it will happen as time allows.

Rake a large pile of leaves, jump right in the middle, and yell as loud as you want! Don't worry about the neighbors....they're probably wishing they had the courage to do it too!

A hard descision

2009-07-22T08:28:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy summer so far and I feel as though I cannot keep up with everything. I have been thinking and praying for a while, about what to do. I really enjoy blogging and don't want to give it up. But I know I need to take break. At this time I am planning to take a 2-3 month break. After the busyness of summer is over, I am hoping to get back to blogging. Right now I am taking a day at a time.

If you're looking for deals/coupons, follow the links on my side bar.

Have a wonderful summer!

Price change at Kroger!

2009-07-20T20:05:00.003-04:00

Grrrrr...Kroger has changed the price of Kraft and Sargento cheese! It's still part of the Mega 10, but the price is now 1.99 after the discount instead of 1.49! This is the first time I have ever noticed this happening during a two week Mega Event! Watch those prices!

Thank you Michelle for alerting us to the price change!

Kroger Finds

2009-07-20T15:22:00.005-04:00

Mega Event list...sorry about the blurry picture! Just trying to show you what the flyer looks like. :)

Here are a few more deals for you:

Look for a display of flyers that have a list of Mega Event Items, right inside the door!!

Dole Fruit Parfait's and fruit bowls are part of the Mega Event, and priced at 1.69 after discount.

-Use 1/2 fruit bowls and .75/2 parfait's from 4-26 SS. (.94-1.19)

Dixie plates and bowls are also part of the mega 10. Price is 1.99 after .50 discount.

Use .50/1 "Plates or Bowls" from 5-10 RP. (.99 after double coupon)

________________________________

In the frozen food section, El Montery Tornado's are priced at 2.99. There is a TRY ME FREE peelie attatched to the boxes. Use 1/1 from 5-17 SS (Free after rebate)

Kroger Coupon Match-Ups 7/19

2009-07-20T06:35:00.005-04:00

Edit: Grace says Yo-Plus and Fiber One yogurt are included in the Mega 10!!
Fiber One coupons: Use 1/1 e-coupon from cellfire and .50/1 from from 7-12 SS
Yo-plus coupons: Use .50/1 from 6-07 SS
(Thanks Grace!)

This week's ad is very similar to last week's.

Huggies Jumbo packs of diapers 8.99
-Use 1.50/1 on Shortcuts and combine with a 1.50/1 diaper or 2/1 Pull-Ups paper coupon from 6-21 SS or 7-19 SS(5.99) These are not part of the Mega Event!

Buy any 10 participating items and get $5 off. (No limit!)
I am listing only the items which I think are good - decent deals after coupons. Check your ad to see more items included in the Mega 10.

*Prices listed include discount.

Kleenex facial tissue 1.19
-.50/3 from 7/12 SS (.87 each when you buy 3)

Colgate Total toothbrush or paste 2.00
-.75/1 6-28 SS (.50)

Aquafresh Premium toothpaste 2.00
-.75/1 6-21 SS (.50)

Playtex Hand Saver gloves .50
-1/1 5/03 SS, 6/28 SS (.50 Money maker!)

Scotch Brite cleaning accessories 1.50
-1/2 6-07 RP (1 each when you buy 2)

Stayfree Pads 16-24 ct 2.00
-buy 2 and use BOGO from 6/28 SS ($1 each)

Carefree liners 38-60 ct 2.00
-1/2 from 6/28 SS (1.50)

Duracell batteries (Select varieties) 2.50
-Use .75/1 from 7-12 RP, 6-28 RP (1.00 after double coupon)

Listerine Mouthwash 2.50
-1/1 and 2/1 coupons from 3-15 SS and 4-26 RP, or 2/1 previously available on coupons.com (.50-1.50)

Advil Pain Relief 2.50
-2/1 Advil Pm Printable (.50)

Tylenol pain relief 2.50
-2/1 Tylenol Arthritis from 6-21 SS (.50)

Sargento Cheese 1.49
- .40/1 from 4-19 SS. I have seen a few .50/1 and 1/2 catalinas print at Kroger. ( .50-.99)

Kraft Cheese 1.49
-If you still have the .50/1 tear pad coupons, you pay only ( .49!!!)

Chex Mix Snacks 1.99
-.50/1 previously available on coupons.com, .50/1 still available on smartsource.com, combine with .50/1 from shortcuts (.49 each! after double coupon)

Keebler Fudge Shoppe cookies 1.99
-1/1 and .55/1 here (.90-.99)

Sunny Delight Juice or smoothies .99
-.25/1 from 6-14 and 6-28 SS (.49)

Philadelphia Cream cheese .99
-If you still have some of the 1/2 printables, (previously available) you pay only (.49!)

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars 1.79
-1/2 from 6/21 RP (1.29)

Kelloggs special K bars 2.49
-.75/1 Special K Chocolaty Pretzel Bars from coupons.com (.99)

Sobe Life water .69
-Use BOGO coupon here (.34 each when you buy 2)

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix .88
-1/2 here (If supreme is included) ( .38)

Kraft Dressing 1.08

-Use 1/1 from 6-21 SS (.08)

Cheerios Snack Mix 1.99

-.50/1 from 6-14 SS ( .99)

8 pk. Yoplait Kids Yogurt, Yoplait Trix, Yoplait Go-Gurt, etc..... 2.08
-Use .35/1 7-12 SS 1/2 e-coupon on shortcuts.com ( .88 each when you buy 2)

Healthy Choice meals 1.79
-1/2 here (1.39 each when you buy 2)

If you see any mistakes or have things to add, let me know!