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ShowYourHelpingHand™ | Home

2010-11-07T03:38:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to share this video with everyone. We are one of the richest countries in the world. Yet we still have people here at home that go without basic needs everyday.

Here is your chance to make a difference in someones life. If you purchase Hamburger Helper, look for specially marked packages that say "Show Your Helping Hand". There is a code on the package that you can enter at the "Show Your Helping Hand" website. For ever code entered, Hamburger Helper will donate 17 cents to "Feeding America". It will only take a few minutes and it will mean so much to someone in America who really needs a Helping Hand.

Here is a video featuring Tim McGraw:

ShowYourHelpingHand™ Home

Santa Fe Turkey Rotini

2010-04-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last month was a good stock-up month for pasta and canned tomatoes. I will be sharing several recipes this month to help you use these items from your pantry. It is a recipe that we made several times last year that my whole family enjoys.

Santa Fe Turkey Rotini

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 package lean ground turkey
1 medium red bell pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 diced and seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can Hunt's Fire Roasted diced tomatoes,
puree in blender or food processor
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
8 ounces uncooked rotini pasta
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 package (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
1/3 cup low fat sour cream
Fresh cilantro, chopped

1) Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Put ground turkey in pot and cook until no longer pink. Next, add onion and red bell pepper to the pot, cook for 3 minutes. Stir in tomato, garlic, chili powder, crushed red pepper and black pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in pureed tomatoes, water and sugar. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

2)Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Stir beans, corn and chilies into ground turkey and vegetable mixture. Cook until heated through, about 8 minutes. Add the pasta to the pot. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does.

Do you have any favorite recipes using these pantry staples? Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

I have about 30 cans of tomatoes and 20 boxes of pasta just waiting for a little inspiration.

This post has been linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Menu Planning Monday

2010-04-05T08:42:00.001-07:00

Spring has sprung and I am ready for a fresh start. I haven't been menu planning and it has made things truly hectic. I am talking a trip to the store everyday around 3 o'clock(when I pick up my daughter from school). I have not been the least bit motivated to consider what we were having for dinner. Well, I'm truly exhausted from my lack of planning and looking forward to knowing what's for dinner each night this coming week.

We did have one week that was somewhat successful because of a program that I saw on Food Network. I like Robin Miller and her prep ahead for the week strategies. She prepared a menu using a porkloin roast. These 3 recipes, which I made using a 4.5 lb roast, were all a hit with my family. I know that a lot of you probably have several porkloins in your freezers. They were on sale at Safeway/Randalls last week for $.99 a pound. This Pork Out menu will take care of 3 nights for your family if you want to use up a porkloin this week. The lettuce wraps were a huge hit with everyone. Here are the links:

Pork Roast with Cumin-Spiked Mixed Berry Sauce and Roasted Parsnips (this recipe is equally delicious using carrots instead of parsnips which are sometimes pricey)

Radicchio Cups with Pork and Seasoned Rice (we used butter lettuce instead of radicchio to make the wraps)

Chili-Seared Pork with Pineapple Salsa

Here is the link for the prep ahead Game Plan.

Now for a look at some of the recipes we will be making this week:

Monday - Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas (from The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook) with a side of spanish rice and sliced pears (the link recipe uses flour tortillas and the cookbook recipe uses corn tortillas)

Tuesday - Teriyaki Sloppy Joes (from Everyday Rachael Ray magazine) asian coleslaw and fruit

Wednesday - Creamy Shrimp and Poblanos and salad

Thursday - Oriental Chicken Kabobs over rice with grilled pineapple

Friday - Santa Fe Turkey Rotini and salad

Saturday - Dinner Out after Church

Sunday - Roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables

I tried to include a little variety in this weeks menu. While I was searching through my cookbooks, I kept selecting mexican inspired recipes. A lot of those recipes will appear over the next couple of weeks. A whole week of mexican food would probably get me kicked out of the kitchen, therefore I mixed up this weeks menu to keep everyone happy.

For more menu ideas, go to Menu Plan Monday.

I will post some of the recipes from this weeks menu tomorrow and later this week.

What are you craving this week?

Please leave a comment, I love hearing from everyone.

BOGO Free Coupon for Lindsey Olives Re-closeables

2010-04-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

I just received an email from Lindsey Olives and there is a bogo free coupon for their Re-closeables olives. Hurry and print yours...these usually go pretty fast. Click here to go to the spot to print your very own.

Get a REEL deal.

2010-02-03T05:39:00.001-08:00

Great-tasting tuna doesn’t have to come wrapped in butcher paper…or cost a fin and a tail. While supplies last, save $1 on StarKist Creations™, which is sealed in a Flavor Fresh Pouch.

Easy Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

2010-02-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of y'all are stuck at home because of the weather. It's actually been warm here but we love chicken and dumplings. This recipe is quick if you have leftover chicken. We use half whole wheat flour and half white. Don't use all whole wheat flour. It makes the dumplings too dense.

Chicken

1 to 2 chicken breast worth of meat, cut into chunks

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp canola or olive oil

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 lg onion, diced

2 handfuls of baby carrots, sliced

2 ribs of celery, sliced

3 tbsp flour

3 c chicken stock, we used homemade that I posted about here

3 tbsp fresh parsley

2 tsp herbes de Provence

1 bay leaf

1 10 oz. pkg frozen peas

Dumplings

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c white flour

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

pinch of salt

pinch of black pepper

1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup milk

If using raw chicken sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chicken to pot brown on all sides. Remove chicken from the pot.

Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, and celery, cook for about 3 minutes. Add flour and cook an additional 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Add stock, herbs, parsley, and bay leaf to the pot, bring to a boil.

Return chicken to the pot and cook covered for 20 - 30 minutes, less if using leftover cooked chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare dumplings. Combine all the dumpling ingredients, except the milk, using 2 knives or a pastry blender. When it resembles coarse crumbs, add milk and stir to blend. Knead dough on a lightly floured counter, then cut and roll into 12 balls.

Add peas to the pot, remove bay leaf and stir. Top mixture with dumplings. Cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.

This post has been linked to:

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Cookbooks on Loan

2010-01-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. I love cookbooks. New, old it doesn't matter. I do prefer the ones with all the pretty pictures but look at the others too. I probably own no less than 100 cookbooks.

I use to purchase cookbooks for one or two recipes that looked good. Now, I borrow cookbooks from the library for 6 weeks at a time. If Jessica and I use it a lot and love the recipes, I will purchase a copy for our home collection. If we don't like it then we have saved ourselves $15 to $25.

The library is one of the best sources I know of for trying new cookbooks. This really works well to keep my home library under control.

Have you ever bought a cookbook and wished you hadn't? Now, try before you buy. It works for me.

This Post has been linked to:

Works For Me Wednesday

Not Chasing The Deals

2010-01-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

It has really been a slow couple of weeks for deals. We have been mostly living off our stockpile this month. I have only been purchasing meat, produce, milk and bread. There have been a few deals that have been worth picking up on my regular shopping trips.

Oikos Greek individual yogurts are on sale for $1 at Kroger. The sale ends 01-27-10. There is a $1 off coupon in the 01-03-10 SS insert. My daughter loves this yogurt and it cost a lot more than $1 normally. With the coupon they are free. When you buy one or more a $1 off catalina prints for your next purchase of this yogurt. I don't know what the end date is for the catalina. I purchased these individually at self checkout and used the coupon on the next one. 8 free yogurts later, I have a very happy daughter. We like the honey flavored one with a little cinnamon mixed in over top of sliced strawberries and sliced bananas. Yummmm.

Today I stayed home to catch up on some housework. I also put a whole chicken in the crock pot on top of a bed of onions, garlic, and celery. I didn't add any water. I will pull the breast and thigh meat off the bone and chop up to use this weekend. We will be having chicken and dumplings Saturday and pizza on Sunday. After I remove the meat, I will add water, carrots and a bay leaf to the crock and cook overnight. This makes really good stock and it freezes well.

My son's birthday is Sunday and he would like a new pair of tennis shoes. He is going to be 13 and wears a size 10. So today, I looked in the Entertainment Guide for a Shoe store coupon. I found one for Finish Line, $10 off $60 purchase. I won a $50 Visa gift card from a radio station. Those two items will help make what is usually an expensive purchase much cheaper. I love being able to give my kids what they want at a greatly reduced out of pocket cost. I will also be using coupons from the guide for Main Event USA for him and two friends to bowl and play laser tag for his birthday. That will be another $30+ savings from this book.

When I picked my daughter up from school, I stopped at Kroger to get gas. I got 10 cents off per gallon for a total savings of $2.20.

I also did my usual searches using SwagBucks. I use the swagbucks that I earn to purchase my amazon.com e-gift cards. There are many rewards to choose from but my favorite is the amazon.com e-gift cards. For every 45 swagbucks you earn you can purchase a $5 amazon.com e-gift card. I let my husband use $25 worth to reduce the price of new running shoes that he needed. He just ran a marathon this past Sunday and those shoes are ready to be retired. They have over 400 miles on them. SwagBucks is just one more way that we are able to reduce our families expenses. I am now saving my gift cards to help with the purchase of a new faucet for our kitchen sink. I have $65 dollars saved so far. If you are interested in earning free rewards, for doing your normal searches, you can sign up for SwagBucks by clicking on the banner to the right in my sidebar. You will receive 3 swagbucks just for signing up. We will both receive swagbucks for your first 100 swagbucks earned from your searches. If you have any questions about SwagBucks leave a comment and I will do my best to answer.

So even when I'm not chasing deals at the stores, I am saving my family money in other ways.

What are some of the ways that you save money for your family?

Know Your Pantry

2010-01-20T03:14:00.000-08:00

Last night, we made the Chicken Salsa Chili on our menu plan. While putting the ingredients in the dutch oven, we realized that there were no red kidney beans in the pantry. Jessica(my daughter) remembered that we had a can of black beans and suggested that we use them instead.

I never would have strayed from the recipe in the past. Having a daughter who likes to cook has taught me a lot. Now when we open a can of green chilies, we use what we need and put the rest in a baggie in the freezer. When we have another recipe that calls for green chilies, we break off what we need.

We used medium salsa in the recipe. We left out the crushed red pepper. We used three packets of True Lime instead of lime juice. Next time we make this recipe, we will use 6 packets. We also added 2 cups of sliced baby carrots.

The chili was really yummy. My daughter had never eaten hominy and informed me that she really likes it.

The next time you're making a recipe and don't have an ingredient, check in your pantry or fridge for a substitution. Having a well stocked pantry is what works for me.

Are there any tips you use in the kitchen to save money? Please feel free to leave a comment. I love hearing from everyone and read all my comments.

This post is linked to: Works For Me Wednesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Tilapia w/Avocado Salsa

2010-01-18T05:24:00.000-08:00

I decided to try a new recipe with a refreshing salsa. We have been enjoying a lot of heavy comfort food with the cold weather. I have been missing our summer menu and wanted a little reminder that winter won't last forever. Avocados have been on sale here and we love them. So, this week we will be making a Tilapia with Avocado salsa and serving it with a cilantro and lemon rice. I think in addition to the food, we will put on some island music and forget about the cold outside. I hope some of you will join us for a small vacation from winter.

Tilapia with Avocado Salsa

Salsa:

1/2 yellow pepper, chopped

12 grape tomatoes, cut in quarters

1/3 c. cucumber, diced

1/3 c. red onion, diced

small handful or as much as you like of cilantro, chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 small jalapeno, diced

1/2 tsp salt

1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2 in cubes

Tilapia:

4 tilapia fillets

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, stir together the first 8 ingredients of the salsa. Add in the avocado and stir gently to combine. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Turn broiler on to preheat while you prepare the fish, set rack 4" from heat. Rub olive oil on fish and season with salt and ground cumin. Cook fish 5 to 6 minutes, until it flakes easily.

Serve fish topped with salsa and a side of Lemon and Cilantro Rice.

Lemon and Cilantro Rice:

Grate the zest of one lemon into a sauce pan. Add the juice of half the lemon. Next, put 1 cup of rice into the pan and 2 cups of water. Cook rice like you normally would. When the rice is done, put 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro on top of rice and fluff with a fork.

I hope you and your family enjoyed this little break from the cold winter outside.

And for more ways to tempt your families to enjoy dinner at home, visit "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday".

Please feel free to share any ways or recipes you use to escape from winter.

Menu Planning Monday

2010-01-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

I am finally ready to get back into the swing of things. Christmas is now a memory and life is moving forward. The post holiday sales have slowed down to a trickle and life is a little less crazy.

I love menu planning. It gives me a great sense of peace knowing that my meals are planned. All I have to do is execute the plan. Things don't always go smoothly. However, having a plan is better than just winging it. It helps cut down on the urge to grab something at the drive-thru. It also helps with our budget.

If you have never tried menu planning, try it for one month. I garrentee that you will become a believer. One of the best ways to get started is to checkout Menu Plan Monday. You'll be able to see what others are making, and use a few of their planned days on your menu plan. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. I often checkout other blogs and link to their recipes. I go to Menu Plan Monday and choose a couple of recipes others have on their list. Then, I pick a few of my families favorites. Voila, my menu plan is finished.

Here is my menu plan for this week.

Monday-Tilapia with Avocado Salsa, Lemon and Cilantro Rice (I will post this recipe tomorrow)

Tuesday-Chicken Salsa Chili and cornbread

Wednesday-Crockpot Honey Lentils, brown rice and pears

Thursday-Breakfast for Dinner

Friday-Porkchops w/Mushroom Gravy over bowtie pasta

Saturday-Chicken and Dumplings, side salad

Sunday Supper-Homemade Pizza

We are really looking forward to try the new recipes that we found. I think the one that is most anticipated is the Tilapia with Avocado Salsa.

If you are looking for inspiration this week, you can visit the Menu Plan Monday link at Org Junkie.

If you have just started menu planning and have questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Sicilian Tuna Salad

2010-01-12T06:07:00.000-08:00

Well, that certainly was a long blogging break. I have to say, "I have really missed my blogging." The Christmas season is always a busy time for my family. I try to slow down a bit and spend as much time as I possible can with them. My son and daughter are both teenagers now and will be grown and gone before I know it. I am really struggling with that.

In an attempt to get on a blogging schedule, I am going to be linking up with other blogs that I find interesting and helpful. I hope you will find a few new favorites as well. My first link this month is "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday" over at Blessed with Grace.

I'm re posting my version of Sicilian Tuna Salad to get started. I know a lot of you have tuna stockpiled and this will give you something a little different.

Sicilian Tuna Salad

12 oz. of tuna (close as you can get with what you have on hand)

1 Roma tomato, diced

2 green onions, sliced or a little chopped onion

12 black olives, sliced

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or 1 cheese stick chopped

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 to 3 tbsps of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Drain the tuna if using canned tuna. Put tuna in a large bowl and flake. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until everything is distributed throughout.

I love this salad on a croissant but Jessica loves it on whole wheat bread. What's your favorite bread for a tuna salad sandwich?

For more yummy recipes, hop on over to Blessed with Grace for "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday".

Menu Planning Monday

2009-11-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

I have one word for last weeks menu...YUM! Everything was so good last week but if I had to pick a hands down winner it would be Jamika's Salmon with Pineapple Salsa.

As many of you know, my son (12) does not like potatoes of any kind. We continue to serve them and he taste them but usually leaves them on his plate. I keep hoping that his taste will change but so far nothing. This week will be the week of pasta to give him a break and use up some of our stockpile. Once again I have selected several of Rachael Ray's best. I hope you'll give them a try.

Monday - Goodness Gracious, That's Great Goulash, green salad and bread

Tuesday - Peach Glazed Chicken w/corn on the cob and baked beans, fresh fruit for dessert

Wednesday - Tuscan-Style Chicken with Rosemary, pasta w/garlic, oil and parsley, side salad

Thursday - Canadian Maple Turkey Chili, cornbread and fruit

Friday - Fried Cod, pesto pasta, bread and fruit

Saturday - Dinner Out for my birthday

Sunday Supper - Turkey Sweet Potato Shepard's Pie, Hot Rolls and fruit

That's our menu for the week and I'm really looking forward to these fall/winter comfort food recipes. We have tried a few of these last year and can't wait to have them again.

For more menu plans you can check out the Menu Plan Monday links over at Org Junkie.

Receive Free Food At Whataburger For 12 Days In December

2009-11-29T06:27:00.001-08:00

If you go here and sign up with your email and zip code, you will receive an email with a coupon for free food from Whataburger. You will get one of these emails every other day from December 2nd to December 24th. The coupons will vary and can be anything from fries to a Whataburger. So hurry and sign up to enjoy a little free food while you're out doing your holiday shopping.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

2009-11-26T07:07:00.000-08:00

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving this morning.

I know everyone is probably really busy with Thanksgiving Day preparations. I had a few free minutes and decided to update my blog with the promised tuna recipes. If you don't like tuna checkout the recipes anyway because they would also taste wonderful with some of that leftover turkey.

I will be looking over the Black Friday ads a little later today. What are your plans for Black Friday?

We will be going to the movies this afternoon to see The Blind Side. The whole family has really been looking forward to this outing. What movies are your families looking forward to?

Asian Tuna In Wonton Cups

2009-11-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

I have so much tuna in my pantry from all the great sale this month. I have been searching high and low for new tuna recipes that don't include the word casserole in them. Here is one that my family really enjoyed.

Dressing:

1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp chili paste

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp honey

Mixture:

2 cans (6 1/2 oz. each) tuna, drained

3 tbsp crushed peanuts ( we used chopped cashews, free from CVS)

4 cups coleslaw mix

1 package of wonton wrappers to make cups to hold tuna mixture.

Heat oven to 350*.

Mix up the dressing ingredients and set aside.

Next, put the tuna mixture ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix. Add the dressing to this mixture and toss.

Brush 24 muffin tins with peanut oil (1 tbsp). Place 24 wonton wrappers in tins and brush any dry spots, especially tips with oil. Put in oven and bake for 6-7 minutes. Take out of tins and cool on wire rack.

To serve, place a pile of mixture on the plate and 6 wontons per person.We served this with egg rolls and fresh fruit. You could also serve it with corn on the cob, if you don't have or like egg rolls. This was a really lite and refreshing dinner.

I think this mixture would also make a yummy wrap if you don't want to mess with the wontons.

Sicilian Tuna Salad

2009-11-26T06:03:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I had the most wonderful tuna salad panini at a little bakery last week. We wrote down a list of the ingredients from the menu on the back of a receipt so that we could make it at home. If you don't like mayo in your tuna then give this recipe a try. It is fresh and delicious.

12 oz. of tuna (close as you can get with what you have on hand)

1 Roma tomato, diced

2 green onions, sliced or a little bit of onion diced

12 black olives, sliced

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or 1 mozzarella cheese stick, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 to 3 tbsps. of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Drain the tuna if using canned tuna. Put the tuna in a large bowl and flake. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until everything is distributed throughout.

I love this salad on a croissant but Jessica loves it on whole wheat. What's your favorite bread for tuna salad? Do you make your own bread? If you do make your own bread, what recipe do you use?

To see more great tips on what works well for others, (recipes, uncommon uses for everyday objects, tips, etc.) check out Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.

Last Minute Shopping At Walgreens

2009-11-25T19:50:00.000-08:00

So this afternoon, I realized that there was no more coffee creamer in the house. I could not possibly wake up and face Thanksgiving Day without coffee creamer for my morning cup of joe. I searched a few of my favorite blogs for Walgreens deals and decided that Melissa's Bargain Blog had some of the best scenarios. I pulled my coupons for Theraflu, Triaminic, Comtrex, Nabisco Crackers, and Vanity Fair Plates and headed for my favorite Walgreens.

Now you may be scratching your head and wondering why I need all these coupons when what I needed was coffee creamer. Well, the Vanity Fair Plates and Bowls were on sale BOGOF and the coupon I pulled from the October All You was BOGOF (I had 5). So after sale and coupons, I got 6 plates and 4 bowls totally free (no dish washing for me this holiday season). These had to be rung up in separate transactions because the register would only take one coupon per transaction.

Here is a list of the rest of the deals that I picked up.

5 - boxes Comtrex $5.99 ea. minus 5 - $3 MQ and 5 - $3 walgreens coupons from Healthy Savings booklet (took off $15)

5 - boxes Wheat Thins 5/$10 minus $1 MQ and 2 - $1/2 MQs and scanned $1/2 walgreens coupon from Diabetes booklet (took $2.5 off)

2 - boxes Sugar Free Theraflu 2/$10 minus $2 walgreens coupon from Diabetes booklet (took off $4) there is a MQ out for $3 off 2 Theraflu products (I forgot to pull mine)

2 - boxes Triaminic Sever Fever $1.69 ea. minus 2 - $1.50 MQ and scanned $2 walgreens coupon from Healthy Savings booklet (took off $3.38)

1 - Carnation Coffee Mate $3.79

My total after all coupons was $11.24.

I received $3 RR for Nabisco crackers, $3 RR for Theraflu, and $4 RR for the Triaminic.

So this trip cost me $1.24 for everything.

We are set on cold medicine and dinner plates.

Menu Planning Monday

2009-11-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

Well it has certainly been a long time since I posted last. I have been dealing with a lot of craziness at my house and am finally feeling more in control. With the upcoming holidays, menu planning is going to be a huge part of keeping stress at bay. I hope you will join me and your holidays are truly a joy.

We are definitely in the mood for a change in our menus. I have scoured my magazines for some great inspiration and am looking forward to this weeks menu.

Monday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches (made with sliced leftover Spice-rubbed Pork Loin from Sunday), chips and fresh fruit

Tuesday - Maple-Walnut Chicken w/wild rice and sauteed spinach

Wednesday - Sizzling Shrimp Quesadillas w/shredded romaine, guacamole, and black beans

Thursday - Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings

Friday - Jamika's Salmon with Pineapple Salsa, basmati rice, and fresh spinach salad

Saturday - Dinner out after church

Sunday - leftover night

I hope after looking at the recipe links you are inspired to try one of these recipes. I know that seafood can sometimes be expensive but I often pick up ez peel shrimp for $3.99 a pound. A pound of shrimp is all you need for a family of four. The rest of the ingredients for the quesadilla can be picked up fairly inexpensively. This is a restaurant quality meal for a fraction of the cost. As we get close to the winter season, the price of salmon has come down and my daughter has asked for salmon this week (I'm always happy to oblige a request when I can).

I will be posting a couple of recipes that we made last week and really enjoyed. One of those recipes uses canned tuna (which is a stockpile staple) and won ton wrappers. Stop by tomorrow to take a peek at these recipes.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

For more menu plans, hop on over to the Org Junkies Menu Plan Monday post.

Crock Pot Wednesdays - Mexican Pulled Pork

2009-10-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

Debbie from Dining With Debbie left a comment on my Menu Planning Monday post and here is my response. A very delicious and super easy Mexican Pulled Pork recipe for the Crock Pot.

3-6 pounds of pork (we use pork tenderloin when it is on sale)
1 can cola (no diet please)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cinnamon sticks or sub 2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic (whole or chopped)

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

We shred the meat and use it two different ways. First, we add bbq sauce to some shredded meat and make pulled pork sandwiches. Then a couple nights later we use some of the shredded meat to make burritos with rice and black beans (we heat up a drained can with a 1/4 cup of salsa). This recipe is a family favorite and great for those nights my son has a football game.

If you'd like to see how others use their crock pots to make life easy, please visit Dining with Debbie's Crock Pot Wednesdays.

Menu Planning Monday

2009-10-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Last week life happened and the menu plan was not followed to the T. My sons football game ran really late because of rain and lightning. I had the black beans and chicken in the crock pot. My daughter had that for dinner since she stayed home to work on her homework (high school has been a killer). I ate at the game and grabbed Chick fil a for my son on the way back to the school to pick him up. It was 9 o'clock by the time he got to eat something. Sean and I had leftovers the next night and Jessica had a frozen dinner with some fruit. We all really liked the Black Bean and Chicken burritos and will make them again.

Thursday we ended up having frozen fish fillets, mac and cheese, and canned peas (all from the stockpile).

Friday we had a Birdseye Garlic Shrimp and Pasta skillet meal (again from the stockpile).

Saturday rolled around and my daughter was dying for something make from scratch. We eat out after church on Saturday nights. So I told her she could make chili and cornbread for lunch. We altered a recipe to use what we had on hand and came up with Canadian Maple Turkey Chili. I honestly believe that this is the best chili we have ever eating or made. If you try it come back and let us know what you think.

Now Sunday we decided to make the Tilapia with Balsamic Browned Butter and Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomato and Peas from Wednesday's menu.

As you can see not everything got made and some things shifted a bit but everyone was fed.

Sometimes life happens but if you have a well stocked pantry and freezer it is easier to roll with it.

Now for this weeks menu:

Monday-Chicken and Apple sausages with leftover Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomato and Peas, and fruit

Tuesday-North African Meatballs with Couscous and Glazed Carrots

Wednesday-Sleezy Chicken, Green Giant Mixed Veggies w/Cheese, and baked potatoes

Put Sticky Chicken in crockpot and cook for use on Friday.

Thursday-BBQ Pork Chops (copied from Simple Frugal in Canada), Ranch Mashed Potatoes, and Broccoli

BBQ Pork chops

Enough pork chops to feed your family (you can also use ribs)
Your favourite BBQ sauce (we like Bullseye)
Onion, cut into rings

Place onion rings on the bottom of the slow cooker. Place pork on top of the onions. Pour enough BBQ sauce over top the pork to coat every piece. Cover. Cook on low for about 5-6 hours.

Friday-Creamy Spinach and Chicken Enchiladas, black beans and a side salad

Saturday-Dinner out after church

Sunday Supper-Leftovers or homemade pizza

Thanks for stopping by.

If you want to see what others have on their menus, hop over to Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday Link Up.

Splenda Coupon

2009-10-17T13:40:00.001-07:00

If you like Splenda, you can find some great coupons here. With the upcoming holiday baking season just around the corner, I wanted to share this link with you now. You can print 2 coupons per computer.

The Best Chili Ever - Canadian Maple Turkey Chili

2009-10-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

I just finished having a bowl of the best chili my daughter and I have ever made. We wanted to make the recipe from the Dinner Survival cookbook but did not have everything for the recipe. So, we decided to wing it. Following is the recipe we came up with.

1 to 1 1/4 lbs. lean ground turkey

6 slices bacon cooked in the microwave on paper towels, about 4 minutes or until done

1 onion, diced

2 ribs celery, sliced

8 oz. container of white mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced

1/2 of a 1 lb bag of baby carrots, chopped

2 to 4 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

ground pepper to taste

1/2 ground ancho chili powder, less if you don't like spicy food (you can substitute ground cayenne pepper)

1 Tbsp tomato paste (we use a tube because it is easier to store)

1 small can Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes

1 can cannellini beans (mix with 1/4 c. bbq sauce and 2 tbsps molasses) or 1 can baked beans

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 can of corn, drained (save the other have to put in cornbread)

Put 1 to 2 Tbsps oil in dutch oven or large pot. Heat over high heat and add ground turkey. When meat is browned add the onion, celery, carrot and mushrooms. Cook 1 to 2 minutes to soften vegetables, then add maple syrup, salt, pepper and spices. Cook for 3 more minutes, then add tomato paste, canned tomatoes, baked bean mixture, corn, and ketchup. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes.

This chili goes great with homemade cornbread. We follow the recipe on the canister of cornmeal and add the leftover 1/2 can of corn. We mix up the cornbread while the vegetables are cooking.

I hope you will try this recipe and let us know what you think.

For more great recipes, you can visit The Groery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

"Release Your Inner Gloria" House Party

2009-10-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

I was chosen to be a finalist in the "Release Your Inner Gloria" House Party. This House Party is sponsored by Glory Foods. It combines my three favorite things southern food, family and friends. In my opinion this is a winning combination.

I have done one other House Party in the past and have been impressed with the quality of the party packs. The best thing about these party packs is there is no charge to you. They send you gifts of the product and coupons to share with your guest.

Here is a picture of the party pack that I received for the "Release Your Inner Gloria" House Party.

If you'd like a chance to host your own House Party sign up here.

Good Luck and let me know what House Party you are selected for.

A Little Fun At Target

2009-10-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

I went to Target to pick up some of the great with coupon deals. It's trips like this that make it worth the time to go.

I used the Huggies coupon printed from this link. It is good on any Huggies diapering product. The wipes were $2.39 - $2 printable coupon.

I used the Hasbro coupons printed from this link for the games. I used the coupons on the travel games found in the luggage area of Target. I will be donating these to a toy drive or the Rainbow Room mentioned in this post.

I price matched the Skippy PB with Walgreens ad for $1.66 (go to customer service for this) and used $1 off target coupons found here.

For the Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls I used the $1/2 insert coupon from 8-30-09 and (4) $1 Target coupons printed from here.

The coupons for the Chef Michael's came from several source. Some were found in previous bags already used. I had two Target coupons from an insert and a coupon printed from here. I also used coupons from the 10-11-09 SS insert.

The $2 Rimmel Mascara coupon came from the 8-23-09 RP insert making the total for the mascara only $.29. There is also a coupon in the November issue of All You.

The orange juice and Cheerios coupons were printed on the bottom of previous receipts.

My total out of pocket for this trip was $13.42.

A Time to Give

2009-10-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons that I work at saving is so that I can give to others. Not very long ago, I was involved with a backpack stuffing project for under resourced children. I met Terri from Montgomery County CPS. She was telling us about a project called Rainbow Room. This is a room that they hope to have filled with supplies that the CPS workers can pull from to fill needs of children recently taken from their homes. I asked Terri what types of things they were in need of. She said, "Believe it or not, toothbrushes and toothpaste would be nice." You can only imagine how that spoke to me being an avid couponer. I told Terri I would love to help in this area.

It was to my great delight that Walgreens started having awesome deals on toothbrushes with Register Rewards. In less than a month, I have collected 30+ toothbrushes and about 20 full size toothpaste. I have been putting these in a box along with other items that I have found a great deal on. I really can't wait until I met with Terri to hand over this box.

So, as you can see you don't have to look very far for children who really need your help. This is just one way your desire to save money can help others.

For more inspiration head over to Saving and Giving and see what others are doing for A Time to Give.

Kraft Cheese Coupon

2009-10-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

I was reading through some of my usually list of blogs and noticed that Marcy over at Stretching a Buck had posted a link to a new Kraft Cheese coupon. I love reading other blogs because not every person can post about every deal/coupon available. I try to pick some of my favorites to pass on to you. If you find a great deal or coupon, please feel free to leave me a comment. I always read them and try to respond after reading them.

When there is a coupon for Kraft Cheese make sure you print them right away. This one is for $1 off 2. You can print 2 per computer. Thanks, Stretching a Buck.

Menu Planning Monday

2009-10-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't posted a menu in a couple of weeks and it is time to get back into the swing of things. The first week I didn't post we were mainly eating from the stockpile (frozen meals and easy throw togethers). The second week I just wrote it down in a notebook and never got back to post it. This week I feel like we need to be a little more organized, so this is what's on the menu.

Monday - Porkchops, Baked Acorn Squash, side salad and rolls

Tuesday - Black bean and chicken burritos (slow cooker) - This is a recipe received in a feed for Melissa's Bargain Blog. I thought we would try it today because my son has a football game tonight. Quick and Easy is the name of the game tonight.

Ingredients:

1 taco/fajita seasoning packet

2 cans black beans, drained

2-3 chicken breasts

1 can green enchilada sauce

Place chicken breasts in bottom of the crockpot and then add remaining ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken before serving and serve in tortillas. We add cheese, sour cream, etc. to the tortillas. We sometimes add rice (cooked rice to the mixture once we're ready to serve, not in the crockpot!). This is also really good if you use beef instead of the chicken!

Wednesday - Tilapia with Balsamic Browned Butter and Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomato and Peas with a side salad

Thursday - Chili with cornbread and fruit

Friday - Chipotle Chicken Pizza, salad and fruit

Saturday - Dinner out after church

Sunday Supper - Braised Short Ribs with Carrots and Onions over Creamy Polenta (we have made Rachael Ray's version with Beets but it was to much work with the fresh beets and not everyone liked them)

I hope you find something worth trying this week. I personally am looking forward to Tuesdays dinner.

For more inspiration hop over to the Org Junkies Menu Plan Monday link up.

One Hot Artist

2009-10-08T14:49:00.001-07:00

Michael Buble` - Haven't Met You Yet"

2009-10-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

You just have to love a music video that takes place in a grocery store. Michael Buble`'s new music video for "Haven't Met You Yet" is great. I love the upbeat music and the story in the video. You can check it out for yourself here. Come back and tell me what you think.

I think that all grocery stores should play this while we shop. I think it will be my new theme song when I'm looking for a bargain.

Randalls: Cheap Cereal and Free Kleenex

2009-10-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

Today, I did two transactions at Randalls on Tuesday and ended up with everything in the picture for only $4.10 . The Promotion ended 10/06. If they do it again I will post to let you know. I didn't find out about it until Tuesday morning. Here are my transactions:

Transaction #1

4 boxes Raisin Bran $9.96

1 box Cocoa Krispies $2.49

3 boxes Kleenex $2.97

1 bottle Dial Liquid hand soap $1.00

- $3 off your next order cat.

- $5 instant discount when you buy 5 Kellogg's cereals

- $.35 MQ tripled

- $.50 MQ doubled to $.99

-(2) $2.00/2 MQ for cereal

- $1 MQ for Cocoa Krispies coupon received from Vocal Point

Total oop = $1.57 (Received a $3 cat. off my next order from Kleenex

Transaction #2

2 boxes Raisin Bran $4.98

1 box Cocoa Krispies $2.49

2 boxes Mini Wheats Little Bites $5.98

3 boxes Kleenex $2.97

1 bottle Dial Liquid hand soap $1.00

- $3 off your next order cat.

- $5 instant discount when you buy 5 Kellogg's cereals

- $.35 MQ tripled

- $.50 MQ doubled

- (2)$2.oo/2 MQ for cereal

- $1.00 MQ for Cocoa Krispies received from Vocal Point

Total oop = $2.53

We are definitely stocked up on cereal for a year. I will be donating future purchases and rotating stockpile if I pick up any more cereal.

I believe that Kellogg's and General Mills are just getting started with these offers so hang on to those coupons. Always stock up at the lowest prices. Don't worry if you missed this sale, another one will be just around the corner.

Have a great day and remember to, "Pay it Forward."

To view more great shopping trips checkout The Suburban Jungle, Southern Savers, The Grocery Cart Challenge, Money Saving Mom and Coupon Geek.

New Procter & Gamble Magazine: Free

2009-10-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

I received an email this morning from P&G. They had sent me a preview copy of their new magazine, Rouge. I like the magazine very much and it had some great P&G coupons. The magazine is free and you can sign up to receive yours here.

Have a great day.

Coupon Updates

2009-10-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

New Cellfire coupons are available today. If you load them to one card early in the cycle and use them, they will be available to load on your other loyalty card. I loaded most of them to my Randalls card and will use them soon. Then I will load them to my Kroger card.

I want to let you know that there are many Hasbro coupons ranging from $2 - $10 off Plaskool toys. These are bound to go on sale soon. Keep an eye on your store fliers and check back here to see if I find any great deals. Print as many as you can and pass them out if you can't use them. With the holidays right around the corner, think toy drives and Angel Trees, these will help stretch our giving dollars and put a lot of smiles on children's faces. You can find these coupons here or by clicking on the Coupons.com button in my sidebar.

If you find any great deals on these toys please feel free to share in the comments section.

Free Redbox Rental Today

2009-10-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Here's the Free Redbox Rental Code for this month, QNGJ7KD. It will be good for one nights free rental until midnight tonight. Enjoy.

Spend A Little Time Visiting Healthy Choice For High $ Coupons

2009-10-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

When you visit the Healthy Choice site here you can print 2 of each high $ coupon for a total of 4 coupons. If you have more than one computer, you can print these coupons 2 times each per computer. These coupons can make for some really cheap/possibly free lunches. I've tried the frozen Sweet Asian Potstickers and they were fabulous.

Spend A Little On Joint Juice And Save A Lot On Everything Else

2009-09-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

I made 5 separate transactions today a 2 Randalls and got everything in the above picture for only $14.79 out of pocket. I still have a $10 cat. and a $3 cat. leftover to use for something else. So it is really like I only paid $1.79.

Here's a list of my transactions and coupons that were used.

3 boxes Kleenex tissue (110 ct) @ $.99 ea - 1 -$.50 mq from insert (expires 9/30)

Total OOP=$2.12 (received $3 cat.)

7 bottles of Joint Juice @ $1.39 ea

3 boxes Kleenex tissue (110 ct) @ $.99 ea - 1 -$.50mq from insert (expires 9/30)

Used $3 cat. from first transaction

Total OOP=$8.95 (receive $10 cat. for Joint Juice, $3 cat. for Kleenex and a coupon for $5 off the purchase of 7 bottles of Joint Juice)

7 bottles of Joint Juice @ $1.39 ea - $5 off 7 cat.

3 boxes Kleenex tissue (110) @ $.99 ea

1 loaf Ciabatta Bread from bakery @ $2.09 - $1 off Randalls coupon found here

2 pkgs of Turkey Store Lean Ground Turkey @$4.99 B1G1 - 2 - $1 off mqs

Used $10 cat. from second transaction

Total OOP=$1.13 (received $10 cat. for Joint Juice, $3 cat. for Kleenex and a coupon for $5 off the purchase of 7 bottles of Joint Juice)

1 BC Warm Delights @ $1.50 - $.50 cellfire ecoupon and $.50 shortcuts ecoupon and a $.50 mq from insert

1 BC Chocolate Cookies @ $2.50 - 3 - $.40 cellfire ecoupons, and $.40 mq from insert

2 Capri Sun Lemonade @ $2.50 ea - 2 Free mq from cereal deal last week at Randalls

7 bottles of Joint Juice @ $1.39 ea - $5 off 7 coupon from tranaction 3

3 boxes Kleenex (110 ct) @ $.99 ea - $.50 mq from insert (expires 9/30)

1 Fresh Pet Select @ $2.49

9 Yoplait individual yogurts @ $.55 ea - 3 ecoupons for $.50, $.40mq and $.60mq

2 #2 bags of baby carrots @ $3.49 B1G1 - $1 Randalls coupon found here

Used $10 cat. and $3 cat. from third transaction

Total OOP=$.70 (received a $10 cat. from Joint Juice, $3 cat. from Kleenex and a coupon for $5 off the purchase of 7 bottles of Joint Juice)

3 boxes Kleenex (110 ct) @ $.99 ea - $.50 mq from insert (expires (9/30)

1 Fresh Pet @ $2.49 - Free coupon from insert

1 Birds Eye Steam Fresh @ $1.50 - $.50 mq from insert

1 box Yoplait Yo Plus @ $2.50 - $1 mq from insert

1 granny smith apple @ $.40

1 gala apple @ $.35

Used $3 cat. from fourth transaction

Total OOP=$1.89 (received a $3 cat. from Kleenex)

I want to thank Erin over at Jane4girls $800 Annual Budget for the post about the Joint Juice catalina deal at Randalls.

I also would like to thank Tiffany over at My Litter of Six for the post about the Kleenex catalina deal at Randalls.

You can go to this post for links to printable coupons and ecoupons.

To view more great shopping trips, head over to Coupon Geek, Southern Savers, Money Saving Mom and The Grocery Cart Challenge.

A Great Post I Wanted To Share

2009-09-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

This is a great post. The post is about a husband's new found perspective. I often hear from my husband that we don't need 10+ boxes of cereal. He doesn't really understand the whole stockpile concept. It's kind of like the stock market...buy at the lowest price and never at full price. Our grocery bill is getting lower every month and we could live off of our stockpile it we needed to. I think he will come around by Christmas when our bill doesn't go up. I also like sharing with friends and family.

Bumble Bee's MyCookbook

2009-09-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

I received an invitation to sign-up for Bumble Bee's MyCookbook today. I received a link to print a $1 off coupon for Bumble Bee's Easy Peel Sensations Tuna Medley. They will send me a menu plan and a $1 coupon each week for 4 weeks. We love tuna and I am looking forward to trying some of their other products.

You can follow this link to sign-up to receive recipes, menu plans, and $1 off coupons for the next four weeks.

Menu Addition

2009-09-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

We didn't have enough leftovers for dinner on Friday so we made this recipe instead.

It's called Farmhouse Chicken Dinner. We really liked it and we had everything already at home. We had a side salad and dinner rolls with it. So next time you don't have enough leftovers, check a few websites and see what you can make with what you already have at home.

Great Coupon...Hurry it Won't Last!

2009-09-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a new link to Nature Valley Nut Clusters coupons for $1.60 off purchase of one.

This link runs out fast. Print 2 per computer. These are great for the GM sale at Randalls (Safeway).

Menu Planning Monday

2009-09-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

Having a menu plan for each week makes my week run a lot smoother. Especially during football season. My son Sean plays on Monday nights, so you will see a lot of prep ahead meals for Monday's dinner. Sunday we doubled the recipe for the Garlic and Rosemary Meatballs in Red Sauce from last weeks menu. We had it over buttered egg noodles Sunday night and used the leftover meatballs and sauce in hot dog buns with shredded mozzarella tonight(Monday). This made for a very easy post game meal without hitting the drive-thru. I will post this recipe tomorrow. If y'all have any great two for one recipes please feel free to leave them in the comment section or post a link to them.

The Big Boy Sugo turned out good. We made a few changes to the original recipe and I will post it tomorrow. I does take a little time to prepare. I would recommend making it on the weekend when you won't feel too rushed. The flavors of this dish are very good. It is even better the second day and reheats well.

Finally, my favorite new side dish is the Not Potato Salad. It has roasted red peppers in it and I really love those. The recipe uses gnocchi instead of potatoes. I really enjoyed the texture of the gnocchi. Even my son, who dislikes all things potatoes, gobbled up this side dish. I will be making this again.

Now for this weeks menu.

Monday-Leftover Garlic and Rosemary Meatballs in Red Sauce on hot dog buns, chips, and cantaloupe

Tuesday-Chicken Enchilada Casserole with all the fixing's and sliced apples

Wednesday-Steaks, baked potatoes, and salad

Thursday-Parmesan-Dijon Chicken, angel hair pasta w/pesto, Basil-Red Pepper Muffins, and salad

Friday-Cinnamon-Apple Pork Chops, Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes, and salad

Saturday-Dinner Out after church

Sunday Supper-Dinner-Size Texas Chili Cheese Fries (a request of my daughter's that I agreed to since Dad will be out of town) and fruit

I know what you're thinking. I told you, just a few minutes ago, how much Sean dislikes potatoes. In my defense, I am not trying to torment the poor boy. My theory is that I keep offering the detested veggie in hopes that someday that he will enjoy them. As of right now, he likes baked potatoes and steak fries. The Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes is a new recipe for us. I will let you know whether it gets a thumbs up or down from Sean next week.

Are there any veggie detesters in your household? How do you get your kids to eat their veggies?

If you would like to take a peek at what others have on their menus this week head over to Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie.

Randalls Shopping Trip Breakdown

2009-09-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone. I hope you are ready for this breakdown. It's a little crazy and will be hard to replicate because of all the extra loadables that came off this trip. I love that the Randalls system takes off multiples but you can never really predict what your total will be. I always plan on a little overage and buy a few things that I never have many coupons for (produce, meat, etc.). Here is a list of my purchases and how the coupons came off.

1 Chex Mix $2 - 2x 50cent ecoupons - 50cent mq insert
2 BC Fruit Roll Ups $2.50 ea - 2x 50cent shortcuts (ecoupons) - 50cent cellfire (ecoupon) - $1 mq
2 GM Cocoa Puffs $2.50 ea - 75cent shortcuts - 2x $1 mq IP(Internet printable)
12 Nature Valley Nut Clusters $2.50 ea -3x $1 ecoupons - 3x 40cent ecoupons - 12x $1.60 mq received from Pssst (I will be handing these out to friends and neighbors to get their opinions)
2 Pillsbury Cinnamon Mini Bites $1.89 ea - $1 shortcuts - 40cent shortcuts - $1 IP
2 Grands Biscuits (small cans) $1.49 ea - 2x $1 shortcuts - $1 IP
1 Toaster Strudel $2.50 - $1 IP
2 Green Giant Steamers $2 ea - 50cent IP
1 Kid Cuisine frozen dinner $2.50 - 3x $1 shortcuts
1 Yoplait Yo Plus $2.50 - 2x $1 cellfire -$1 mq
1 OM Bacon $3
2.19 lbs bananas $1.07
.79 lb Roma tomatoes $1.18
2.05 lbs red grapes $$1.99
5lb bag potatoes $2.19

4x $4 off GM Cereal deal

All these deductions brought my total down to $8.37

My total savings at the bottom of my receipt was 91% or $86.12

I also received a catalina for a free box of Capri Sun and found a $5 giftcard in one of the boxes of Cocoa Puffs.

If you would like to see a picture of this shopping trip you can read my post here.

Spend A Little Time With Swag Bucks Today!!

2009-09-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

Fridays are Mega Swag Bucks Day. You have a chance to earn big with every search you do on Fridays. Swag Bucks gives out 10,000 swagbucks in Mega amounts of 3, 5, 10, 20, 50, and even 100.

I also highly recommend that you install their toolbar this month TSG(the Swag Guy) gives you an extra swagcode each day in September. I have earned over 40 swagbucks between my regular searches and redeeming the code he gives out each day.

If you haven't signed up yet, please use the Swag Bucks Link in my sidebar. This really helps me out. We both get credit for the first 100 swagbucks that you earn. When you sign up they will start you out with 3 swagbucks right away.

Thanks for your support and Happy Mega Swag Bucks Friday.

Spend A Little At Randalls And Save A Lot

2009-09-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

With a little preparation, loading ecoupons, printing Internet coupons and finding the ones from Sundays inserts I was able to get everything in the pictures for only $8.37. My total before sales and coupons was over $94. I will list the deals for you a little later today. For now you can go to this post for the links to printable coupons and the ecoupon sites (load all coupons for products in the picture).

Here is a picture of everything I bought today at

Randalls.

This is the $5 gift card that was inside one of the

boxes of Coco Puffs cereal.

For more great grocery trips head over to The Grocery Cart Challenge.

How We Deal With Moving

2009-09-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

It is truly hard to uproot your family and go somewhere you've never been. I have officially moved my family 4 times since 9-11 and no we are not military. We are in the burger business. God has been very good to us. I have two children and my oldest was in 1st grade when we started all this. She is now a freshman in high school. I always told my children and everyone who asked "How do you do it?" "We grow where we are planted."

My children have seen many things and places that they might not have if we would have stayed put in Texas. We moved to Gilbert, AZ first and so they have been to the Grand Canyon. They have also been to San Diego and San Francisco. We use to drive everywhere when we lived in Houston, Texas. And it would take us a day just to get out of Texas, so I don't believe we would have ever ventured to California. They have also lived near the beach in Corpus Christi because of one of these moves. And we have lived in West Texas in the very family oriented town of Midland. We have loved all of these place and had great adventures but we are glad to be back home in Houston, Texas.

Things have come full circle for us and we are Happy were we are planted.

Procter & Gamble $35 Coupon Booklet

2009-09-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Procter & Gamble is offering a new coupon booklet and it will probably have a coupon for a free item. I the past it has been for a free bottle of dishwasher rinse agent ($3+ value). It has always been worth my time to fill out the address form. Go here to get yours. It says it will take 6-8 weeks due to high demand but I always get mine in couple of weeks.

Great New Coupons!!

2009-09-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

Go here to print the following coupons.

$.25 off of Dole Juice products

$.25 off of 20 oz. Pepsi

$.25 off of Sobe Lifewater

You can print each of theses coupons twice.

Remember to "Pay it Forward."

Tell your friends to come visit me to get their coupons.

Chance to Win Free Groceries For a Year!!

2009-09-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

I just found out about this great sweepstakes on The Suburban Jungle.

You can enter the "It Pays To Eat Pasta Sweepstakes" here. You may enter once each day until October 30th of 2009.

Prizes:

8 Grand Prizes of free groceries for a year ($5200)
42 First Place prizes of a mini grocery spree ($200)

With coupons and sales we could easily turn $5200 into $10,400 or more. If I win, I will post all my shopping trips to see how far that $5200 will go.

Target And Savings Go Hand In Hand

2009-09-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

When I saw the Target ad in this past Sunday's newspaper, I knew that we would be making a trip to Target. You see, Jessica loves Kashi products and is always on the lookout for a good deal. We have been saving some peelies from a month ago for a sale just like this one.

When you buy 5 Kashi products you will receive a $5 gift card. You can do this deal as many times as you want (no limit). I did 2 deals and split it up into 2 transactions along with a few other items. Here are my transactions.

1st Transaction

4-Johnson's Buddies $1.02 ea. - (4)$1 mq from 9/13 inserts(Johnson's Any)
4-Market Place cheese sticks $.40 ea - (2)$1 Target coupon found here
5-Kashi waffles $1.83 ea - (5)$1 mq peelies found on packages of Kashi cereal last month (still some out there)

Total after coupons was $4.24.

I paid with a $5 gift card from a previous week and owed nothing. I then received a $5 gift card.

2nd Transaction

1-Sara Lee Soft and Smooth loaf of bread $1.99 - $1 mq received in a Wizards of Waverly Place House Party kit.
1-Kashi cookie $2.88 - $1 mq peelie
2-Kashi granola bars $2.88 ea - (2)$1 mq peelie
1-Kashi cereal $2.88 - $1.50 mq
1-Kashi waffles $1.83 - $1 mq peelie

Total after coupons was $8.84.

I paid with $.74 left on gift card use in previous transaction and used the $5 gift card earned in the last transaction. That left me owing a grand total of only $3.08 for all these item.

And then I received a $5 gift card to use later.

Menu Planning Monday

2009-09-14T03:38:00.000-07:00

Last weeks menu was a great success. The Hoisin Chicken Wraps on last weeks menu was definitely a family favorite and will be repeated before the year is over. The fish taco menu was also very yummy. Jessica especially liked the green rice. We thought that the Spicy Ginger-and-Orange Chicken with Broccoli was not spicy enough. We will add some crushed red pepper flakes the next time we make that one. We only used a 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper this time.

This week my son Sean has his first football game of the season. He is in 7th grade and we are very excited for him. Because we don't know exactly when we'll be home, sloppy joes will be on the menu. Reheating that will make for a quick gamenight meal.

We are using proteins we already have in the freezer to keep the grocery budget down a little this week. Because we had a lot of chicken last week, I have decided to really mixup the menu this week. I hope you are ready. It's going to be a good one.

Monday-Sloppy Joes

Tuesday-Mexican Turkey Casserole

Wednesday-Big Boy Sugo over egg noodles, green beans and rolls (The recipe for the Sugo is from Rachal Ray's Big Orange Book cookbook. After we try it, I will type it up if we feel like it was worth the time it takes to make.)

Thursday-Chicken Sausages, Not Potato Salad, and Cantelope

Friday-Leftover Night

Saturday-Dinner Out after church

Sunday-Garlic and Rosemary Meatballs in Red Sauce, eggnoodles, and salad

After reading our menu plan, I hope your mouth is watering and you are ready to try something new.

Have you tried any new recipes recently that your family liked? If so, feel free to leave a comment and share some of your favorites.

For more great menu options you can visit Laura over at Org Junkie.

Mexican Turkey Casserole

2009-09-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

2 tablespoons oil (we use extra-virgin olive oil)
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bag of baby carrots, sliced into small pieces
1 small zucchini, diced
2 tablespoons of canned diced green chiles (put the rest in a baggie and throw in the freezer for another recipe)
10 oz. frozen corn
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Zest and Juice of 1 lime
12 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded mexican cheese
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, removed from skin, pitted and chopped for topping
1 head of lettuce, shredded
Salsa (optional)

Preheat oven to 375*F.

Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and brown for 4 minutes, breaking up as it cooks. Season the meat with chili powder and cumin. Add next six ingredients and cook for 8 more minutes. Next, stir in the chiles, corn, and beans and heat through. Check the seasoning and add more if you like. Stir in the chicken stock and cook for and additional 2 minutes. Take pan off the heat and stir in the cilantro, 1 tsp of the lime zest, and the lime juice.

Put half the mixture in a 13 x 9 baking dish, top with 6 corn tortillas and repeat. Top with shredded cheese and bake 7 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Top each serving with lettuce, tomato and avocado. Put salsa on the table for those who like it spicy.

For more great recipes you can go to the Recipe Swap over at The Grocery Cart Challege.

2009-09-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

EAT THAT FROG

FRIDAY!!

This is my first official post for, "Eat That Frog Friday!!" I hope you will join me each Friday to see how much of my frog I have eaten. Now before you go getting all squeamish on me, know that I am not talking about a real frog. I am talking about an unpleasant task that I have put off for the past two years. This task has taken on a life of its own and in essence has multiplied.

Well, today is the day that I say no more. I plan to eat this frog once and for all. You may be wondering how one goes about eating a frog. Simply put, "One bite at a time."

And now ladies and gentlemen to show you in pictures what words could not possibly describe.

This was to be my own private sanctuary. My craft room that has become a catchall for my husbands castoffs. There were several TVs that didn't have a home in this house. So he put them in here. Then there was a filling cabinet that he wanted out of his workout room closet. It too found a home here. Unwanted pictures also found a spot on my craft room flour. He has many times asked me when I am planning on working in my craft room. As you can see, I barely have room to turn around much less work.

Well today is the day that I start eating this frog and I hope you will come back weekly to see my progress. Please feel free to leave comments on my progress or any suggestions you may have.

Do you have a Frog that you're ready to Eat? If you do, feel free to link up with the Mister Linky below.

She Shops...She Scores!! - Another great trip @ Target

2009-09-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

Target is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to score bargains and freebies. I am able to get things that my family needs and wants at bargain basement prices. This week I purchase stuff for my son's lunches (he takes everyday), dog food and treats, more candles and ice cream. I really wanted to post this so you too could get in on some of the bargains.

Here's my list:

4-Glade Scented oil tins $1.66 ea - 4 mq for $1.50

6-Glade Scented oil refills $2.50 ea - 4 mq (buy holder get refill free) and 2 mq (buy 2 refills get 1 free)

1-Bounce Dryer Bar $3.74 - 1 mq for $2.50 from Vocal Point and 1 Target coupon for $.75

1-Tide 20oz. Stain Release $3.79 - 1 mq for $1.50 and 1 Target coupon for $1.50

2-Hillshire Farms lunch meat $3.04 ea - 2 Target coupons for $1 ea

4-Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers 2 @ $2.15 ea and 2 @ $2.54 ea - 4 mq for $2 ea

4-Healthy Choice Frozen Entrees $2.04 ea - 4 mq for $2 ea

2-Artisan Petite loafs $.99 ea - 2 Target coupons for $1 ea

2-Single cups Cheerios for $.95 ea - 2 Target coupons for $1 ea

1-Loaf of Sara Lee bread $1.99 - Tear pad coupon for a free loaf of Sara Lee bread when you buy 2 pkgs of Hillshire lunch meat

5-containers of Edy's/Dreyers ice cream $2.50 ea - 5 mq for $1 ea and 5 Target coupons for $1 ea ( Your Target may only let you use 1 Target coupon for the ice cream per transaction. ) Be prepared to do 5 transactions if you have to. The register will take them off if the cashier will let you use them.

1-Schick Intuition Plus Razor $8.29 - $4 mq and $4 Target q from inserts

1-Cesar dog treats $3.99 - $1mq and $1 Target q ( register took $3.99 off for the treats instead of the wet dog food which was $.89) the best I can tell is because this is the first coupon that I handed the cashier and it took off the most expensive Cesar product. The coupon was for B1G1 free wet Cesar dog food.

2-Cesar wet dog food $.89 ea - B1G1 Target q and B1G1 mq (always give the mq first and then the Target q or the register will beep and say item not found)

Total OOP = $13.62

All of the manufacturer coupons came out of Sunday inserts except for the Healthy Choice coupons. They were Internet printable (IP) coupons that you can print from here. You can print 2 of each coupon per computer. I have 2 computers so I was able to print 4 of each.

If you want to print multiples of the Target coupons that didn't come from inserts (cheerios, artisan bread, ice cream, etc.) you can go here. Some of these coupons expire on the 12th of this month so you will need to hurry.

This was a really fun trip and I hope you are able to get in on some of the deals. Let me know how your trip works out. I love when others are able to score fantastic deals.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Menu Planning Monday

2009-09-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome back y'all. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.

Well from looking at what my daughter and I have planned for meals this week, it is the week of the chicken. We've thrown in one fish night for good measure and to throw a curve ball to the guys when they say, "What's for dinner, chicken?" LOL. Can't wait for that one.

As you have probably noticed, we don't repeat a lot of meals often. We like variety and we never get bored trying new recipes. We will pull out a few of our favorite fall and winter recipes from last year. For the most part we will have at least a few recipes that you have not tried. We will always update you the following week if we made any changes to the recipes used.

This week we were in the mood for food with a lot of flavor. I guess it's that whole going from summer to fall transition. We are in the mood for comfort food and our comfort food has a lot of flavor. I am so excited about the fall and winter recipes. I hope y'all will check back to see what we're cooking.

There were no changes to last weeks recipes. We liked everything except the slaw recipe from friday.

Monday-Labor Day Family Get Together

Tuesday-Hoisin Chicken Wraps and sugar snap peas

Wednesday-Bourbon Orange Skillet BBQ Chicken with Cornbread Topper and a side salad

Thursday-Spicy Ginger-and-Orange Chicken with Broccoli, rice and egg rolls

Friday-Fish Tacos with Quick Slaw, Avocado Sauce and Green Rice

Saturday-Dinner Out after church

Sunday Supper-Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings with a side salad

What are some of your family's favorite recipes? Feel free to leave a link to your favorites or just leave a comment. Maybe will be trying some of your favorites next.

To view more menu plans, head over to Org Junkie.

Super Savings Saturday: Target Spree

2009-09-05T06:35:00.000-07:00

I didn't take a picture for this post but it was a great hall. I usually get really frustrated with Target but not this time. Sure they were out of stock on a few items, however as you will see I got my fair share of freebies.

The main reason I went was because of the Intuition Razor deal, my daughter Jessica loves these things. So when I can get them free or really cheap, I stock up. There are manufacturer coupons out for $4 off and there are also Target coupons for $4 off in last weekends inserts. You can stack these two coupons together for some overage. Make sure you give all manufacturer coupons first then hand over the Target coupons. And whatever you do, don't give all your coupons to the cashier if you have a lot. I made this mistake and the cashier got flustered. I know that she missed a couple of my coupons now. It is the price I paid to learn this lesson.

Now on to my shopping trip.

I purchased:

1-Gerber baby bottle = free with Target printable
1-Petite loaf Artisan bread $.99= free with Target printable
1.27 lbs bananas =$.56 (cashier missed this coupon, should have been $.06)
6-Glade Scented Oil Candles refill packs$2.50 ea (5 were free, you guessed it the cashier missed one for $2.50)
4-Glade Scented Oil Tins $1.66 each-$2 off coupon on each for $.34 overage on each
2-Palmolive Pure and Clear $2.49 ea - $.75 mq on each and $1 Target q on each
2-Hillshire Farm Lunchmeat $3.04 ea - $1 Target q on each
1-Bottle good balsamic vinegar $9.69
2-Cheerios single serve cups$1 -$1/2 mq and $1 Target q makes them free
1-Sara Lee bread $1.99= free when you buy 2 Hillshire Farms Lunchmeat tearpad coupon
1-carton Tropicana OJ$2.89 - no coupon
1-16oz International Delights refridgerated coffee creamer$2.04 - $1 IP mq
4-Intuition Razors $6.99 ea - $4 mq each and $4 Target coupon each for $1.01 overage
2-Hefty One Zip trial size bags $1.04 each - $1 mq IP
8-Chef Michael cans of wet dog food $.84 ea - 4 BOGO mg and 4 BOGO Target q

My total for all this was only $17.90.

And I will be sending off for a $2.49 rebate for the Palmolive Pure and Clear.

How did your week go? Did you find any great deals?

I Love CVS!

2009-09-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I decided to pop into CVS to see if they had any of the Glade reed diffusers in stock. Low and behold the very thing I had been searching everywhere for was sitting on the shelf. I had $7 in ECB on hand and a $3 mq for the Glade. I did some quick math in my head and decided that I could purchase the diffuser, a gallon of milk and 1 box of the Nabisco Nutter Butter cookies with very little out of pocket. Here's what the purchase looked like...

1-Glade reed difuser($6.99-$3mq=$3.99) and receive $6.99 ECB

1-box Nabisco Nutter Butter cookies(on sale for $1)

1-gallon of milk on sale for $2.49 and receive $1 ECB

The total after coupons was $7.48 plus tax

I paid with the $7 ECB and .52 cents cash.

Not bad for milk and cookies. The diffuser was a bonus.

I received a $6.99 ECB and a $1 ECB back. They paid me to take the cookies and milk.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Stocking Up On Snacks at Walgreens

2009-09-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've been holding onto my BOGO free coupons for Reeses and it finally paid off. Walgreens is offering a free 20oz Coke Zero with the purchase of 2 Hershey candy bars. Reeses is a part of this deal. So, here is what I got today.

4-Coke Zero 20oz for free

4-Reeses regular size for free w/BOGO coupon

4-Reeses regular size @ 89cents minus 4-55cents mq

3-Arizona Tea 16oz with in ad coupon for 50cents each

1-Colgate 360 toothbrush minus 40 cents mq

Used 2-$2 RR to reduce oop.

Total oop after coupons and RRs=$1.09

Received a $3 RR to use on my next purchase.

If You Love Blue Bunny Ice Cream...

2009-09-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Blue Bunny is offering a TMF (that's try me free) offer for Labor Day weekend. You can purchase either the Aspen or Sedona Ice Cream Novelty from Blue Bunny this weekend. Print out this rebate form and send it in with your dated cash register receipt, dated for sometime this weekend (September 5th-7th, 2009). Be sure to fill out and send off your rebate offer right away since the time period is short.

Enjoy some cool treats over this holiday weekend.

Thanks Kimberly over at Just Frugalicious.

Menu Planning Monday

2009-08-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

Last weeks menu was enjoyed by all. The Pecan Crusted Salmon may be a new family favorite. The crust is a mixture of dried breadcrumbs, crushed pecans, grated ginger and shallot. It was very tasty.

My daughter is actually teaching me a thing or two about saving. Yesterday she asked me if we could freeze leftover stock. We buy the stock in the box because we like the slow cooked taste. She hates when we have to throw away stock after 10 days of sitting in the fridge. I told her of course we could freeze the stock in ice cube trays. After they're frozen, we can put the stock cubes in a freezer bag for later use. It really kills me that I didn't think to do this sooner. We've wasted a lot of stock this summer. We don't have a problem in the winter. We make a lot of soups and dishes that require stock.

Anyway, on to the menu plan for this week.

Monday-Chicken Spaghetti, Rosemary Scones, and a side salad

Tuesday-Canadian Maple Turkey Chili w/cornbread

Wednesday-Pork and Pineapple Curry w/rice and Balsamic Nutty Green Beans

Thursday-Leftovers

Friday-Sweet 'n' Sour Sirloin Stir-Fry w/Ranch Mashed Potatoes and Sesame Slaw

Saturday-Dinner Out after church

Sunday-Summer Shrimp Rolls, baked beans, and fresh fruit

I hope y'all are inspired to try something new. Let me know if you try one of the recipes and what your family thought.

For more great menu ideas, head over to Org Junkie.

CVS Shopping Trip

2009-08-29T19:56:00.001-07:00

I had a great shopping trip this week. I was able to buy a lot of scented oil candles and a pair of Phillips headphones. Here's what I got and how I paid.

6-Scented Oil refills
2-Scented Oil candle holders
2-Glade Sense & Spray
1-pair Phillips headphones (used a rain check to get the sale price of $6.99 + earned $7 ECB)

coupons used:

$4 off $20 coupon from ready fill booklet
4-$1.00 off Scented Oil refills (insert coupon)
2-B2G1 free coupons for the refills (took $2.50 off)
2-$2.00 off Scented Oil candle holders
2-$4.00 off Glade Sense & Spray
1-$8 ECB

Total OOP=$4.28

ECBs earned=$9 for the Glade deal, $7 for the headphones

Become a Taste Tester for Kashi

2009-08-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received a package from Kashi. The package included a sample box of Kashi Honey Sunshine Cereal, a coupon for a free full size box of this cereal and several $1.50 off coupons to pass out to friends and family.

My 14 year old daughter couldn't wait to try the cereal this morning. She thinks it is delicious. Being frugal at a very young age, she suggested that we hold on to the coupon until it is about to expire. You might be wondering why she suggested this. The reason is that we currently have 20 boxes of cereal to eat before we add more. She figures if we wait then we can find one with a further out expiration date and it won't get stale. I'm so proud of her. She opens my eyes in so many ways.

If you would like to become a Taste Tester for Kashi then go here and click on Join the Community button. Fill out the registration form. If I remember correctly, after you submit the form there is a little survey and that is where you check the box to join the Taste Tester Panel.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Ever little bit helps, especially when it's a product you know and love. We love the Kashi brand and hope you do too.

Menu Planning Monday...The Late Edition

2009-08-26T06:08:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry about the late post. Last weeks menu worked out great. We made the full recipe for the Turkey Fried Rice and we added frozen peas and some shredded carrot. The Apricot Chicken had a little too strong onion flavor. Next time, we will only use a half package of onion soup mix.

This weeks recipes come mostly from cookbooks we own or have checked out from the library.

Monday - Sloppy Joe mixture w/corn in added put into a casserole and topped with cheese. Take a can of biscuit and cut each in half. Put biscuit around the edges of the casserole and brush with butter then sprinkle them with a mixture of 1 Tbsp cornmeal, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. We served this with shredded lettuce, fresh diced tomatoes, and cubed avocado.

Tuesday - Pecan crusted salmon w/sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli

Wednesday - Sweet Soy Chicken w/rice and asparagus (Recipe from Dinner Survival cookbook)

Thursday - Cranberry and Grainy Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin w/BLT Potatoes

Friday - Hamburgers and Pasta Salad

Saturday - Dinner out after church.

Sunday - Braised Beef w/Polenta

I will write a few post with recipes from the cookbooks with any changes that we might make.

For more great menu ideas head over to Org Junkie.

The Menu Plan Is Coming...

2009-08-25T04:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I wasn't able to post my menu plan yesterday. I'm sure a lot of you had kids going back to school just like me. This year is a little more challenging for me. I have one in middle school and a brand new freshman in high school. My daughter is the freshman and got up at 4:30 yesterday to get ready for school. Her hair was beautiful but I personally prefer a little more sleep.

I will be posting my menu plan with recipe links a little later this morning.

Thank you for your understanding. I hope every ones first day of school went smoothly. Please think of me while you are filling out all those lovely school forms and know that I am thinking of you.

Have a Great Morning and I hope to see you later.

Tammy in Texas

Great Giveaway!!

2009-08-21T06:10:00.000-07:00

Alyssa is offering a great giveaway over at Keeping The Kingdom First.

The prize package includes:

*an insulated lunch tote for healthy snacks

*Apples to Apples To Go Game

*Uno Card Game*Activity Sticker Book

*$10 Subway Gift Card

(NOTE: colors, games, accessories may vary but kit is valued at approximately $35-40)

Thanks Alyssa!!

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Why Menu Plan??

2009-08-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

Menu Planning has really helped me to focus on the age old question, "What's for dinner?" I generally consider myself a fly by the seat of my pants personality. However, this attitude tends to cause me a lot of stress around dinner time. With a menu plan, I just check that morning to see what needs to be pulled from the fridge.

Because I take the time to do a menu plan, any of the other family members can check to see what's for dinner. They can also help start dinner if for some reason I'm not home. This is going to be very helpful as we start back to school.

I've mentioned before that my daughter has become an excellent cook at the ripe old age of only 14. This has truly been a blessing. We envision her as a chef of her very on restaurant someday. Until then, we will enjoy her wonderful creations and from time to time share with y'all.

I'm not real ridged with the menu plan. I've been know to move things around to suit our schedules. As we all know plans sometimes change. If for some reason we don't have one nights menu then I try to shift it to the next week.

And the final reason that I menu plan is to help use up some of my stockpile. Sometimes I forget what we actual have in our pantry. When I'm working on my menu plan I try to incorporate several items we already have. Having a well stocked pantry is another blessing. What are some of your must have on hand pantry items?

Coupons To Help Fill Those Lunchboxes!!

2009-08-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Checkout the Lunch Box Builder site. You can create a lunch box for a chance to win some cool prizes. Most importantly, you can print 3 great coupons to help you fill those back to school lunch boxes. These coupons are for Mott's Applesauce, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers and my personal favorite Smucker's Uncrustables Sandwiches.

Go here to print these Great coupons.

May your children's lunch boxes always be full when they leave the house and empty when they return home.

Menu Planning Monday

2009-08-17T06:52:00.001-07:00

We pretty much stuck to the menu plan last week. The only thing we changed is that we went out Saturday night for dinner after my daughter finished Fish Camp. Yes, I have a high school er now. It feels like just yesterday I was dropping her off at Kindergarten. Where does the time go. She has grown into such a lovely young lady. She will always be my little girl.

Back to the menu plan. Last week we made two types of quiche. The one in the recipe and one made with 1/2 a pound of shrimp and broccoli with Italian cheese. The shrimp was my favorite. I had the leftovers for lunch the next two days. My son(12yrs old) liked the one in the recipe. The burger recipe we cut in half and only used ground turkey, we didn't want any leftover burgers this week. The recipe would have made 8 burgers for our family of 4.

On to this weeks menu.

Monday-Frozen Fish Fillets, Velveeta Mac & Cheese, and frozen peas

Tuesday-Turkey Meatballs with Quick and Spicy Tomato Sauce over pasta, salad and Popovers

Wednesday-Pulled Pork Burritos and fruit

Thursday-Turkey Fried Rice over Spinach

Friday-Easy Apricot Chicken, rice and veggies

Saturday-Dinner out after church

Sunday Supper-Dinner out after the ball game using a gift certificate earned at viewpoints.com

Don't forget to stop by Org Junkie for more great menu ideas.

I Survived Kroger Super Doubles!

2009-08-17T05:15:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone!

I have finally recouped from Kroger's Super Doubles Saturday. What a great adventure I had. As you know from my previous post, I did a lot of prep work and it really paid off. My daughter and I showed up at Kroger around 11:00 a.m. I wasn't expecting to find a lot of the stuff that I wanted. Because as we all know, a lot of people showed up at the 24 hour stores at midnight or a little before. Anyway, my store was full of people and the shelves were being restocked as fast as the great employees at Kroger could stock them. It was all hands on deck, from cashiers to managers. Everyone was polite and helpful. I sure hope that all these employees know how much we appreciate them. Next time your in Kroger's make sure you tell them if you were there. Remember my motto is to "Pay it Forward." We took just over 2 hours to finish shopping and checkout. The lines moved fast and I was grateful and starving. I forgot to eat(Gasp) before going shopping. Luckily we were only shopping for items that I had coupons for...no impulse buys today.

All in all, I'd say we did pretty well. We purchased 123 items for $94 and some change. Many of the items I purchased were over a dollar. However, I didn't mind because I normally pay 3 to 4 dollars for most of these items. Here's a list of a few of those items.

Batteries
Parchment Paper
Flat Bread Melts
Odewalla Juice
Large can of Enchilada sauce
Assorted Cereal Bars
Organic Frozen Peas
Chips
Shampoo
Shaving Gel

I will also be sending off for the Kellogg's Fuel For School $10 rebate. You can go here to find out more about that.

After this week, I am so well stocked that I should only have to buy milk, some fresh fish, and fruits and veggies.

I'd like to say, "Thanks" once again to all the employee's of the Kroger located at 2920 and Kuykendahl.

As always, remember to "Pay it Forward."

Getting Ready For Kroger Super Doubles!

2009-08-14T06:25:00.000-07:00

I have been M.I.A. for the past few days because of Super Double Manufacturer's Coupons at Kroger in the Texas and Louisiana markets. To prepare for this sale, I have gone through all my coupons and pulled high values that don't normally double(55cent to $1). While I was pulling these coupons I checked expiration dates and pulled all expired coupons. This helps keep my file more manageable. I have also printed all printable coupons available at these sites and loaded all ecoupons to my Kroger card. Using a combo of these two types of coupons should provide huge savings. You can go here for a list of all these sites.

I have gone to Kroger a couple of times this week to pick up milk and fresh produce. While I was there, I checked prices for some of the things that I have coupons for. I have also checked the google document that ZM has put together on HCW to see what's going to be free or very cheap during this sale. Everyone here in Texas is really excited about this sale. We haven't had doubles up to and including $1 in a very long time. They are limiting coupons to one like. I'm hoping the sale lives up to all the hype, all of us have been giving it.

If you live here in the Spring area, I hope to see you all having fun. Remember to pack your patience since the checkers are likely to get frustrated with all the coupons. Also, be prepared to wait lines will be long. My hope is that Kroger is as prepared as all of us.

Happy Bargain Hunting!!

And remember, "Pay it Forward."

Free Taco Tuesday at Jack in the Box

2009-08-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Today, August 11th you can get two free tacos from Jack in the Box(no purchase necessary). All you have to do is go here to print your coupon. Have a Great Tuesday.

Thanks Melissa @ Melissa's Bargain Blog.

Menu Planning Monday

2009-08-10T07:09:00.001-07:00

Everything that was planned for last weeks menu actually got made. We enjoyed all the recipes and will be making them again in the future. Our favorite leftover was the BLT Potatoes from Thursday's dinner. We warmed these up in the microwave the next morning and served them with eggs over easy and toast. This was a quick and easy breakfast. We plan on making more of these potatoes. Who knew that we would like the flavor of the leeks so much. Well if you've never tried leeks before, I hope you'll give them a chance. One little change we made this week is to add a bit of ground cumin to the pulled pork recipe. We love the smokey flavor of the ground cumin and it just seemed to belong their. What changes or adjustment did you make this week. Please share, I love hearing from you.

Monday-Quiche and tossed salad

Tuesday-Mexican Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad

Wednesday-Creamy Pesto Shrimp w/Linguine and Roasted Zucchini Slices w/Parmesan Cheese

Thursday-Leftover Night

Friday-Turkey-Club Burgers and Fruit

Saturday-Spaghetti, tossed salad and bread

Sunday Supper-Steak, baked potatoes, salad and brownies for dessert(it's DH B-day).

For more delicious menu ideas head over to Org Junkie.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Kroger Year of Free Gas & Groceries Sweepstakes!!

2009-08-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

I signed up for the Kroger Year of Free Gas & Groceries Sweepstakes 3 days ago. I won $5 on my first spin. It only takes a second to sign up and add it to your favorites to remind you to go back each day for another spin. What do you have to lose? You just might win!! Anyway, go here if you want a chance to win. Good Luck!! Let us know if you win anything, so that we can celebrate with you.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Chiquita Fruit Bites Coupon Has Reset

2009-08-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Chiquita Fruit Bites coupon has reset. You can go here and print 2 more coupons per computer. I still have not found these close to where I live. I believe that with Back-to-School sales that I will find these soon. If anyone in the Spring/Houston, TX area has found these, would you please let me know.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Milk-Bone Coupon For Man's Best Friend

2009-08-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

Go here to get high dollar coupons good on any Milk Bone Essentials PLUS biscuits, chewy treats or long lasting chew items.

Remember to hit the back button a couple of times to print a second time.

The coupons are for $2 off the long lasting chew item and $1 off the biscuits or chewy treats.

Menu Planning Monday

2009-08-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well last weeks menu plan changed a little (read about those changes here) but was very successful. The leftover chicken, from the Maui Chicken showed up in today's menu on the Ginger BBQ Chicken Pizza. We added another days menu to Tuesday and didn't go out to eat. But as the saying goes, "Life Happens." I hope y'all get inspired to cook as a family and try something new. Let me know what kind of food your family is interested in. My daughter and I decided that most crock pot cooking turns out really bland. We have a really easy and delicious pulled pork, done in the crock pot on this weeks menu.

Monday-Homemade Ginger BBQ Chicken Pizza and cantaloupe

Tuesday-Pork Chops in Tangy Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce with Bacon-Pea Polenta

Fresh Fruit

Wednesday-Shrimp Enchiladas w/lettuce, tomato, avocado, salsa, and sour cream (We have tweaked the enchilada recipe to our taste, we only use about 2 Tbs of green chilies and we use the red enchilada sauce not the green.

Thursday-Chutney and Cheddar-Stuffed Chicken Breast w/BLTP (Bacon, Leek, and Tomato Potatoes)

Friday-Baked Ziti with a side salad (The recipe we use for the baked ziti comes from the clean eating cookbook. The main difference from most recipes is we use 1 bag of matchstick carrots.)

Saturday-Dinner Out after Church

Sunday-Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Pesto Potato Salad, and Fresh Fruit (Our recipe for pulled pork is 3 to 6 pounds of pork tenderloin or roast, 1 can sweeten condensed milk, 1 can of coke, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 to 2 bay leaves put into a crock pot and cooked on low for 8 hours.)

Remember to, "Bring the Kids into the Kitchen."

This weeks Menu Planning Monday is being hosted by The Happy Housewife.

Schwans - Free Food

2009-08-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (August 1st), Schwans started offering 1 free item(up to $10) to the first 500,000 new customers (anyone who hasn't ordered from them in the past 14 weeks).

I just place my order for the Fiesta Lime Chicken for 2. I plan to use this as a nice lunch with a side salad for my husband and I. The best part, when I checked-out the total was $0.

Go here and get your free food, delivered to your door.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

New Coupons!!

2009-08-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the month is reset time for most of the printable coupon sites. Coupons .com has reset. Click on the Coupons bar at the right side of my blog to see all the great coupons for back-to-school (Chex Mix, yogurts, cereal, and much more). Also, take a peak at Red Plum for more coupons. You can find even more coupons ready to print on the Smartsource site. A little tip for you is to try several zipcodes to get a larger variety of coupons. Try 90210, 77379, 63090 and of course your own zip code.

Here are some links to the ecoupon sites. These are sites that you load electronic coupons to your shoppers card(Randalls, Krogers, CVS, etc.).

Shortcuts.com

Cellfire.com - can be added to your shoppers card or sent to your cellphone. I have mine put on my shoppers card.

P & G esaver - has your coupons for P & G products that you know and love.

Upromise.com - sign-up to save for college with loadable coupons that go into an account for college all for free.

"How's This Weeks Menu Working Out?"

2009-07-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let y'all know how our menu plan is working out.

Tuesday, we had planned to eat out. We ended up cooking dinner at home. We had Tilapia w/Balsamic Browned Butter and Creamy Farfalle w/Bacon, Tomato and Peas. This is a delicious dinner. We use less pasta but keep the same amount of sauce. Rachael tends to use way more pasta than we could ever eat. And yes, we still have plenty of leftover pasta with sauce. We usually have the leftover pasta for lunch.

Thursday, we made the Maui Chicken. My daughter and I thought that it might be a little bland. So, we added some Chinese 5 spice powder(about 1/4 tsp.)and a chopped shallot. The chicken was moist and fork tender. We didn't like the taste of the pineapple. It didn't taste like pineapple, it tasted more like chicken stock. Next time, we are going to use the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple and only half of the chicken stock. We are going to reserve the pineapple until the chicken is done and add it right before serving. We are also going to use some fresh ginger, 4 Tbs of brown sugar instead of 2, and a diced jalapeno for some kick. We'll let you know how it turns out.

How's your menu plan working this week?

BOGO Free Smoothie @ Jamba Juice!!

2009-07-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, my daughter is a Jamba Juice addict. Ever since she had one at Whole Foods, it's all she thinks about. She has been searching for coupons and locations for the past month. Did I mention that she's 14? Anyway, she finally came across this coupon and I thought that it would be nice to share with you. Just in case you too have been searching.

Enjoy some of the last true summer pleasures with a friend.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Free iTunes Mix From Stanford U

2009-07-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

If you love getting new music for your iPod then you'll love this. You can check out Jennifer's post on Sisterly Savings. Stanford U is offering a free Summer 2009 mix at iTunes. There are 30 songs and it won't cost you a cent.

Thanks Jennifer!

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Menu Planning Monday

2009-07-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at doing Menu Planning Monday. I hope y'all try some of the recipes that I have listed. My daughter is 14 years old and loves to cook. She has been helping out in the kitchen for a couple of years know and has practically taken over the kitchen. I use to call her my little sous chef. Now, I am her sous chef. She has far surpassed my kitchen skills at the age of 14. I use to burn every batch of snap peas that my mother picked from our acre garden. Anyway, it really is nice cooking with someone who actually enjoys it. I hope that by posting our menus with recipes that I might inspire you to try something different at least once a week.

Monday-Deviled Chicken and Grilled Stone Fruit, Jasmine Rice and Steamed Veggie

Tuesday-Eat Out using a gift certificate purchased using a code from here

Wednesday-Sloppy Joe's (this is our favorite recipe), chips and fruit

Thursday-Maui Chicken, Jasmine Rice and Tossed Salad

Friday-Steak, Potatoes and Corn on the Cob

Saturday-Dinner Out after church

Sunday Supper-Well-Dressed Salmon and Crispy Mashed Potato Cakes

Visit Menu Planning Monday over at Org Junkie for more menu planning ideas.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

A Great Organizing Tool For Free!

2009-07-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

Today, I'd like to share with you a site that Erin has shared with me and her other readers on her blog. The site is called Cozi and offers many great features, all for free. You can organize your calendar on their website and color code it to your family members. What I like about this site is that you can access it from anywhere, including your cellphone. It also has a place for list, that means no more worrying about forgetting your list at home. I can't wait to try it out. I believe that this is going to be a great organizing tool.

If anyone has used this site, please feel free to leave a comment about what you think.

Also, Erin is trying to win a sponsorship from Cozi. Please visit her site and post a comment on her blog about Cozi.

As always, remember to "Pay it Forward."

Free School Supplies @ CVS

2009-07-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

CVS is having another 3 day sale on school supplies. Here is a list of what is being offered.

Caliber/CVS 100 page Comp Books .99 with .99 ECB Limit 2

CVS Erasers, Push Pins, or Clips .99 with .99 ECB Limit 2

Caliber/CVS Pencil Case .99 with .99 ECB Limit 2

Pilot Easytouch 2pk Pens .99 with .99 ECB Limit 2

Swingline Tot Stapler or Caliber Sticky Note 2pk .99 with .99 ECB Limit 2

Remember that you can pick these items up for very little out of pocket if you use your ECB that you have earned from previous deals. If you need too, split up your transactions and use the ECB that you earn from each previous transaction.
And if you don't need school supplies then think about picking these up and donating to a teacher at a local school. Teachers often pay for needed supplies out of there own pocket. I feel that they are underpaid and like to help them out when I can.

As always, remember to "Pay if Forward."

Save Money on Dining Out @ Restaurant.com

2009-07-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy getting gift certificates at Restaurant.com. I have purchased a $25 gift certificate in the past, which usually cost $10 for only $2 when they ran their 80% off promo. My mother-in-law, daughter and I used this certificate at Chatters Cafe in Houston after the ballet one night. The certificates are good for 1 year from the purchase date. So if you know you like the restaurant then purchase a couple of certificates to have on hand. I believe this is a great place to save money if you like to dine out, even in these hard times. Think about the possibilities, birthdays, anniversaries, date nights and many more.

The certificate that we used was for $25 off a minimum purchase of $50. The three of use ordered lovely dinners and 2 desserts to meet the $50 threshold. After the discount and a very generous tip, we walked out only paying $42 for the three of us to have a very lovely meal. I will be doing this again in the very near future with my husband and 2 children.

If you are interested in saving money dining out, then go here and use the code NAPKIN.

I hope y'all enjoy this as much as I did.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Test and Reminder About Free School Supplies @ CVS!

2009-07-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! I'm having a few issues with my blog that I am working on. I will be back to posting soon.

In the meantime there are more great free school supplies, free after ECB at CVS this Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. If they are out of stock make sure to get a raincheck. The rainchecks never expire and will come in handy when the kiddo's supplies are running out.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

7/26 Smartsource & Red Plum Insert Preview

2009-07-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Smart Source 7/26
.55/1 2000 Flushes Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner (x10/31)
$1 off California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust product, 10oz+ (x8/31)
$1 off Clearasil product (x10/18)
$1 off Colgate 360 Sonic Power Toothbrush (x8/15)
.40/1 Colgate Adult or Kids Manual Toothbrush (x8/15)
.75/1 Colgate Max White, Max Fresh, Total, Sensitive, or Kids Toothpaste, 4.0oz+ (x8/15)
.50/1 Cottonelle Aloe & E Toilet Paper, 4pk+ (x9/6)
.50 off Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes, (2) 36ct+ tubs or 42ct refills OR (1) 72ct+ refill(x9/6)
.50 off Cottonelle Toilet Paper, (2) 4-packs OR (1) 12pk+ (x9/6)
.75/1 Curad Hold Tite & Non-Stick Pads (x10/26)
.50/1 Curad product (x10/26) $1/2 Edwards Singles (x9/26)
$1/2 Emerald Nuts 16oz Dry Roasted Peanuts or Lightly Salted Dry Roasted Peanuts (x9/30) $1/2 Glade PlugIns Scented Gel Refill Packs (x9/5)
B1G1 Glade PlugIns Scented Gel Warmer (x9/5)
$1 off Honey Bunches of Oats with Pecan Bunches (x9/6)
$2 off Icaps Vitamin Formula (x10/31)
.50/1 Irish Spring Body Wash, or (2) Irish Spring Multi-Bar Packs 3pk+ (x8/15)
.50/2 Jell-O Gelatin (x9/30)
$1 off Lime-a-way product (x9/20)
Free Mighty Dog 5.5oz can or $1.00 off Variety Pack 12-24ct (x9/14)
$4 off Opti-Free Solution Twin pack or (2) 10oz bottles (x10/31)
.75/1 OxiClean Laundry Pre-treater Spray (x10/31)
$1 off OxiClean Powder, 56oz+ (x10/31)
$1 off OxiClean Stain Fighter Liquid (x10/31)
.25/1 Palmolive Dish Liquid (x8/15)
$1/2 Post Cereal, 10oz+, any variety (x9/6)
$1/2 Post Grape Nuts, Shredded Wheat or Raisin Bran, 10oz+ (x9/6)
$2 off Rachael Ray Nutrish 6lb bag+ (x9/30)
.50/1 Rid-X Septic System Treatment product (x10/18)
.50/1 Rid-X Septic System Treatment product (x9/20)
$1 off Schick Disposable Razor (x8/30)
$4 off Schick Quattro for Women or Intuition Plus Razor or Refill (x8/30)
$4 off Schick Quattro Titanium Razor, Trimmer, or Refill (x8/30)
$1 off Simply Saline or Wound Wash Saline (x12/31/09)
$1 off Snyder’s of Hanover Lunch Packs, 5.5oz+ (x10/31)
.75/1 Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel Sandwiches, 8oz+ (x10/31)
.75/2 Speed Stick or Lady Speed Stick Antiperspirant/Deodorants (x8/15)
.75/1 Speed Stick Pro or 24/7 Antiperspirant/Deodorant or Lady Speed Stick Clinical Proof or 24/7 (x8/15)
.55/1 Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain & Odor Eliminator product (x9/30)
.75/1 Summer’s Eve Feminine Cleansing Cloth or Deodorant Spray (x10/18)
$1 off Summer’s Eve Feminine Wash (x10/18)
$1 off Sunsweet Prune Juice, 64oz (x11/30)
$2 off Systane Product (x10/31)
$1 off Tyson Skillet Creations Meal Kit (x10/26)
$1/2 Welch’s Squeezables (x10/31)
B4G1 Yoplait Yogurt Thick & Creamy reg or light (x9/19)
$1/2 Ziploc Brand Bags (x9/19) .40/1 Ziploc Brand Bags (x9/19)
.55/1 Ziploc Brand Container (x9/19)
$1/2 Ziploc Brand Containers (x9/19)

Scott Mail in Rebate Form - Buy 2 different Scott product categories get 2$, buy 3 get 3$, buy 4 get 4$

Red Plum 7/26
.75/1 9Lives Dry Cat Food, 3.15lb+ (x9/30)
$1 off 9Lives Wet Cat Food (1) 12-can variety pack, (12) individual cans or (3) 4pks (x9/30)
$3 off AcneFree Clear Skin System, Sensitive Skin System, Severe to Clear System, or Redness Relief System (x9/30)
$1 off AcneFree non-kit Treatment (x9/30)
$15 off Alli product (x9/30)
$2/2 Aussie Products (x8/31)
$1/2 Ball Park Franks (x8/22)
$1 off Bayer Aspirin 24ct+ (x10/31)
$1.50 Bayer Heart Advantage (x10/31)
$1.50 Bayer Quick Release Crystals (x10/31)
$1 off Citracel procuct, excludes creamy bites (x10/31)
$1/2 Clairol Balsam Lasting Color haircolor products (x8/31)
$6 off Flex-a-min Joint Care product (x9/9)
$1 off Flintstones Multivitamin product (x10/31)
Free Herbal Essences Styling Product wyb any Herbal Esssences Hair Care Product (x8/31)
.50/1 Luigi’s Real Italian Ice (x9/30)
.50/1 Minute Maid Frozen Novelty (9/30)
$1 off Nature’s Bounty Vitamins and supplements (x9/9)
$1 off Neutrogena Eye or Lip Cosmetics (x9/6)
$2 off Neutrogena Face Cosmetics (x9/6)
$1 off Noxzema SpaShave 3-pk, Super Smooth 4pk, Soft-n-Sassy 10pk, or Bikini Grooming Wand (x9/30)
$2 off One A Day Adult or Teen Multivitamin product, 12ct+ (x10/31)
$1 off One A Day Kids Multivitamin product (x10/31)
$1 off Pantene Expressions or Restoratives product (x8/31)
$1 off Philips product (x10/31) $1 off Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Bath Tissue, 6-double roll+ (9/13)
$1/2 Snickers brand, Twix brand, 3 Musketeers brand, or Milky Way singles bars (x8/23)
$1 off Strap Perfect Bra Strap Concealer (x10/30)
$1/2 Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice (9/20)
.75/2 Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice pouches (x9/20)
.50/1 Whole Fruit Fruit Bar (9/30) .50/1 Whole Fruit Sorbet (x9/30)

Swagbucks: Newbie

2009-07-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

If you use the Swagbucks button in my sidebar to sign-up and then type in the swagcode NEWBIE during registration, you will receive 5 swagbucks instantly.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Free Pastry @ Starbucks

2009-07-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning until 10:30 a.m. you can use this coupon for a free pastry with the purchase of a beverage. Print 2 and take a friend, enjoy a little fellowship.

Thanks for the heads up Tiffany @ Living on a Budget the Easy Way.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Kroger Mega Sale

2009-07-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

I made a quick stop at Kroger today to pick-up a few of their sale items.

Here's what I got:

2-SoBe Life Water 20 oz $.49 ea
3-Rolaids 30ct $1.19 ea
3-Temptations Cat Treats $.99 ea
2-Lady Speedstick Deo. $.99 ea

Coupons used:
3-$1 off Rolaids
3-$.50 off Temptations ea. doubled
2-$1.5o off Lady Speedstick ($.51 overage on each)

Total OOP=$.21

CVS: Free School Supplies!!

2009-07-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to CVS to pick-up some free school supplies. Yes, you heard me right...free school supplies. Here's what I was able to pick-up.

2 packs of Caliber or CVS Filler Paper, 150 sheets, at $2 ea.- free after ECB
2 packs of Paper Mate 1.2 Pens, 10 ct, $.99 ea. - free after ECB
2 Caliber or CVS Memo Book 50-80 sheets at $.99 ea. - free after ECB
1 CVS/pharmacy Pantiliners 22 ct. at $.89 - free after ECB

I also purchased:
1 multi pack of CVS spring water for $2.99
4 Giradelli individuals at register for $.33 ea.
2 packs of CVS individual nuts

I used $1 off CVS water Q
$2 off CVS gold emblem nuts
$3/$15
$6 ECB

My total out of pocket ended up being only $3.22 and I received back $4 ECB, $1.98 ECB, $1.98 ECB, and one for $.89.

As always, remember to "Pay it Forward."

Free AMP @ Kroger!!

2009-07-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

If you purchase 10 amp energy drinks in one transaction at Kroger, a catalina for a free $10 Kroger giftcard will print. The drinks are on sale this week for 10 for $10. So, you pay $10 but they give you a $10 giftcard with the coupon to use on your next purchase.

I Love Free!!

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Free Nestle Pure Life Water at Walmart

2009-07-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

Be sure to go here to print your coupon for $1 off Nestle Pure Life Water.

Walmart has the 6-pack Nestle Pure Life Water for $1. You can print 2 coupons per email and computer. If you have 2 computers or more, use a different email for each computer.

Thanks for the heads up, Coupon Cravings.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Kellogg's $10 Rebate

2009-07-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

Go here to sign-up for an All K Pass, then click on the rebate link in the lower right hand corner.

There are a lot of Kellogg printable coupons on http://www.redplum.com/ site. If you purchase 10 items in one transaction, you will receive a $10 rebate check.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

CVS: Back to School Savings

2009-07-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Today I purchased the 16 items pictured above, 14 of which were school supplies, for only 22 cents. I did this in only 2 transactions because I had $10.99 in ECBs from last week. Here is how I split up the transactions.

1st transaction

Buy:
(2) CVS 1 Subject Notebooks $.99 ea
(3) Paper Mate Grip Pens $.99 ea
(2) Pocket Folders $.05 ea
(1) CVS Scissors $2.99 ea
(2) CVS Glues $.99 ea

Use:
-$10 ECB
Total OOP=$.04

Get Back ECB for: 2.99, 1.98, 1.98, and 2.97

2nd transaction

Buy:
(1) CVS Scissors $2.99 ea
(2) CVS 12" Ruler $.99 ea
(1) Pocket Folder $.05 ea
(1) Gillette Fusion Razor $7.99
(1) Tylenol Arthritis $3.99

-$4 off Gillette Fusion Manual or Power Razor PG 6/07
-$2 off Tylenol Arthritis RP 5/17
-$2.99 ECB from 1st transaction
-$2.97 ECB from 1st transaction
-$1.98 ECB from 1st transaction
-$1.98 ECB from 1st transaction
-$.99 ECB from last week
Total OOP=$.20

Get Back ECB for: 2.99, 1.98, 4.00, and 3.00

So now I have $11.97 in ECBs to spend next week and a great start on school supplies list for Back to School.

If you would like to see these broken down into smaller transactions you can check out a post by Jenny over at Southern Savers here.

Find the BOGO Free Deals In Your Area!!

2009-07-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

"Buy One Get One Free Coupons" This link will take you to a site to find the BOGO free deals in your local area. If you are traveling, use it for deals in your destination city. I love saving money, no matter where I am.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

New Buttons

2009-07-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

I've just added two new buttons to my sidebar.

The first one is for Swagbucks. This is a referal button that takes you to Swagbucks. Swagbucks is basically a search engine that gives you swagbucks, randomly, for searches. You can earn 1-5 bucks randomly. You can purchase Amazon.com $5 giftcards for as little as 45 swagbucks. Depending on how many searches you do, you could earn a giftcard in less than a month. I've almost earned one, and I don't do very many searches. Please use the button in my sidebar, I will receive credit for the swagbucks that you earn(up to 100) and it won't take anything away from the points you earn. Thanks in advance for your help.

The second button that I have added is for a site that I visit often and subscribe to also. Keeping the Kingdom First is doing a giveaway for a Sun & Earth Natural Cleaners Starter Pack. Check it out and tell her that Tammy @http://www.spend-a-little-and-save-a-lot.blogspot.com/ sent you.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Another Redbox Code

2009-07-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here is another Redbox code. This one is only good for today, Monday July 6th.

Code - 4J7LF6

Happy Movie Night!

And remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Free Redbox Code

2009-07-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

Use code 7HE79B to rent a FREE movie at Redbox from 7/5/09 - 7/7/09.

Never heard of Redbox? Click here to read the details. As long as you return the movie the next day, it's a FREE rental. It's only $1 a day afterwards.

Thanks, Coupon Geek!

Two Teen Disney Movies For Under $12

2009-07-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today I picked up both, Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience and Princess Protection Program for $15.99 each. When you buy both of these DVDs or BlueRays in the same transaction they give you a giftcard for $10. You can print a coupon for $10 off the purchase of these movies when you purchase them together here.

I did 2 transactions for a total of 4 movies.

I used 1 coupon for the first transaction and paid $21.98 for the 2 movies. They gave me a $10 Target giftcard.

I used 1 coupon and the Target giftcard from the first transaction to pay for these 2 movies and paid $11.98. They gave me another $10 Target giftcard.

My total out of pocket was $33.96 for 4 movies and I have a $10 Target still in my pocket.

If you just do one transaction then your total for 2 movies will be under $12 because you still have $10 on the Target giftcard to spend.

Plan ahead: think birthdays and christmas presents.

As always remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Yummy...Free Chiquita Fruit Bites Singles!!

2009-07-02T05:14:00.000-07:00

What a great deal. You can print a coupon for a free single Chiquita Fruit Bites Singles. You can print this coupon up to two times per computer. These are going to make great additions to summer camp lunches or you can save them for back to school. You need to hurry though, because the great coupons always go fast.

Thanks for the heads up, Common Sense With Money