Shoppers Food Double Coupon Weekend!

Thanks to Gina at MoneywiseMoms I learned that Shoppers was doubling coupons up to (and including) $1 this weekend. They also have an in circular coupon for $5 off when you buy $20 worth of selected products (cereals, poptarts, cookies.) Most of my $1/1 coupons for Kelloggs cereals that I printed off coupons.com a few weeks back were going to expire in the next week, so I thought it was the perfect time to use them up! The way it works is by buying 8 boxes of cereal at $2.50 each and using the $1/1 coupons per box and the $5 Shoppers coupon you make $1! (which is then applied to the rest of your groceries.)

My total for this trip was $15.65.

I got:
24 boxes of cereal (lots to be donated)
2 jars of Miracle Whip (donate)--I bought this for free to be able to use the Kraft $2 off meat purchase to make the ground turkey just $.50
1.25 lbs Ground turkey
2 cans Hormel chili
4 cans vegetarian refried beans
6 boxes of jello (only 5 pictured)
4 pack of Kraft American cheese
3 bags of Marcal napkins
3 boxes uncle bens brown rice
1 McCormick black pepper
1 Daisy 8 oz sour cream
2 Breakstone 16 0z sour cream
3 Wacky Mac
2 Barilla Piccolini pastas
12 Mentos gums
2 YoPlait Yo-Plus yogurt
3 donuts (not pictured!)

Total $15.65. (Actually it should have been $.50 less, but I accidentally grabbed a box of Rice Krispies that was smaller--but $.50 more.)

Harris Teeter Triples - How to...

Not sure how to get a low OOP from the items you need at HT this week? Check out HCW's "Brag Thread" and see what other couponers are purchasing and what they paid.

Thrifty Thursday

Thrift stores!


Thrift stores are terrific places to find great, high-quality, unique and inexpensive household items. Often, the items in a thrift store are perfectly good things that somebody else has outgrown or simply grown tired of.

If you need to furnish a new apartment, Thrift stores are great sources of the necessary kitchen items - dishes, pots and pans, and baking items. You'll also find bedspreads, curtains, carpets, small appliances, and furniture.

I go to one local thrift store because they get a regular supply of these little juice glasses. (I really don't like to drink out of plastic cups.) My little ones help with dishes and we break quite a few glasses over a year. These also remind me of my Grandmother who always served breakfst with two of these little glasses, one with milk and the other with juice. :o)
All the glasses in this cupboard came from a thrift store. They are not all the same pattern, but they are all clear glass and in my opinion look nicer on the table than different colored plastic cups.
Be sure to check out the accessories. You'll find belts, purses, luggage, shoes, hats, and even jewelry (usually the costume variety) at a fraction of their regular prices. I bought this brand new, never used Vera Bradley wallet for my daughter last year. I didn't know what the retail value was, but I knew enough to know $3 was a bargain. My daughter was thrilled!
Watch for bargains and sales. Many thrift stores have a sales or clearance rack to unload items that have not sold in some time. Also, keep a look out for store-wide sales, such as student or senior discount day, 50% off day or $1 day among others. Most thrift shops will have signs up for these events.

Before buying an item, take a good look at it. Is it in good shape? Is it stained? Does it have any holes or tears? If it has a zipper, buttons or clasps make sure these work.

Because it's inexpensive, it can be very easy to accumulate clutter at thrift stores. Don't just look at the bargain; ask yourself whether you really need and will use an item. Clean out your closets periodically, too, and pass along the stuff you're done with.

Always wash thrift store clothing before you wear it.

See more posts on more thrift store deals here and here.

Food Lion Private Brand Super Sale 5/27-6/23

I received this email from FL.

Current Promotions: Food Lion Private Brand Super Sale!
-May 27 - June 23, 2009
-Save up to $10
-Purchase a minimum of 4 (maximum of 40) Food Lion Brand brand products in one shopping visit
-Receive up to $10 in Food Lion Coupons (catalina's) at checkout. Coupons are redeemable on your next shopping order (OYNO)

4 products= $1.00
6 products = $1.50
8 products= $2.00
10 products= $2.50
20 products= $ 5.00
40 products= $10.00

The fine print: All Food Lion Brand items are eligible except fresh meat, produce, and random weight deli/bakery items. Coupon expires 2 weeks from date of issue.

Go to HCW to read the deal talk to make the most of this offer.

TRIPLE COUPONS AT HARRIS TEETER 5/27-6/2

This list of FREE items is from the HT forum Triples thread at HCW. Go here to see the complete list of deals this week at HCW:HT's triple Q event!

Please note prices vary by region - please check your stores.

Thanks to Jessero, bargains4angels, riley1319, mnmbeachchix, everprincess, momto8kiddos, nyummisssion99, slickcat79, jaymers, clippingfool, nyc4me03, jenn139, mariana7mcc9 for spotting deals.

Glass Plus - BOGO -$1.39 for 1
.50/1 5/17 SS = free

Smuckers Sundae toppings -$2
-.75/1 =Free or -.55/1= .35 (5/17 RP)

Powerade - $1.11
.75/2 tearpad = free

Eggo Waffles – $1.66
.75/1 4/05 RP – exp 5/31= free

12 ct Rhodes Dinner Roll s= $2.19
.75/1 Rhodes Traditional Rolls 03-22-09 SS =free

8 oz French's Classic Yellow Mustard - $1.50
05-10-09 SS .50/1 = free

Caprisun Drinks 10pk 1.99
.75/1 Summer 09' Kraft Food and Family
final Price - FREE

All Mitchum Deodorant BOGO 1.5-3.4 oz (1.79-1.99 for one)
.75/1 from 5/10 SS=FREE

McCormick grill mates packet seasoning
reg. price $1.29
MQ .50/1 (5/3/09 RP and 4/19/09 RP)
$1.29-$1.50=FREE

Mahatma Rice 5 oz packet (buy 2)
reg price .89 each, 2 for 1.78
MQ .75/2 (3/1/09 RP and 4/26/09 RP)
1.78-2.25=FREE

Viva Delightful Designs - on clearance - $1.94
.85/1 4/05 SS *exp 5/31* = free

2.5 oz Bumble Bee Tuna (green pouch) - $1.29
.55/1 blinkie = free

Marcuhan Yakisoba - $1
.35/1 5/10 SS = free

Daisy Sour Cream, 8 oz - $1.45
4/05 SS = free

McCormick black peppers – various flavors- $2
5/10 RP = Free

Lipton Tea Bags – 16 ct - $1.29
.50/1 5/17 RP = free

Gatorade G2 or Tiger, 32 oz - .97
.50/1 tearpads = free

Edge Advanced shave gel
price: $2
Q: 75/1 (05-17-09 SS) = free


Kikkoman Soy Sauce2/$3
.55/1 (peelie, blinkie, hangtag)
= FREE

Tabasco Sauce 2oz 1.00
.75/1 (5/17 SS, winetag); .50/1 (4/26 SS, 5/17 SS)
= FREE

Lawry's 30 Minute Marinade $1.49 BOGO
Lawry's Marinades, Any - 05-17-09 RP $0.50/1=FREE

French’s Spicy Brown Mustard 12oz $1.89
French's Mustard, Any - 05-10-09 SS 0.75/1=FREE

McCormick Spices:
Pepper = 1.65
Ground Cinnamon = 1.99
Parsley Flakes = 1.99
Oregano Leaves = 1.99
Chili Powder = 1.55
Garlic Salt = 1.89
Paprika = 2.19
.75/1 4/5 RP
= Free

Wacky Mac
BOGO - .79
MQ .50/1 (5/10/09 SS) (DND 5)=free

Menu Plan Monday - 8isGreat

Monday- Chicken Noodle Casserole - suate 1/4 onion, 1/2 med. red pepper, 1 celery rib and 1 garlic clove in 1/8 cup of butter until tender, add 3/4 cup fresh mushrooms. Cook 1-2 mi. longer. remove veggies with slotted spoon, set aside. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons flour to skillet and stir until blended. gradually add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Bring to boil. Cook & stir until thickened (about 2 min). Reduce heat. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups half and half cream. Add 1 (8 oz. pkg) cream cheese and cook until melted. Remove from heat. In large bowl combine 6 cups cubed chicken 1 teaspoon salt, 1 pkg cooked egg noodles, veggies and cheese sauce. Transfer to ungreased baking dish.
Topping - Combine 1 cup finely crushed cornflakes, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 tablespoon veg. oil, 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley and 1/2 teaspoon paprika.
Cover and bake at 350 for 20 min. Uncover and bake 15 min. longer.

Tuesday - (I'm read Frugal Momma's Monday recipe and decided this was what I was going to have with my free steaks and veggies!)) Beef, red/green pepper, red onion and grape tomato shish kabobs (marinated in Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian dressing, buttered egg noodles.

Wednesday - BLT sandwiches, spinach and strawberry salad

Thursday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls

Friday - Cold Tuna Casserole served on a lettuce leaf with wedges of tomato and cucumber and potato chips on the side. This is a family favorite! Cooked egg noodles, canned drained tuna, mayo celery seed, minced onion, parsley flakes, shredded carrots, pickle juice (If I have any). Chill for a few hours before serving.

Saturday - We are hosting an all day community yard sale at our church. I'll be pooped! And there will be cash on hand. So, PIZZA!

Behold, the power of coupons!

I had a *crazy* shopping weekend. I posted the run I did on Friday night, but then I also went back Saturday and did some more serious shopping. Saturday I got over $500 worth of groceries for $35.43 oop, but still had $15 in store catalinas to use on future purchases and a catalina for a free gallon of milk, and used those receipts for $51 worth of mail in rebates. So I MADE money buying over $500 worth of groceries.

So what did I get for $35.43? (sorry--no pictures--it was just too much stuff to set up for a picture and most needed to get in the freezer pretty quickly!)

2.5 lbs thin cut fajita steaks
13.33 lbs 90% ground beef
4.7 lbs stew meat
12 indiv beef shish kabobs
2.66 lbs ground turkey
130bottles Kraft BBQ sauce--all to be donated to food bank
4 1/2 gallons ice cream
5 cans OJ
2 cheese tombstone pizzas
1 pepperoni tombstone pizza
1 frosted mini wheats
2 Special K yogurt clusters
1 lb carrots
2 red peppers
1 green pepper
1 cucumber
2 oranges
8 fuji apples
3 pears
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 ex large tomato
2 lbs strawberries
8 bananas
2 lenders frozen bagels
2 tubs cool whip
1/3 lb American cheese
1 lg tub oxiclean
1 box ice cream sandwiches
2 kraft salad dressings
2 bottles A1
5 vitamin water
1 lb Kraft American cheese
2 sweet potatoes
6 ears corn

Then yesterday I went out for one final trip. I had $1/1 produce or frozen food item coupons that expired today that I wanted to use up.



For $10.07 I bought:

box frozen spinach

6 kiwi

1 cucumber

5.76 (14) fuji apples

3 half gallons ice cream

french fries

2 lenders bagels

2 bags Lays potato chips

9.92 lbs potatoes

Before learning how to combine coupons with sales and other promotions I never would have thought this was possible. I know have freezer stocked with meat, ice cream, veggies and bagels, tons of fresh produce and I'm able to donate a TON of bbq sauce to the food bank where I'm sure it will be appreciated!

Meal Plan Monday

Happy Memorial Day! And thank you to all those who have served our country so bravely!

Monday: Beef, red/green pepper, red onion and grape tomato shish kabobs (marinated in Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian dressing, buttered egg noodles.
Tuesday: Chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes. (Make extra mashed potatoes for tomorrow night.)
Wednesday: Flank steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli.
Thursday: Tball game. Turkey, guacamole, bacon, cheese, salsa in sundried tomato wrap, chips, fruit salad.
Friday: Baked pasta florentine, 5 min Artisan bread
Saturday: Diane burgers, sauteed sweet potatoes and onions, corn on the cob.

Check out Org Junkie for more ideas!

My $1.89 shopping trip

I went to Giant tonight and got all this for $1.89--and most of that was tax!! (Well--I paid $7.89 oop, but I received 2 $3 catalinas--so total oop just $1.89!) But--it will become a money maker when I turn in the receipts for a no beer purchase mail in rebate for steaks for $10. So in the end, I will MAKE $8.11 on all this stuff!

I was able to do it using a combo of store coupons, manufacturers coupons and the fact that Giant honors competitor's coupons (I used the $5 off $25 coupon from Shoppers.)

What I got:
10 packs of steaks (NY strip, eye round, London Broil, Top Round and Ribeye.)
20 bottles of BBQ sauce (to be donated to the food bank)
10 bags of frozen veggies
1 bag of carrots
1 red pepper
1 green pepper

Family Fun Friday

This summer Regal Cinemas is offering free kids movies each week! One I know my kids would love to see in the theater are the Kit move, the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, Curious George, and Charlotte's Web. It looks like they offer a G and a PG movie for free each week. We've done this in summers past and it's first come, first serve, so make sure you get there early!

Check here to see if any of your local theaters are participating!
Link

Swagbucks -- Mega Swagbucks Day TODAY! 5/22

Hopefully you've already signed up for Swagbucks! Today is Mega Swag Bucks day Swagbucks. Meaning your chances of scoring some serious Swaggage goes up. So remember to search on Swagbucks today and win!

B1G1 Free Baskin Robbins 31 below through 6/21

Print this coupon and bring it to your local Baskin-Robbins® store to receive one free 31° Below™ of equal or lesser value with the purchase of any 31° Below™.Some restrictions may apply. Offer valid at participating Baskin-Robbins stores in the US only. Offer expires 6/21/09.

Free Chocolate Friday!

Don't forget! It's free chocolate Friday again!

Get your free chocolate each Friday (while supplies last) from M&M/Mars as part of their "Real Chocolate Relief Act".

Click here every Friday morning through September for a chance to get a coupon for your favorite Mars product: M&M’s, Snickers, Dove, 3 Muskateers, Twix, or Milky Way. Limit 250,000 coupons per Friday!

Thrifty Thursday

THRIFT STORE SHOPPING
Great clothes - super cheap!!

I've lately become a real fan of thrift stores. I am learning to shop for most of my family's clothing (except undergarments) at thrift stores and consignment sales. I can't get everything there. I find it difficult to find casual pants/jeans for boys and almost anything for men. Boys are hard on their clothing and I don't think men ever get rid of anything! :o) I have two favorite thrift stores nearby. I only go looking about once each month unless I'm searching for something specific.
Here are some of my latest "finds."

This dress was $4. It is hard to see, but there is some nice bead work on the front.
This complete outfit came from Goodwill. Each piece was $1. The blouse is an Ann Taylor. Coral is my favorite color!
I found this Jessica Howard dress when I stopped in one of my favorite thrift stores yesterday after a Dr. visit with my #6 child. I paid only $2 for it!
I also picked up this evening dress for $8.
Here is the back view. The shawl was my mother's. This lavender sleeveless full legnth is also a Jessica Howard. I bought this for my 18 yo DD.

It came with a 3/4 legnth jacket shown here. My DD thinks the jacket looks "old ladyish" so we're keeping our eyes open for a nice shawl, wrap, or sweater. The price for both pieces was $2.
Here's a quilted zip front jacket I picked up at Goodwill for $1. It still had the tags on it! My DD #2 took this picture before we left to meet our carpool yesterday - it was a very chilly morning! This is a small sampling of the high quality clothing I've found over the past year. If you don't shop thrift stores, I highly recommend it. Don't be discouraged if you don't have success on your first few outings. It may take some time to find the locations that are clean and offer the quality you want at the price you want. Don't give up, keep hunting, success will come! If you have a blog, I'd love to see some of the deals you've gotten at thrift stores! Please post a link to your blog in the comments.

Here are a few tips I recommend when Thrift Store shopping.

1. When you head to a thrift store take along a bag (or several bags) of stuff you don't want or that doesn't fit anymore. Be sure to ask if they accept donations. This will help you not to accumulate too much. If you are following the "Whittle Down Wednesday" posts you'll know that you want to keep your possessions to a minimum so they serve you - not the other way around! Also, I've received % off coupons from Goodwill on my next purchase when I make a donation.

2. Find out what type of payments are accepted. Some stores will not take checks.

3. Leave your purse in the trunk of the car (or at home). Carrying cash in your pocket frees up your hands for sorting/digging/browsing.

4. Keep an eye out for sales and half price or dollar days. Then you'll get some amazing bargains.

5. Don't buy clothes that you don't absolutely love, or don't quite fit, or are otherwise substandard--even if they are a bargain! It's tempting to buy something that's almost right, because it's so inexpensive. It's still a waste of time, space, and your appearance to buy something that's just not quite right.

6. Many thrift stores have a no return policy. Other stores will give a store credit for returns. Examine your clothes very carefully. I once came home with a fabulous pair of brown dress pants that felt so comfortable, only to discover there was a small (but visible) iron print on the lower pant leg! I've also discovered a few broken zippers in the fitting room. It's better to find out before the purchase that there is a flaw.

7. Shoes - I only buy adult shoes if they have never been worn and children's shoes that are slightly worn or new. Athlete's feet, planters warts, etc. are NOT a good deal!

Last Day for Bonus Swagbucks!

The offer Swagbucks extended to readers of this blog ends today! If you still haven't signed up for Swagbucks, today is the day to do it! You'll receive 2 additional swagbucks when you sign up when you enter the swagcode SPENDLESS.

Read more about it here. And sign up here:

Save 30% on Pampers diapers at Amazon

Amazon is offering an additional 30% off Pampers diapers right now. Save up to 30% on select Pampers and Luvs diapers sold by Amazon.com. Save 15% when you enter code PMPRSJN9 at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 30%. Subscribe & Save is only offered on select Pampers and Luvs products listed below. Offer valid through May 31, 2009.

(I've ordered stuff with the Subscribe and Save option before. You can set up delivery for another several months down the road, and as long as you cancel the order before it's shipped--if it's something you don't need anymore--there's no charge and you get to keep the subscription discount.)

All items included, click here.

Pampers Swaddlers: (price after 30% discount)
92 ct, Size 1 $13.99
84 ct, Size 2 $16.33

Pampers Baby Dry
192 ct, Size 1-2 $24.71
144 ct, Size 3 $24.71
126 ct, size 4 $24.71
116 ct, Size 5 $23.79
92 ct, size 6 $24.71

Pampers Cruisers
116 ct, size 3 $23.79
100 ct, size 4 $23.79
88 ct, size 5 $23.79
72 ct, size 6 $24.71

Thanks to Jane from BBC for the head's up!

Harris Teeter - TRIPLE COUPON EVENT 5/27-6/02

It has been confirmed. HT is having another Triple Coupon Event 5/27 - 6/02 !
HCW has a running list of coupon match ups here.

No Coupons this Sunday 5/24!

Don't buy multiple papers this Sunday!
There will be no coupon inserts in the paper this Holiday Weekend!

Free PF Chang's Lettuce wraps!

Here's your opportunity for free Lettuce Wraps at PF Changs with the purchase of an entree.

Whittle Down Wednesday

Peter Walsh's book "It's All Too Much" has been my inspiration as I work on learning the freedom that comes with owning less.

This book is not just about de-cluttering. It's about looking at the space in your home in a new way. As you think of each room, you decide what it's purpose is. You ask yourself who uses this space. Then you look at what is in this room/space and determine what items serve the purpose of this space and which items do not. Obviously you get rid of anything that does not serve the purpose of that particular sapce. When you are finished you have a space that has less "stuff" to maintain and only items that serve you.

I wish I had a before picture of this cupboard. This is my pasta, spices and seasonings cupboard.
I threw out all expired items and moved canned goods, some baking itens and baking spices out of this cupboard. (I'm working on my "baking cupboard") The purpose of this "space" is to keep my spices, pastas, seasonings and bread crumbs.

In cleaning this cupboard I learned that I had multiples of a particular spice. I combined those that could be combined. Then I made a list of all spices I have here. I taped it to the inside door cupboard (you can see it on the right). Now, when I am making a recipe I can just read the list to see if I have some of the obscure ones.

I just need to remember to write an item on a shopping list when I'm throwing a bottle away.

Free hot dogs!

Free Oscar Mayer hot dogs today only!

Link

Time Saving Tuesday -- make ahead breakfasts

My oldest loves french toast. She'll eat 2 pieces each day for breakfast. I had been buying the frozen french toast at Trader Joes ($2.19 for 6 slices.) I hadn't ever thought too much about how much it cost until this month when I switched to an all cash grocery system. Suddenly, having to pay $2.19 in cash for just 6 slices (3 servings for my daughter) seemed like way too much when I knew I could make french toast cheaper by myself.

The problem was the time and effort. I'm 6 months pregnant and still suffer from morning sickness. Mornings are not my best time of day to be cooking and cleaning. But when I found a recipe for french toast that made a ton and could be frozen--and got great reviews--I knew I had to try it.

I tried it out last week and it was a HUGE hit among the kids (and even my husband who isn't much of a french toast fan.) It's called Disney French Toast.

I made some changes. I used regular whole wheat sandwich bread rather than Texas toast. I added a little cinnamon to the batter. And I also cooked them on my counter top griddle with cooking spray rather than in a skillet with oil. It used a whole loaf, and when my family was finished eating we had just 4 slices left to freeze. To freeze I placed them on a metal cookie sheet for about 30 minutes in the freezer and then placed them into a ziplock bag. The recipe suggests microwaving them to reheat, but I think they'd be pretty soggy. Instead we place them in the toaster oven at 350 for 8 minutes.




My daughter thinks they taste even better than the Trader Joes ones! We're saving money--and time making breakfast each morning! On my agenda today is to make a whole batch just for freezing!

Meal Plan Monday - 8isGreat's menu

Sunday - BBQ chicken legs, rice, corn, rolls
Monday - 3 Bean Chili, cornbread, salad
Tuesday - Hot Dogs, Beans, French Fries, fruit
Wednesday - shepherd's pie, rolls, salad
Thursday - Hot Open Faced Turkey Sandwiches, and a salad of greens with almonds and dried cranberries (heat 1 can of turkey gravy & 1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup pour over left over Turkey on sliced bread, add fresh ground pepper)
Firday - Black Bean Enchiladas, SW rice, SW corn (in olive oil saute chopped onions, chopped green pepper and minced onions. Add 1 can of drained and rinsed black beans, a splash of vinegar, oregano and cumin. Add enough water to almost cover. Simmer 30 min. Lightly cover bottom of 9x13 pan with enchilada sauce. Place a spoonful of beans in the center of flour tortilla add an index finger sized slice of cream cheese. Fold up Burrito style. Cover with remaining enchilada sacue and shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 35 min. or until bubbly. Serve with sour cream and diced tomatoes.)
Saturday - Monterey Chicken, rice, corn (grill chicken breasts w/ BBQ sauce, add bacon and shredded cheddar - melt, top with diced tomatoes and sliced green onions)

$3 off $15 of meat at Giant

Came across this coupon for $3 off $15 worth of a meat purchase at Giant on their website and thought it was a good one to pass along to everyone!

Coupon

Meal Plan Monday

Sunday: Chicken Cordon Bleu, skillet sweet potatoes/white potatoes/onion/thyme, corn on the cob and homemade rolls. (We were supposed to have this last Saturday night but it got moved back a day.)
Monday: Crockpot orange beef with peas and rice
Tuesday: Turkey sausage penne pasta, green beans, 5 min artisan bread
Wednesday: Burgers, french fries, carrots, baked beans
Thursday: Chicken enchiladas, salad
Friday: Salmon patties, rice, peas
Saturday: Strawberry spinach salads with grilled chicken

Check out more ideas at Meal Plan Monday!

Swagbucks--what are you waiting for?!

Since signing up a month ago with Swagbucks I've earned 4 $5 Amazon giftcards just by doing my regular internet searches and I'm over halfway toward another one! Rather than opening up google to search, now I open up swagbucks.com. Their searches are powered by google and sometimes you earn "bucks" for your searches.

Swagbucks is offering a special to readers of this blog for extra bucks when they sign up and use the referral code SPENDLESS (case sensitive.) You'll receive 3 bucks for signing up and 2 extra bucks by entering SPENDLESS as the swagcode. You'll be on your way with a great start toward earning bucks! The code is good until next Thursday.

Just click here to register and enter SPENDLESS as the swag code and let the fun begin!

Free Chocolate Friday!

Don't forget you can sign up to receive free chocolate from M&M/Mars this morning starting at 9am EST.

Click here for your free chocolate!

Thrifty Thursday! Free Diapers from Arquest again!

Arquest is looking for size 4 babies again for their diaper study! I spoke with Georgia again this morning and they are looking for size 4 boys and girls right now. She said next month they'll be doing a size 1 diaper study so if you have a really little one you can call now and they'll take your information and call you when they are ready to start the study.

I just finished a study a few weeks ago and was able to sign up again for this one. They'll mail you a free bag of diapers to try for a week, a survey to fill out and then after completing the survey they will mail you a check for $10 for your time.

The number to call is:

1-888-DIAPER2

Ext 634 for boys (Cheyla)
Ext 646 for girls (Georgia)

Whittle Down Wednesday

Continuing the home organization inspired by reading Peter Walsh's book It's All Too Much, I recently tackled my pantry.

THE PANTRY
I didn't get rid of anything here. I just organized. I removed products I don't use often and placed them in my food storage in the basement.

BEFORE

This is the top portion of my pantry - the shelves and food storage. The very top shelf is very spacious. I think I could put another shelf up there. Right now I use this shelf to store a large storage container of rice, oats, napkins, paper towels and appliances I don't use regularly (the blender, the food processor and the rice maker).

This is the bottom portion of my pantry - hooks line the back wall, there is a potato bin, a large electric griddle, lunch boxes, a jumbo bottle of vinegar, a broom and dust pan. Aprons hang on right side wall and keys and my plastic-grocery-bag-storage-bag on the left.

AFTER

The shelf space

I have a lot of free space here now. I may clear some of my canned goods from another cupboard and place them here. Then I can store my bowls and pans in such a way that they won't spill out after the 5 or 7 year old have emptied the dishwasher. :o)

The lower pantry

For 4 years I've stored my griddle in the pantry on the floor propped up against a wall. It falls over all the time. I always wanted a little shelf installed to slide it in and out. I knew we couldn't put in a shelf and keep the hooks that line the back of the pantry. I rely on those hooks to keep all the lunch boxes and coolers off the floor. Well, as I cleaned up my shelves I realized that my cereal boxes still fit on the shelf when they are lined up right on top of the griddle! Four years of picking up the griddle almost every time I used the closet. Old habits die hard! I'm so glad I had a new perspective when I tidied this up!

Jennie O $5 coupon tonight!

Apparently tonight during the Biggest Loser Finale Jennie O will be offering a $5 off coupon for their products. You should be able to get a free pound of ground turkey with it! It's only available tonight starting at 8 pm EST and quantities are limited.

Click here for their site!

Time Saving Tuesday

Laundry. It's a task dreaded by most moms. The collecting dirty laundry, the washing, the remembering to put it in the dryer, the folding and then finally--the returning of the laundry to it's rightful home. Something our family does which has been a huge time saver (and more importantly than the time savings the fact that the laundry gets put away right away) is to have what the Duggar family refers to as a "family closet."

We've been doing this since long before I ever heard of the Duggars because of our limited space in our townhome. We quickly realized as we added more kids to a townhome that dressers take up valuable space in an already cramped bedroom. Our solution--to get rid of dressers in the kid's bedrooms. My father-in-law built in a dresser into my daughter's closet, but other than that, 5 of us share one large vertical dresser in the master bedroom. Kids clothes also hang in the 2 closets we have in the master bedroom.

How does this save time? We fold all the laundry on the master bed. After it is folded we are able to put away nearly everyone's clothes without having to leave that room! As they finish helping to fold, the kids can easily open their drawers and put their own clothes away. It's worked so well we've even added a tiny vertical dresser that fits in my closet for my oldest's socks and underwear along with hanging her school uniforms in there. Having everything in one central location saves steps and time!

If you have any suggestions for a Time Saving Tuesday tip, we'd love to hear them!

Kroger 5/10-5/16

Kroger doubles mfr Qs up to 50c.

Here are some highlights from this weeks ad.

Tysons Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99/lb.
Center Cut Half Boneless Pork Loin $1.99
Honey Suckle Turkey Breast 99c/lb.

Kroger Gallon Milk - 2 for $5

All varieties sweet corn 29c each.
Fuji Apples 69c/lb!!
Cantaloupe 2 for $3
Organic Breaburn Apples 78c/lb.
Fresh Express Garden $1.48

GM cereals (select varieties) 2 for $5
International Delight Coffee Creamer $2.49 ea (there was a $1/1 Q in a recent insert)

10 for $10
Avacados
Kroger Sandwich Bread
Kroger English Muffins
Kroger Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns
Kroger Donuts
Kroger Tortilla Chips

For more details and complete coupon match ups go to Southern Savers.

Safeway

Duncan Hines cake mix and brownie mix are B2G3 free! There are printable & insert Qs for the brownie mixes. My store was wiped out of the brownies. Be sure to get a rain check on this offer if your shelves are empty, too!

Free bagels!

Buy 3 bagels and get 3 free bagels from Einstein brothers. Just click here for your coupon!

Meal Planning Monday

With 8isgreat posting her family's meal plan today, this week you'll have two families meal plans to check out!

From 8is great:
Monday - Mexican Stuffed Shells, served with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and sour cream and Southwestern corn.

Tuesday - Ham and Potato Casserole, Peas, Rolls

Wednesday - Chicken Wraps, Pasta Salad, pineapples
Chicken Wraps-
1 8oz. can Mandarin Oranges
1/4 Cup As ian Plum Sauce
1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar or Wine Vinegar
1/2 lb. cooked chicken cut into strips
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup chopped seeded cucumber
2 scallions thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups packed chopped romaine lettuce
4 whole wheat tortillas
Drain Oranges reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice
In a large bowl combine all wet ingredients. Add chicken, pepper, cucumber, scallions, lettuce and oranges. Toss to coat. Roll into tortillas.
NOTE* If I make this ahead of time I do so without the lettuce. When my girls bring this to school for lunch they put the chicken mix into a little rubbermaid container and bring a baggie with shredded lettuce and then make their wrap right before eating.

Thursday - Ham and Pepperoni Stromboli, Ceasar salad

Friday - Cheese stuffed Manacotti, Peas, Garlic bread

Saturday - 3 Bean Chili, Corn Bread

Sunday - Pork Chops, Rice, Applesauce, Sauerkraut

From Frugal Momma:

Sunday: Hubby ordered take out Chinese food for Mother's Day!

Monday: Tball game--so grilled chicken salads before the game (I love using the McCormick seasonings "Zesty Herb".

Tuesday: Carribean Jerk chicken, with black bean/corn salsa, mashed potatoes and homemade rolls. (make extra mashed potatoes for Thursday)

Wednesday: Ham and broccoli quiche, fruit salad.

Thursday: piano-- Sheppard's pie (using extra potatoes made Tuesday night), remaining homemade rolls made Tuesday.

Friday: another Tball game--red beans and rice and cornbread before the game.

Saturday: Chicken cordon bleu, buttered eggs noodles, peas.

As always for more ideas check out Org Junkie's Meal Plan Monday!

Are you looking for a meal plan chart? Check out this neat Meal Plan Generator!

WIN CASH!

General Mills cereal has a great new promotion!

The front of the box announces 1 in 10 specially marked boxes has a gift card inside! You could win a $5, $10, or $25 cash card from Discover.


I never noticed the box cover when I purchased my Cheerio's. I don't even remember which store I bought this box from. Sure enough, while pouring cereal we won this $5 Discover card!

Update: We went into the basement and pulled 2 more specially marked boxes and won 1 more $5 Discover card.

New Mail in Rebates!

Tonight I found THREE new BUD MIRs at Walmart that are "No Beer Purchase Required" or NBPR. 1. $25 via MIR wyb (when you buy) any BBQ Grill over $198.00. This one expired May 3, 2009. But, If you bought a grill between 3/28/09 and 05/3/09 and still have your receipt you have until the 17th to get it to Bud in El Paso, TX.

2. $10 via MIR wyb 2 bags of Kingsford or Match Light Charcoal (up to 9 lbs.) and 2 bags of ice. The purchase price of charcoal and ice must exceed $10. Expires 6/1/09

3. $5 via MIR wyb tanning oil and lotions, beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers, towels, beach hats, sandals or sunglasses. Purchase of beach products must exceed $5. Expires 5/31/09.

These MIRs are valid for residents of AL, AR, CT, HI, KY, MA, ME, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OR, RI, SD, TX, UT, VA, and WV only.

Look for these at your local Walmart, gas station or try the Trading Forum at HCW.

Can I Feed My Family of Ten on $100/week?

I totaled up my receipts from last month and was quite discouraged.
Last month my OOP expenses for Groceries, Health and Beauty items, Cleaning Supplies and Diapers/wipes for a family of ten was $1,120 or about $280/week. I thought I was doing better than that. :o(

I have decided one of my biggest problems is that I don't meal plan. I have freezers filled with meats, cheeses and veggies that I'm not making good use of. I hate to meal plan. It stresses me out. I look at Frugal Momma's menu and don't think it is possible for me to cook such great meals every night. We also have very crazy evenings here with swimming, color guard and soccer. Also, in the past I've always failed at sticking to any plan that I created.

I'm going to give it another try. Hopefully I will have a simle, if unimpressive, menu to post this coming Monday along with Frugal Momma's. I've decided to keep it simple and stick to meals from our stockpile. I realize it's more important that I begin planning than having a fancy menu I won't stick to.

My goal for the month of May is to keep my spending to LESS than $100/week. This $100 will include groceries for 10, health & beauty items for 10, cleaning supplies for our home and diapers/wipes. I really think I can do this.

The first week of May looked like this:On May 1, I had not yet totaled my receipts so I was still oblivious to the damage in April. I spent $63.72 that day on groceries. :o(May 4, I spent $4.81, May 5 $37.38, May 6 $5.35.So, this first week of May my OOP expenses for the four catagories I am tracking: Groceries, H&B, Cleaning Supplies and Diapers/wipes was $111.26. An improvement, but more than I would have liked it to have been.

I hope to drop this to about $25-$40/week for the rest of May, only because I won't be buying any meats, cheeses or vegetables. I will use May as a make-up month for last month's overspending. In June I will attempt to figure out what we reallistically need to spend in these categories. Then, I will be able to determine what a realistic goal is. I know I will have to shop for milk, eggs, bread and produce this month, but I intend to rely upon the stored items for the rest.

TARGET FREEBIES -- Apples, Chex Mix and Bliss Bars! Through 5/9

There are $1/1 Target Qs for Chex Mix and Hershey's Bliss Bars. These are on sale for $.99. There is also a $1/1 lb. Apples Target Q. Apples are 99c/lb. at Target.
The Target Qs will be adjusted down to 99c.
These can be printed from the coupon generator at HCW.
These Qs expire tomorrow 5/9/09.

Only one of each coupon per transaction. This means if you want more than one of these items, you will need to purchase them in separate transactions. However, you can purchase the 3 items in one transaction with 3 Qs witout any problems.
If they beep, you may need to tell a new cashier that the Q value is more than the cost of the item and he/she will have to adjust the Q value down to the purchase price.

Free chocolate!

Get your free chocolate each Friday (while supplies last) from M&M/Mars as part of their "Real Chocolate Relief Act".

Click here every Friday morning through September for a chance to get a coupon for your favorite Mars product: M&M’s, Snickers, Dove, 3 Muskateers, Twix, or Milky Way. Limit 250,000 coupons per Friday!

I just tried it and it said a coupon will be mailed to me soon!

Kroger 4 day sale 05/07 - 05/10!

Here is the link to the 4 day ad in central VA.
There are 3 day sales going on at Kroger in other regions.
Click here to find the special sales going on at your Kroger this week.

Thrifty Thursday!

The topic for this week's Thrifty Thursday is Craigslist! Our family really likes Craigslist. We use it both to get ride of items in our home and buy new ones! We have been looking for a while for a new bike for our 7 year old. The 20 inch bikes in the store run close to $100 depending on the model. We knew we didn't want to spend $100, so we turned to Craigslist. It took a few weeks of periodically checking listings, but we finally found a winner for $35. We were able to buy a Schwinn bike like the one above for $35 rather than the $109 it is at Toys R Us. The bike was in excellent condition and we saved $74!

In the past we've also sold a dresser we bought for $15 at an auction for $80, a brand new indoor composter I bought off craigslist for $50 (retail value $500) for $275, a trike we bought at a yard sale for $10 that our kids never rode for $25, a $5 Little Tikes cozy coupe car we bought at a yard sale for $20. We were also able to buy a piano for $200 on Craigslist.

Like all things, it's buyer beware. Make sure you do your homework about the item and find out what it's really worth. I don't like people coming to our home to buy something, so we try to arrange a public location to meet up. I also don't like giving out my home phone number so I'll use my cell number if I need to talk to the seller. Also, for safety's sake I always have my husband do the transactions. If something seems off of fishy about the deal, walk away. Saving a few dollars isn't worth risking your own (or your family's safety).

Harris Teeter 5/5-5/12

Here are some of the highlights at Harris Teeter this week:

B1G1

Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats
Wisk Laundry detergent
Ziploc freezer bags
Thomas' English Muffins
Hefty Tall Kitchen Bags
Windex
Shout
AND MORE

Buy 3 save $3 Automatically

Kraft Dressing
Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs
Kraft Mayo (select varieties)

FOR ALL THE DEALS CHECK OUT SOUTHERN SAVERS.

Food Lion 5/5-5/12 and new FLIPs

For the deals at Food Lion this week check out Jenny at Southern Savers.

The New FLIPs found here on HCW are:
$1/2 Food Lion Sandwich Cracker
$1/2 bags of Food Lion Potato Chips
$1/3 cans of Food Lion Biscuits
$1/1 5 lb. bag of Sugar

When you open the coupoon link you will also find FLIPs for your Baby or Pets just below the print button.

Safeway 5/6 - 5/12

This weeks ad includes:

1 free lb. of strawberries with a printable Q at Safeway.com. This Q is on p. 2 of the printable coupons page. You can print up to two of each Q.

Duncan Hines cake or brownie mixes, buy 2 get 3 free.
The HCW Coupon database lists a $1/2 or 35c/1 DH brownie mix in the 2/1 SS insert.

For more great deals check out moneywisemoms.

There are several catalina promotions going on:
Pillsbury
Kraft BBQ
Sarah Lee
Deer Park
Kikkoman sauce
McCormick Grill Mates
Kool Aid/Crystal Light
Cottonelle TP
and more

for details and deadlines on these promos check SD's Safeway forum.

Whittle Down Wednesday

I highly recommend Peter Walsh's book "It's All Too Much!" It gave me such a new perspective on our things. As mothers so much of our time is spent taking care of, or cleaning our things. I decided I'd really rather have fewer things and more time.

This week I tackled the TV/VCR/DVD/Media cabinet in our family room.

Our family does not have cable or satellite TV. We used to have an antenna, but it broke.
All of our TV time is spent with DVDs or VHS tapes from Netflix, the local library or our own collection. As you can see from my before shots, our home collection was getting out of control.

We store our VHS tapes below the TV and our DVDs are above it to keep the more fragile media away from the little ones.
I removed over thirty titles from our collection. I tried to keep only musicals, classics, educational, and religious films. We can always rent a title from Netflix or borrow from the library. Honestly, I’d prefer they store the films instead of me!


Here is the cabinet restored to order! There is still alot of media. But maybe I'll pare it down again inthe future.
I taped up and rubber banded the remote controls back together and stuck them in a plastic container on the top shelf. Here is a photo of it inside the cabinet. This container also fits the white DVD sleeves from Netflix and loose DVDs that don’t make their way back into their cases right away.What an improvement. Everyone happily noticed the change here! AND, no one has even noticed any missing titles! LESS IS MORE!

Time Saving Tuesday--free dinner for new moms!

Our time saving Tuesday tip is for anyone who has had or adopted a baby since last Mother's Day and lives near one of 5 VA or MD locations of Let's Dish. They want to save you time and offer you a free meal! Read about it here on the Frugal Friends blog!

Free 2pc meal at KFC!

Click here to print out coupons for a free 2 piece meal from KFC. Per Oprah's site it says you are limited to 4 downloads of the coupon. I was able to print out all four!

$25 in the mail!

This weekend $25 in MIR's arrived in my mailbox. Thank you Miller & Bud!