Coupon Queen of Corning

Cookbook Giveaway

2011-04-14T13:15:00.003-04:00

So, just wanted to quickly let you know of a contest going on at http://couponcravings.com/ . She is giving away Erin Chase's $5 Dinner Mom Breakfast and Lunch cookbook. Erin's first cookbook is awesome and I use it often, so I am sure this one is just as great! Go enter right now!

House Update

2011-02-08T19:52:00.001-05:00

So, as some of you may know, my family and I have been in the process of building a new home. We have done some of it, but mostly it has been done by a contractor. They said that they are hoping that it will be done within 2 weeks, but I'll believe that when I see it.

We will need about $2000 at closing to cover the closing costs of switching from a building loan to a mortgage plus the extra stuff we had done on the house that we will owe the contractor. We have $2500 right now and while that is enough, I really don't want to wipe out our savings. My husband was hoping we would get enough back from taxes to help us put more in savings, but we are only getting about $300 back, mostly due to the fact that he was on unemployment at the beginning of the year.

So, we need money saved and we need it fast. When I was looking at my budget for February, we have very little that will be left over to go in savings. We have some things that we are going to put on Ebay and Craig's list to help us get some extra money (bowflex, calipers for machining, a bin of McD and BK toys from late 90s - so if anyone is interested let me know lol).

We are also on a strict budget. I just keep telling myself we're broke. There is no extra money to spend. I was going to go to a Zumba event in Elmira this weekend, but decided we need that $15 in savings, plus it would have cost us for the gas. All in all, I am better off going to Zumba at my gym because it is already paid for.

My husband's biggest issue is eating out and spending money on coffee and other crap. I know it's hard because he is going back and forth to the new house several times a week, but we have both decided to take control of this issue. So far we have eaten at home every day since last Thursday. Tonight's dinner is Chicken Paprikash (recipe from South Beach diet cookbook). Next we will work on the coffee issue. It really does all add up.

What ways do you save money or make extra money when time is running out? Let me know by leaving a comment. And for all those in the Northeast - stay warm. It's going to be cold later!! brrr. I am sooooo ready for spring already.

2010-11-13T22:18:00.008-05:00

Hi guys. Those who know me, know I am a fan of the Twilight books and movies. Well, I just wanted to share with you all a new Twilight parody that just came out. These girls have done parodies for both the first movie and for Full Moon, and they are awesome. I think I actually like them as the characters more than the real actors. So, below I have embedded their latest video for your viewing pleasure. Please let me know what you think, and if you would like to watch their other videos they can be found at The Hillywood Show.

Movies on the Cheap

2010-11-03T22:16:00.006-04:00

So, in the last few months, Amazon has definitely been on the top of my list. I have bought books to help with work and books to help me learn stuff at home, all for a cheap price. The last book I bought was $12. I also buy mp3's through there because I can get whole albums for an average of $8 or just one song for $1. The last album I bought was on special for $3.99 and it turned out that I love every song. It was definitely worth the $4.

After the first time I bought more than $7.99 in mp3's, I was given a $3 credit towards their on-demand videos. We ended up renting Alice in Wonderland and really enjoyed it. A month later, I got another $5 credit from them for some promotion they were doing, so we got some more movies. One of these movies was Avatar. It was such a great movie, I ended up actually ordering the DVD. Last weekend, hubby ended up staying home from work one night so we ended up renting one for $2.99. The movie was Pan's Labyrinth. It was AWESOME!! Even with the subtitles, my husband and I both enjoyed the movie, and thought it was worth the money. It was scary in parts (see the picture to the left), but the real terror occurred in the real life world of the little girl who was a witness to the atrocities of a revolution.

Once we get our house in, we may look at signing up for Netflix. I like the idea of having unlimited on-demand videos for one low price. We have also used the Redbox rentals, and like them. We have just had problems getting the movie back after one day so it ends up costing us more than $1. Plus you have to go out in the cold, and we all know how much I love going out when I don't have to in the winter!

Renting movies can be expensive, but it is still cheaper than going out to the movies, especially when you have more than one person. Streaming movies has made movie renting not only convenient, but also relatively inexpensive.

2010-10-23T09:52:00.002-04:00

I'd like to take a moment and remind everyone that there are a lot of people in our area who do not have enough to eat. The Food Bank of the Southern Tier helps people who find themselves in this situation. Please take the time and donate, even if it is only $10. They are having their Turkey Drive right now and you can see the paragraph below to find out more.

You can help the Food Bank provide our neighbors in need with a Thanksgiving meal this year by donating to the 1st Annual Turkey Drive sponsored by Tioga Downs Casino Racing & Entertainment. Every $10 donation enables the Food Bank to distribute two turkeys. With your generosity, more families in our community will be able to enjoy a plentiful meal on Thanksgiving Day when we raise funds through the Turkey Drive. Tioga Downs will generously match up to $20,000 in funds raised to help provide turkeys for families in need. Click here to make a secure online donation. Click here for more information or to download a Turkey Drive pledge sheet.

Budgeting Part 1

2010-05-28T11:41:00.003-04:00

Creating a budget is pretty simple, but following it is a little more difficult. I recently received an email from a new reader wanting to know more about budgeting. I emailed her back with quite a bit of information that I hope will help her. I decided that a post on budgeting may be helpful to many of my readers, so here it is.

The first step to creating a budget is to track your expenses. If you have a money management program that you already use, this would be a great place to start. If you don't track your expenses, now is the time to start. Whether you do so with a computer program or a spreadsheet, or even if you use a notebook and a pencil, start now. I would suggest tracking your expenses for at least a week to see what you are spending on things like food and gas. Remember, you can always adjust your budget as needed. Your budget is not set in stone, and it should change often. I have created an Excel spreadsheet for you if you would like to download it. You can get 97-2003 or Excel 2007. (highlight file you would like to download and click on More then Download)

You will also need to list all your regular monthly bills. These are bills like rent or mortgage, insurances, car payments, utilities, credit cards, etc. To make my life easier, I take advantage of the free bill pay through my credit union. There are numerous advantages to using online bill payment. I set up my bills to be paid once a month, once a week, or they have several other payment options. I can set up one-time or recurring payments. I save money on stamps and my payments are never late, therefore no late fees. I can put in bills to be paid (for example $83 a month to NYSEG) and not have to worry about that bill again unless the amount changes. It really is a win-win situation.

You will want to either use a spreadsheet program (like Excel or Microsoft Works Spreadsheet) or a notebook and a pencil. I prefer to use a spreadsheet because it is easier to change things easily, but you can use whichever you prefer. Now is also a good time to write down your goals. What is it you would like to accomplish financially? Do you want to pay off your credit cards or save towards a home? Put this in writing(or use Excel or Word). You can even keep your goal list on your frig to keep yourself on track.

After you have done all of these steps, you are now ready to start creating your budget. I will continue with Part 2 of Budgeting in my next post. Look for it, and please leave me any questions or comments you may have

It's going to be a busy week!

2010-04-25T11:22:00.004-04:00

Well it's a rainy and cold day up here in New York state today. What better day to get a lot of things accomplished inside.

First up on my to-do list is a meal plan. My husband will be starting his new job tomorrow after being laid off for more than a year. We're really happy that he found something, but it also means we need to start following a more strict schedule and plan everything out. The first two weeks he will be on first shift and then will be on second. What I plan to do is utilize my crock pot during the week. The night before I will cut everything up and have it all ready to go in, so that I can just throw it all in each morning. I will also need to plan lunches for the little ones since they will be going to the sitter during the day for the first two weeks (will mostly be sandwiches or mac n cheese, with a fruit and/or a veggie). I plan on giving the sitter an extra $5 to cover the milk they will drink. So, here is my meal plan for the week:

Sunday -not sure yet (leftover chicken from yesterday)
Monday - chicken n cornbread dumplings (crock pot), veggie, pudding or jello
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday -ham (crock pot), stuffing, veggie
Thursday - breakfast for dinner
Friday - turkey breast (crock pot)
Saturday - spaghetti, homemade bread (bread machine), green beans

Now that I've got that done, there is still plenty of things that need to get done today:

I need to go through my coupon binder and clean it out. After my husband goes to the store and gets me a paper I will also have to cut out and add those coupons to my binder. I already looked at the sales at Tops and they're really bad, so I guess I will just get exactly what we need for the week. No stock-up shopping this week.
For my database class I need to finish reading the chapter and take the quiz. For my C++ class I need to rework 2 lab programs and work on reading the next chapter. I also need to see how many weeks I actually have and schedule time to get all the work done.
Laundry. Mine and the kids clothes needs to be washed and I also need to wash a load of towels. I really should do up a laundry schedule so I am not trying to do it all on Sunday.
There is at least one more load of dishes that need to be washed. Maybe I can get hubby to work on those this afternoon. One can hope!!!

I am sure there are tons of other things that need to get done, but it won't be happening today. I will be lucky if I get all that done, especially since I don't feel well. My little girl gave me her illness. :( So I may need to add a nap to that list too, lol.

I am hoping everything goes semi-smoothly this week. If you have any suggestions on how to make the transition better, I would love to hear them.

Words of the Week Wednesday 11/12

2010-02-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

It is Wednesday again and time to provide my readers with links to sites that I found interesting in the last week.

$5 Dinner Mom. Erin Chase has one of the best blogs out there. She shows you how to feed a family of 4 dinner for $5 or less! The meals are really simple and taste wonderful. She also has a new cookbook out, so check that out while you are at her site.
Makeusof.com. This site is more for the techy person. The reason I love it is because there are so many links to free programs, free graphics and more. It is a great site if you are interested in anything from computers to phones to graphics and more.
Wisebread.com has a HUGE list of the top 100 personal financial blogs listed on its site. If you are interested in finding some new blogs to read check that out.

Debt Pay Off

2010-02-21T15:50:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I mentioned how we used our income tax refund to pay off all our credit cards. Below is a break down of how much we paid to each of the cards.

I also wanted to share with you something that I found very interesting. When my husband received his Juniper bill last month there was a chart on the first page. It showed how long it would take to pay off the bill if you only paid the minimum and if you paid $51. It only showed how much you would pay.

Very interesting huh? The minimum payment was $32.92 a month. So, just by paying an extra $20 a month, we would cut the amount of time it took to pay it off by 18 YEARS and pay about $1257 LESS! This is just proof positive that you can get all your credit cards paid off just by sending in a little more money each month.

Paying off Bills with Income Tax Refund

2010-02-20T09:21:00.004-05:00

Well, it's tax season. For some of us that means paying in, while others get a refund. Somehow we ended up getting a nice chunk of change this year. My husband and I decided that we would pay off all our credit card debt and save the rest. We paid over $6000 on credit cards and are now debt free in regard to credit cards. The only debt we have left is the van loan and school loan. Since, we would like to get a house built on our land as soon as we can, we have decided that we will save the rest for a down payment.

It feels really awesome to not have the weight of all that debt on our shoulders anymore. We were spending about $200 on credit card debt a month (we always paid extra) and now we have that money to put in our savings each month. I was also able to add $450 to our emergency fund so now we have $1000 in there.

Even if you are only getting a small amount for a tax refund, you can use this amount to reduce your debt. You can either use it for your highest interest debt or your smallest debt. Paying off your smallest debt first gives you a sense of accomplishment when it is paid off. As an added bonus, you also now have that amount to put towards the next debt to pay off. This is called snowballing.

What are you doing with your tax refund? I'd love to hear from you.

It's Sunday

2010-02-07T11:26:00.001-05:00

Hi everybody. I hope you are all having a great day and staying warm. Hope my friends in the mid-atlantic states are enjoying the snow. I am actually envious of them since all the snow this year has actually missed us.

I will keep this short since i am posting this through ping.fm. It is a convenient website that lets you post to all your social media at the same time. We will see how it looks. I am now off to work on homework for my classes. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and the superbowl.

Organizing Your Coupons

2010-01-14T18:38:00.000-05:00

If you want to start couponing, you will need some sort of filing system. Couponing without organization just does not work. If you dont' know where your coupons are, you won't be able to use them to save your hard-earned money.

Envelopes
Envelopes are great for those couponers who don't use a lot of coupons. You can label several envelopes with different labels. For example, you could have separate ones for cleaning, HBA products, dairy and frozen, boxed goods, etc. I have also seen people use Ziploc bags and this might actually be better than using envelopes because your coupons won't fall out. The downside to using envelopes, or Ziploc bags, is that if you get really into couponing, it won't work anymore. It's just not that efficient of an organizational system for mass couponing.

Coupon holder
I originally started out with a small coupon holder that I bought at Target. I soon found out that this wasn't big enough for my needs so I invested in a bigger sized one at Target. These were both $1, by the way. There are several pockets to divide your coupons up by category. They came with stickers so that I could write whatever I wanted on the tabs. Coupon holders are nice for the person starting out, but when you get several copies of one insert or start really printing those Internet coupons, they just don't work as well.

Don't cut, put in folders
Now, there may be a different name for it, but for the life of me, I don't know it. This method of coupon organization is touted by many of the coupon websites such as couponmom.com and the grocerygame.com. How does it work? Well, each week when you get the inserts from the Sunday paper, you simply label a folder with the date and stick the inserts in there. Each week, you can check out one of those sites that will tell you which sales and coupons match up. The date of the insert will be listed and you just go to that folder and cut the coupon out. This is great if you are one of those people who make a grocery list and stick to it. The problem I have with this method is that I find unadvertised specials and clearance items all the time. If I didn't have my coupons with me, I would miss out on really great deals. Plus, where do you put those extra coupons, like the ones you get in the mail or in products?

Binder method
Some people use large binders with plastic insert pages that can hold baseball or business cards. I recently found that my old way of coupon organization was not working and that I needed something new. I decided to try this method. I had a binder that I figured would work until I could get a better one when school supplies went on sale. I bought one package of plastic sheets, but soon discovered that this was not enough and sent hubby out to get another pack. This seems to be enough, at least for now. I have it organized in the same order that my coupon holder was organized in. Which is good, because I only have 2 dividers right now. I am waiting on some good back-to-school sales to stock up on some. This method lets me quickly go to the coupon I want and I can easily see if I have more than one. Yes, there is an initial investment of at least the plastic pages, but I see it as an investment in my sanity. LOL. Especially with three kids, plus hubby, often tagging along to the store, being able to find coupons quickly is priceless. You may also find it a little embarrassing to walk into the store with it. Well don't be embarrassed. Look at how much money you will be saving. If it makes you feel better, find a cart outside near your and put your binder in there. No one will even notice it's there.

I hope this helps with any organizational problems you may have with your coupons. I am sure there are many more ways to organize your coupons. These are just the most popular ones. If you know of any other ways, please share by leaving a comment.

free milk coupon and giveaway

2010-01-11T19:21:00.003-05:00

Enter to win a years' supply of milk (52 coupons). The first 125,000 people to enter will also receive a coupon for a free gallon of milk. Just remember to print your coupon a second time, you can click on the back button a few times. The limits on most of these type coupons are 2. You can enter at The Great Gallon Give.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-01-10T20:34:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I finally got my $5 Dinner Mom cookbook by Erin Chase. The first third of the book talks about how to save money and feed your family healthy, yet frugal dinners. Although I knew most of the things Erin wrote about, I did learn a few new things. Then I went on to look at the recipes. WOW!! They are easy to make recipes that sound so yummy! Many times when I am looking for frugal recipes they tend to take a while to make or are complicated. Since I now work full time, I need to get it done quick. Erin's cookbook is a great resource for someone who is trying to save time and money.

Now on to my meal plan for the week:

MONDAY - leftovers
TUESDAY - ham steaks, scalloped potatoes, vegetable
WEDNESDAY - spaghetti with homemade meatballs, vegetables
THURSDAY - leftovers
FRIDAY -pork roast in crock pot, baked potatoes, vegetable
SATURDAY - homemade macaroni and cheese with chicken and broccoli
SUNDAY - leftovers

Meal planning not only saves you money but also time and frustration. There is no more "What's for dinner?" moments. What's your meal plan for the week?

Snapfish photo deal

2010-01-10T16:53:00.000-05:00

Do you have a bunch of digital pictures that you want printed? Now is the time to do it.

Snapfish has a great offer - 50 prints for 1 penny each! The code is NEWYEAR50 and it expires January 11.

Working on first financial resolution

2010-01-10T15:33:00.000-05:00

Last week, I posted my New Year's resolutions on here. My first financial resolution was to get $1500 into our savings account. We are working hard on getting to this point so that we can begin to pay off our credit cards. My husband really wanted me to start paying off the credit cards right away, but I explained to him that I didn't think that was a great idea. Even financial gurus like Dave Ramsey tell you to save $1000 emergency fund before paying off credit. If something happens (for instance we need to buy a new tire, etc) and we don't have the emergency fund we would end up using a credit card. I finally convinced him that this was the way we should go.

It is my goal this year to post the amount I transfer to savings each week. I will also be posting my weekly meal plans (on Mondays) and how much I spend on groceries each week. Once I have my emergency fund fully funded I will post how much I send to credit cards and how much is left.

This Week's Totals (1/7 to 1/13)

Weekly Amount sent to savings: $550.00

Total Amount in Savings: $558.51

Weekly Amount spent for groceries: $19.73 / $75.00

(hubby went to Wegmans this a.m. - bought a newspaper, 3 gallons milk, pound of deli turkey, 3 loaves of white bread and 3 loaves of wheat)

Total for Groceries this Month: $59.48/$300.00

Meal Plan expected to be done by tomorrow.

New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted, but I actually have a little time so I thought I would write something up. I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday season, and didn't overspend too much.

During this time of the year, many people make New Year's resolutions. Some decide to get healthier and lose weight while others decide that they want to makeover their financial situation. This year I have resolutions to do both.

I need to get my butt in gear and get this weight off. I want to do this not only so I can lose the weight and wear smaller clothes, but also so that I can feel healthier and have more energy. Both my husband and I have gym memberships, it is just a matter of getting there. It is relatively cheap and it is open twenty four hours a day. So, this should make it easier to get there, but getting the inspiration to leave and go has proved difficult. I am going to start trying to go in the morning before work. If this doesn't work, then I will start doing 30 Day Shred several times during the work week and just go to the gym on the weekends.

Financially, I have some really big goals for the coming year. Fortunately, we found out yesterday that my husband's unemployment will be extended until at least April. So that is good news. If it hadn't been extended, it would have run out in the middle of February. That would have meant a month and a half of saving every last penny we could get our hands on. This would have given us about $1500 (or more) in our savings to help pay bills with. I figured that with this amount and our current bills we would have to use a little less than $400 of it each month.

I still want to get that $1500 in the savings account and get some of our credit cards paid off. So, here are my financial goals for 2010 and how we will achieve them:

Save $1500 in our emergency fund. This is also what Dave Ramsey suggests you do before you start paying off the bills. I have already devised our budget for the next 6 months and figured out that by the middle of February we will be at this amount. Although we will have reached our goal at that time, we will continue taking out $25 a week and having it automatically placed in our online savings account.
Build up our food stockpile. I would like to have enough food for 4-6 months (with only having to buy perishables). This would help in case of lower income or any other reason we couldn't get to the store. I will be taking a weekly inventory of what we have so I know what we need more of in order to have a 4 month supply. I will then stock up when I get a deal of those foods.
After our EF is fully funded, we will start snowballing our credit cards. Although I think it might be a little bit smarter to pay the highest interest debts off first, I think it gives you more motivation if you pay off the smallest balances first. As previously stated, I have done up a budget for the next 6 months and have already figured out how much I will be using to pay off debt each week. After getting the first debt paid off, I will take the payment I normally paid on that debt, plus the extra and put it on the next smallest debt.
After our credit cards are paid off I will be concentrating on paying off our van early. We own our explorer so we don't have to worry about paying that off. I will then concentrate on getting my school loans paid off.

So what are your New Year's resolutions? I would love to hear. Leave them in the comments.

It's Been Rough Around Here

2009-10-31T10:31:00.002-04:00

Since starting work a few months ago, I have really been slacking in the coupon clipping category. I'm lucky if I get the coupons even clipped each week, never mind getting them organized in my binder. I also haven't made getting all the best deals a priority. I just don't seem to have enough time. Why couldn't there be more hours in a day? I just haven't been interested in running to Rite Aid or Walgreens to get the good deals. I still cut out the ones I think I will need, but mostly I am using them at Tops, Target and Walmart.

We have been really bad when it comes to eating out lately. My husband is still laid off so he's the one who cooks dinner during the week. Unfortunately he has not been doing this like he should. Not only are we spending a lot by eating out but we are not eating the best foods for us. My plan for this weekend is to do up a meal plan for the week for him, because obviously he needs one and won't do one for himself. I would also like to cook up some foods to stick in the freezer. I am thinking some macaroni and cheese with broccoli and chicken, pizza crust, homemade bread, and maybe some chili.

We have also been slacking in the cleaning area. On the weekends it just seems like I am cleaning all the time. Lots of laundry and dishes, and I never seem to get caught back up. I need to somehow make the essential cleaning a priority for my husband. I don't know exactly how to do that. I am thinking that maybe if I start saying I'm not going anywhere until certain things get done, that might work. Any ideas?

I really need to get things under control, before the holidays and before my classes start in spring. I have an independent study and an online class, and the one is going to be quite a challenge and take up a lot of my free time. Of course, after that I will be graduating and will not have to do this whole working and going to school thing. I can't wait. If you have any ideas on how I can get things in order, please live it in the comments.

AND THE WINNER IS......

2009-08-29T18:42:00.004-04:00

Tanya. I will be emailing Tanya tonight to get her address so that I can send her the envelope of coupons. Congratulations Tanya.

As many of you may have noticed, I have not been posting on here much. Between work, my classes and family, I just don't have the time. I get home from class on Mondays and Wednesdays and just crash. The rest of the weekdays I spend a little time with the kiddos and then crash as soon as they are in bed. I am really exhausted.

As much as I love writing in my blog, I just can't keep up with it. So, I will post when I can, but I make no promises. I have been having trouble even getting my Tops deals and shopping trips posted (I went last weekend, even took pictures, but never found the time to post them). So, I will leave everything up and active, and just post when I have the opportunity.

It Pays to Eat Pasta Sweepstakes!

2009-08-23T00:29:00.002-04:00

This contest is pretty cool, so I just had to share it with you all. Go to It Pays to Eat Pasta, and enter their sweepstakes today. They are giving 8 lucky people free groceries for a year ($5200) and 42 people $200 in groceries. Pretty awesome huh? I know we could certainly use either of those, and with 50 chances, that ups the odd of winning. So, go over to site and enter.

Coupon Contest - Win over $150 worth of coupons

2009-08-19T13:02:00.000-04:00

I have A LOT of coupons right now. I have been given a lot of coupon inserts in the last few weeks and really there are more coupons than I could ever think about using. So, instead of letting them expire, I have decided to share.

So, one lucky winner will win over $150 in coupons. Some of the products include:

Tide
Scott toilet paper
Cascade
Kid Cuisine
Banquet Meals
Manwich
Act II popcorn
Huggies Pullups and Pure and Natural Diapers
Cookie Crisp cereal
Listerine
Windex
and much, much more

All coupons expire after September 10. Since I will not have much time to advertise this contest, I will be giving more entries for people who get the word out about this contest. Here are the ways you can get entries:

1 Entry - This one must be done in order to enter the contest. My husband is having trouble making dinner (he is currently the stay-at-home parent). To get your first entry into the contest, let me know ideas and tips he can use to make getting dinner on the table easier. Also please leave your email or blog address, so that I can get a hold of you if you win.

To get more entries:

2 entries - Subscribe to my blog via email. Please leave me a comment with your email address.
3 entries - Add my badge to your blog or site. The code can be found on my sidebar. Please leave me a comment letting me know you did this, along with the address.
3 entries - Twitter about my contest. Please leave a separate comment stating you did this, with the link or your Twitter name.
3 entries - Emailing at least 3 friends telling them about this contest. (Please put me on cc - couponqueenofcorning at hotmail dot com), and leave me a comment letting me know you have done so.
5 entries - Blog about this contest. Please leave a comment with the address link.

Contest Ends August 26 at midnight EST. I will be drawing a winner and post the name on the 27th. I will also email that person. Winner has 48 hours after receiving email to get back to me or I will have to choose a new winner.

Good luck! Bonne Chance!!

Contests

2009-08-13T06:58:00.001-04:00

Here are a couple awesome giveways that I just wanted you all to know about:

Table4Five, on conjuction with GoodNites, is running a giveaway that ends tomorrow. Click here to go the post and you have a chance to win a 100 gift certificate to PajamaGram.com, a $50 gift certificate to Borders, a blanket, a bedtime journal, and a tote to hold it all, worth approx. $250.00!
FrugalUpstate has partenered with Nestle to give away a $500 gift card to Walmart. How cool is that! Head on over to frugalupstate.com to enter before tomorrow also.

Coupon Tips - Where to Get Coupons

2009-08-11T16:17:00.000-04:00

Wondering where to get extra coupons? Do you ever feel let down by the coupon inserts in the Sunday paper? Well, the Sunday paper is not the only place to get great coupons that will save you tons of money. So, where do people get coupons? Listed below are some places that you should try looking.

The Sunday Newspaper

This is the first place I look for coupons. You can get anywhere from 1-3 inserts in most Sunday papers. Coupons in the paper can vary depending on where you live. I have noticed that when I look at other blogs of couponers that are in the South that they have better coupons than ours. Or they will get certain ones for $1 off 1, whereas we get a coupon for $1 off 2. Also keep in mind that on holiday weekends they do not have coupons in the Sunday paper.

Ask family and friends if you can have their coupon inserts. This way you can have extra of all the coupons. You can even go out and buy extra papers if the coupons are really great. Ask local stores what they do with their extra newspapers and ask if you can have the inserts.

Off the Internet

There are so many coupons on the Internet that you can print and use at your local stores. You will need to check with your store to see if they accept Internet printables. Tops, Target and Walgreens takes Internet printables. I have not checked with other stores, but if you know of other stores that take them, please let me know in the comment section.

Target will take an Internet coupon plus they will also take coupons printed from their site. So, you can save even more by stacking your coupons. Here's a list of coupon sites for you to print from:

Catalinas

Sometimes when you buy certain products, a store coupon will print for you to use on your next visit. Sometimes these are for a certain amount off a product or even a certain amount off your total order. I've gotten these at the grocery store for products such as cereal, yogurt and coffee. Walgreens has these also, but they are called register rewards there. When you buy a certain number of a certain product, you get a coupon for a certain dollar amount to be used on your next visit. By using your register rewards for your next purchase and buying products that have more register rewards, you can save a lot of money.

In the Stores

Sometimes, when you are going through your grocery store, you can find coupons. The coupons that are in those red little boxes are called blinkies. Even if I don't need that product today I will grab a couple coupons to use at a different time, maybe even a different store. These are manufacture coupons, so they can be used anywhere. The only downfall to the blinkies is that usually you can not double them, so if they are for a small dollar amount, you may just want to pass.

Other coupons found in the stores are peelies. These are coupons that are attached to the product to entice you to buy it. If the price is good and you want to buy the product, it may be worth it. But many times I have noticed that these peelies are not on the products that are on sale. Recent peelies I have seen have been for products such as iced tea, rice, pasta, and cereal.

In the Mail

Getting coupons in the mail seems to be decreasing with the advent of Internet printables, but you can still get coupons this way. If you write or email a company, many times they will send you coupons in the mail. Do not hesitate to send an email or letter to a company to compliment a product you like or to complain about one you disliked. If you are going to have a baby or have one already, sign up for formula and diapers in the mail from the manufacture. I also signed up for a baby gift registry when I was pregnant, and I get baby coupons from Target, that can be stacked with regular manufacture coupons to increase savings.

From Other People

Besides asking people you know for inserts you can also trade or buy coupons. Several websites, like Frugal Village have coupon trains where you sign up to exchange a certain number of coupons a week. You get rid of the coupons you won't use and get ones that you hopefully can use. You can also have a coupon party with your friends where you get together over a meal (at someone's home, preferably) and exchange coupons with them.

I am sure there are a lot of other ways to get coupons. Please leave me a comment if you would like to add anything else to my list.

Tops Trip and Rite Aid Trip 8/8

2009-08-09T12:44:00.005-04:00

We ran to Rite Aid (the new one in Horseheads -it is really nice and the associates are very friendly) and then to Tops to get some much needed food. Last week, money was pretty tight so we needed to get quite a bit this week. I also want to run to Aldi's later this week and get rolls and fresh fruit. Here's what we bought.

Rite Aid Trip 8/8

Venus Spa Breeze Razor. Regular price $9.99, on sale for $7. Used $2 coupon and there is a $5 rebate so this will end up being FREE AFTER REBATE
Garnier Fructis shampoo. Regular price $4.19, on sale for $2.99. Used $1 coupon and there is a $2 rebate so this ends up being FREE AFTER REBATE
4 1-liters of Crest Pro-Health Rinse. Regular price $6.49 each, on sale for $5 each. Used 4 $1 coupons and there is a rebate for $10 when you buy 4. This brings the price down to 4/$6 after rebate

Original Total: $42.53
Amount Saved: $34.14
Total Paid: $8.39 (saved 80.3%)

Tops Trip 8/8

6 2-liters of Diet Pepsi. On sale for $1 each + deposit .05 each (.48)
6 4-packs of Hunts snack packs. On sale for $1 each. Used two internet coupons for $1 off 1 4-pack and another coupon for a free 4-pack when you buy 3. So, these ended up being 6/$3
Quaker rice cakes on sale for $1.50. Used $.50 off 1, which doubled to $1, making these $.50
Kellogg's Strawberry Mini Wheats -on sale for $2.50. Used $.75 coupon (from back of regular Mini Wheats box) which doubled to $1.50, making these $1
Kellogg's Fruit Loops on sale for $1.99.
2 bags of single size M&Ms. On sale for $.50 each. Used 2 Free chocolate Friday coupons to make these FREE
Wishbone salad dressing $2. Used $1 off 1 internet coupon to make it $1.
4 packets of Knorr Rice sides on sale for $1 each. Used two $.60 off 2 coupons, which doubled to $1.20 off 2, making these $.40 each
2 jars of Skippy peanut butter $2 each. Used coupon for $1 off 2, making these 2/$3
2 boxes of Tops instant oatmeal (need to check at Aldi's and see if they have them again) on sale for $2 each.
Jiffy popcorn $1.47
flip flops for my daughter's birthday on sale for $3.
2 boxes of Playtex gloves on sale for $1.50 each. Used two $1 off coupons to make these $.50 each
8 ears of cob $2
3 pounds of potatoes $3.99
2 pouches of Margerita pepperoni slices on sale for $2 each. Used two $.75 off 1 coupons, which doubled to $1.50 each, making these $.50 each
4 1/2 gallons of Turkey Hill iced tea on sale for $1.50 each. Used two $1.00 of two coupons, making these $1 each
Tops gallon of skim milk $1.69
Boneless Skinless Chicken breast $1.88 a pound = $8.27
80% ground beef $1.99 a pound = $9.89

Original Amount: $113.33
Amount saved: $57.13
Total paid: $56.96
Grocery Challenge Amount: $52.68

I am working on this week's Tops deals tonight. As you may be able to tell, some of the items I got on sale are on this week's sales and some are last week's. I guess this is one of the perks to going shopping on a Saturday evening. I will post the deals as soon as I can.

Happy Saturday Morning

2009-08-08T09:06:00.005-04:00

It's Saturday morning and the kids aren't up yet, so I thought I would use the opportunity to get some posts done. It has been a very hectic week. I really need to get on a better schedule and devote a few hours a week to blogging. I will be starting a job that involves more hours and a little but more a drive starting on the 17th, and then my one class will be starting the next week after that (an accounting class). So, I am hoping to be able to keep up on here. I have two posts about couponing ready to be posted and I want to write up some more this weekend.

My husband has been doing a lot better this week in regards to keeping the house clean. He has been keeping the dishes washed each day and the house picked up. So, that is a plus. We still need to work on him making dinner though. I am going to go downstairs and take inventory of everything in our inventory and freezer and then we are going to figure out meals that he can make, hopefully utilizing a good majority of what we already have. Need to get him in the cooking everyday habit this week because the next week I will not be getting home until 5:30.

Now, I need to be getting off this computer. I have TONS of computers that still need to be put in my binder (I had 5 papers' worth of coupons last week and there were a lot of coupons in each one!) so I will be working on that before we go shopping today. I need to inventory stockpile, make a meal plan and make a list for shopping. Then, of course, there is a lot of clothes to be folded, plus I need to do another load of mine and the kids' clothes. So it is going to be a very busy weekend. I am leaving you with some deals and coupons that I found this morning.

Coffee-Mate coupon
In my email today I received a link to a coupon for Coffee-Mate, so if you use this in your coffee, you can click here to go to the site. You must either log in or register. Supposedly it is a $1 off 1, but I have not had the opportunity to print this yet. I know that there is a $1.50 off 2 that you can print more than one time on that site also.

Rite Aid coupons
I don't know how many other people got an email from Rite Aid today, but supposedly, if you watch some videos, you can get coupons to print and use at Rite Aid. Click here if you'd like to go to the site and see what it's all about.

Kraft FirstTaste $100 in Groceries
Kraft is having a promotion where you can win a $100 grocery card. Go to Kraft FirstTaste and either sign in or register. They are giving away one of these cards every day until September 1, so sign up NOW for your best chance to win.

Coupons
I found a pdf with several coupons. Click here to take you to it. It includes coupons for Dixie plates and bowls, BagelBites, Sharpie Highlighters, and Tide Stain Release. Print a few of these and then check out Target and Walmart in the next few weeks for prices on the highlighters at less than $1.

Restaurants.com
Would you like to be able to go out and eat for 80% less! Restaurants.com has coupons for local restaurants and right now if you use the code PORTION you can get a $25 gift certificate for only $2!! Offer ends August 13.

Tops Deals 8/2-8/8

2009-08-04T23:31:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry I didn't get this done sooner. Sunday we were gone most of the day, yesterday I worked and last night I went to bed early with a migraine. There really aren't too many good deals this week at Tops. If you have a P&C near you, you may want to check out their ad for this week. I always look at their ads and usually their sales are just awful, but this week is actually pretty good. So here's the deals I see this week.

sweet corn 4/$1
fresh boneless chicken breast or center cut pork chops $1.88 a pound
fresh lean ground beef $1.99 a pound
Pepsi 2 liters $1
All laundry detergent $3.99. Use $1 off coupon from Sunday's insert, making this $2.99
Margerita sliced pepperoni $2. Use $.75 off coupon, which doubles to $1.50, making it $.50
Turkey Hill iced tea 2/$3. Buy 2 and use $1 off 2 coupon, making these 2/$2
Hunt's snack pack pudding $1. Use $1 off 1 from Con Agra site, to make this free

If you would like to see more coupon and store matchups, head over to BeCentsAble.

Making Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-08-01T16:39:00.003-04:00

For those of you who may be newer readers, I wanted to explain my absence for the last few days. As many of you may know, my husband was laid off in March. Since then money in our savings has been dwindling and I had to start looking for a job. Luckily, I was able to get one, and it's even something I enjoy doing. I started on Monday, and it's really an awesome job and the people there are really awesome.

So, as I am transitioning from being a full-time stay-at-home mom with loads of time to do everything I want, to a full-time working mom, my blog may sometimes get overlooked. I have a new banner ready and will need to change the colors and background of my badge, so I need to set some time aside for that. I am hoping to get on a little better schedule this next week and maybe get some posts written for when I am really busy. I will be posting on the Tops deals, no matter what. I have to look through the ad each week anyway for my own shopping, so it really isn't too much more time-consuming to type the deals in a post. I also want to keep doing the meal plans on Mondays. Those are my priorities right now and if I find more time, I will work on Words of the Week Wednesday and Frugal Meal Friday. I also have a couple couponing posts I will start posting and I would like to write a few more to go with the series. So, bear with me through this transition and we will all be happier soon!!

Now, on to those wonderful oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I mentioned in the title. I am a baker! All week, I have wanted to bake something, but really have not had the energy nor really the time to bake after I got home from work. I found I really miss it. So, this morning I made a double batch of chocolate chip cookie dough. Some of it will be baked later tonight (when it cools down) and the rest will be put in the freezer. Here is the recipe if you are interested:

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
4 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups oatmeal
about 6 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 bag chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to about 350 degrees.
2. Soften 4 sticks of butter in microwave (use a low power) in a large bowl. Add sugar and brown sugar and mix well.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix again
4. Add oatmeal, 4 cups of flour, salt and baking soda. Swirl around with spoon to mix those 3 things. Then mix well. Add in about 1-2 cups more flour. This is an approximation. You may need to add a little more flour if you use larger eggs or like your dough pretty dry.
5. Add chocolate chips
6. Scoop dough onto cookie sheets, making sure there is enough room for them to expand. I usually try to put 9 or 12 on a sheet depending on the sheet's size.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until brown. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and then, using a spatula, place them on a paper towel.

I hope you try the recipe and like it. My family does! I am off now to make up some zucchini bread. Then I have to make some dinner (I'm thinking homemade sloppy joes with frozen tatertots and a veggie) and then I will be making homemade bread for the week. I am also thinking about making some pasta salad for a cookout we are going to tomorrow. I already have most, if not all, of the ingredients and it sounds good. Have a wonderful weekend.

School Clothes on a Budget

2009-07-30T08:40:00.004-04:00

With the start of a new school approaching, you may be concerned with how you will pay for clothing for your kid(s). Keep a list of what you have and what you still need. Keeping this list in your purse or wallet will ensure that you don't end up with 20 t-shirts and only 3 pairs of pants. Here are some tips to help you save money during this expensive time of the year.

Shop Throughout the Year.

This is really the most economical way to shop for your kids' clothes and what I try to do. If you can buy clothing for the next year when it is on clearance you will save a lot of money. The best times to buy clothing on clearance is in August/September for summer clothing and January to March for winter clothing. I buy the next size up and the clothes usually fit the kids fine the next year. For the little ones, my maximum price for clearance clothing is $3 a piece, although once in a great while I will find an awesome outfit I just love, especially for my daughter, and will splurge a little, but I still get it for a significant savings. For my older son I look for jeans for less than $15 (though I often find them from $5-$10) tshirts for $5 or less and long-sleeved shirts for $10 or less. As of right now, I have enough pairs of pants and tshirts for him to start the new school year. I may have to buy him a few long-sleeved shirts but will watch for sales and coupons to do that.

By signing up with the stores, you will get coupons and ads in your inbox and sometimes your mailbox. I am signed up with several companies and I get coupons several times a week in my email and at least once a week in my mailbox. Many times I do not use them, but it's nice to have them in case I need to buy school clothes for the kids or new work clothes. Several times a year I receive a $10 off $10 coupon from JCPenney and other department stores. I, of course, make sure I use these coupons and keep the price as close to $10 as possible. I usually use this as an opportunity to buy something nice for myself, which I so seldom do.

Watch for Sales and Coupons in Weekly Ads.

Each week, the Sunday paper has weekly ads for store sales. If you need certain things, take advantage of the sales and get them then. Why pay full price for anything? With school starting soon, there will be lots of deals on school supplies and clothes. Just have patience and wait for the good sales.

Rummage Sales and Thrift Stores.

Sometimes you can find high-end clothing for yourself and your kids second-hand, sometimes even with tags still attached. Look for rummage sales in nice areas or when communities have area yard sales. Most kids will not even know the difference between the new and used.

Don't Forget about Craig's List, Ebay.

Check out Ebay to find both used and new clothing for your kids. You can even find high end clothing on there. Craig's List is awesome because you can buy a bunch of clothes cheap and you don't have to dig though the clothes like you would at a rummage sale. I have gotten bags of clothes for the kids for around $20 each bag. You're also keeping money in your local community by buying from your neighbors.

Use Rebates and MyPoints.

Sometimes you will find rebates or rewards for products you buy. Make sure you send in all pertinent information and do it as soon as you can, that way you do not forget to do it. Keep copies of everything you send in, along with the date sent and company information. This will help in case you do not get your refund and need to get a hold of the company. MyPoints is awesome if you do shopping online. You get a certain amount of points for every dollar you spend at participating sites. When you reach a certain amount of points, you can cash them in for gift certificates to restaurants or stores. You can get points by shopping at Barnes and Nobles, Target, and Amazon, among many others.

I hope this helps you save money this school year. If you have any other ideas on how to save money on buying clothes at this time of year, please leave them in my comments.

Words of the Week Wednesday 7/29

2009-07-29T11:33:00.002-04:00

It is Wednesday again and time to provide my readers with links to sites that I found interesting in the last week. Since I have been concentrating on eating healthier and making more meals from scratch I thought I would share some recipe blogs and sites this week. Also, cooking delicious foods at home instead of eating out saves you money.

Project: Domestic Bliss

This is an awesome blog for those who like to cook. Nikki makes wonderful food and not only shares photos of them, but also the recipe. So, you can also make these yummy foods. Recently she has made such foods as homemade tortillas for burritos, steakhouse steak, Barbecue chicken pizza, and more! Nikki is a fellow participant in the All You Grocery Challenge, so go check out her blog and start cooking!

Gourmet Finds

This site is awesome for any self-proclaimed foodie. It has awesome recipes listed and some really great pictures of food.

Tammy's Recipes

Just looking at this site makes my mouth water. The food looks so delicious. Lately her recipes have been centering around what is coming out of the garden. Since this is the first year we have had a garden, I am finding this site very useful. I was thinking about what we would do with SO many beans, but her garlic green beans sound tasty.

Menu Plan Monday 7/27

2009-07-27T08:12:00.000-04:00

If you want to save money on groceries, meal planning is key. Every weekend I plan out my meals for the next week. When I have my menu planned for the week, I save money and I save time. I share it with you, to give you ideas of how we eat on a limited budget. Hopefully, this inspires you to plan your own menu for the week.

This is going to be a tough week. I went back to work today and hubby is home with the kids. That means that he will be doing the cooking. So, I am 100% sure that the meal plan will not be strictly adhered too. I can dream though, can't I? Here is my meal plan for this week:

Monday
- Breakfast - pancakes (leftover from dinner Saturday), fruit
- Lunch - canned pasta, fruit
- Dinner - panninis, green beans and pudding
Tuesday
- Breakfast - cereal / oatmeal, fruit
- Lunch - peanut butter and jelly on homemade bread, fruit
- Dinner - we are going to my mom's as soon as I get out of work, so we will either eat with her or go out to eat down where she lives
Wednesday
- Breakfast - strawnana muffins (made a few days ago and froze), fruit
- Lunch - grilled cheese, fruit
- Dinner - ham steak, veggie, maybe a potato or pasta salad?
Thursday
- Breakfast -cinnamon toast on homemade bread, fruit
- Lunch - dinner leftovers, fruit
- Dinner - cheeseburgers on grill, corn on cob, maybe a side?
Friday
- Breakfast - cereal / oatmeal, fruit
- Lunch - canned pasta, fruit
- Dinner - homemade sloppy joes, tater tots, pudding or jello
Saturday
- Breakfast - fake quiches, fruit
- Lunch - peanut butter and jelly on homemade bread, fruit
- Dinner - leftovers
Sunday
- Breakfast - homemade waffles, eggs and toast
- Lunch - grilled cheese, fruit
- Dinner - tuna casserole with peas (I will make a double batch and freeze one), fruit dessert

All You Grocery Challenge Week in Review

2009-07-26T22:44:00.004-04:00

Sunday - Day 14

Today was one of those lazy Sundays where no one really wanted to do much, including me. LOL. At least we only spent $1.25 today. When hubby went to get a paper, he took the little princess with him, and they ended up getting 5 of those 25 cent granola bars (my daughter calls them 'bars'. lol).

For breakfast we had cereal and the little man had oatmeal. We also had yummy strawberries. For lunch we had grilled cheese sandwiches and canned pineapple chunks. Dinner was breaded pork chops, corn and scalloped potatoes. I also made a chocolate cake which was supposed to be for my mom's birthday Tuesday, but somehow I got persuaded to get out frozen strawberries and whipped topping, and we ate some of it. Oh well. I guess I will just have to make another one tomorrow night when I get home.

A Week in Review

This is our second week of participating in the All You Grocery Challenge and we are still doing pretty well. I had been hoping to only spend $50 this week on groceries, but my local store had some really good deals this week and I ended up spending a little over $50 in one day (but that was 3 different stores). I also needed to get some more meat and a few other things later in the week and ended up spending a little over $10 on that trip.

So, I didn't make my goal budget, but I was still well under the All You budget. Here's a chart and graph showing my week 2 spending:

As you can see we spent $74.13 out of the budgeted $125.00, and had $50.87 that we could have spent if we wanted to. My goal for this next week is again $50. I need to buy some chicken this week, so I am hoping to still be able to stay under this amount. It may be difficult because I will be going back to work this week and hubby will be preparing the meals during the weekdays. We shall see.

Weis deals 7-23 to 7-29

2009-07-26T15:09:00.001-04:00

Since the deals at Tops have been really lacking lately, I am considering driving a little farther and going to Weis. The weekly deals run until Wednesday of this week:

Green beans, eggplant, squash or zucchini $.99 a pound
Ball Park hot dogs Buy One at $4.99 Get One Free - comes out to $2.50 each
2 liters of Pepsi $1 each
Chef Boyardee pasta $1 (I have a coupons I printed off the ConAgra site)
Hamburger or Tuna Helper $1
Manwich $1
Barbeque split chicken breast - 3 pounds or more $1.29 a pound
Kunzler bacon Buy One at $4.99 get one free - $2.50 each
From the Smokehouse ham slices Buy One at $3.99 get One Free - less than $2 each
Yoplait yogurt $.50 each. Use $.50 off 6 internet printable, to make them 6/$2.50.
Yoplait Fiber One yogurt $2. Use $1 off internet printable, to make it $1.
Weis Best Thing Since Butter $1 (worth a try)
From the Oven english muffins $1
Knorr sides $1 Use $.50 off 2 coupon from 5-17 insert, to make these $.75 each
select General Mills cereal 3/$6. Use $1 off 3 coupon from 6-28 insert to make these 3/$5
Arnold Country Classics bread Buy One at $3.99 Get One Free - less than $2 each

Tops deals 7/26 - 8/1

2009-07-26T12:29:00.003-04:00

Not the greatest deals this week, but here are the deals at Tops this week:

Pork spareribs $1.69 each
Seedless grapes $1.29 a pound
General Mills cereal $2.50, you can use $1 off 3 from 6-28 insert to make them 3/$6.50
tops 6-8 oz shredded cheeses $1.79
La Yogurt $.40 each
Split chicken breast $1.69 a pound
Oscar Meyer hot dogs Buy One Get One Free
Lloyds $4.49, use $.75 off coupon from 6-28, which doubles to $1.50, making it $2.99
Perdue short cuts $3.99. Use $.75 coupon from 7-12 insert, which doubles to $1.50, making it $2.49
Heleva Good chunk cheese $2. use $1 off 2 coupon from making it $1.50 each
Smart Balance spread 2/$5, use $1 off 2 coupon from 6-21 making these 2/$4
Sensational 8" tortillas Buy One Get One Free
Post cereals 2/$5. Use $1 off 2 coupon from 7-26 to make these 2/$4
Keebler chips deluxe cookies $1.79. Buy 2 and use $1 off 2 internet printable, making these $1.29 each
Fresh pork tenderloin. Buy One Get One Free

If you would like to see more coupon and store matchups, head over to BeCentsAble.

All You Grocery Challenge

2009-07-26T01:45:00.000-04:00

Thursday - Day 11

It's been a pretty uneventful week on the food front this week. We had cereal for breakfast on Thursday with cut up bananas. For lunch, the husband and kids polished off the last of the deli meat that was left over from Saturday. I ate while I was out shopping (see below). We had these on homemade bread with lettuce and strawberries for dessert. For dinner, we had chicken and biscuits (has veggies in it) with strawberry shortcake for dessert. I made up several pizza crust doughs tonight. I baked two of them, one will be used on Friday for dinner and the other was wrapped and put in the freezer. I also put some dough in the freezer after the first rising.

Spending: Today I spent a little bit of money. I took my friend Yan with me shopping for clothes for my new job. I actually did really good and spent only a little over $200, and I ended up getting a few things on clearance for the kids. We were going to go to Friendly's in the mall but after waiting 15 minutes for a waitress to even come ask us what we wanted to drink, we left. We were pretty thirsty by that point, so we grabbed drinks at Aunti Anne's for $3.33 for both, which I paid for. We ended up going to Salasaritas for lunch. Yan had never had Mexican food and I had never eaten there before because it's only been there a few months. We ended up getting a chicken quesadilla to share and two soft tacos. We didn't get any drinks because we still had our drinks from Auntie Anne's. They gave use a discount because we had never been there and we ended up paying $6.30 for lunch for two. Yan gave me $3 towards lunch, reducing my cost to $3.30. It was very good and Yan really liked it.

I almost forgot. I stopped at Tops on the way home to get a couple things I had forgotten the other day when we were there. I ended up buying 2 ham steaks at $2 each, severeal pounds of boneless pork chops for $1.99 a pound, and 8oz of mozarella cheese. My total spent at Tops was $11.92.

Total Spent Today: $18.25
Amount Saved at Tops: $10.39

Friday - Day 12
For breakfast we decided to have eggs and toast and then some blueberries and strawberries in yogurt. Lunch was leftover italian pasta from a couple nights ago with fruit cocktail. For dinner I made a homemade pizza with sausage (from Aldi's), pepperoni, peppers and onions. It was very yummy, as always! We had green salad with dressing with it and chocolate pudding for dessert.

Spending: no money spent today.

Saturday - Day 13
We still have a lot of cereal (bought cheap) so we had that for breakfast with strawberries and blueberries. For lunch we had grilled cheese sandwiches with green beans from our garden and a can of peaches. I was trying to get a lot done, because I start work on Monday, so I wanted something quick and easy. I decided to make pancakes with chocolate chips (these were the ones bought on clearance a week or so ago), eggs and toast. For dessert we had jello with fruit cocktail in it.

Spending: no money spent today

Frugal Meal Friday 7/24

2009-07-24T10:58:00.001-04:00

Hot Dog Skillet

Ingredients

1 package hot dogs - $1.50
6 (or so) large potatoes - $1.25
1/2 onion - $.25
cooking oil
salt and pepper
ketchup (optional)
salsa (optional)
vegetable - $1

Directions

Scrub, quarter, and thinly slice the potatoes. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook potatoes on medium heat, stirring frequently. Chop onion. Add to potatoes. Slice hot dogs and add to the mixture. Cook until potatoes and hot dogs are lightly browned and potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with salsa or ketchup. Add a vegetable (fresh or frozen) to round out the meal. I think this would also be good with a little garlic thrown in there.

All You Grocery Challenge Update

2009-07-23T02:32:00.000-04:00

Monday - Day 8

Breakfast was cereal. We have a lot of it and it needs to get eaten up. Adults had Frosted Mini Wheats and the kids ate Life. Lunch was ham and turkey sandwiches on homemade bread with strawberries.

It was hard to come up with something for dinner since we hadn't been to the store yet, and we are out of chicken and almost out of ground meat. I ended up making Italian Chili with cornbread and fruit cocktail for dessert. We hadn't had this in a while and it was very tasty.

Tuesday - Day 9

Today we had eggs and toast for breakfast because our daughter asked for it. It was very good though. For lunch we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on homemade bread and bananas. We ended up eating Italian Chili leftovers for dinner before heading out to the store. When we got home, we all ended up having a yogurt.

During the day I ended up making a double batch of Strawnana bread, and only did up 2 trays worth, so I will be doing up more on Wednesday so that I can freeze them. I also had 3 more bananas that were pretty far gone, so I peeled them and put them in the freezer, for future use.

Wednesday - Day 10

Today for breakfast we had oatmeal with cut-up strawberries. For lunch we had grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup and oyster crackers. Dinner was homemade mac n cheese and hot dogs. Also today was a baking day. I made up the rest of the muffins and then froze them. More on that in a future post. I also made up pizza dough. I froze one after the first rising, and froze the other two after I had baked the crust for about 20 minutes. I was a baking fool! LOL.

Coupon Binder

2009-07-22T12:33:00.004-04:00

I recently decided that my little coupon holder wasn't working well enough anymore. So, I decided to start a binder for my coupons. I already had a binder that will work for a while, although if I find one of the nice ones with zippers and pouches cheap during the back to school sales I may get one of those. I bought one set of 35 baseball card protector sheets, but that wasn't enough and hubby grabbed some more the next time he was at Walmart. I only have 2 dividers right now, but the coupons are in the same order that they were in when they were in my coupon holder, so I can still find everything pretty easily. I am sure I will be able to pick up some divider CHEAP during the next month. Ok, so here are the pictures of my coupon binder, in case you are curious or are thinking about using this method yourself.

Shopping Trip 7/21

2009-07-22T03:12:00.000-04:00

We ended up doing our grocery shopping tonight and we did pretty well. We went to 3 stores, all within a few miles of each other. We still need to go get ground , chicken and some fresh vegetables later this week. I went over my intended $50 budget for the week, but it was unavoidable. The last few weeks, Tops has not had that great of deals so I didn't stock up on much.

ALDI'S

Our first stop was Aldi's. I shop at Aldi's for things that usually don't go on sale or for things that are cheaper no matter what. These are usually baking goods, and they have really good prices on milk and eggs.

2 sponges with green scrubby surface $.99 (+.08 tax) - non-food
2 containers of Parmesan Cheese $2.39 each
3 lbs of unsalted butter $.99 each
flour tortillas $.99
4 boxes of corn muffin mix $..35 each
4 5 lb bags of flour $1.59 each
3 packets of taco mix seasoning $.33 each

Amount Spent: $18.56
Approx Amount Saved: $11+
Grocery Challenge Amount: $17.49

TARGET

We then headed over to Target. I wanted to look at some of their frozen meat and dinners. I have several regular manufacture coupons which combined with the Target coupons, could have saved us some money. Upon looking at the prices at the store, I decided to wait and buy them at another time. I am hoping that they will go on sale. Upon looking at my receipt when I got home I noticed that the cashier rang in $1.30 instead of taking $1.30 off as a coupon. I am not sure what I am going to do about this yet, if anything.

4 boxes of Kraft Mac N Cheese $.52 each = $2.08. I had a coupon for buy 3 and get one free and I believe this is where the cashier made the mistake by adding in the $1.30. Otherwise, I would have gotten 4 of them for $1.56
Kashi cereal on sale for $2.99 (hubby wanted it lol) and I had a Target coupon for $1 off, making it $1.99
Ghiradelli chocolate chips (yummmm) On clearance for $2.33 and I had a Target coupond for $.75 making it $1.58
International Delight $1.57 and I had an internet printable for $1 off one, making this $.57
1 Degree fine fragrance deodorant and one spray. $3.64 each = $7.28. I had 2 target coupons for $2 off one, and a manufacture internet coupon for $1 off two. So, I ended up paying $2.28 for two. This is great since I really love the smell of these! -non-food
2 Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste sample size $.97, these were free after two coupons for free sample. -non-food
10 bottles of Sobe Life Water (hubby's idea)on sale for $1 each and received a $5 gift card to be used on a future visit
3 boxes of Kleenex with aloe 130 ct on originally $1.58 each, on clearance for $1.08 per box = $3.24. I had a $1 off 3 target coupon and a $.50 manufacture coupon which made them 3/$1.74 or $.58 each - non-food
24 ct of Crayola crayons $.27. - non-food
200ct of straws $1.00 - non-food

Original Amount: $45.70
Amount Saved: $22.35
Amount Paid: $23.35
Grocery Challenge Amount: $17.02

TOPS

Our last stop was Tops. By this time it was 6:40 and hubby was getting anxious because his baseball game was going to be on in 25 minutes! Nothing like being rushed through the store. So, needless to say I forgot a couple things. I had wanted to get a ham steak that was on sale for $2 and some pork chops that were on sale for $1.99 a pound. I guess I will just get it later in the week when we are in the area again. Here is what we bought:

Spongebob pinata for birthday party. Original price $15.99, on clearance for $1.99.
5 2-liters of various Diet Pepsi on sale for $1 plus $.05 NY deposit
2 cans of Bumblee tuna on sale for $.89 each. Used internet printable for $1 off 2 to make them $.39 each
box of Tops brand diapers, originally $18.89. On clearance for $9.44.
2 boxes of Tops instant oatmeal (Aldi's still doesn't have any) on sale for $2 each
2 kids character chairs (one pink with princess and the other red with Lightning McQueen - for the little kids) originally $6.99 each, on clearance for $3.49
4 Breyer's yogurts $.60 each. Used 2 Breyers coupons that said $1 off any 2 Breyers products, making these $.10 each
2 gallons of skim milk. $1.99 each
9 Weight Watchers yogurts 6/$4= $6, used 3 internet printables for $.55 off 3 which doubles to $1.10 each, making these $.30 each

Original Amount: $79.17
Amount Saved: $42.15
Amount Paid: $37.02
Grocery Challenge Amount: $17.53

I also wanted to let you all know that there are some coupons for Hunt's Snack packs, Chef Boyardee, and more, click here.

Coffee Coupon

2009-07-21T10:01:00.002-04:00

Do you drink 8 O'clock coffee? I have found that this is one of the cheapest whole bean coffees, and yet hubby loves the taste of it. At around $4 in the grocery store for 12 ounces it's a really great deal. If you go to the 8 O'Clock coffee website, you can print a coupon for $2 off 2 bags. Happy Drinkin!

Menu Plan Monday 7/20

2009-07-20T11:11:00.003-04:00

Monday
- Breakfast - oatmeal / cereal, fruit
- Lunch - grilled cheese and soup, fruit
- Dinner - Italian chili, corn bread muffins and bananas
Tuesday
- Breakfast - strawnana bread, fruit
- Lunch - ham or turkey sandwiches, fruit
- Dinner - tuna patties, vegetable, pudding
Wednesday
- Breakfast - pancakes and eggs
- Lunch - peanut butter and jelly on homemade bread, fruit
- Dinner - leftovers, veggie, fruit
Thursday
- Breakfast - eggs and toast
- Lunch - homemade pizza rolls, fruit
- Dinner - chicken and veggies over brown rice, jello with fruit
Friday
- Breakfast - oatmeal or cereal, fruit
- Lunch - canned spaghetti, slice of homemade bread, fruit
- Dinner - homemade pizza with sausage, peppers, onions, and pepperoni; fresh and local grown green beans, dessert to be determined
Saturday
- Breakfast - cinnamon toast made on homemade bread, fruit
- Lunch - peanut butter and jelly on homemade bread, fruit
- Dinner -leftovers, veggie, pudding
Sunday
- Brunch - homemade waffles, eggs, toast, fruit
- Dinner - ham steak, veggie, baked potatoes, dessert

Tops Deals 7/19 - 7/25

2009-07-19T22:35:00.002-04:00

Here are the deals I see at Tops this week. If you see anything I may have missed, please leave it in the comments below.

Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops 3-4 lb package $1.99 a pound ( I will be buying these this week. We are getting a little sick of ground beef and chicken)
pint of blueberries or pound of strawberries. Buy one at $3.99, get one free. (Not a bad deal, but if you are going near an Aldi's you can get these for $1.50 or less, Wegmans might also have them in this price range still)
Boneless Sirloin Steak 3-4 lb package $2.99 (this would be a good buy if you have a little extra in your grocery budget this week and are looking for something different to eat)
Pepsi 2 liters $1. I will be stocking up on these since I am really low on 2 liters (had to buy Coke last week - the horror! LOL)
Crest toothpaste $.98. Buy 2 and use coupon for $1 off ANY 2 Crest Toothpaste (these are not the ones from 2 weeks ago). There is no reason this shouldn't work since the coupons says ANY Crest Toothpaste. Your final price will be $.96 for 2!
8 oz chunk cheese $1.69
Fresh leg quarters $.79 a pound
Hatfield boneless ham steaks $2 each (I will also be buying a couple of these this week)
Tops butter $1.69 a pound
Heluva Good sour cream or dip 2/$3. Buy 2 and use $1 off any two sour cream, dips, or cheese, (expires 7-31 or 8-31) and it makes them 2/$2 or $1 each
Weight Watchers yogurts 6/$4. Buy 3 and Use online printable for $.55 off 3, which will double to $1.10, making these about 3/$.91 or $.31 each
Bumblebee light tune $.89 each
fresh green beans $1.29 a pound
cucumbers 2/$1
Zatarains $1 each. Buy 2 and use $.75 off coupon from 6-7 insert, which doubles to $1.50, making these $.25 each! (Thank you Katie for letting me know about this since I did not have this coupon in my binder)

If you would like to see more coupon and store matchups, head over to BeCentsAble.

All You Grocery Challenge Week in Review

2009-07-19T15:36:00.003-04:00

Sunday - Day 7

So, it's Sunday and the end of week 1 of the All You Grocery Challenge. Today we had a late breakfast of pancakes, eggs and toast, and milk. For lunch we had turkey sandwiches, made with the turkey and rolls that were given to us, a slice of watermelon each and chocolate milk. For dinner I plan on making Chicken and Biscuits (the kind I make has mixed vegetables in it), fruit for dessert (choice of strawberries, blueberries, or grapes) and juice (100% fruit juice) for our drinks.

A Week in Review

Well, we made it through the first week under budget. We would have spent a lot less but life got in the way. With the water being turned off on Wednesday, we ended up spending $20 on a sheet pizza. Then on Friday, my husband and I celebrated our anniversary. We ended up going to Olive Garden and spending $38.02. If you subtracted just those two things, we would have spent almost $60 less. Isn't it crazy how much you can spend just eating out?

Here is what my spending log I use looks like. I used all those wonderful skills I learned in my Advanced Spreadsheets class. You can click on it to take you to a larger picture of it.

I track each day's spending on food for each week. I also have a drop-down menu to use for my category - they are sorted by food, eating out and snacks/coffee. I then added each category up and did a nice pie chart to help me see where I am spending my food money.

I did a screen shot so that you can see how much I spent this week. Here is Week 1's Totals and chart. You can also click on the this picture in order to get a bigger picture.

As you can see in the above chart, I spent $67.90 on eating out (pizza and anniversary), $4.23 on snacks and coffee, and $20.38 on groceries. We still have $32.49 out of our allotted $125 budget for the week. The pie chart shows all $125 of our food budget, blue is eating out, red is snacks and coffee, green is groceries and purple is what we have leftover.

So, we did pretty good, all things considered. Next week will only be better. My local grocery store does have a few good deals so we will be stopping there sometime during the week.

Wegmans Deals this Week 7/19-7/25

2009-07-19T15:23:00.003-04:00

Although I don't often shop with coupons at Wegmans, I do find really good deals on produce and meat. Here is what they have that's good this week:

Locally grown green beans $.99 a pound
California seedless grapes $.99 a pound
Whole seedless watermelons $3.99
Wegmans chicken thighs or drumsticks 4 lbs o r more $.79 a pound
Wegmans all pork italian sausage 2.5 lbs or more $1.99 a pound
squash or zucchini $.99 a pound
Wegmans butter $1.69 a pound

Free Food and Veggies from the Garden

2009-07-19T13:45:00.007-04:00

FREE FOOD

Well, yesterday we went to an informal wedding reception and was sent home with a bunch of food. I don't ever pass up free food! LOL. Especially right now, with neither of us working, every little bit helps. So here is what we were given:

So, as you can see from the above pictures, we got a plate full of deli meats, some bottles of beer for hubby, 8 cans of soda (which we usually do not drink but eventually they will get drank), 15 large rolls and half a watermelon. YUMMY! Oh, we were also given 5 cupcakes, but one was gone before we got home (thanks to hubby) and the rest were eaten when we got home - one per person.

OUR GARDEN

We also were quite surprised at how well our first garden is doing. Everything is just getting larger. We were able to pick a green pepper, some pea pods, and spinach yesterday. The lettuce also needs to be thinned out, so we will take quite a bit of that and make salads with it. The beans will also be ready soon.

As you can see in the picture above, we picked a green pepper, spinach, and we also picked some peas that were eaten raw. We don't have many pea plants because most of the seeds did not grow. We also picked wild blackberries. YUMMY!

All You Grocery Challenge Daily Roundup

2009-07-18T23:29:00.003-04:00

Saturday- Day 6

Breakfast:
Dry cereal. Still have a lot of it, so we need to eat it up. We still do not have oatmeal because Aldi's is out of it for a while. I asked and was told it was discontinued for a while. So, I think tomorrow we will just have regular oatmeal (quick oats) with some strawberries or blueberries in it and maybe a splash of sugar if the berries are tart.

Lunch:
Went to a wedding at 1 o'clock. Afterwards was an informal reception where they had deli meats, fruits and salads. It was very yummy. The little kids ate lots of fruits, though they hardly touched their sandwiches.

Dinner:
We were munching all afternoon, so we didn't have an actual dinner. We just snacked on fruit and other leftovers from the party.

Aldi's Trip

After the reception, we stopped by Aldi's since it was on our way home. My intention was to get some more oatmeal for the little kids, but they ended up still not having any. I ended up getting quite a bit of stuff:

2 one pound containers of strawberries $1.45 each
a pint of blueberries $1.49
2 pounds of grapes $2.99
4 large bananas @ $.39 a pound = $.71
2 boxes of popcorn 6ct for $1.49 each
a gallon of skim milk $1.75
2 tubs of Tastes like Butter $.99 each
1 pound of sliced ham $3.49
box of garbage bags $2.49+$.20 tax (not included in food total)

So I spent $20.98 minus the bags ($2.69), for a total of $18.09 added to our grocery budget for the week.

All You Grocery Challenge Daily Roundup

2009-07-17T22:22:00.003-04:00

Friday - Day 5

Breakfast:
Cinnamon toast on homemade bread with apple slices.

Lunch:
Canned spaghetti and meatballs with canned pears. We need to run to the store this weekend and grab some more fresh fruit. We only have bananas left and they are starting to get to the point where they would make a good bread.

Dinner:

My husband and I are going out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We will probably end up at Olive Garden since I have a $4 coupon off 2 dinners. We will also drink water (we usually do) to keep the price down. We should be able to get out of there for less than $30. I will update this later with the actual cost. The kids are probably going to have mac n cheese, hot dogs made in the toaster oven, and canned pears. Grandma is coming over to watch them and I want something easy for her to make.

Update: I was wrong. It was more than $30. LOL. We did have a really good time eating out together, alone! It is always so weird to go anywhere together without the kids. Most of the time when I go somewhere, I have at least one of them with me. So, we ended up spending $38.02 which isn't too bad considering hubby got 2 beers. So I will be adding this amount to my weekly grocery budget.

All You Grocery Challenge Daily Roundup

2009-07-17T15:15:00.003-04:00

Thursday - Day 4

Breakfast:
Cereal again. We have a lot of cereal that I got CHEAP! So, we ate that. We still haven't gotten to the store yet to pick up oatmeal at Aldi's. I am hoping to get there sometime this weekend. We had blueberries with our breakfast.

Lunch:

Ham and cheese sandwiches on homemade bread with a banana.

Dinner:

Tonight was leftover night, since we had a bunch of food in the fridge. I hate when leftovers go bad. No reason not to get them eaten up. So, the little kids and hubby ate leftover mac n cheese with broccoli, my older son and I had leftover pizza. We had jello with fruit cocktail in it for dessert.

Frugal Meal Friday 7/17

2009-07-17T10:56:00.001-04:00

Every Friday I will be sharing with you a frugal recipe. These meals will average $5 or less for a family of four, and many will give you lots of leftovers for lunches. If you have any recipes you would like to share with others, please feel free to email it to me at: couponqueenofcorning @ hotmail.com and I will include it in my Friday's posts.

This week I decided to share with a wonderful recipe using chicken. This is originally from Kraftfoods.com and you can find it here. The total comes to a little over $6, but you get a lot of leftovers for the next day and it super yummy. Although the original recipe says chicken leg quarters, I have substituted with breast and they still tasted great.

Italian Chicken Simmer

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil - $neg.
1 1/2 pounds of chicken, skin removed - $3
1/3 cup tomato paste - $.30
1 can (14 1/2 oz) dice tomatoes, preferably Italian-style - $.50
3 cups chopped red pepper (about 2 small) - $1
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese - $.45
1/2 cup shredded Mozarella - $1.50

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large pan on medium-high heat. You may need to cut apart chicken legs and thighs, or if you are using breasts, you may want to cut in half. Add the chicken to the skillet, and cook 10 minutes until both sides are brown, turn occasionally.
2. Add the can of tomatoes with their liquid and the tomato paste and mix well. Stir in peppers and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove pan from heat and stir in Parmesan. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Serve with rice if you would like.

All You Grocery Challenge Daily Roundup

2009-07-16T08:29:00.000-04:00

Wednesday - Day 3

Breakfast:
Cereal. The kids had Life and I had Mini Wheats. We each had half of a banana also.

Lunch:
Leftover homemade macaroni and cheese with broccoli. Boy, this tasted delicious, even the second day. We had a can of fruit cocktail with it.

Dinner:
Unfortunately, we didn't have water for most of the afternoon / evening so it was hard to make something for dinner. I just gave in and decided to get a sheet pizza. It was less than $20 with half pepperoni, and it gave us enough for dinner plus enough for lunch on Thursday and Friday. So, even though we spent some money it is definitely a better take-out item because it goes farther. No cookies for dessert because they were all gone. Cookies in my house don't last too long. Thank goodness I froze half the cookie dough for another time. LOL.

Minute Rice Giveaway

2009-07-15T11:43:00.004-04:00

With trying to squeeze as much out of my food budget as possible right now, I could use any free food I could get. So I jumped at the chance to win a free box of rice over at Thrift & Chic Mom. She also has links to printable coupons for Minute Rice: $1/2. So, if you would like to have a chance to win, go over and enter now.

All You Grocery Challenge Daily Roundup - Day 2

2009-07-15T09:05:00.003-04:00

Tuesday - Day 2

So, we are done with the second day of the grocery challenge. I did pretty darn good, though I can't say my husband did. He's going to be the death of me, I swear. LOL. He took my older son with him to go work on our land and tend to the garden, and on the way home they grabbed food at Taco Bell. He spent $9.88. He also spent $2.29 on a gallon of milk. I did send him over to get the milk though. So, I will now be adding this to this week's totals.

Breakfast/Lunch:
We all got up late this morning, so we had a brunch. I made more blueberry pancakes today. Although, I tried to make them from scratch and they tasted funny. Darn Betty Crocker recipe. Yuck! I will not be making that recipe again! We also had eggs and toast.

Dinner:

Since my husband and son were gone, I knew I had to make something that wouldn't require too much time in the kitchen. With two kids under the age of 3, you don't know what they will get into when your back is turned. I had had something else planned for dinner, but we will just have that another time. I had frozen homemade mac n cheese with broccoli a few weeks ago, and I threw that in the oven for dinner. It seemed to take forever. I guess I forgot that it usually takes more than an hour to cook when it is frozen. But it was tasty and the kids ate it quickly. We then had some fruit cocktail and for dessert, a chocolate chip cookie.

I used up the Nestle swirl chocolate chips that I got on clearance last week for $1.49 a package. These turned out yummy! I baked up about 30 of them, and the rest were scooped out, flash froze, put in freezer bags and placed in freezer for future use.

Along with the cookies and the pancakes, I also made bread today. 6 loaves to be exact. I made up one set of loaves while the little man was napping. I decided that I wanted to get some extra loaves in the freezer, so as soon as my bowl was free, I started making up another 3 loaves. I am thinking that I need to invest in another large mixing bowl and 3 more bread pans. That way I could 6 loaves at a time. Wouldn't that be sweet?

Words of the Week Wednesday 7/15

2009-07-15T08:30:00.009-04:00

It is Wednesday again and time to provide my readers with links to sites that I found interesting in the last week. Today I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to share the blogs of other participants in the All You Grocery Challenge. So here is a list, in no particular order:

All You Grocery Challenge blog. Here you can find TONS of tips on how to reduce your grocery costs and eat better.

I tried to add all of the blogs/sites to my All You favorites folder, but there are quite a few comments on the blog so if I missed anyone please leave me a comment and I will add you to the list.

Sandwich Bread Recipe

2009-07-14T23:48:00.004-04:00

I was asked to share the recipe I use for making my bread. This is actually a recipe I got from a fellow member at Frugal Village. If you would like to look at the original recipe, you can click here. This recipe makes 3 loaves of awesome sandwich bread. I buy my flour at Aldi's for about $1.50 for five pounds (Sam's Club has a really good price on theirs also - 25 pounds for around $9) and I buy 2 packages of 1 pound yeast at Sam's Club for about $5. Keep the other yeast in the freezer until you are ready to open it. This will extend the life of the yeast past the expiration date.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar
3 cups of warm water
9 cups of flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter, shortening, or oil

Directions:
1. In large bowl, add 1 tablespoon of sugar, the yeast and 1 cup of warm water. Let set for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the yeast in well. Then add the 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and butter or oil. Mix together. Mix in 3 cups of the flour, one cup at a time. At this point, I use a whisk to get it really mixed well. Then mix in the remaining 6 cups of flour, one cup at a time. When it starts getting too hard to mix with a spoon, use your hands.
3. Place dough on floured surface. Knead well for about 4-5 minutes or until dough becomes elastic.
4. After kneading, put the dough in a large oiled bowl and flip to coat both sides with oil. Loosely cover bowl with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place. Let it rise for 1 hour.
5. Punch down dough to remove air bubbles and divide into 3 loaves. I do this by shaping into a circle and making a peace sign type shape to divide the circle into thirds. Then since I do not have a dough cutter, I use a pizza cutter - this works great!
6. Shape into loafs and put into greased loaf pans. I shape mine by making it into a rectangular shape with my hands (you can also use a rolling pin but this doesn't work well for me). I then roll the dough up, while folding in the ends once in a while - kind of like making a burrito or soft taco. When I get to the end, I pinch the seams together, then pat down the seams and place in loaf pan. If that doesn't make any sense, please see the pictures.

7. Cover pans with dishtowels (I also place the plastic used earlier underneath the towel) and place in a warm area for another hour. Loaves should double in size.
8. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

It is ready when it turns golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped! Remove from pans and cool on a cooling rack!

If you have any problems cutting it, stick the loaf in a freezer bag for an hour and then try to re-cut. Or, you can just wrap and freeze without slicing.

Rite Aid Trip 7/12

2009-07-14T12:15:00.002-04:00

My daughter and I went to Rite Aid on Sunday to grab a few things. The newspaper was $1.50 (no way to save on that unfortunately). The candy was on sale Buy One at $.88 get One Free and I had a coupon for a free candy bar. The limit on the coupon was $.85, so I paid $.03 for both candy bars. The 2 packages of pens were on sale 2/$4 with a $1 rebate making them 2/$3. I know there will be some really good bargains coming up for back to school, but I couldn't wait that long to buy them and this seemed like a pretty good deal. The toothpaste was on sale for $2.69 with a $2.69 rebate which made it free.

Original Amount: $14.24
Amount Saved: $9.10
Final Amount: $5.14(63.9%)

All You Grocery Challenge Daily Roundup

2009-07-14T10:53:00.002-04:00

Monday - Day 1
So, it would have been a no-spend day, but hubby grabbed coffee and 4 granola bars on the way to his uncle's house. Ggggrrrr. There goes $2.40 I wasn't planning on spending. Other than that we did really well today.

Breakfast:
We had cinnamon toast on homemade (yummy) bread and apple slices. The kids gobbled this up. They like the cinnamon toast and I like the fact that there is no high fructose corn syrup or preservatives in it. And the apple slices went perfect with it!

Lunch:
Ham and cheese sandwiches on homemade bread along with a banana. It was very tasty and pretty good for us.

Dinner:
I made pancakes with blueberries with an omelet. The omelet had cheese and a little bit of bacon bits, along with some pepper, of course. The kids devoured it all. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it. Our dinners are usually pretty hectic around here. LOL.

Menu Plan Monday 7/13

2009-07-13T19:09:00.000-04:00

Monday
- Breakfast -cinnamon toast on homemade bread with apple slices
- Lunch - ham and cheese sandwiches on h.m. bread with a banana
- Dinner - Breakfast foods - pancakes and eggs
Tuesday
- Breakfast - leftovers pancakes
- Lunch - peanut butter and jelly, fruit
- Dinner - Chicken and Biscuits, jello with fruit in it
Wednesday
- Breakfast - eggs and toast, yogurt
- Lunch - canned pasta, fruit
- Dinner - Chicken and tomato panninis, veggie, pudding
Thursday
- Breakfast - oatmeal or cereal
- Lunch - homemade hot pockets, fruit
- Dinner - leftover night, fruit, veggie
Friday
- Breakfast - cinnamon toast, blueberries
- Lunch - grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit
- Dinner - homemade pizza, fruit dessert
Saturday
- Breakfast - homemade blueberry waffles, yogurt
- Lunch - canned pasta, fruit
- Dinner - Biscuit Topped Tomato and Beef Bake, veggie, pudding
Sunday
- Breakfast - eggs and toast
- Lunch - peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, banana
- Dinner -leftover night, veggie

I thought I would also share with you what my stockpile looks like, so you know where I am starting from. The only picture missing is the one of my large freezer which has a lot veggies (probably 50 bags or more) plus homemade and store-bought bread, flour, and more.

Tops Deals 7/12 - 7/18

2009-07-13T15:02:00.000-04:00

The Tops deals this week are not very good. I would wait until Thursday to go shopping, because some of the sales do not take affect until then. Here are the deals I see:

Thursday through Saturday Only Deals

Gallon of milk $1.49 a gallon with coupon (you have to spend at least $20 after coupons have been subtracted)
Fresh blueberries $1.48 a pint
Smithfield sliced bacon $2.88 a pound
Domino Sugar $1.99 for a 5 pound bag. Limit of 2
Stroehman King or Ranch bread $1.49 a loaf

Regular Deals

Split Chicken breast $.99 a pound
Tops Individually Wrapped Cheese Singles Buy One Get One Free
Breyer's yogurt 10/$5
32 oz Tops Sherbet Buy One at $2.69 Get One Free
Wisk 2x Laundry Detergent $4.99. Buy 2 and use $1.50 off 2 coupon from 7-12 insert, making these 2/$7.98
Hygrade's Meat Franks $1 each
CoffeeMate flavored creamers 2/$4. Use internet coupon for $1.50 off 2. to make them 2/$2.50
Tops 18 ct Large Eggs $1.19
Sensational 10 inch soft flour tortillas Buy One at $2.55 Get One Free = $1.27 each
Crystal Farms Chunk Cheese 8 oz Buy One at $2.99 Get One Free = about $1.50 each
Crystal Farms Shredded Cheese 8 oz Buy One at $3.19 Get One Free = about $1.60 each
Yoplait MultiPack yogurt 2/$5. You can save $.80on 2 here, or you can use $1 coupon from 7-12 insert on 2 , to make them 2/$4 to 2/$4.20
Dannon Activia 4 pack 2/$4. Use $1 coupon from 5-10 insert to make this $1 each
Scotties facial tissues $1 each. Buy 3 and use a $1 off 3 coupon from 6-7 insert.
Coke 2 liters $1 each

If you would like to see more coupon and store matchups, head over to BeCentsAble.

New Meal Planning Site

2009-07-13T12:16:00.003-04:00

Vocal Point sent me some information on a new site that helps you meal plan, DinnerTool.com. I thought this was going to be one of those sites where you have to pay to use the tools, but to my surprise, it wasn't. Tools likes recipe search lets you enter ingredients and search for recipes that are budget-friendly. The Meal Planning tool lets you select the recipes and move them into the weekly calendar. The Shopping List tool gives you a list of ingredients you will need for your entire meal plan. Instant Coupons is another tool that seems really great - all you have to do is look for the links within the recipes and click on them. The only thing I would like to be able to do is add my own recipe (although this may be on there somewhere and I'm just not seeing it yet).

After you visit and look around the site, go to vocalpoint.com/dinnertool, fill in some information about yourself and answer a couple questions and you will be entered to win their weekly drawing of a $400 grocery gift card. There will be 10 winners drawn at random, so you have a decent chance of winning this one.

I am going to explore the site a little more and start using it for my meal planning. This would definitely make it easier to get this chore done each week.

All You Grocery Challenge Begins Today

2009-07-13T10:51:00.004-04:00

Today is the first day of the All You Grocery Challenge. Since we are a family of 5, we are allowed up to $125 a week for groceries. Of course, we will not be spending that much. I couldn't spend that if I tried! Nor can we afford to spend that much right now. My goal is to spend less than $50 a week and use more of the food in our stockpile and freezer. Friday is our anniversary, so we will be going out to eat I am sure, but with keeping our grocery budget less than $50, we won't be even close to the $125 max. We were thinking either a local restaurant or going to Olive Garden (because I have a coupon lol - and they have yummy food of course).

I will be posting my meal plan later today, since it is such an integral part of staying within our budget. I have it done on my fridge, I just need to post it. This afternoon I would like to get some more loaves of bread made up and would like to make up some homemade hot pockets to put in the fridge for lunches later this week. Tonight will be a simple dinner of either pancakes or waffles and eggs. I will make extra to put in the fridge and to freeze for breakfast later in the week.

So far, I only have a few groceries on my shopping list this week so far:

ground beef. Wegmans has it on sale for $1.99 a pound when you buy 6 pounds. I will use less than 3 pounds to make hamburgers on the grill. The rest will be cooked in 3/4 of a pound portions, cooled and then frozen for meals later. This makes meals a lot quicker and easier to prepare. ($12)
3 gallons of milk - just guessing on that - $1.99 a gallon ($6)
3 boxes of oatmeal from Aldi's @ about $1.50 a box ($$4.50)
dried garlic flakes $3

For those who would like to use it, here is the html code to the badge I used:
<a href="http://allyougrocerychallenge.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="allyoucurved" src="http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww235/couponqueenofcorning/allyoucorners.png"/></a>

Directions on how to add to your sidebar in blogger:
Click on Layout. Click on AddGadget where you would like the badge. A box will pop up. Click on the + sign next to Html/Javascript. Add a title if you would like. Highlight the code above, right click, Copy. Right click in box and click Paste. You can then add totals underneath that if you would like. Or anything else - you can even click on the RichText to change the color of the text. Click Save and you are all set.

Organizational Challenge #1

2009-07-12T13:06:00.002-04:00

So, the other day, I wrote about a list of things I wanted to get done before August when I start work. Well, we can cross off the first thing, because I have it done! Here is what my kitchen cabinet looked like before:

Isn't it just awful, really? This is what happens when your family just throws things in the cabinet instead of putting things back where they belong! So, I took to the task of organizing and cleaning this baby out. I put all the extra boxes of mac n cheese in my other cupboard and put all the brownie and cake mixes in this cabinet. This only makes sense because my baking supplies are in this cupboard. I took a few things out that I decided need to either go in the basement or be put in a rummage sale. This let me move all the plastic wrap, aluminum foil, etc down a shelf (I plan on buying something to hang them in when I have money) and have a whole shelf for my baking stuff. So, here is what the cupboard looks like now:

Better, huh? Now, if only I can keep my family from making it a mess again, I will be all set. Next, I will be working on the upstairs linen closet. That really shouldn't take me long, since it isn't as bad as this kitchen cabinet. Then off to the basement - that will take a while. It will certainly be a several day project. I am off to wash the dishes and go to Rite Aid to pick up a few things. Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon.

Target Deals 7/12 - 7/18

2009-07-12T10:51:00.004-04:00

Here are the deals I found at Target this week. If you find more, please leave me a comment letting us know.

Yoplait yogurt $.50 each. You can print coupons here or here or use coupon from 6-7 insert. Saved $.40-$.50 on 6, making them 6/$2.50 or $2.60
Nature Valley granola bars $2.30. You can print$.40-$.50 coupons here or here or use coupons for $.70$.75 off 2 from 5-31 insert or 7-12 insert, making this $1.80 - $1.95 a box.
Kelloggs Raisin Bran or Mini Wheats $1.88. You can find a $1 coupon from 6-7 insert, making this $.88
Huggies wipes 448 to 504 ct or Pampers wipes 420ct to 539ct $11.99. Use $.75 off Huggies wipes from 6-21 insert to make them $11.24 a box. OR Use $.50 off Pampers wipes to make them $11.49 a box
Huggies or Pampers jumbo diapers $8.99. Huggies overnight diapers may be included, if they are, you can print a coupon here and here, making them $6.99. You can use $1.50 off coupon from 6-21 insert to make the Huggies $7.49. You may also have some other coupons you received via snail mail that you can use. For the Pampers, you can use $1 coupon from 7-5 insert, making them $7.99 each
Kleenex facial tissues 3 pack $5. Use $.50 coupon from 7-12 insert to make these 3/$4.50
Scott 20pk toilet paper $13.99. You can print a coupon here or here or $1 off or use $1 coupon from 7-12 insert, making it $12.99.

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 7/11

2009-07-12T08:12:00.000-04:00

We ended up going to the new Rite Aid in Horseheads. Since it is their grand opening, they had some really good deals going on. Unfortunately, hubby and the kids came with me and my wonderful husband let the little man play with a toy car while we were there. Yep, you guessed it, we had to buy it. He would not put it down. He loves that thing. I don't think he put it down until he went to bed tonight. So there is an extra $5 I wasn't planning on spending. I will NOT be adding that into my total .. LOL.Here is what I got:

6 rolls of Bounty Basics paper towels on sale for $.79 each = 4.74. I used 3 $1 off 2 rolls, making them 6/$1.74 or $.29 each
Crest P.H. Cinnamon. Originally $3.79, on clearance for $.94. I used $1 off any 2 Crest products to make this free and $.06 applied to the other toothpaste.
Crest with Scope on sale for $2.59. Has $1.84 rebate on it, plus the remainder of the $1 coupon (see above), making it $.69
Pampers jumbo diapers on sale for $8.99. I used a $1 coupon, plus it has a $2 rebate, making it $5.99
Venus Breeze razor on sale for $7.99. I used a $2 coupon, plus it has a $5 rebate, making it $.99
Crest Pro Health rinse on sale for $4.99. I used a $1 off coupon, plus it has a $2.25 rebate, making it $1.74
2 boxes of Kotex tampons $3.99. On special Buy One Get One Free. I used 2 $.75 off coupons, plus a $1 rebate when you buy 2, making these 2/1.49 or about about $.75 each

Original Amount: $47.86
Amount Saved: $32.84
Final Amount: $15.02 (saved 68.6%)

Twilight movie...

2009-07-12T02:45:00.007-04:00

Is it November yet? I can't wait until the new Twilight movie comes out! I have been rereading the whole series. Yes, rereading. I read them all so quickly the first time that I didn't really enjoy them. That's what happens when you read 4 books in less than a week. LOL. So, this time I am taking my time and reading them a little slower. Although, I am already on the last book and I just started rereading them about two weeks ago. LOL.

I will probably splurge and go with my husband to watch this when it comes out. It has been a long time since we went to a movie. Tickets and snacks are just so darn expensive that I usually just wait until I get them on DVD. Is anyone else out there anxiously waiting for the new movie? Here's a clip to make it worse.. LOL

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Tops Shopping Trip 7/11

2009-07-11T23:29:00.002-04:00

Went to Aldi's tonight to pick up oatmeal for the kids, but they still didn't have any. Will check later in the week when we are in the neighborhood again. We stopped at Tops and here is what I bought: ( I somehow even managed to get a picture of it all!)

Success brown rice $2.29. I used a coupon for a free box that I got in the mail. Final price: $0
2 6-packs of Nestle bottled water in sale for $1 each. Used 2 $1 off coupons that I printed off the Internet, making these both free.
5 bags of Nestle swirl morsels. These were originally $2.69, but on clearance for $1.49 each.
3 boxes of Blueberry Mini Wheats, 3 boxes of Mini Wheats Little Bites on sale for $1.99 each = $11.94. Used 3 $1.50 off 2 Internet printable, making these $1.24 each
Special K with Blueberries $1.99. Used $1 Internet printable, making it $.99
French's Honey Mustard on sale for $1.50. Used $.75 off 1 coupon, which doubled to $1.50, making this free.
French's Spicy Mustard on sale for $1.50. Used $.75 off 1 coupon, which doubled to $1.50, making this also free.
4 2-liters of Coke Zero on sale for $1 each
Kellogg's Special K Pretzel bars on sale for $2.79. Used $.75 off 1 Internet coupon, which doubled to $1.50, making this $1.29
2 bags of Wacky Mac pasta on sale for $1.30 each. Used 2 $.75 off 1 Internet coupon, which doubled to $1.50, making these both free.
4 bottle of Sobe 20 oz on sale for $1 each. Used 2 Buy One Get One Free coupons (these were printed off the Internet), making these $.50 each.
1 gallon of skim milk $1.99
3 pound bag of golden delicious apples (their buy one get one strawberries looked rough and there were only about 6 containers left) $2.48
4.05 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast on sale for $1.99 a pound = $8.06
3.34 pounds of bananas at $.59 a pound = $1.97

Original Amount:$93.57
BonusCard Savings: $35.77
Coupon Savings: $16.45
Final Amount: 42.15 (saved 55%)

Frugal Meal Friday 7/10

2009-07-10T22:42:00.003-04:00

Every Friday I will be sharing with you a frugal recipe. These meals will average $5 or less for a family of four, and many will give you lots of leftovers for lunches. If you have any recipes you would like to share with others, please feel free to email it to me at: couponqueenofcorning @ hotmail.com and I will include it in my Friday's posts.

Today's meal is what I made for dinner today - Chicken, Stuffing and Veggie Bake. It is cheap and really quick and easy to make.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1 can of cream soup (vegetable, chicken, mushroom, etc)
1 tbsp butter
1 box of stuffing
1/2 cup boiling water (can add a little more if you like moist stuffing)
1 pound of chicken, strips or breast
1/2 bag of mixed frozen veggies (or any half bag you may have in freezer)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray. Add cream soup, milk, frozen veggies and chicken. Now, I used frozen chicken that was already cooked (I did thaw in microwave for a few minutes so I could break them into pieces - and this was all I had on hand), but you can use uncooked chicken as well. Mix together, making sure to coat veggies and chicken well.
3. In microwavable container, microwave water and butter. Let boil and then add stuffing and mix well. Spread the stuffing over the chicken and veggies.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Price Break Down:

milk - $.20
stuffing - $.99
soup - $.50
chicken - $2
veggies - $.50

Total Cost: $4.19

New Job and Organizing

2009-07-10T11:44:00.005-04:00

I was offered a job yesterday! YEAH! I will be working with social media and maintaining a database. I don't start until August so that gives me some time to get this house in better order before then. I have some organizing to do and you know how involved organizing sometimes gets. We will also have to be going to our garden to weed and take care of that. These are the areas I want to attack in the next few weeks:

Organize cabinet in kitchen - This cabinet is where I keep my baking goods, pans, freezer bags and the like, utensil bin, rolling pin, etc. It really has a little bit of everything. I want to reorganize the shelves and make it look better. I have some boxed goods on one shelf also and was thinking I would move my cookbooks from my cupboard with boxed goods to this cabinet - if they will fit. I also have some room in the cabinet above the fridge where I can put things that are seldom used.
Organize linen closet upstairs - We have a large cabinet upstairs where we store blankets, towels, and other linen. I also have the kids pajamas in there now (no where else to put them), along with the upper shelf has medicines and extra HBA products. So, I would like to go through that and get rid of stuff that is old, and make it look neater.
Clean out the basement - This involves taking pictures of the bow flex and treadmill and putting them on Craig's List. We found that we don't really use them and both hubby and I are people who have to go to a gym in order to get in shape. It is just the way we are. Plus going to the gym is my "me" time. I also have bags of kids clothes down there that haven't been sold yet on Craig's, that I need to re-list or maybe just have a rummage sale. There is a lot of stuff down there that just got thrown down there because we didn't have any other place to put it. We will probably have to make a trip to the dump also.

I will try to take before and after pictures of all of that to share with you. That way I can really see how much I have done and hopefully it will keep me inspired to do more!

I also want to get the kids on a better schedule. They do so much better when they are on a schedule and know what is going on during the day. I also want to finish my master list of meals. I started this the other day and have more than a month's worth of meals we can eat. I want to find more meals (by going through my cookbooks and recipes) and list the main ingredients in each meal. I think this will not only make it easier for me to prepare dinners, but also make it easier on hubby when I go to work and he has to make dinner. I will share my list with all of you when I finally have it done. That way you can get some ideas for your weekly or monthly meal plan.

I am off to eat something, and then to finish cleaning the bathroom. Have a really great day!

Lack of meal planning this week

2009-07-09T22:08:00.003-04:00

As you may have noticed, I didn't post my meal plan this week. It just seemed like I every time I had a few moments to work on it, something would come up. Well, let me tell you, it has really messed me up. It took me so long tonight to figure out what to make for diner! Now some people would be tempted to order take out or go out to eat on a night like this, but that is not even a little feasible with our budget right now. So, I was going to make spaghetti with homemade bread (I made this the other night) and a green beans, but hubby didn't want that. So, we ended up having frozen fish sticks, curly fries and carrots and peas. It wasn't the healthiest meal, but it was filling, cheap and not as bad for us as eating out. Lesson learned! I will be doing a meal plan for the next few days and will make it my number one priority to plan next week's meals over the weekend.

Speaking of the bread I made, it turned out great. It was a little difficult to cut into nice thinner slices, but found when I put it in the freezer for a while it made it a lot easier. I have a few slices left of one loaf, and another full loaf in the freezer. I am going to do up more bread tomorrow to put in the freezer. My goal is to be a few days ahead in bread production in order to keep us from eating the store bought bread. The recipe makes 3 loaves of sandwich bread and if you would like to make it, you can find the recipe here.

Another Kraft Giveaway

2009-07-09T21:10:00.003-04:00

Quick! Run! Don't walk! Coupon Princess is having a giveaway but it ends tonight. You could win a year's supply of Kraft Mac N Cheese. I know what you're thinking. a year supply is a lot when you make two boxes every time you make it. LOL. But you actually only get 50 boxes. darn. lol. So head over and sign up for the giveway!

Weis Coupon Policy

2009-07-09T14:07:00.003-04:00

I've been thinking about starting to shop at Weis. Although there isn't one in town (unfortunately all we have is a Super Walmart and a Wegmans) the nearest one is about 20 miles or so away. We usually go in that direction anyways to go to Tops and Target (and most of the big stores are in that direction) and it would only be another 10 minutes to get there. I was looking over their ads and sales and they actually have better deals than Tops on some things. The only thing I didn't know about was their coupon policy, so I emailed them and this is the response I received:

Customer Feedback Response‏

From:	fyuhas@weismarkets.com
	You may not know this sender.Mark as safe\|Mark as junk
Sent:	Thu 7/09/09 1:04 PM
To:	(couponqueenofcorning@hotmail.com)


Thank you for your inquiry regarding our coupon policy.

Coupons are doubled every day: Up to four coupons redeemed on any one
product at double value.

Coupons up to 50 cents are doubled  (amount doubled may vary from store to
store depending on local competition)
Coupons 50 cents to one dollar are redeemed for one dollar
Coupons over one dollar are redeemed at face value
No minimum purchase is required

We also accept internet coupons except those for free merchandise or any
individual coupon in the amount of $5.00 or more.

Thank you for using the Weis Customer Feedback System.

Job Hunt Update / Rite Aid Stop

2009-07-09T11:39:00.005-04:00

UPDATE:
I got the call today saying I got the job - the one with social networking and working with the database! YEAHHH!!! I am so happy and so relieved. Unfortunately, I won't be starting until August, but as long as I start getting paychecks before the end of September we will be ok.

Yesterday, I went on two interviews. The first was at noon and was for a 20 hour a week job doing accounts payable. I had a second interview at 3:45 for a job that I am extremely interested in. This is the job using social media, plus they are thinking about making it a full time job with the added responsibilities of maintaining a new database. They will be calling by the end of the week, so keep the fingers crossed. This would be an awesome job for me.

After I went to my 3:45 interview, I stopped at Rite Aid. I picked up a few things that have rebates and that I have coupons for. The cashier seems to have an aversion to anyone who uses coupons. She scrutinizes and reads every single word. She tries to tell me that I can't get a specific product because it is not the one pictures. I nicely point out that the wording says any 440 ml or greater. She is always very grumpy and nor very friendly. I have had her ring my purchases a few times and have never seen the woman smile. I feel kind of sorry for her, but she shouldn't be taking it out on the customers. Anyways, here's what I bought:

Venus Spa Breeze razor on sale for $7.99. I had a $2 coupon plus there is a rebate for $5, making this $.99 2
Crest Pro Health rinse on sale for $4.99. I had a $1 coupon plus there is a rebate for $2.25, making this $1.74 1.5
Pampers jumbo pack on sale for $8.99. I had a $1 coupon, plus there is a rebate for $2, making this $5.99 2.5

Original Amount: $29.37
Amount saved: $19.25
Amount Paid: $10.12 (saved 65.5%)

Target Coupon Policy Email

2009-07-08T14:17:00.007-04:00

In response to a question about coupon policies at Target, I emailed the company and received this response:

RE: Using Coupons at Target‏

From:	guest. relations @ target dot com
	You may not know this sender.Mark as safe\|Mark as junk
Sent:	Wed 7/08/09 12:44 PM
To:	couponqueenofcorning @ hotmail dot com

Dear Lisette,

Thanks for asking us about using coupons at Target. Coupons are a
great way to save even more when shopping with us, and it's easy
to use them at our stores. Because of the variety of coupons
available to our guests,we do have some guidelines for how coupons
can be redeemed at Target.

When accepting coupons, we use the following guidelines:

- We accept two kinds of coupons: Target-issued and manufacturer
issued.
- We'll accept one Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon for
the same item,unless either coupon prohibits it.
- We can't give cash back if the face value of a coupon is greater
than the purchase value of the item; in this case, we're able to
adjust the value of the coupon to equal the price of the item.
- We can't accept coupons from other retailers, or coupons for
products not carried in our stores.
- All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier while
you're checking out.

For questions about using a specific coupon, we encourage you to
stop by Guest Service and ask to speak with the Guest Service Team
Leader. They'll do their best to help while you're in the store. If
you still have questions after speaking with them, please call our
Guest Relations team at (800) 440-0680. Either way, we're here to help!

We appreciate the opportunity to share this information with you.

Sincerely,

Angela
Target Guest Relations
www.target.com
[THREAD ID:1-6S1JYB]

There was no mention of internet printables on their policy list, so I just emailed them back to ask if these were accepted (they are at my store) and what happens when coupons don't scan (even the Target printables don't scan when I use them). I will add to this when I hear back from them.

Aldi's and Target Trip 7/7

2009-07-07T22:56:00.006-04:00

We had to go to Aldi's tonight and then we headed over to Target to get a few things. They were out of the oatmeal for the kids at Aldi's, so we will stop in quickly the next time we go to work on the garden.

Here is what we got at Aldi's:

3 loaves of white bread $.79 each. I have started making my own sandwich bread, so these loaves are for those times when I don't have time (or energy lol) to make more of the homemade.
2 packages of 40ct paper plates $.99 each. These are to be placed in the basement and only used on certain occasions.
3 pack of green peppers $1.99. I will be chopping these up tonight or tomorrow and putting in freezer for future use.
Tastes Like Butter $.99. We were out of the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, and I don't have a coupon for any other tub butter, so I decided to try this. My mom says it is pretty good, so I have to believe we will like it.
6ct of popcorn $1.49. This is a really good price. I usually pay $.99 for 3 on sale at Tops.
1 pound of ham $3.49, to make panninis with later this week.
garbage bags $2.49
2 jars of strawberry spread $1.99. We thought we would try these since they are considerably cheaper than other spreads/jellies without high fructose corn syrup.
bag of onions $1.99
2 packs of white American cheese slices $1.49 each
1 package of sponges with green scrubby on one side - 2ct $.99
jar of salsa $1.49
1 lemon $.39
box of animal crackers $1.29. This was bought only because my 3 year old daughter begged and pleaded with me. I would rather buy her animal crackers than candy or goodies.
Canola oil $2.49. I buy this instead of vegetable because it is better for us.

Amount Spent: $30.84
Amount saved by shopping at Aldi's:at least $13

We then headed over to Target to use a bunch of Kashi manufacture coupons along with Target coupons. Of course, none of them rang up right, so the poor cashier had to ring each one in by hand. What a pain, but it saved me a lot of money. lol. If you would like to print the Kashi coupons (they expire on the 14th) click here to go to a Target coupon generator.

The picture below shows what I got at Target, except for the gift for my daughter and 1 box of Kashi bars (my husband broke into those on the way home lol).

Here's what I bought at target and the coupons I used:

3 boxes of Kashi Waffles at $2.54 each = $7.62. Used 3 $1.50 manufacture coupons, along with 3 $.25 off Target coupons to make these 3/2.37 or $.79 each
1 box of Kashi Waffles at $2.54. Used $1.50 manufacture coupon alone (because I was a bonehead and only printed 3 target coupons instead of four - but I wanted to use it anyway because it is still a pretty good deal and the coupon expires soon), making this box $1.04
2 boxes of Kashi cereal bars on sale for $2.50 each = $5. Used 2 $1.50 manufacture coupons plus $1 off 2 Target coupons to make these 2/$1 or $.50 each
2 boxes of Kashi TLC bars on sale for $2.50. I only had one manufacture coupon (I was bummed) which was $1.50 plus I used a $1 off 2 coupon to make them 2/$2.50 or $1.25 each
Hanes 5 pack of ankle socks $5. At $1 per pair of socks, this seemed like a good deal and I desperately needed socks. The monster in the dryer has been eating mine lately. I got the ones with the pink on the toes so that my husband does not try to wear them when he runs out of clean socks. LOL
2 boxes of Kashi cereal $2.66 each. Had a Target coupon for Buy One Get One Free (I thought I had a manufacture coupon for the cereal also but couldn't find it - C'est la vie) which made them 2/$2.66 or $1.33 each
Princess coloring table. Originally $12.98, on clearance for $9.08. This is for her birthday next month and will be deducted from her amount, making the balance about $76.
Degree Fine Fragrance deodorant $3.64. I used a $1.25 manufacture coupon and a $1 target coupon to make this $1.39.
Degree Fine Fragrance spray $3.64. I used a $1.25 manufacture coupon ans a $1 Target coupon to make this $1.39 (I bought Sexy Intrigue and it is awesome smelling!)
Target brand antacid (generic Tums) Originally $2.29, on clearance for $1.60

Originally Amount:$57.19
Amount Saved: $29.02

Amount Paid: $28.17 (saved 50.7%)

If you don't include the socks and the gift (neither are part of my grocery budget), then the I saved more like 64% on this shopping trip for food and HBA. All in all, I think I got some pretty good deals, especially considering the amount of Kashi products I was able to get cheap.

As a side note, I just wanted to pass along to you that Target is having a clearance on a lot of their toys right now, and I only see them having better clearance prices. Most are at about 30%, but if this year is anything like last year, there will be even better toy clearance prices within the next month or so. This is the time of the year where they want to get rid of last year's toys, to make room for the new toys for Christmas. So, if you have a little extra money, this would be a great way to get some gifts for the kids.

Also, if you are looking for patio furniture, they have them marked down 75% off!!

Quick Wegmans Stop

2009-07-07T11:08:00.002-04:00

So, I have a few things I need to add to my food total for the month. My husband stopped at Wegmans last night and got milk and some fruit, plus our prepaid card for our phones (these are in another part of our budget - we buy them every other month at $30 each).

gallon of whole milk for the little guy $1.99
gallon of skim milk for the rest of us $1.99
pound of strawberries $1.50 (I doubt these will be as good as the local ones we had last week, but we will see)
pint of blueberries $1.50

So, he spent $6.98 which I now need to add to our total amount spent on our food for this month.

Tops Deals 7/5 - 7/11

2009-07-07T00:35:00.002-04:00

I know that the Tops deals are late this week. I wasn't looking forward to posting them, since there aren't many good deals this week. This is where a stockpile comes in handy. I will go to Tops (when we're in the neighborhood of course) and grab the few things that I think are worth it, otherwise we will be eating from our stockpile in the basement and freezer. Here are the deals for this week, for what they are worth:

California peaches and nectarines $1.29 a pound
Large cantaloupes $1.59 each
Ball Park hot dogs Buy One Get One Free (this comes out to about $1.50 which is what Wegmans has been selling them for so this is a good deal)
Coca Cola 2 Liters $1 each **
Folgers $2.49. Use $.25 coupon from 6-7 insert which doubles to $.50, making this $1.99
Kellogg's cereal. $1.99. Buy Special k with Blueberries and use $1 internet coupon to make it $.99. Or buy 2 Frosted Mini Wheats and use $1.50 off 2 coupon making these 2/$2.48 or $1.24 each **
Bounty paper towels $6.99. Use $1 coupon from 7-5 insert to make these $5.99 for 8 rolls or about 75 cents each
Hillshire Farm Keilbasa - Buy One at $3.99 Get One Free.
Thomas' English Muffins - Buy One at $3.39 Get One Free.
Banquet Sausage patties or links $1 each
Eskimo Pie ice cream bars 2/$6. Use $1 off 2 coupon from 5-31 insert to make these 2/$5
Nestle Pure Life Water 6 pack $1. Use $1 off any multipack coupon to make it free. You can print the coupon here. **
Hillshire Farm Deli Select Sliced Meat 2/$6. Use $.65 off 2 coupon from 6-17 insert, which doubles to $1.30 making these 2/$4.70
Newman's Own Salad Dressing $2.99. Use $.75 coupon from 5-31 insert, which doubles to $1.50, making this $1.49 **
Pam for the Grill $2.79. Buy 2 and use $1 off 2 coupon (which expires 8-31) to make these 2/$4.58
Cascade Auto Dish Detergent $3.99. Use $1 coupon from 7-5 insert to make it $2.99
Crest Pro-Health rinse 33.8 oz $4.99. Use $1 coupon from 7-5 insert to make it $3.99
Oral B toothbrush $3.49. use $ coupon from 7-5 insert to make it $2.49
Clairol Nice N Easy hair Color $6.49. Use $2 coupon from 7-5 to make this $4.49
Pantene 25.4 oz $5.79. Use Buy One Get One Free coupon from 7-5 to make them $2.90 each. Or buy 1 bottle Pantene Full and Thick and use $2 off coupon from 7-5 to make it $3.79. Using the BOGO coupon is the better deal
Herbal Essence shampoo $4.99. Use $1 coupon from 7-5 insert to make it $3.99
Olay body wash $3.99. Use $2 coupon from 7-5 paper to make it $1.99 **

If you would like to see more coupon and store matchups, head over to BeCentsAble.

Target Trip 7/4

2009-07-06T11:53:00.003-04:00

We decided to stop by Target after our 4th of July cookout at hubby's uncle's house. It looks like Target is gearing up for their massive toy clearance (to make room for all the Christmas toys in the fall). They had A LOT of clearance toys for really good prices and I expect to see more in the next month or so. If you have kids and you have the extra money, now would be the time to be buying for Christmas! My daughter's third birthday is coming up in August and I have $100 budgeted for it, so I am trying to get the most out of it.

Here is what we bought:

3 boxes of Eggo Bakeshop at $1.50 each. Had 3 coupons for $1.00 off one, making these 3/$1.50 or $.50 each.
Digourno Flatbread Melt $2.79. Used free coupon that I received via snail mail.
Pullups for daughter at night time $9.74. Used $5 coupon (which was expiring that day) which made them $4.74
Word World toy for my daughter's birthday. Originally $29.98, on clearance for $14.98

I used the remainder of a $5 gift card that I had gotten a few weeks ago for buying specific products ($4.72).

Original Amount: $47.01 (w/out tax)
Amount Saved: $30.51
Out-of-pocket: $13.16 (saved 72%)

I just wanted to mention that we went into the new Hobby Lobby last week to look around. That is a really nice store and every crafter's paradise. LOL. But, I was good and didn't buy anything! Although I would have loved to have boughten some stickers or stamps for my scrapbooking. It helped that I knew we didn't have the money for it.

Kmart Doubles

2009-07-06T11:18:00.003-04:00

Kmart is doubling coupons up to $2 again. Unfortunately the stores in my area are not having them. I looked up all the Kmarts in the area and the NY ones are not running the coupon doubles, BUT if you are near one of the Pennsylvania locations in the northern tier, they are running this special. Sayre, Towanda and Williamsport are all running the coupon doubler. So, I am thinking about stopping at the Sayre location when I go visit the parents who live in the Valley.

There are some rules (of course):

Coupons up to $2 will double, but no overage will be applied
You can only double up to 4 like coupons.
Maximum coupons doubled is 10
Internet coupons are accepted and you will have to pay tax on the pre-coupon amount.
You have to have at least $25 worth of product to have your coupons double

If you'd like coupon matchups for Kmart, go check out Money Saving Mom's blog post.

Happy Independence Day

2009-07-04T10:37:00.003-04:00

Have a cookout to go to? Don't know what to bring with you? Looking for something to make at the last minute? Check out these recipes: (I am so glad AllRecipes is back up! yeah)

Enjoy the food and fireworks. Happy Independence Day!!

Ecostore Shampoo and Bodywash Review

2009-07-04T01:25:00.006-04:00

about ecostore

Ecostore’s purpose is to create a healthy sustainable world. Ecostore loves making a difference in people’s lives. We are passionate about improving the planet and have spent more than 15 years bringing you everyday household products that are safer and healthier for you and your family. We love hearing from people whose eczema or allergy symptoms have improved or sometimes disappeared all together just by switching to ecostore.

And the wonderful news is… we don’t compromise on performance either. Our plant based cleaning products are just as effective as the leading supermarket brands and our body and baby care ranges are gentle on your skin and are simply beautiful to use. (They smell great too!)

My Review

I received an email a few weeks ago asking me if I I would like to pick out two products from the ecostore to test and review. I figured why not? I looked at the web site and chose baby shampoo and body wash. About a week later, I received the box from the ecostore. I opened the box to find packaging peanuts. I thought to myself, how could they be eco-friendly if they are using these? I looked at the paperwork and it said that the peanuts were made from soy and that all paper and box were made from recycled products. Aaahhh. Well that's better.

Of course, me being me, the first thing I did was smell the product. LOL. It smelled clean. There is a slight citrus smell too them, but they smell awesome. I have tried other products that were free of chemicals and didn't like them because they really didn't have any smell to them. I like my kids to smell like they just had a bath. Do you know what I mean?

I used it first on my son. The hair lathered up nicely with only a minimum amount of shampoo and rinsed out easily. The body wash cleaned him up well but didn't make his small patches of eczema worse. After his bath, he smelled clean and his looked clean and shiny.I used it on my daughter also, and she came out clean and smelling great.

I would recommend this product to any mom who is concerned about the products they use on their kids. The price is the only thing that would concern me, because I am so frugal. At around $11 a bottle, it's a little pricey for my taste. Although, you do not need a lot of the products to get your kids clean, so it lasts quite a while. I have two kids and we still have both products left after several weeks. I did do a search online, and found many of the organic and chemical free body products for babies to be around the same price. Shipping was quite reasonable(considering it was coming from New Zealand) at $5.99 for both the bottles I received.

Once we have a steady income coming in again, I may think about actually ordering more of the shampoo (we use more of this than the body wash) because I do like it so much. If you are looking at finding a natural product to use on your kids (or even yourself), take a look at ecostore.

Note: I was not paid for this review, although I did receive the products mentioned for my own personal use.

Frugal Meal Friday 7/3

2009-07-03T08:03:00.005-04:00

Homemade pizza is on the menu for today. It tastes soooo good and is very frugal since you can add whatever toppings you would like. It is definitely cheaper than buying a sheet pizza for $20. You can use whatever pizza dough you would like. I use one from my Betty Crocker cookbook and it comes out great every time. Here are a few recipes I found online that you can use: pizza crust 1, Chicago deep dish pizza crust, and thin crust.

Now, we like our pizza crust thick, so I usually let it rise once, put it in the pan and let it rise again. This makes a really nice thicker crust. If you like your crust thinner, just don't let it rise for the second time.You will then want to bake the crust for 15-20 minutes at 375 until crust is just starting to get golden.

Now the fun part: adding the toppings. Add tomato sauce, pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce to the top of your pizza. I usually use about 1/4 of a jar of sauce and then I will use the rest within the next few days for chicken Parmesan, a spaghetti side, etc. Add mozzarella cheese or you could use any cheese you have in your fridge. Now just pick your toppings. I usually put chopped onions and peppers (I chop these up and freeze them for easy meal prep), pepperoni, and hot sausage (I usually use 2 patties from Aldi's) on ours.

After you have all your ingredients on your pizza, put it back in the oven and bake until cheese is fully melted. And enjoy. Add a salad or a veggie to round out the meal a little more.

The price will depend on what toppings you add to the pizza. Here is the breakdown of cost the way I make mine:

Pizza dough - homemade costs me about $.30
cheese - I buy on sale (keeps for several months) usually at $2 or less for 8 oz
2 sausage patties - I buy a package of them for around $3.50 at Aldi's and I think there are about 18 patties so about $.40 if I use 2.
pepperoni - I buy the packs when they are $2 or less. I would say it costs less than $.50 for the pepperoni I use.
1 onion - I can usually get several pounds for a little over $1. So, I would say this was about $.25
1/2 -1 pepper depending on size - I buy these 3/$1.75 at Aldi's so even if I use a whole pepper it is still less than $.60.

So, for about $4.00 I can make a really tasty pizza. Adding a vegetable still keeps me under the $5 mark.

I made this last week and it was yummy! I also made strawberry banana muffins for dessert. These turned out yummy and I had the opportunity to use up a bunch of those free strawberries I had gotten. Here is the link to the recipe I used if you would like to make it: Strawnana Muffins.

All You Grocery Challenge

2009-07-02T13:19:00.003-04:00

Looking for a way to challenge yourself to spend less money on groceries? All You magazine is running a Grocery Challenge that begins July 13 and runs for 4 weeks. The challenge is to only spend $25 per person a week. This would be $125 for a family of five. The nice part is you can use food from your stockpile or your garden, or even food that you barter for. As long as you aren't spending money on it, it doesn't count. All You will pick 10 finalists and the winner receives a $1000 grocery card and a year's supply of Knorr's side dishes, plus a chance to appear in All You magazine.

I have entered the challenge and am hoping to slash our spending for the next month dramatically. I have $200 for the month budgeted for food, but would like to actually spend less if possible. We shall see. So, for the month of July, I will be documenting here how much we spend on groceries, eating out, and even my husband's occasional coffee at the convenience store. Unlike the All You challenge, I will be including household and bath products in my overall grocery budget. The only thing I will not include is diapers. I have 3 packs left, but Rite Aid will be having some rebates this month that I would like to take advantage of when they have the packs on sale for less than $10. Even though I have quite a few Pull-Ups, I have a coupon for $5 off that expires this weekend so I will make sure to take advantage of that also. Thank goodness my little girl decided she wanted to start using the potty. This is saving us so much, since she only wears them at night now!

If you have any suggestions on how I can cut my food budget further, or would like to share how you are cutting your expenses, leave me a comment. And don't forget to go sign up for the Grocery Challenge.

Walgreens Quick Trip 7/2

2009-07-02T12:18:00.002-04:00

After my interview this morning, I decided to stop by Walgreens and get a few things. Here is what I got:

2 boxes of HaganDaz ice cream bars. On clearance for $2.14. Had a $1 coupon making them $1.64 each
2 cans of Pringles (for the holiday weekend) $.99 each. Had $1 coupon off 2, making these $.49 each
4 boxes of Shells N Cheese $1.67 each (awesome price!) Had 2 coupons for $1.50 off 2. So, they were 4/$3.67 or about $.92 each (I add ingredients to these to make them a more rounded meal)
Dawn dish detergent $1.99. Used Walgreens coupon to make it $.99 plus a $.50 off 1 coupon, making it $.49

I then used two $3 register rewards. The register wouldn't let me use my other one that was for $1, so I will use that next week.

Amount before savings: $27.23
Sales savings: $12.23
Coupon savings: $12.50
Amount paid: $2.50 (saved 90.8%)

Giveaway: All You Magazine Subscription

2009-07-01T12:56:00.004-04:00

Have you ever bought an All You magazine? If you haven't, you should really pick one up sometime. They are filled with awesome coupons, that are usually better than the Sunday newspaper inserts. Would you like to win a subscription to the magazine? Go to MommySnacks to enter to win. Contest ends next Tuesday.

$55 Coupon Booklet

2009-07-01T12:36:00.004-04:00

Wow. It's crazy how they start pushing school clothes and sales right after school is out. My son has barely been out a week and I am seeing stuff for back to school already. uuggghh.

Well, I did find something I think you would all like. You can get a booklet for $55 worth of Nabisco/Kraft coupons. Click here to go sign up.

Tops Trip 6/30

2009-07-01T10:35:00.000-04:00

We made a pit stop at Tops last night. Didn't get too much but I did get some good deals.

2 bags of 8 O'clock coffee - Buy Onet at $4.29 get one free plus I had a $1 off Tops coupon that made these 2/$3.29 = $1.65 each
2 bags of 8 O'clock coffee - Buy One at $4.29 get one free - no coupon but still an awesome deal at $2.15 each.
Reynolds aluminum foil 75 sqft $2.99 minus $1.50 coupon making this $1.49
3.07 pounds of bananas at $.59 = $1.81
Marcal facial tissue $1. Use free coupon which expired today to get this for free
2 packs of margherita pepperoni $2 each. use $1 off 2 coupon to get these 2/$3
4 containers of Breyers yougurt $.50 each. No coupons unfortunately but still a decent price
gallon of Tops skim milk $1.99

Total Before Savings: $32.93
Total Bonuscard: $12.56
Total coupons: $4.50
Total Spent: $16.19 (including tax)
Saved about 50%

Words of the Week Wednesday 7/1

2009-07-01T08:37:00.007-04:00

It is Wednesday again and time to provide my readers with links to sites that I found interesting in the last week.

Many times I have trouble coming up with meals and recipes for dinners. The following sites are very helpful to me each week as I try to save money by planning my meals.

My favorite recipe site is AllRecipes.com. I think I am on this site at least three or four times a week. The other day I was trying to find recipes for strawberries (my hubby's grandma gave us about four pounds!) and found an awesome recipe for Strawnana bread. This recipe produced an awesome banana and strawberry bread that just tastes awesome! I will have to make some more now that I have some more bananas. YUMMY!!! They also have a feature where you can enter your ingredients that you want to use and it will find recipes that have these. You can also tell it to exclude certain ingredients. It really is one of the best sites I have found for recipes.
$5 Dinners is an awesome blog where Erin shares with her readers recipes for families that are healthy but do not cost a fortune. She shares her monthly meal plan at the beginning of the month (I used to do monthly, but lately have been having trouble just getting my weekly meal plan done) and proves that you can make dinner for a family of four for less than $5 a day.
If you would like to start meal planning there are various ways to organize your meals. You can use a spreadsheet, a calendar made using word processing software (if you don't have any on your computer you can download Open Office for free), or even just a pen and paper. I also found a lot of free meal planning information at Meals Matter including shopping list, daily meal planner, and more.

Tuesday Roundup: Freebies, Coupons, Tips and More

2009-06-30T21:51:00.007-04:00

Free Samples and Coupons

Have you joined Kraft's First Taste Program yet? If you haven't, then what are you waiting for? Signing up is easy and you get coupons for free Kraft products. Who wouldn't love that?

Once, you are all signed up for Kraft, General Mills has a similar program called the Pssst...Program. Fill in your email address, answer a few general questions about your shopping habits (10 questions), your home address, create password, household size and ages, and answer some more questions about your eating habits. You will then receive an email so it can be verified.

Call for Money Saving Tips

USA Weekend wants all your best frugal and money saving tips. Click here to share with them your tips for possible inclusion in an article. Also, they ask if you know any terrific blogs or websites for frugality. Please feel free to mention my blog. LOL. I am getting a list ready of my best tips to send in and will definitely be mentioning my favorite frugal blogs/sites: $5 Dinners, ConsumerQueen, Frugal Village and Saving Cents with Cents.

Online Coupons

Blue Bunny ice cream - save $1 on 1.75 quart
Kashi Go Lean cereal or TLC bares - save $1.50 off 1
Kashi Heart to Heart cereal - save $1 on one box
Eggo Bakeshop coupon here.
Juicy Juice coupon here.
Colgate Total Advanced - $1 off 1
Purex Complete 3-in-1 coupon here
Arm & Hammer products - save over $4.25 on select products
Free Aquafresh samples and other coupons - HERE

Also don't forget to print off your coupons from the regular online coupon sites:

Wegmans Deals this Week 6/28-7/4

2009-06-30T14:24:00.002-04:00

Here are some of the good deals going on at Wegmans this week:

corn on the cob 4/$1
whole seedless watermelon
strawberries $1.50 per pound
blueberries $1.50 per pint
Aunt Jemima waffles $.99
Suave shampoo or conditioner $.79 each. Buy 2 and use $.50 off 2 which doubles to $1 making these $.29 each
Heleva Good dip $1.29. Buy 2 and use $1 off 2 coupon to make these $.79 each
Ball Park hot dogs $1.50 each
Wegmans 90% lean ground beef $1.99 per pound (large pack)

Tops Deal 6/28-7/4

2009-06-29T18:50:00.001-04:00

Here are the Tops deals for the week:

8 O'clock coffee. Buy One Get One Free. There were online coupons on coupons.com but they are not on there now. If you have one of these, now would be the time to use it. I have a Tops catalina for $1 off 2 that I will be using.
Edy's Dibs 2/$6. Use $1 off 2 coupon to make them 2/$5
Oscar Meyer hot dogs are again Buy One Get One Free. If you have one of the free hot dog coupons now would be the time to use it so you get two packages for free
Kraft dressing 3/$5
Margherita sliced pepperoni 2/$4. use $1 off 2 coupon to make these $1.50 each
Lloyd's $3.99. Use $1 off coupon to make these $2.99
Cool Whip $1
Smucker's ice cream topping $1.69 each. Buy 2 and use $1 off 2 coupon, making them $1.14 each
Turkey Hill iced tea Buy One Get One Free. Use $1 off two coupon to make this an even better deal
ReddiWhip 2/$4. Use $1 off 2 coupon, to make them 2/$3
RiceARoni or PastaRoni $1.25 each. Buy 2 and use $1 off 2 coupon to make these $.60 each
Marcel Small Steps facial tissue. Use FREE coupon to get for free. (expires 6/30)
Pedigree + canned dog food $1. Use Buy One Get One Free to get these 2/$1. **
Temptations Tempting Treats 2/$3. Use $1 off coupon to get them for $.50 **
Betty Crocker Suddenly Salads $1.25 each. Buy 2 and use $1 off 2 coupon to make these $.75 each
Reynolds Wrap $2.99. Use $1.50 coupon to make it $1.49
Naturally Delicious salad dressing 2/$5. Use $.50 off 1 coupon, which doubles to $1 making them $1.50 each
French's Classic Mustard $1.50. use coupon for $.50 off 1, which doubles to $1, making it $.50
Band-Aid bandages $2.59. use $.50 off 1 coupon , which doubles to $1, making it $1.59

If I missed anything or you would like to add something, please leave a comment below.

**If anyone would like to trade coupons for my dog food or cat food coupons, please let me know. I don't have any pets and would love for these coupons to go to someone who could actually use them. I hate throwing them away.

Would you like to see more deals for the stores? Go visit BeCentsAble to see more.

Menu Plan Monday 6/29

2009-06-29T08:24:00.001-04:00

Monday - strawberry pancakes, eggs
Tuesday - chicken and biscuits
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday - homemade sloppy joes, veggie
Friday - spaghetti with homemade bread, green beans
Saturday - leftovers
Sunday - cookout: hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on cob

Frugal Meal Friday 6/27

2009-06-26T08:06:00.001-04:00

Panninis with veggies

Panninis are really great because you can put anything you want in them. I've made mine with ham and cheese, and with chicken, diced tomatoes and cheese. you will want to use a thicker bread so the oil doesn't soak all the way through. I made these last time with a loaf of homemade sandwich bread. It was awesome! Here's how I make mine:

1. Warm up grill, George Foreman grill, pannini press or even a flat pan to medium-hot.

2. Pour a some olive oil on a plate and press one side of bread into it just to get it covered. Add seasonings to the side with the olive oil. I have used italian seasoning, rosemary and garlic before.

3. Place side with olive oil onto hot grill. Add your ingredients on top of bread. You can use anything you like really. The possibilities are endless.

4. Dip one side of an other piece of bread into olive oil and add your spices. Place bread with the olive oil on the top, away from the ingredients in the middle.

5. If you are using a George or pannini press, close the lid. If you are using a regular grill or pan, place a heavy pan on top; you will need to flip the pannini when one side is toasted.

6. Make your favorite vegetable to go along with the panninis.

Costs to feed a family of 5 with leftovers:
loaf of thick bread $.50(homemade) to $2
some of the following ingredients:
- ham slices or diced ham($2-$3)
- 8 oz cheese ($2)
- diced tomatoes ($.50)
- 1 pound of chicken cut into pieces ($2)
- and more
1 pound of veggies $1

Giveaway at MomDot

2009-06-26T00:24:00.003-04:00

Wow. I am simply amazed at the giveaway going on over at MomDot. She is giving two readers a Skype Unlimited World Subscription plan voucher and a Logitech Quickcam Pro for notebooks. So, if you would like to enter this contest, click here.

Stockpile and Strawberries

2009-06-25T23:12:00.004-04:00

Stockpile Reorganization

Something must have been wrong with me today. LOL. I was in an organizing/cleaning frenzy. I organized my two cupboards where I keep some of my stockpile. Then I folded and put away a whole mess-load of clothes, washed a load of dishes (by hand - how I wish we had a dishwasher), washed another load of clothes and a load of towels. Since my stockpile cupboards look so good I thought I would share pictures of them with you.

In the first picture on the left hand side, is all our cereal, my 2-liters of Pepsi, syrup, oatmeal canisters and other larger foods that do not fit on my shelves. The middle picture is the left side of my closet. It has all kinds of HBA products: toothpaste and tooth brushes, shampoo, conditioner, mouth wash, body wash, deodorant, razors and more. The last picture, the one on the right, is the right side of the closet and containers all my cleaning supplies.

I have more stockpile than this of course. I have 2 shelves full of canned goods and bottles. I have a stockpile of paper towels (this is a necessity in my house because of the little ones) above my cabinet in the kitchen and I usually have at least one package in the basement. Most of my boxed goods are upstairs in a cabinet. I will be organizing all these again, and also organizing my linen closet this week. I will try to remember to take pictures of my stockpile when I am done so I can share them with you. I will also be cleaning out my freezer and upright freezer and trying to eat up the stuff that has been in there for a while.

Strawberries Galore

My husband's grandmother bought a huge bin full of local strawberries today and gave us a whole bunch of them. I just have to say that these were the juiciest and tastiest strawberries I have ever had. YUMMY!! She gave us at least 4 pounds, so I will be making strawberry shortcake either tonight or tomorrow. I usually just make a regular white or yellow cake, but I may try biscuits this time. I have Cool Whip in the freezer that I bought last month for $.50.

Hope you have a wonderful night and a great Friday. TGIF!!

Tops Shopping Trip 6/24

2009-06-25T14:22:00.002-04:00

Went to Target last night to get some things. Unfortunately we didn't get home until after nine and had to get the kids in bed, so I don't have pictures for you. Here's what I bought:

8 o'clock coffee $4.29. Used $1 coupon and $1 coupon doubler to make it $2.29
Dora pinata. My daughter's birthday is in less than 2 months and she loves Dora! Normally I wouldn't buy something like this, but it was on clearance for $2.65, originally $15.99!!
8 2-liters of Diet Pepsi $1 each = $8. I don't drink coffee, so Pepsi is my caffeine source.
Peter Pan peanut butter $1.67 minus $1 coupon = $.67
Tops apple juice on sale for $1.99. The kids are out of juice and we needed some to get us by until we can get some more at Sam's Club.
Tops popcorn 6 pack $1.99. They had the 3 packs Buy One Get One Free but the price for the first one was over $2, so the 6 pack at $1.99 was cheaper. This just proves my point, that you should always look at the unit price and make sure you are getting a deal.
2 packages of Oscar Meyer hot dogs. Buy One at $3.49 get one free. Used free package of hot dog coupon that I received in the mail, in order to get both packs for free.
Sensational tortillas. Buy One at $2.39 get One Free. This made them about $1.20 each. Perfect for soft tacos or turkey rollups.
8 Breyers yogurt. On sale for $.50 = $4.00 minus $1 off Tops catalina coupon, making them 8/$3 or $.38 each
Dozen large eggs $.89. They had medium eggs on sale for $.69, but we usually use large eggs for most recipes so I decided to get the large. That is still a really good price on eggs. I haven't seen them that low in a few years.
Swiss Miss Iced Tea $2.75. Used $1 coupon and $1 coupon doubler to make this $.75. I have a Try Me Free mail in rebate which will refund me either $1.75
Tops fat free gallon of milk $1.99.

Total before savings: $67.42
Bonuscard savings: $32.92
Manufacture Coupons: $7.49
Total Paid: $27.70 (saved 58.9%)

So, all in all, it was a pretty good shopping trip at Tops. If you'd like to share your Tops shopping trip, please send me an email or leave me a comment.

Chocolate Giveaway

2009-06-25T14:00:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to sign up to get your coupon for free chocolate on Friday. You can go to the Mars site and enter your information beginning at 9:00 EST. You can also register to have an email sent to you each Thursday to remind you.

Winner of the Coupon Contest

2009-06-25T09:50:00.001-04:00

I had a pretty good turnout for the coupon giveaway. Thank you to all those who commented, twittered, subscribed to my blog, and more.

And the winner is:

12: Nancy

I will be emailing you Nancy. Please email me back with your shipping info so that I can mail the coupons to you. If I don't receive your information within 48 hours I will have to pick a new winner. Congratulations!!

Reminder: Coupon Contest Ending Today

2009-06-24T11:19:00.001-04:00

Don't forget to enter my $100 Coupon Giveaway!!! Today is the last day to enter. Click here to enter.

Words of the Week Wednesday 6/24

2009-06-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

It is Wednesday again and time to provide my readers with links to sites that I found interesting in the last week. Today I will just be concentrating on some interesting articles I found.

Looking to save money on electricity? Check out this article from My Two Dollars titled How to Get Your Monthly Electric Bill Below $25. There are several tips to help you reduce your energy consumption.
Want to stretch your food dollars? Check out Food Tricks that Keep Your Hard Earned Money Out of the Trash from PayLess for Food. This article contains great tips to help keep your food so you don't have to throw away food and money.
If you are new to the world of couponing, you will want to read this article from Common Sense with Money: Five Mistakes I Made as a Newbie Couponer. These are very good tips for any person looking at starting to coupon. It may even be helpful for those of us who have been using coupons for a while.
I was also impressed by this article from Northern Cheapskate: Don't be Greedy with Freebies. It is a really great argument against being greedy when it comes to free samples.
If you're having trouble keeping track of your bills and remembering to pay them, check out this article from Associate Money: Tips to Pay Your Bills On Time. Number five is the one I do. I have my bills set up to automatically be paid through my bank. All I have to do when the bills come in is check and make sure my payment will be sufficient. I also keep track of my bills using Microsoft Money and an Excel spreadsheet.

Do you have any sites or blogs you would like to suggest for Words of the Week Wednesday? Please send me an email or leave me a comment.

Target Deals 6/23

2009-06-23T21:51:00.004-04:00

Good deals at Target today. Could have been a little better, but I had a headache so I my brain wasn't working right. We were going to go to Tops also, but decided to wait until tomorrow when hopefully my brain will be fully functional again. Here's what I got tonight:

Kashi Go Lean bars. $2.94, minus $1.50 coupon = $1.44. Now normally I would have waited for them to be a little cheaper, but hubby wanted them so I gave in. LOL.
A1 steak sauce. On sale for $2.69 minus $2 coupon = $.69
4 boxes of Kraft Mac N Cheese $.52 each = $2.08 minus coupon for buy three get one free. So these ended up being $3.9 each
Degree deodorant $2.34 minus $1.50 Target coupon = $.84 minus $1 manufacture coupon = overage of $.16
2 rolls of Bounty Basics paper towels $.99 each = $1.98. Use $.50 off any Bounty Target coupon plus $1.00 off any 2 Bounty manufacture coupons = $.48 for 2 rolls.
4 pack of double A batteries $1

My total came to $5.28. I used a $5 gift card earned from a few weeks ago and$.28 from another $5 gift card from last week. Out of pocket expense: $0!

Hope you had a great day also today! Have a wonderful night.

Buffy vs. Edward

2009-06-23T20:27:00.004-04:00

I have been on quite a Twilight kick lately. I have been rereading the first book and am almost done already. I think I will have to watch the movie again too. LOL. I found this video on Starryskye.org and it's pretty good. If you are a Buffy or Twilight fan you will like it. The person who mixed it is really phenomenal.

Spending Update

2009-06-23T08:39:00.002-04:00

So, this week we have been trying to spend as little as possible. We have done well so far with only spending money on a gallon of milk($1.99). I went to Walgreens and Rite Aid Sunday and only spent a little over $10 out of pocket - after rebates and register rewards, they paid me to shop.

We still have to go buy a few things that are on sale at the grocery store this week. Tops has a few good deals this week that when combined with coupons is going to save me mucho money. We will also have to run to Wegmans to get corn on the cob, strawberries and potatoes. I have $30 budgeted for this trip but I'm hoping to spend a lot less.

We're trying to get things sold on Craig's List and Ebay, but no luck yet. One of my biggest pet peeves with Craig's List recently has been all the spam. I posted three sets of clothing and get emails asking me if I am still unemployed! From 3 separate people, supposedly. It really makes me doubt whether I want to sell on there anymore. This is the second time I have listed these lots of clothing and I reduced the price of each by about $10. Know anybody who is needs to buy 6-9 months or 12 months boy summer clothes, or 18 months girl summer clothes? We are also trying to get rid of some of hubby's mics, our treadmill, the bowflex (which was seldom used) and a body by jake machine that works the tummy. If we could sell these things, it would improve our finances dramatically.

Starting next month, I would like to start tracking our expenses on here, on either a weekly or monthly basis. Not sure how I want to do that exactly, but I will decide by next week. Maybe it would help us stay within our budget a little better. Of course, if I was actually offered a job that might help too. LOL. If anyone knows of any employers needing to fill a position for administrative assistant, bookkeeping, it help desk, etc, in the Twin Tiers, please let know.

Have a wonderful and safe day!