Words of the Week Wednesday

Today I will be just concentrating on one website, versus my usual three. This site is so awesome, that it takes up a full post to explain how awesome it is.

I found this great site on couponing the other day. Jill Cataldo is a real coupon queen. She makes me look really bad with the deals she gets. She was able to get almost $100 worth of groceries for less than $10!!! Isn't that crazy!!! I can only dream about getting that good of deals! But at least it is something to strive for.

Jill has classes in the Chicago area where she teaches super couponing I, II, and III, so if you are in the Midwest, check out her free classes. I would love to teach classes like this in my area, I just don't know if there would be enough interest in classes. Maybe I should look into that.

Jill has been featured on many news shows and in many article (look under the In The Media section in the right hand column). There's some really nice video of her getting tons of groceries for cheap!!! The website also has tons of great information about couponing and even has a forum where you can talk to other coupon users.

Go visit her at http://jillcataldo.com/

Random Tuesday Thoughts (Frugal Edition)

1. I know this has nothing to do with frugality, but it really irks me. Have you ever been in a restroom at a restaurant or store and the total paper holder is really low on the wall? You know the type: 2 foot from the floor. You have to reach your arm down and then then back up into this thing to get table, and then hope that while you are trying to get it to unravel it doesn't hit the floor, especially if the floor is yucky. Why do people put these so low? What were they thinking???????

2. I've been thinking about getting a job. Wow, what a shocker huh? lol. I have sent my resume to a few places and uploaded my resume to monster.com and america's job exchange. Ideally I would like to find something that's not full time, maybe dealing with computers or bookkeeping/accounting. We will see what's out there. I just feel like there aren't jobs out there for my hubby, and if that continues and his prior employer doesn't call him back, then we will be in trouble when the unemployment runs out. Since there are jobs out there for me right now I feel like I should be trying to get one. Who knows what will be there in 6 months?

3. As mentioned before, we are reducing our cable down to 2-13 so we can afford to have a gym membership. The gym membership is less than $55 a month for both of us and we can go there 24 hours a day. This is really convenient for us, because of the kids. We don't have to get a sitter just so we can go to the gym. We also both agree that this is better for us not only now but in the long run. We both have weight to lose (though I am in need more than he is. lol) and we both want to be healthy. Hubby also has heart disease in the family (mom, grandma, and grandpa) and he needs to be eating healthy and exercising.

4. I really don't feel like making dinner tonight. Uuuggghhh. I am thinking about making the frozen pizza that is in the freezer. I am thinking that I would like to start making my own homemade frozen pizzas but am wondering how I should wrap it so they don't get freezer burned. Any ideas? I have an awesome recipe for pizza dough, so I am also thinking maybe I should just freeze the dough. I wonder what would be easier on a busy night?

5. We won tickets to the Schrine Circus next week from a local mom's forum. So cool huh? I think it will be fun to take the little ones - they will enjoy it. By the way, if you are in the twin tiers of NY go check out the site: MomsLikeMe.com. It's an awesome forum, where you can talk to other moms about everything!

Rite Aid Deals This Week 4/26-5/2

Buy One Get One Free Deals

• Purex laundry detergent or fabric softener, Rite Aid brand bleach or fabric softener
• Kellog's cereal. Use manufacture coupons to save $1
• all sunglasses
• Hershey's, Rees'es, Planters or Tootsie Roll single serve candy
• L'Oreal foundation powders, blush, concealers. Save an additional $2 off by using 2 $1 manufacture coupons
• Rite Aid brand products like pain relievers, allergy medication, eye dropd, razors and more
• David Babali hair products
• Got 2B or Marc Anthony hair care
• Daisy Fuentes haircare
• NuHAre or Mane N Tail hair products
• fashion jewelery
• Fx Pro Vitamin hair care productts
• VO5 Extreme or Original hair products
• L'Oreal Color Riche Lip or Hip cosmetics
• Sally Hansen Maximum Growth or No Chip Nail Enamel
• Jane cosmetics
• Coast or Dial Soap
• Vive Pro hair care products
• Soft Soap bosy soap or hand soap or Irish Spring bath bar
• G.U.M. dental care products

Rebates

• SaltAire Sinus and Allergy Relief $6.99 with a rebate of $6.99 = FREE
• Mini Drops Eye Therapy $6.49 with a rebate of $6.49 = FREE
• Miralax $9.99 with a rebate of of $3 = $6.99
• Profoot triad or Miracle Insoles, Synovium Pain Relief Gel, Heel Rescue, or Flex Tastic 3/$15 with a $10 rebate on 3 = 3/$5
• Ban deodorant - Buy 5 get $10 rebate
• Nightguard $14.99 minus $10 rebate = $4.99
• Skintimate cream shave $2.99 with a $2.24 rebate. Use the $.75 coupon that was in Sunday's paper to make this product FREE after rebate
• Claritin 24 hour. On sale for $18.99 with a $3 rebate
• Revlon Beyond Natural Skin Matching Makeup or Blush. On sale for $9.79 with a $3 rebate. Use $1 coupon that was in Sunday's paper to make this $5.79.
• Mitchum deodorant. On sale for $2.99 with a $1 rebate = $1.99
• Huggies mega pack of diapers $14.99 with a $2 rebate. Use $1.50 manufacture coupon to make these $11.49
  

Other Deals

• Extra Strength Tylenol. Save $4 with Rite Aid coupon and another $1 with manufacture coupon
• Listerine. On sale for 2 for $8. Use coupon in Rite Aid ad for $4 off 2 and use $.50 off coupon = 2/$3.50
• Colgate toothpaste or toothbrushes. On sale for $2.49. Use manufacture coupon from Sunday paper and get another $1 off = $1.49.

Walgreens 4/26 - 5/2

• Rimmel foundation, powder, concealer, blush or eye. Buy One Get One Free. Use 2 $1 coupons to get even more of a deal
• Lady Speedstick. 2/$5 minus $1 coupon in 4/26 paper = 2/$4
• Colgate. 2 pack on sale for $5 minus $1 coupon = $4
• Softsoap 8.5 oz on sale for 2/$5. Buy three for $7.50 minus $1 coupon = $6.50
• Bic Soleil razor system Buy One Get One Free.
  
• Crest Daily Multicare Whitestrips $29.99 plus $5 register reward plus $5 coupon (expires 4/30) to make your final price $19.99
• Pullups. 2/$20 plus $2 register reward when you buy 2. Use 2 $3 off Pullups coupons = $6 each
• Nivea body wash $4.99 with $4.99 register reward. Use $1 coupon in paper on 4/26. FREE plus gives you an overage of $1
• Rembrandt toothpaste or mouthwash $5.99 with a $5.99 register reward = FREE
• Bayer Quick Release Crystals $2.49 with a $2.49 register reward = FREE
• Tylenol $4.99 with coupon. Use either $1 off 1 to make your p rice $3.99 or use $3 off 2 to make your price $6.98 or 2/$3.49 each

Coming Soon!

I am currently working on the second part of my budgeting article and will have that for you soon. I wanted to work on it this weekend but we were busy busy busy (went to my parents' house on Saturday for a cookout and we got our garden tilled on Sunday). I am hoping to have the next part of it for you before the week is out.

In light of the whole swine flu and the possibility of a pandemic, I am also doing an inventory of my stockpile. I am not freaking out over the whole thing, I just want to be prepared. I want to have at least 2 months' worth of the essential foods and products. It will do no harm to make sure we have this, and it can only help. If money starts getting tight later in the summer, we will have a good stockpile of food and will only have to go to the store to buy milk. When I am done with my inventory count, I will share with you the numbers, and let you know what I plan to buy to increase my stockpile. I am wanting to get this done this week.

I am also working on getting you the deal list for Walgreen's, Rite Aid, and Tops. (I am busy busy busy huh?) I am working on them as we speak and will have all three done by tomorrow. I did look through them all and there seems to be some good deals. Jubilee also has some good deals this week, so I will also let you know what they have.

I am off to get what I can done of this stuff. Have a very wonderful day!

Budgeting - Part 1

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.

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.

Words of the Week Wednesday (Earth Day Edition)

I have been wanting to try to make homemade laundry detergent for some time now. I was able to find borax at Walmart and Target, but could not find washing soda. I told my mother I was looking for it and she found some at Price Chopper for $2.99. So, if you have trouble finding it, try there.

I figure it will cost me about 2 cents per load! So this will be a big savings for us. Especially with a family of five, we go through a lot of laundry detergent. It is also environmentally special. I plan on making the powdered detergent. You can find several recipes here. I will let you know how it works out. Let me know if you have ever tried making your own detergent and what the result was.

In celebration of Earth Day, the Simple Mom has a list of 40 ways to go greener at home. Many of the things on the list we already do, but there are a few that I am looking at trying.

Another great blog about family and green living is Nature Mom's Blog. She talks about what her family and herself does to live a more Eco-friendly life. So, go check out her blog.

Random Tuesday Thoughts (Frugal Edition)

I have decided to partake in the UnMom's weekly Random Tuesday Thoughts. I will try to keep my thoughts about frugality or coupons, but you never know where these random thoughts will lead me once I start.

1. Have you ever noticed that when you don't have any extra money to spare, that is when Murphy comes and visits? We are trying to save every little penny because hubby was laid off and then we get a bill that we didn't know about. Isn't that the way it always is.

2. Ummmm. How does that work???????

3. Tomorrow is Earth Day. Our family will not be doing anything special, because we already take steps to help the earth. Earth Day is everyday here. My college on the other hand decided they wanted to be earth conscious all of a sudden. Previously, they had a trash can and a can for deposit cans and bottles. Last week they decided that they wanted a bin for aluminum, plastic, etc. But the plastic bin says you can't put deposit cans in there and they removed the bin for deposit. So, what do they want us to do with them now? Throw them in the garbage? Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking?

I guess I have no more random thoughts today. This was actually tricky because I am so used to writing about one particular thing. I am sure it will get easier though.

Coupons went out this morning to the winners. Congrats again ladies. I hope you can use the coupons.



Also, I wanted to mention that I did a series of posts on how to coupon on my Surviving Unemployment blog. If you're new to couponing or just hoping to get some new pointers, click here.

Budgeting Help

I will be starting a series of posts on budgeting. Part I will run this Thursday and will deal with getting everything around you will need to, in order to create a budget. So, if you would like to learn how to budget or just improve your current budget, check back in a few days.

Free and Cheap Entertainment

Are you trying to save money, but still want entertainment? There are many ways to do entertainment on the cheap.

Get Outside

Many things that are done outside can be done cheaply. Go for a bike ride or take the whole family hiking or for a walk. Taking the kids to the park is a great way to kill a few hours without spending any money. Take along a picnic lunch and make it even more special.

The Library

We all know that the library provides books for us to borrow, but they have so much more. Many libraries have computers with Internet service for its members to use. Our public library even has a kids section with computers for them to use. This is great if you have a child who you want to limit their time online. It is also great if your child doesn't get much time online because the family computer is always occupied. Many libraries also have books on CD and DVDs that you can borrow. Although these are not brand new releases, I am sure you can find some DVDs that you haven't watched yet.

Redbox DVD Rentals

Have you ever seen those red boxes outside of grocery stores and drug stores? Next time you see one (and have a few minutes) go take a look at it. Redbox offers DVDs for $1 a night. These are relatively new releases and they have quite a good selection. I would guess that there is usually 50 or so DVD titles to choose from. Besides having the newest movies, they also have newly released kids movies. Each Monday, you can get a code for a free movie that day. You can go here, to find a code to use.

There are so many things you can do that are entertaining AND cheap. Let me know the things that you and your family do for fun that are frugal.

Walgreens

This weeks Walgreens deals.

• Dawn dish detergent. coupon for 99 cents limit of 2. combine with manufacture coupon of 20 cents = $.79
• Revlon cosmetics Buy One Get One Free.
• Gain laundry detergent 40 to 64 loads $12.99 minus $2 register reward minus $1.50 coupon = $ 9.49
• Hershey's Bliss 2/$7 with a $1 register reward. Use 2 $1 coupons to make your price 2/4
• Almay makeup Buy One Get One Free. Use 2 $1 manufacture coupons
• Skintimate or Edge shave gel $2.99 with a $2.99 register reward
• Mitchum deodorant $2.99 with a $2 register reward
• Scrubbin Bubbles Action Scrubber 2/$7 with a register reward of $1. use 2 $1 manufacture coupons.making them 2/$4

Let me know if there are any deals I may have missed.

Rite Aid Deals This Week

Here s a list of the good deals at Rite Aid this week. Sale runs today through Sunday.

• Huggies Jumbo pack. On sale for $8.99 with a $3 rebate = $5.99. Use a coupon and you can $1.50 to $2 more.
• Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Flakes, Corn Pops = Buy One Get One Free
• Herbal Essence 2 / $6
• TRESsemme = Buy One Get One Free
• Dove shampoo or deodorant 2/$6 minus $2 rebate on 2 = 2/$4
• Sea Breeze $4.99 minus $2 rebate = $2.99
• BenGay patches $6.99 minus $3 rebate = $3.99 minus $3 manufacture coupon = $.99
• Lots of different supplements Buy One Get One Free
• Lady Speed Stick $2.49 minus $1 Rite Aid coupon = $1.49 - any other coupon?
• Always pads or Tampax $5.99 minus $2 rebate = $3.99 minus manufacture coupon
• Colgate toothpaste $2.49 minus $.75 rebate = $1.74 minus manufacture coupon
• GE REveal lightbulbs 2/$6 minus $2 rebate = 2/$4
• Gillette Skintimate or Edge shave gel 2/$4 minus $2 rebate = 2/$2 minus manufacture coupon?

Please let me know if there is any deals I may have missed.

AND THE WINNER IS......

Michelle D. Congrats Michelle!!! I will be emailing you to let you know you won and to get your email address.

I had so many extra coupons that I decided to have a second place winner. And that winner is.... J Lynette. Congrats!!! I will be sending you 30 random coupons and there are some really good ones in there too. I will also be emailing you to get your email address.

Congratulations to both the winner and the runner-up.

I am thinking about having another contest in a few weeks when my coupon stash starts getting huge again (I get extra coupons from my husband's grandma and uncle so I will have TONS by then) So, make sure you keep checking back here once in a while. I am thinking I will probably run another one around the third of May.

Tops Shopping 4/18/09

Went shopping at Tops yesterday. They had some pretty good deals.

• 2 Liter Pepsi - $.69 with special coupon
  
• 5 2 Liters of Pepsi - on sale for $.99 each - $4.95
• Lipton/Knorr sides -on sale for $1 each = $4 - 2 coupons for $.75 off 2 which were both doubled ($3) = $1 or 25 cents each
• 3 bags Malt-O-Meal cereal Buy Two Get One Free with Tops coupons - $6.87 - $1.99 = $4.88 for 3 bags or $1.63 each bag
• Oreos (we usually don't buy these but they sounded good) $1.99 with special coupon
• Tops sandwich bread - on sale for $.88
• 3 boxes of Tops popcorn - on sale for $1 each
• Tops crackers - on sale for $1.67
• 2.81 pounds of bananas = $1.66
• 1 green pepper = $1
• 2 pounds of onions = $1.29
• Ball Park hot dogs = on sale for $2.50
• DiGiorno pizza - $3.99 with special coupon
• DiGiorno pizza - on sale for $4.50
• hot sausage links = on special for $2.12 a pound = $6.18
• Tropicana 50 = $2.50 - $1 coupon = $1.50
• 2 gallons of milk - $2.15 each
  

Total Before Savings: $84.09
BonusCard Savings: $29.46
Coupon Savings: $7.31
Total Paid: $47.85 (saved 43.1%)

New Domain Giveaway

** edited to change the date so it stays on my main page. Please enter - you have until tomorrow...


In celebration of my new domain and making the paper (check it out here and here) I am having a contest. I am giving away over $100 worth of coupons. All expire in May or after. There are several ways to get an entry.

1. 5 entries for blogging about my giveaway and providing a link to my contest. Please leave me a comment under here letting me know you did this and the link to your blog.
2. 1 entry for commenting on here saying you would like to win. Please make sure I have some way to get a hold of you in case you win - a blog address or email address.
3. 2 entries for adding my badge to your site or blog, leave me a comment here letting me know. Instructions on how to do this: Go into your Layout and add an html widget. Then copy and paste my code from the sidebar.
4. 3 entries for emailing your friends, please put me on copy.
   

Contest ends next Sunday, April 19 at 6 pm. I will draw the winner using Random.org later in the evening on Sunday. Good Luck.

I just wanted to let you all know that Part 2 of my series of posts on Couponing is now posted on my Surviving Unemployment blog. Please come over and read both parts.

Just a reminder to sign up for my coupon giveaway. It ends on Sunday.

Cake in a Mug

****Edited to add:
Has anyone made something similar to this? I tried it and it was awful! How is the cake supposed to rise with not soda or powder?******

Have you ever bought those single serve microwaveable treats? I believe they are from Betty Crocker. Anyway, I thought I would share with you a recipe I got from my husband's grandmother. It makes one serving, so no risk of overeating, and it's very frugal!


1 coffee mug
4 tbl. flour
2 tbl. sugar
2 tbl. baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tbl. milk
3 tbl. oil
3 tbl. chocolate chips (optional)
small splash of vanilla extract




Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips, if using, and vanilla and mix well again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 min. at 1000 watts. The cake will
rise over the top of the mug but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip onto a plate if desired.
This is called the most dangerous cake recipe in the world because we are only 5
minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Walgreens Deals this Week

I haven't gotten to Walgreens this week yet, but it looks like they have some pretty good deals:

• 1/2 gallon of milk. Limit 4. $.99
• Kellogs or Kashi cereals 3/$10 with a $3 register reward. Minus any coupons?
• Breyers ice cream BOGO. Use 2 $.75 coupons from last week's paper. $2.39 each
• Alkine batteries Buy One at $3.99 get one free
• Scunci Elastics $2 with a $2 register reward
• Axe products 2/$10 with a $3 register reward. There were coupons a few weeks ago.
• 40% off Neutrogena makeup
• 40% off Sally Hansen Lip and Nail
• Walgreens select meds BOGO free
• Fiber Choice $2.49 with a register reward of $2.49
• NiceN easy hair color 2/$13 with a $3 register reward. Minus any coupons?
• Colgate toothbrush $3.29 with a $3.29 register reward
• Dasani 24 pk water 2/$10 with a $3 register reward
• Huggies diapers $9.99
  
  

Tops deals 4/11

• Snuggle Creme fabric softener - on sale for $3.49 minus $2 coupon = $1.49
• Mr Clean erasers - on sale for $2 minus $.75 coupon which was doubled to $1.50 = so I paid 50 cents
• Mr Clean Wipes - on sale for $2 minus $.75 coupon which was doubled to $1.50 = so I paid 50 cents
• Mr Clean Multi Purpose cleaner - on sale for $2.39 minus $.75 coupon which was doubled to $1.50 so I paid $.89. (I refill a spray bottle with this and water for doing cleaning)
• 2 Duncan Hines frosting - on sale for $1.50 each minus $1 coupon = $1 each
• Tops candy -for an Easter cake I was making $.99
• 2.58 pounds of bananas $1.52
• 2 Cool Whip on sale for $1.25 each
• 2 gallons of skim milk at $2.15 each

Total Before Savings: $26.90
BonusCard Savings: $4.71
Coupons: $7.50
Total After Savings: $15.38 (saved 45.4%)

Saturday's Sears Trip

We went to the mall to return a coffee maker on Saturday. Sears had 30% off their clearance prices. I ended up getting a bunch of stuff for our older son for very little money. Here's the awesome prices I got at Sears:

2 pairs of US Polo Jeans $4.19 each - regular price is $36 each

1 pair of LL Cool J jeans $6.99 - regular price is $42

1 Hulk tshirt $2.79 - regular price $16

1 Long sleeved shirt $2.09 - regular price $18

Original Price: $148

Price Paid: $21.06

Saved: $126.94 (85.8%)

My new domain name is set and you should be able to access my blog either by typing www.couponqueenofcorning.com or by the old blogger address. Please let me know if there are any problems.

Great Walgreens Deals This Week

I went shopping at Walgreens a few days ago. I got some great deals, even though I spent a little extra to get some things for the kids for Easter. Here's what I bought:

- 6 Disney Activity Pads (Easter)- with coupon 3/$2
- 2 Betty Crocker frosting - on sale $1.50 each and $1 coupon on two = $1 each
- Playtex tampons - $3.99 minus $1 coupon = $2.99
- 2 bottles of Super Bubbles (Easter) - 3/$1 with coupon
- 2 bottles of Palmolive - $.99 each with coupon minus $1 coupon = $.99 for both
- Colgate toothpaste $3.49

I received a $3.49 register reward for the Colgate and a $1 register reward for the frosting.
Total before savings: $25.96
Total saved: $13.70
Total paid after savings: $12.26 (52.8%)

Have you gotten any good deals this week?

Coupon Contest Begins Sunday

On Sunday, yes Easter Sunday, I will be having a contest on here. I am giving away over $100 worth of coupons. These will be all sorts of coupons and all expire in May or after. The contest will run until Sunday the 19th. Check back here in 2 days for your chance to win.

This will now be my blog for frugality and coupons. I have decided that I would like to have the freedom to put ads on my blog if I so choose, and that is something I couldn't do with my other blog. Also, they have changed so many things that it is no longer worth my time to post on that blog. I have had some readers subscribe to my today.com blog, so they will just be transfered to this subscription. I am hoping to get my domain name today and get everything set up. If you have any problems or comments, please let me know.

Do you like my blog design? I really think it turned out really well, don't you?