Tuesday Roundup: Freebies, Coupons, Tips and More

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:

• Coupons.com
• Smartsource
• RedPlum
• Penny Pincher Gazette
• Coupons Inc
  

Wegmans Deals this Week 6/28-7/4

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

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

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.

Here is my meal plan for this week:

• 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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Win a camcorder

Need a new video camera? We do. Our camera was bought in 2002 and it is quite bulky. Plus, the editing software doesn't work with Windows Vista. So, yes it would be awesome to be able to get a new one, but right now there is no money for anything extra, let alone a camera.

That is where MommySnacks.net comes in. She is having a giveaway where you could win Flip Ultra HD Camcorder. I went right over and entered this contest, of course, and if you would like to enter also, the contest ends on Sunday June 29 at 8PM.

My Walgreens and Rite Aid Deals 6/21

Guess how much this all this stuff cost me. Nothing. $0.00!!!! It was a good day, let me tell ya. LOL. Here is the breakdown:

Rite Aid

• 4 Mentos Gum. Used 4 $1 off coupons to get all for FREE (I have 2 more coupons at home so I will probably run over later in the week and grab 2 more)
  
• Crest Enamel Shield toothpaste $2.69 with a $2.69 rebate = FREE
  
• Suave deodorant $1.99. Used $.50 coupon and there is $1.50 rebate making an OVERAGE of $.01

I also had a $2 rebate check from last month that I used. I spent $2.87 and will be getting $4.19 in rebates. Therefore I had an overage of $1.32. Nothing like getting paid to shop! LOL.

Walgreens

• Sunday newspaper $1.50
• Gallon of milk $1.89
• 3 boxes of cereal. 3/$7 and get $1 in register rewards. Also used $1 off 3 coupon which made them 3/$6
  
• 3 packages of Kotex pads at $2.99 each. Buy 3 and get $3 in register rewards. Used 2 $1 off coupons which made them $2.32 each
• Aquafresh Whitening toothpaste $3 with $3 in register rewards - essentially making this free

If I hadn't gotten the milk and paper there my savings would have been greater, but we needed these anyway. I used 4 Register Rewards from 2 weeks ago worth $12.50. I paid $7.82 out of pocket and received $7.00 in Register Rewards. So, it was almost like paying $.82 for all this stuff.

I spent $10.69 out of pocket. I have $4.19 in rebates coming and received $7 in Register Rewards. This comes out to me actually getting paid to shop! Love it!!? I got $42.65 worth of product absolutely free!!! That's a savings of 100%+.

Menu Plan Monday 6/22

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.

Here is my meal plan for this week:

• Monday - homemade mac n cheese with broccoli and chicken
  
• Tuesday - leftovers
  
• Wednesday -tacos with mexican rice
  
• Thursday - stew
  
• Friday - leftovers
  
• Saturday - homemade sloppy joes, veggies
  
• Sunday - leftovers or breakfast for dinner
  

Tops Deals 6/21-6/27

Here are the deals I see for this week at Tops.

• Grapes $.99 a pound


• Pepsi 2 liters $1


• Oscar Meyer hot dogs Buy One Get one Free. I am using my free pack of hot dog coupon that I got from the manufacture a few weeks ago to give me two packs of hot dogs for free


• Peter Pan peanut butter. $1.67. I am using $1 off coupon I received in mail a few weeks which will double to $2 giving me an overage


• Tops butter $1.69 for one pound


• Heluva good chunk cheese 2/$5 Use coupon for $1 off 2 that expires 7/31 to make these 2/$4


• Coffee-Mate 32 oz $2.39. Go get a coupon here for either $1 off 1 or if you have already printed that one a coupon for $1.50 off two


• Dozen Medium eggs $.69


• Tops deluxe american singles. Buy one at $2.99 get one free.


• General Mills cereal. Buy 4 get $4 off. Use $1 off 3 coupon from 5-31 insert, Trix coupon from here, or $1 off chex from 6-14 insert


• Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta $1


• 8 pack of Sparkle $5.99 minus $.50 coupon from 5-3 insert which will double to $1 making this $4.99 or $.63 each


• Nabisco Oreo Cakesters $2.50. Use $1 coupon from 6-14 insert to make it $1.50


• Suave deodorant $1.79 minus $.50 off coupon from 5-17 which doubles to $1 to make this $.79
  
  
• Wish-bone Salad Spritzer $2. Use $1 off 1 coupon and use doubler coupon to make it $2 off and make this free.
  
  
• 73% Fresh Ground Beef 4-5 pound package $1.49 a pound.
  
  
• Hatfield Boneless Hamt Steak $2.50
  
  
• Perdue boneless chicken breast, tenders, or think sliced cutlets. 50% off. Check the prices on these at the store to make sure you really are getting a good deal.
  
  
• Western style prok ribe $1.69 a pound
  
  
• Tops whole chicke $1.19 a pound
  

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

FYI: Coupons in USA Weekend

The regular coupon inserts were pretty lame this weekend. Luckily, USA Weekend in the Sunday paper had coupons for Cottonelle, Scott products and Del Monte.

I'm hoping to get coupon binder done this week. My small coupon holder is just too stuffed and I can't find anything anymore. I have a binder already and will be checking out the price on baseball card plastic sheets at Target, since I have $10 worth of gift cards for there. I will take pictures and share with you all after I get it done.

Rite Aid Deals 6/21 - 6/27

Here are the deals this week at Rite Aid:

• M&M mars candy bars Buy One Get One Free. Use coupon from Mars site for a free chocolate bar and you will get 2 for free
• Revlon cosmetics. Buy One Get One Free. Use 2 $1 coupons from 5-17 insert to make them even cheaper
• SkinClinic wart remover $14.99 minus $14.99 rebate = FREE after rebate
• Lamisil $9.99 minus $9 rebate = $.99 after rebate (look for a peelie on box to save even more
• Suave deodorant $1.99 minus $1.50 rebate. Use $.50 off 1 coupon from 5-17 insert to make an overage of $.01
• Mentos $1. Use $1 off 1 coupon from 5-3 insert to make these FREE
• Crest Enamel Shield toothpaste $2.69 minus $2.69 rebate = FREE after rebate
• Crest Toothpaste Plus White or Whitening Expressions, Pro Health. $2.99 minus $1 rebate. Use $1 coupon off 2 from 6-7 insert (use the Crest Enamel Shield as your second item) and this ends up being $.99

If you find any other deals at Rite Aid and would like to share, please leave me a comment.

Walgreens Deals 6/21-6/27

Here are the Wegmans Deals for this week:

• Aquafresh Advanced Toothpaste $3 with a $3 register reward. Like getting it for FREE
• Gallon of milk $1.69
• Revlon Cosmetics. Buy One Get One Free. Use 2 $1 off coupons from 5-17 insert to increase your savings even more.
• Lysol wipes 2/$5. Register Reward for $1 when you buy 2. Use $1 off 2 from 6-7 insert to make these 2/$3
• Skintimate or Edge shave gel $1.99 with Walgreens coupon. Use $.75 off coupon from 4/26 insert to make this $1.24
• Kotex $2.99. Buy 3 and get $3 register reward. Use 3 $1 coupons from 6-14 insert to make these $.99 each
• Speedstick $2.99 with a $2 register reward making it $.99
• General Mills cereal 3/$7 with a $1 register reward. Use $1 off 3 coupon from 5-31 insert to make these 3/$5
• Lysol Disinfectant spray $3.50 Buy 2 and get $2 register reward. Use two $2 off 1 coupon from 6-7 insert to make these $.50 each
• Bandaids $1.50. Use $1 off 1 coupon from 4-26 insert to make it $.50

If you find any other deals that I may have missed, please let me know by leaving me a comment.

Wegmans Deals 6-21 to 6-27

Here are the deals at Wegmans this week:

• Corn on the cob 4/$1
• 5 pounds of potatoes $1.99
• Strawberries $1.50 a pound
• Boneless skinless chicken breast - 5 lbs or more $1.99 a pound
• Kelloggs Special K cereal $2.50. Use $1 coupon from 6-7 to make this $1.50
• Wegmans hot dog and hamburger rolls $.99
• Raisin Bran $2. Use coupon here to save $1 making it $1.
• kelloggs poptarts $1.50. Use $.55 coupon from 6-7 insert which doubles to $1.10, making these $.40
• Ball Park hot dogs $1.50
  
  
  

Frugal Summer Entertainment

In April, I did a post on entertainment for your family that is either free or cheap, entitled Free and Cheap Entertainment. I have decided to expand on this post to emphasize frugal activities you and your family can do during the summer.

Hiking

Hiking is a great activity that is both frugal and good for your waistline. You can hike at a local park or a state park. Although if you go to a state park, you may have to pay to get in (at New York State parks the fee is $7 per carload), so make a day of it and bring a long a picnic. Many times these parks also have swimming included in the fee, so bring suits and towels also.

Local Parks

If you have young children, you probably frequent your local park quite often. Find some new parks to take your children to, so you and your family don't get bored. Going to a local park also lets you meet other parents, possibly beginning a new friendship, or starting a playgroup.

Camping

My family loves to go camping. Unfortunately, this year we will not have the money to go to the state park we love to go to, Watkins Glen. Although it is relatively cheap to camp (NY State parks are about $15 per night plus $9 registration fee), any extra money going out right now is not good. So, we are going to be camping on our land (we haven't been able to put our house on there so might as well use it for something). You can buy a decent tent for your family for about a hundred dollars and it will bring you years of camping fun.

Riding Bikes

My family has always loved to ride bikes together. Put smaller kids in a trailer and go for a nice ride. Not only is it fun, but it also helps with weight loss. You can even have older kids use a map and plan out the ride.

Library

On rainy days, a visit to the local library is always a good idea. Not only can kids look at and take out books, they can interact with other children. We have a really nice library here that has a puppet stage for the kids to play with and several computers for young children to use. I also like how they have been expanding the number of DVDs they have.

Movie Night

I love the idea of renting a DVD, popping some popcorn and sitting down with the family to watch a movie. But sometimes renting a DVD at your local rental store can be expensive. You can find older DVDs to borrow for free from most local libraries. If you want something newer, check out a Redbox outside a local store. You can rent a DVD for just $1 a night and there are no late fees. You just pay $1 for each night you have it out. You can even get codes for free rentals. Here is a list of Redbox locations. Another lower cost alternative, is using Netflix or Blockbuster Online to rent your movies.

Game Night

Having a weekly game night is a great idea if you have older kids. We will start having game night as soon as the little ones are a little older and can play board games. Bake up some goodies or have salsa and tortilla chips while you are playing. This is a great family activity that helps your family spend quality time together.

Water
What kid doesn't like playing in the water? Get out the hose and fill up a kiddie pool. Or attach a sprinkler (a kid's sprinkler can be bought for less than $20) and let the kids have a blast. Remember those slip n slides from when we were kids. Well, they still make them, and they are even better than they were. What about letting your kids play out in the rain (providing of course that there isn't lightning)? Many times you can find swimming at local pools and lakes for free or a few dollars.

There are so many activities you can do during the summer that are frugal. So, get off your butt, stop watching TV and spend some time with your family.If you would like to add anything to the list, please leave me a comment.

Are you Prepared for Unemployment?

The economy is just scary right now. Although there are glimpses of the economy turning around, the fact is, we just don't know how long that will take. In the last month another major company, not far from here, laid off 225 people, and are now going to be laying off another 750. Hopefully you have a job that is secure and you do not have to worry about being laid off. Many people are not in that situation though. Even if your job is secure, being prepared for a possible lay off is a good idea. The boy scouts don't say "be prepared" for nothing, you know.

In December of last year, I decided we needed to be prepared "just in case" and I'm glad we did all the preparing and planning that we did. In March, my husband was laid off and we went from being a single income family to a family living on unemployment. Luckily we did have several hundred in savings and our tax return helped out a lot. Here are several of the things we did in order to prepare for unemployment:

• Stockpiling - My stockpile allows me to wait for sales to buy items.By combining sales and coupons to get things cheap, I can increase my stockpile. Having a good stockpile is like money in the bank. A good stockpile can feed your family for months when money is tight. Letting you use that money to pay for necessities like rent and utilities. Go check out The Prudent Homemaker for pictures of her awesome stockpile, tips on stockpiling and recipes that use your stockpile.
  
  
• Devising an Unemployment Budget - If you don't already have a regular budget, you need to have one. You can check out Budgeting Basics, to find out how to make a budget. An unemployment budget is similar to a regular budget but you base it in how you would live if you were to get laid off.
  
  The first step is to figure out how much you would get from unemployment if you were to be laid off. You can check this out at your state's unemployment site. In New York state, the maximum a person can get is $405 a week. They also get an extra $25 a week right now due to the stimulus package that was approved earlier this year.
  
  Next, you will need to figure out what expenses you can eliminate if you were to get laid off. Things like cell phones, cable, Internet and other expenses. What other areas can you cut? You may have to stop eating out, going out with friends and other things that can be expensive. Find free or cheap ways to entertain your family. Learn to use coupons and learn how to meal plan to save money.
  
  If your expenses are more than your income, then you need to cut back even more. If credit cards are a problem, pay them off now while you are working. Look into debt snowballing for the most efficient way to do this. A debt snowball calculator can help you see how long it will take you to pay off your debt. Also, know what your priorities are. The top priorities are food, shelter, and utilities. Next would be expenses such as car payment and insurances. You need to have a vehicle in order to get to employment interviews and look for jobs. Debt that you owe to the government can be deferred, so look into that if you have a school loan or owe taxes and are laid off. The lowest priority would be credit card debt.
  
  
• Savings - Automatically have a certain amount each week transferred into savings. This is the way we did it. We transferred $45 a week into our high-yield online savings account and it really added up quickly. Even if it is only $10 a week, at least you are putting something into savings.
  
  Another way to get more money into your savings account, is to roll those pennies. I mean it. Use only cash when you go to the store and put any coins in a piggy bank. This not only helps you save money in your bank, it also helps you stay within your budget, because the amount you bring is the limit. You are forced to keep track of how much you are spending as you place those groceries in the cart.
  
  Here are some sites to help you save money, to get you started:
  
  1. 25 Ways I save Money
     
  2. 91 Ways to Save on Almost Anything
  3. Ways to Save Money
  4. 50 Ways to Save Money
  5. How to Save Money

The key to surviving unemployment is having a plan. By having a plan for "what if" you keep yourself calm in case you do get laid off.

Kraft Giveaway

If your family is anything like my family, you go through your fair share of macaroni and cheese. Well. another blog is giving away a year's supply of Kraft (50 boxes). Kraft will also give 50 boxes to Feeding America. Go over to Homemaker Barbi and enter to win before July 2.

Frugal Meal Friday 6/19

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 homemade sloppy joes with a vegetable for a side. Depending on how much you pay for rolls, you could possible make this meal for less than $4.50.

Ingredients:
package of hamburger or kaiser rolls ($1)
1 pound of ground meat ($2)
1 pound of frozen veggies ($1)
1/2 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves or minced garlic
splash of vinegar
1 cup ketchup
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
1. Cook meat, onions and garlic until meat is no longer pink. Drain excess grease.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients (except your veggies). Bring to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 30 -40 minutes. Serve on rolls.
3. Cook veggies about 10 minutes before the sloppy joes will be done.

Job Interview Today

I had an interview today. It went well and I am really hoping to hear back from them next week. This really could be the perfect job for me. :) So, keep your fingers crossed. My family (and myself) could really use this right now.

I'm working on the Frugal Meal Friday post right now. I had it started, but never got it finished. I should have that up soon. I also have a review that I think I will be posting tomorrow. I received baby shampoo and body wash to use and review. Good stuff!

I'm off to finish my post and start getting dinner around. I would also like to get some pizza dough mixed and rising. I want to make some homemade hot pockets to stick in the freezer. Never tried making them before, so it should be an adventure.

Have a wonderful day!

Words of the Week Wednesday 6/17

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

• TweetDeck. I really didn't know how to use Twitter much, so I really didn't like it. Since finding out about TweetDeck, I have been tweeting more because it is so easy. Plus I don't have to keep checking the site all the time. The program is open and when someone twitters a little window pops up letting me know. So, if you would like to do some more twittering, you should really go check it out. It's free and you can download it here.
• As mentioned on Sunday, I was in the local paper again. I just wanted to mention that Jenn from Greene NY was also mentioned in the additional section of the paper. She has a blog called Frugal Upstate. I found this blog sometime last year and have visited it often. She just had her blog redesigned and it looks awesome. Go visit her blog and let her know that Lisette sent ya.
  
• Are you looking for all the best sales and coupon matchups each week? Well, BeCentsAble is the site to go to. Individual bloggers post their matchups weekly for both national and local stores. I am the only blogger on there providing the matchups for Tops, but there are also matchups for Weis, Price Chopper, and Giant, along with national stores like Walmart, Walgreens, Target and more. This is a great way to learn how to shop with coupons.

My Kids are Growing Up

Warning: potty talk

Last Thursday morning, my 1 1/2 year old made the great escape. Yep. He busted out of his crib. Of course, he just had a blast getting into everything!!! lol. We had the door shut so he couldn't get out of the room, so he was safe in the department. I had been working on the room for a few days prior to that (in my spare time. lol) in order to get it more kid friendly. We also had intentions of moving his almost 3 year old sister in with him too.

We already had a toddler bed for him. We bought him a used one from Craig's List that is shaped like a car. Cost us $50! These beds brand new cost around $200. Plus we knew from shopping for a toddler bed for our daughter that a decent one would run about $70, so this was a deal. And it was cool. lol. It has been sitting in our living room for the last two months. lol. So, Friday night we quickly finished up the room, except for the dressers that hubby wanted to put in another room, moved his bed in there and put up a gate, for good measure.

The little man really did great. Had a little fuss, but was asleep within 20 minutes. On Sunday, we moved his sister in with him. We didn't know what to expect with these two in the same room ALL NIGHT! lol. Little Princess was quite excited to be sharing a room with "baby" (that's what she calls him - trying to break her of this. lol). The only problems we have is with the door. Little Princess is used to having a light on in at least the hallway, whereas the Little Man likes it pretty dark except for a night light. So, this has been a challenge. We ended up unscrewing the light from the ceiling lamp so they wouldn't be able to turn it on and off all night. But now, Little Man shuts the door and we can't read a book. I guess I will have to start bringing in a flashlight. LOL. Anyways, they have been doing pretty good and are usually out after about 20 minutes of partying.

Little Princess woke up today and said she wanted to go potty. Now, this is a total turn around for her. I have gotten her to actually go potty maybe three times if that. She is a stubborn little thing. But she sat right down and went. Yippee! So, I decided to keep underwear on her the rest of the day and she did great!! She didn't have a pullup on until she went to bed tonight. No accidents! YEAH! I am so proud of her. I'm hoping this continues tomorrow.

I would love to get her little brother potty trained too. But that's not going to happen right now, especially when the only word he says is mama.

Free Sample Scott Products

Hurry over to Walmart.com for a free sample pack. You get a Scott Extra Soft Double Roll and a 10-ct travel pack of Scott Naturals Flushable Wipes (these would be great to keep in your glove box!).

I was looking around the free samples page at Walmart.com and also found a free trial issue of All You magazine. I haven't gotten this magazine before, but I have heard that it is well worth the subscription because of the coupons that are in them. If you end up liking the magazine Moms by Heart has a link on her site where you can get a 2-yr subscription for $17.95. A regular subscription is usually $23.88 for ONE year!!

You can also get a free sample for Aveeno Nourish hair collection, Tampax, Kotex Overnight (link is in right hand corner at the top), and Sun Crystals (all-natural sweetener with only 5 calories per packet). They also have a coupon for the Sun Crystals on the site.