Budget, Bargains and Goals!

Hot new Printable!

2010-11-17T16:22:00.003-05:00

Through myblogspark.com and PSSST-General Mills they are offering an hot new printable for Hamburger Helper- .35/1...these often go on sale at my store for $1 each and my store doubles, making Hamburger Helper just .30!

ETA: Here's the coupon link :)

As the holidays approach and schedules get hectic, Hamburger Helper skillet meals provide a quick and easy weeknight meal that your whole family, from picky eaters to hungry adults, will enjoy!

But HURRY- the coupon is only good until November 30th and there is only a limited amount of prints available!

Shutterfly is awesome!

2010-11-15T18:48:00.004-05:00

Brown Red Band 5x7 folded card

Unique party invitations and announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

I'm so excited! Shutterfly is offering 5 free cards until Nov 17- I made this one to send to the Grandparents- it's hard living 1700 miles from them, with the girls growing so fast I can't send them pictures fast enough. I do love sendng the fun cards for special days!

Merry Christmas! (or what would you put on your cards?)

2010-10-30T13:03:00.003-04:00

Living on a small budget and far from home, family members love getting cards of my kids for any Holiday. The girls grow so fast- I've been looking at Shutterfly and starting to plan what I want. I've been debating on getting some new pictures or using some from this summer. Some of the designs I like are these-

I think I like more of the more non-traditional styles of cards. I could get a really cute of the 2 girls hugging like this- I'd love it.
I really really like this one- I don't think I've ever received one like this- it's fun and really simple- and you have a lot of versatility with the choice of picture you could include.

These last 2 are definitely worth looking at. Ahh, I couldn't make a decision until I get the for sure picture. But I'm really excited. You can take a look at the full line of this year's collection HERE.

They also have invitations, Hannukah, Story cards (LOVE THEM!), Religious cards, and even Thanksgiving cards. I'm sure you'll find something you love!

Best part Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards- so go take a look, get prepared and order your holiday cards BEFORE the stress of the holidays set upon us- and save big!

PayBox

2010-10-07T12:24:00.000-04:00

Have you guys heard about Paybox? It's a new service similar to Paypal that is just getting started. They are giving a $50 credit to everyone who signs up (as a referral from an existing member) before they launch - seems to good to be true, right? Well, they only want your name and email address to sign up, so it seems pretty low ...risk to me and who couldn't use $50! Here's my link if you want to check it out:

PayBox

AND THE WINNER IS!!!!!!

2010-09-26T17:20:00.002-04:00

Cecile said...: The strawberry sundae sounds yummy!

I went to random.org and they picked this awesome winner! Congrats Cecile! Please contact me with your name and address so I can get the info entered!

(And please forgive my tardiness in posting, I forgot!)

Super quick giveaway!

2010-09-24T21:15:00.002-04:00

So I've been so busy I forgot all about this!

Myblogspark and yoplait sent me this awesome pack- a insulated bag, a picnic blanket and some yoplait splitz. Love the bag and blanket- easy to pack up on the go! Today we threw the blanket on the kitchen floor and the kids had a kid only picnic!

We aren't really yogurt eaters in this house, but it fooled my oldest daughter! She thought it was a sweet treat.

Well it's an awesome day for you too! one lucky reader will get there very own prizepack! Just one chance to enter- tell me what sounds like the best flavor- Strawberry Sundae, Strawberry Banana Split, and Rainbow Sherbet- we had strawberry banana split and can't wait to try another!

I'll pick the winner tomorrow 9/25 at 9:00pm EST- so just under 24 hours! Good Luck!

Kmart Kids Birthday Club

2010-08-18T12:35:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Macey at Moms Essential for this. It's pretty cool.

K-mart Kids birthday-$5!

Make your child’s birthday even more special by joining our exclusive new club! We’ll help you celebrate the big day with a birthday fun pack full of surprise goodies. Visit a Kmart store near you to receive $5.00 Birthday Bucks and a Birthday Certificate and Crown for the birthday boy or girl. The Kmart Birthday Club also features age specific Gift Suggestions, providing you with the hottest toys that match your child’s age and developmental milestones. Helpful Party Planning Tips can be found here, ranging from celebrating the big first birthday party, to creating your guest list and menu planning advice to satisfy every party guest. An Ages & Stages section will help you understand your little one’s developmental needs and suggest the perfect toys to help them on their way.

Check it out at www.kmart.com/birthdayclub to register and take advantage of all the Kmart Birthday Club has to offer!

Back in BUSINESS!

2010-08-18T12:15:00.002-04:00

So things have been pretty crazy for me the last 6 months! But we are in a new home, finally feeling a little settled and I'm back to shopping. In the next post I'll re-introduce my budget and goals and the purpose of this blog,but until then I wanted to make sure if your a local follower you can get your coupons ready for Giant Eagle.

It's back to school time so back to school foods have been on sale... so stock-up. My plan is to try to stock up for as much as the school year of possible. Abby takes her lunch to school. But she's not a PB&J sandwich girl. So it's fun.

Anyway- Apple and Eve 8 pack-juices are on sale for $2 a piece, use .75/1 coupons here and here, they double making the juice boxes .50 a piece. Remember that you can hit the back button/or refresh and get a second print. That's 4 juices per computer. AWESOME!

Second, they have General Mills Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-ups, Stickerz, etc on sale 4 for $10, and when you buy 4 you get $2.50 back, even better they give you and extra .20 off per gallon of gas, that's pure gold :) Even better there are coupons in the 8/8 General Mills Insert or on coupons.com for .50/2, use 2- doubled for $2 savings, pay $8 get $2.50 back and get your fuel perks.

There are a few other good deals, but these are my highlights. I recommend The Giant Eagle Forum at www.hotcouponworld.com

Yoplait Splitz

2010-08-06T09:46:00.005-04:00

I'm excited to try this one!


Now you can drive past your local sweet shop without looking back. Yoplait Splitz is the new yogurt that tastes like a sundae. Providing all of the goodness of 100% real yogurt, Yoplait Splitz is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. With no artificial flavors or sweeteners and no high fructose corn syrup, this 90 calorie dessert is the treat your family craves.

Look for a review and giveaway soon! But for now you can print a .75/1 coupon HERE.

*information, coupon, product sample, and giveaway are all provided by Yoplait through myblogspark.com*

And the winner is...

2010-04-28T15:55:00.003-04:00

Melissa @ Domestic Goddess in Training!

Sorry I forgot to pick my winner yesterday. Congrats Melissa!

WIN AND GIVE! Betty Crocker gives back!

2010-04-23T21:57:00.003-04:00

I've been super busy and life stinks with dial-up internet at the in-laws... so my bargain shopping and blogging is practically non-existant...

However I did commit to this and I believe in this whole heartedly, so I'm pleased to share that Betty Crocker is donating $25 to "One Laptop Per Child" for everyone who enters.

Each day from now through May 30, 2010, one laptop prize will be awarded to a U.S. winner. For every laptop won, one laptop will be donated to an African child through One Laptop per Child, an organization that creates educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. For your chance to win, simply enter the unique online code printed on participating Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snack packages on www.WinOneGiveOne.com.

Betty Crocker and MyBlogSpark sent me a few boxes to test out, they passed with flying colors for my 6 year old. Fruit by the foot was her favoruite. They also are giving me the opportunity to send some boxes to one of my lucky readers.

I'll give you 2 opportunites to be entered...

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite Betty Crocker product. Be sure to leave contact information.

2. Share- either blog or facebook. Be sure to let me know where you shared it.

The entries end Monday April 26th at 7pm MST. I'll pick the winner sometime on Tuesday and contact them. Good Luck!

Also, please check out this powerful footage that conveys the great work One Laptop per child is doing in Africa.

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Bogo 6 in sub at Subway!

2010-01-25T15:24:00.002-05:00

Go here to create your favorite subway sandwich- me, I'm always the same- turkey on wheat w/ provolone, lettuce, tomato, extra pickle, bell pepper and spinach if they have it. I also like them to go light with light mayo and a touch of southwest chipotle sauce, yumm, I'm drooling right now!

Then they'll send you a link to repint your coupon. Ahh, lunch or dinner? Decisions, decisions.

HOT GIANT EAGLE!!!!

2010-01-18T17:46:00.002-05:00

Best part- no coupons needed! Easy peasy... okay, not that easy, but not too difficult. Here's the breakdown.

if your shelf price is $5.03 for the cheese and $3.78 for the hotdogs

buy 5 Kraft Natural Cheese bags (on sale $3.50)
buy 4 Oscar Mayer hot dogs (on sale BOGO)

shelf price $40.27- sale price $24.86

and get back $21 in catalina coupons to use on your NEXT order!

There are 2 promos that overlap right now, first one is buy 5 Kraft cheese and get a $5 cat, then the other one that includes both Kraft cheese and Oscar Mayer hotdogs, it is spend $10 get $4 back, best part is the deal runs off original price and not sale price- and you can do multiple in one order. So the goal is to get as close to the $10 mark- anyway- I'm hitting GE at least 2 more times in the next 2 days. We LOVE cheese and hotdogs!

Walgreen's Deal turned AWESOME!

2010-01-12T23:28:00.003-05:00

So I posted about the deal for the Johnson and Johnson rebate- well my area didn't get the coupons in the paper. Sad- So I only bought 6 items...

But they rang up buy 1 get 1 free! AWESOME! So after price difference ($3.39 Aveeno, $3.99 Lubriderm, $5.79 Clean & Clean) all the coupons ($2 coupon for each item and $2 Wags coupons for lubriderm) I was -0.83 -

I was able to get 2 boxes garbage bags, 2 windshield washer fluid, 3 boxes tissues- and the 6 items for $1.97.

I still need $3.66 to get my rebate, but that should be easy!

Just had to share my excitement!

The Great Gallon Giveaway!

2010-01-11T18:12:00.001-05:00

I got this from Melissa's Bargain Blog!

Visit the Great Gallon Giveaway here and enter to win free milk for a year! Even if you're not an instant winner, you get a coupon for free milk with a purchase. My coupon was for a free half gallon of chocolate milk with the purchase of two gallons of "regular" milk. I regularly buy two gallons of milk a week anyway, so my husband will be excited that he gets some chocolate milk, too.

Other people have reported getting a coupon for a FREE gallon of milk with the purchase of milk or a coupon for a free 1/2 gallon of milk (any) when you buy 2 gallons of milk. These coupons will only be available to the first 125,000 people who register, so register QUICKLY!

Along with this promotion, from March to August, The Milk Mustache Mobile Tour will be giving away thousands of gallons of milk in 20 different cities. Go here for more information and to find out of if the tour will be visiting your city.

(Thanks Bargain Blessings!)

Good deal this week at Walgreens!

2010-01-10T18:56:00.004-05:00

I read this somewhere, but now can't remember the original source to give credit-

At Wags this week you can get 4 Lubriderm Lotions, 2 Clean and Clear Face Wash, 2 Aveeno lotions for FREE- plus a moneymaker after rebate! All of them are on sale buy 1 get 1 50% off this week- and in the paper there are $2 coupons for each (also on coupons.com), and details for the rebate!

2 Aveeno 2.5 oz 2.99 each

2 Clean & Clear 4.79 each

4 Lubriderm 6oz 3.79 each

30.72, qualifies for J&J rebate

- 2 $2 Aveeno MQs

-2 $2 Clean & Clear MQs

-4 $2 Lubriderm MQs

-$4 Lub IVC (In diabetes & you booklet, near the pharmacy)

-1.50 bogo50 Aveeno

-3.79 bogo50 Lubriderm

-2.40 bogo50 Clean & Clear

pay 3.03, submit for $10 rebate

My plan is to do the Pepsi deal first (my husband drinks Mtn Dew like crazy! Spend $20 get $10RR back) and then use the $10 RR to buy this stuff and some ice melt!

Another free way to earn Amazon Giftcards- or Target, Walmart, etc!

2010-01-10T14:24:00.003-05:00

I just found out about this new cool site called SuperPoints! They have this awesome referral program- I joined the refer-a-friend challenge and told them I thought I could get 10 friends and each of my 10 friends could get 1 friend- if this is done in 7 days then I earn enough points that wins me $50 gift certificate- cool- all this for signing up!

They also have a Superlucky button where you can win points... you can get up to 100 clicks a day (they start you with 30 and you get 10 more per friend referral). I've already won 6 points from that.

They also have a search engine. This one I haven't figured out- it seems you can win 50 points per win, but the winnings are far and few between.

They even have shop and earn, surveys, and the option to complete offers for points!

Help me by signing up! Or you could sign up with one of my friends to help me... Maleeta, Karen, Kayla, Jess, Courtney, Kristi or Harmonie. (if you want your link posted here let me know!)

Do you have any questions? Let me know what you challenged yourself to do!

$1 General Mills Cereal printable coupon!

2009-12-10T21:52:00.002-05:00

WOW-major deal slacker...

But to welcome me back into the world of posting deals My Blog Spark and General Mills just sent me a new printable coupon to share with my readers! Go here to print a coupon good for $1.00/1 General Mills Trix Cereal, Cocoa Puffs Cereal, Lucky Charms Cereal or Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal!

Lucky Charms happens to be a favorite cereal in this household- I always felt bad about my daughter eating 'sugar cereal' thinking that I was starting her off on the wrong foot! Well no worries now, I have some good news!

We´re excited to share some great news for cereal lovers. This week General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.

Did you know that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children´s diets.

Other cereal benefits:

Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.

Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.

More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness .

I'm definitely excited to try this new cereal and get rid of my mommy guilt!

Taggie Blocks

2009-11-22T15:32:00.001-05:00

What a cute gift idea!

2009-11-22T14:29:00.004-05:00

Thanks Golden for showing me a great way to use this coupon and to the BBC girls for the treat idea! Think teachers, neighbors, etc...

Homemade Hot Chocolate

2 cups dry milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered cocoa (UNsweetened)
1/2 cup powdered coffee cream (like coffee mate)**

mix all together and store in air tight container. To enjoy mix 1/4cup cocoa mix with 8oz hot water, add marshmallows if desired

**Too make flavored hot chocolate use the flavored coffee mate! This is the time of year that holiday flavors are out, peppermint and gingerbread. But the other flavors out there work great too (my mom loved the hazelnut and vanilla caramel!) They have a creamy chocolate one that I used to make just chocolate hot chocolate.

this is what someone added (not me, I haven't tried this yet!)

I made a couple big huge batches (I want to say you can get like 5 batches from a thing of coffee mate, maybe more) and put in container with screw on lids from the dollar store. I typed up the directions on how to mix and tied to the jars with a ribbon. I also made some singe serve ones in those plasticy bags (the treat type bags for cookies and such), just dumped the 1/4cup mix in and added a handful of mini marshmallows and closed it up, added directions to add the whole bag to 8oz hot water and they looked cute! I saved some for me and it tastes great!

For the bargain now... Coffeemate creamer is BOGO ($2.49) at Walgreens this week. Print a $1 coupon here and use to to get them both for $0.49. YMMV on using the coupon on the free creamer, but I have never had a problem using one!

*Don't forget to hit the back button and refresh to get a second print of the coupon!

Giant Eagle

2009-11-21T21:41:00.002-05:00

Just looking ahead-

Here are some deals I plan on doing (You can check out all good deals on this new blog I found- Saving in Akron)

Carnation Evaporated Milk $10/10
Use $.50/1 - 9/27 SS or 11/1 RP
Final Price (after doubling): FREE

Hefty Foam Trays, Plates, Bowls or Bathroom Cups $3/2
Use $.75/1 Hefty Plates or Bowls - 11/15 RP
Final Price: FREE

Also our Turkeys are .40 lb, I have a $2 coupon and a $3 MIR- I just don't have room in my freezer for a Turkey. Need to make some room!!!!

Budget Update

2009-11-21T20:13:00.003-05:00

This week (or so) shopping!
So pretty much Walgreens is the most difficult and frustrating place for me to shop! If it wasn't for their awesome moneymakers and Natalie (beauty adviser at my fav Wags) I might never shop there. Anyway... I started outwith an $8RR from buying Neosporin last week. I miscalculated the math and had to throw in the Dr. Pepper(but I LOVE Dr. Pepper) at the last minute- I was expecting an $8RR from buying the lubriderm, but I didn't get one because apparently the $8RR from the Neo and Lubriderm are the SAME promotion! That's what I get for not doing my homework.

OOP $0 (paid on a Wags GC)

TARGET NOW PRICE MATCHES! Did you know that? Well it's awesome because Target has great store coupons that work well with other store prices. Just bring the advertisement in from the current sale- and take it to CS and they'll honor the price.

Toys R Us was having a DOORBUSTER sale and these little toys were on sale for $10.49- Target has a $10 coupon in the Toy book, making these bad boys .49 each- Now here's the disclaimer- that day Target changed their Price match policy to not include doorbuster events. Which makes sense- so some people were able to do this and others not. If you go to PM, make sure it's a regular ad!

OOP $0 (paid on a GC from the Glade deal)

Now groceries are not part of my budget, but I like to share my good deals! At Giant Eagle I got the broths for FREE (sale was 20 for $15, with an instant $5 off, and I had 10 $1/2 coupons to make them FREE) and the mayo and lipton's were just good deals- I think about $7. I did manage to score the Ester C (which would be part of my budget) they were on BOGO sale, but at Giant Eagle they just ring up 1/2 price- there were $5 coupons in an insert, which they adjusted down to $4.49, and I paid tax only- but I used a GC from a cat not printing!

OOP $0

CVS and Rite Aid-

CVS sales haven't been fabulous lately, but I LOVED this Free+MM+Overage deal this week. I got some much needed soda for my DH with my overage- (not pictured 1 Sense&Spray, 1 Lasting Impressions, 5 12-packs soda). Plus I'm so excited to send in my Glade rebates- I've been buying so much I decided to send some off for each of my siblings and parents- really who couldn't use free $$$.

I'm super excited about Rite Aid right now!!! First of all they have these amazing coupons from watching some videos. The best one of course is the $5/$20- but they also have lots of other great ones. I went to the store (silly me Saturday night, of course no stock) for paper towels and toilet paper. So I got some rainchecks for the $5.99 toilet paper, so hopefully the stock comes back in soon. Well I did find one thing of paper towels. I also bought a monitor which are on price cut for $29.99 (use up to $30 coupon to get it FREE), the $5.99 PT- and paid $1.45 for the paper towels, now I have a Rite Aid Gift Card somewhere, but I couldn't find it, so it came out of the budget.

Anyway what I am most excited about is next week's sales and the Gift of Savings...MM on diapers, MM on Benevia, more monitors and BIG bucks towards my GOS.

We also at lunch at Sam's Club today- 3 Hot Dog combos, 1 Hot dog- $6.25

Budget Tracker: $7.70 spent, $70.68 remaining

Goldfish printable .75/1

2009-11-17T16:51:00.001-05:00

Hurry here- these never last long! (don't forget to hit refresh and get a second copy!)

Out for dessert!

2009-11-15T14:38:00.002-05:00

So I'm super proud of our family! It's already the middle of the month and we have eaten dinner at home every night!

Last night we decided to go celebrate and went out for dessert!

We decided to go get some $1 hot fudge Sundaes from McDonalds- $1 a piece, no tax for eat out-

Budget Tracker: $3 spent, $78.38 remaining

Free Ornament

2009-11-15T14:34:00.004-05:00

I've read this from various sites today- so I'm not sure who to credit! ( I guess slickdeals.net)

Anyway- have you ordered your FREE Christmas cards yet? If not don't forget to add a free ornament-

FREE ORNAMENT

Straight from SD!!

Order a free red or white photo ornament, add picture and add the year - free shipping included use promo code: mallornament - Expires 3/31/2010

Red: http://www.seehere.com/proProduct...Id=12 267

White: http://www.seehere.com/proProduct...Id=12 266

If you've already ordered your cards just go place another order! And I guess the site is very very busy right now, so maybe hold off just a little bit!

It's not too early to think about Christmas!

2009-11-13T16:03:00.004-05:00

We pulled out our tree super early this year,... like last week. Sadly our lights weren't working, so I've been checking out new lights while I've been out. Last night I stumbled upon an ad for Home Depot- recycle light program. Bring in any old lights and receive a coupon for $3 off (per new light set, limit 5) new LED lights.

So we took our non-functioning ones in and received our coupon. The 50 ct lights were $5.97- we bought 5 sets. Ernie is putting them on the tree right now!

Hurry, only valid until Nov. 15, 2009!

Budget Tracker: $16 spent, $81.38 remaining

Holiday Freebie!

2009-11-13T10:55:00.004-05:00

Thanks goes to my cousin Janelle- who found this freebie on Freebies 4 Mom!

You can order 50 free 4x8 or 5x7 photo cards including free shipping using the coupon code freebies4mom-1109 (type in that code) at SeeHere by Fujifilm. There is no catch, this truly is a freebie and I'm able to bring it exclusively to my Freebies 4 Mom readers thanks to SeeHere. I ordered my 50 free 5x7 photo cards and my order total of $39.50 was slashed to $0.00 with that coupon code. This coupon code expires on November 30 so you have plenty of time to design your free photo cards.

I'm going to try get a new good picture and do this- it may be the second or third time I've sent Christmas cards!

I'm a winner!

2009-11-13T00:34:00.002-05:00

Hi Misty,

Congrats, you were the lucky girl chosen to win the prize from Progresso! Send me your address and I'll make sure it gets sent your way. Thanks for being a fan of Our Best Bites!

-Sara

WOWSER! It's my lucky day- I feel like I've won a million bucks, but really just a prize pack! I recently found this AWESOME cooking blog- www.ourbestbites.com they really inspire me to cook different foods and they aren't difficult recipes- I think by far our favorite is the Spicy Honey Chicken

Taggie Blankets

2009-11-12T23:48:00.006-05:00

I'm often asked the question- "what is a taggie blanket?" Well simple- it's a toy. It's a 12x12 very soft and fun sensory toy for babies. But they become much more than that. These often become favorite Loveys because they are so soft- yet they are portable to take with you wherever you go.

When Grace sleeps she likes to have her face covered- I thought this was the perfect solution, small and soft. She loves to play with them and we always have a few handy!

Here are my available fabrics at this time. I'm always willing to go out and look for specific colors or prints- or if you have a favorite sports team you like we could track down that material. These are not the only options- the ideas are limitless- 2 sides soft and fuzzy- 2 solids, 2 prints- but these are what I have matched and am ready to make as you place your order- Price is $8 for a 12x12 which has 4 tags per side, or $5 for a 9x9 which has 3 tags per side. Plus S&H. Discount on multiple orders.

These make great gifts! And don't forget to pick up an extra, just in case!

All orders completed in my pet free, smoke free home.

Punk Rock

Brown Teddy Bears

Blue/green dots

Pink dots

Zebra Print

Black and Pink

Bright Flowers

Red Cowboy Teddy

Green flowers

Please email me at abbysmomma@hotmail.com

I did a little shopping today!

2009-11-10T19:25:00.002-05:00

Lots of shopping= one busy momma!

3 Neosporins, 2 Baking Soda, 4 puddings, 1 spice, 1 jiffy muffin mix, $10 gc

Wags total $1.95 (used $17.50 in cats)

4 Clorox wipes, 4 Snuggle fabric softener/sheets, 2 phisoderm facewash, 2 cat treats, 1 potato pouch

Giant Eagle total $0 (used $6 OYNO, and GC)

10 glade candles, 10 refills, 6 Happy Baby products, 2 Up & Up wipes, 1 walker push toy (Christmas present for Grace) UP! and Monsters, Inc.

Target #1 total $6.57 (used $35.56 in gift cards earned from previous Glade/gift card coupons) earned $5 GC

2 glade candle tins, 3 glade refills, 2 happy baby puffs, 4 travel sized wipes
refund of missed coupon $10
Target #2 total $0 (used $2.76 on GC) earned $5 giftcard

My current count of Glade... actually add 5 more from my second trip to target! I'm loving this deal!

Budget Tracker: $12.62 spent, $87.38 remaining + $10 refund= $97.38

We've been doing a really good job focusing on doing dinners at home and watching our spending. We are going on a little trip during Thanksgiving break and want to save as much money as we can for that!

UP! and Monsters Inc

2009-11-10T13:44:00.002-05:00

EVEN SWEETER!

At my Target in Cleveland- MI rang up as $16.99 and Up rang up $19.99!!!

After the 3 coupons I paid $8.98 for the 2 movies and I'll be able to submit for at least $10 in rebates!

OK- so I looked at my receipt and they forgot my $10 Target coupon, now I have to go back and use it! So don't forget to check your receipts!

Best Deal on UP!

2009-11-10T09:46:00.003-05:00

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!- Melissa! She always finds the best deals, I was just on my way out the door to Target and saw this! I also have a coupon to get a $5 giftcard when you spend $50- I'll be picking up Grace's toy today too!
I have been hoping for a $10 printable coupon for Up and it was finally released early this morning! You can go here to print it.

In my opinion, the best deal on Up is at Target. Before you go, you'll need to print the $10 Up coupon here, the $8 Monster's Inc coupon here, and the $10 off Monster's Inc and Up Target coupon here (go to page 3). You will also need the Best Buy ad.

Both movies are priced at $26.99 this week at Target. Here's how this deal will work:

1. Buy both movies - $26.99/each

2. Use the $10 Up printable, the $8 Monster's Inc printable and the $10 off Target printable.

3. Your total OOP is $25.98.

4. Go to Customer Service and price match to the $23.99 Best Buy price. This will deduct an additional $3. Total OOP for both movies = $22.98! (or $11.49 per movie!)

While you're at Target, be sure to check out the other hot deals this week (especially toy deals) here and here.

The next best deal (in my opinion) is Toys R Us. Again, you will need to print the $10 Up coupon here and the $8 Monster's Inc coupon here. There is a promotion this week where you get a $5 TRU gift card when you buy Monster's Inc. There is also a promotion where you get a $10 TRU gift card when you spend $40 on Disney movies. You also get a free Dug the Dog plush when you buy Up on Blu Ray.

Here's how this deal works:

1. Buy Monster's Inc - priced at $34.99 online, buy Up - priced at $24.99 in ad, and buy Dug the Dog plush - free with Up purchase

2. Use the $10 Up printable coupon and the $8 Monster's Inc printable coupon

3. Pay $41.98 OOP, get a $5 TRU gift card and a $10 TRU gift card

You can make this deal even "sweeter" by combining it with these deals here:

1. Buy 7 "preschool" games priced at $3.99/each (the full listing of participating games is in this post here) - buy one of each title so that you can get a rebate on each one

Buy Disney's Up - $24.99

Buy Monster's Inc - $34.99 (based on online price - it may be less in store)

Buy Dug the plush dog - $6.99

Your total before coupons = $94.90

2. Use $10 Up printable coupon, use $8 Monster's Inc printable coupon, Dug the plush dog will be free for buying the two movies together, use the in ad coupon for a free $10 gift card with your purchase of $75 or more (this coupon does NOT specify it has to be after coupons & discounts)

Your total after coupons will be $69.91. You should get back $35 in TRU gift cards ($10 for spend $40 on Disney movies, $5 for buying Monster's Inc, $10 for spending $25 on Hasbro games and $10 for your purchase of $75 or more). Submit for the Hasbro rebate here and you will get an additional $14 back. So, your total after everything is $55.91 and you have $35 in TRU gift cards left to spend!

You can find additional scenarios for this promotion in this post here.

If you don't feel like dealing with the crowds, Amazon also has a few good promotions.

1. Up is priced at $19.99 on Amazon. Add it to your cart here.

2. There is a promotion where you get $10 off a second Blu-Ray disc from this list here:
Disney's Blu Ray $10 off promotion

The least expensive titles are Pinocchio, which is priced at $18.99, Cars, which is priced at $19.49, or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is priced at $19.99.

3. Enter the code DISNEYBD at check-out.

Your total out of pocket is $28.98 if Pinnochio is your second movie, $29.48 if Cars is your second movie, or $29.98 if Snow White is your second movie.

Don't forget to use gift cards you've earned from Swagbucks to make your out of pocket even less!

You get free super saver shipping, too!

Here are a few rebates which also match up with these deals:

*Bird's Eye Voila rebate here - Get $5 back when you purchase Up and 2 participating Bird's Eye Voila products (there is also a $1 printable coupon for the Bird's Eye Voila!)

*Kernel Season's rebate here - get $5 back for purchasing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, Santa Buddies, or Up and 2 participating Kernel Seasons products

*Ronzoni rebate here - get $4 back for purchasing up and one participating Ronzoni product

Moneymaker at CVS

2009-11-09T20:50:00.002-05:00

I haven't seen very many good CVS deals lately- but thanks to WICKED COOL DEALS- I found one!

I wanted to give you a heads up on a fantastic deal starting Sunday, November 15 at CVS so that you can gather up your coupons. Glade Sense & Spray Starter Kits and Glade Lasting Impressions Starter Kits will be on sale for $6 each (reg. price is $9.99), plus when you spend $12 on Glade products you will receive $4 in ExtraCare Bucks (limit 1). So here is how you can get these two products FREE plus earn $4 in ExtraCare Bucks!

Buy 1 Glade Sense & Spray Starter Kit, $6.00
Use $3.00/1 Sense & Spray Starter Kit CVS store coupon here PLUS
$4.00/1 Glade Sense & Spray Starter Kit coupon from 10/18 SmartSource insert or
$4.00/1 Glade Sense & Spray Starter Kit coupon from October Family Circle or
$4.00/1 Glade Sense & Spray Starter Kit coupon from Nov/Dec Fitness Magazine
Final Price: FREE with $1 overage

Buy 1 Glade Lasting Impressions Starter Kit, $6
Use $3.00/1 Glade Lasting Impressions Alternating Fragrance Starter Kit CVS store coupon here PLUS
$3.00/1 any Glade Lasting Impressions from 11/1 SmartSource
Final Price: FREE

Spend $0 out of pocket (with $1 overage), and earn $4 in ECBs! CVS allows you to stack a CVS store coupon with a manufacturer's coupon for the same product.

Lots of Giveaways!

2009-11-09T20:11:00.004-05:00

There are lots of great things to win out there in blogland...

right now Melissa (who won my blog giveaway) is offering a $35 JiffyLube gift card and there is a $5 coupon on her blog too- that's a FREE oil change! Go HERE for your chance to enter and win!

Audra, from Rediscovering Domesticity, is giving away 3 Berenstein Bears Books- I loved these as a kid! They are entertaining and teach lessons all at the same time. There are a few days to enter and you can enter daily!

Thanks ladies for the great giveaways!

Walgreens week 11/8-11/14

2009-11-08T23:55:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Melissa's Bargain Blog for these match-ups!

This is the coupon match-ups for the week. You can find the scenarios for the week here.

There is a $5/25 purchase coupon in this ad. Keep in mind that your purchase must total $25 AFTER all coupons and discounts.

Here are the weekly RR deals:

FREEBIES:

Buy a Bayer Contour or Breeze2 Blood Glucose Meter - $14.99, get a $5 RR
*There is a mail in rebate for this, but you will NOT get the rebate if you use coupons (including RR) to pay
$30/1 Breeze 2 or Contour meter from Bayer - 10-25 RP insert or 2-1 RP insert

OTHER RR DEALS:

*Colgate Total Advanced or Enamel toothpaste or 360 Deep Clean or ActiFlex toothbrush - $3.49, get a $1 RR - it's like paying $1.49 after coupons and RR!
$1/1 Colgate Total Enamel Strength printable and $1/1 Colga ActiFlex toothbrush printable here
.75/1 Colgate 360 toothbrush - 10-25 SS

*Buy EPT, Monistat, or KY - $11.99, get a $2 RR
$4/1 Monistat - 1-4 RP2
$2/1 Monsitat printable here
$3/1 Monistat or EPT - 6-28 SS or 8-23 RP
$2/1 KY brand product - 5-10 RP

*Buy Gillette razor cartridges, get $3 in RR (4 or 8 ct cartridges)
$3/1 Gillette Fusion cartridges (6 ct or larger) - 11-1 PG insert
8 ct is priced at $25.99/each, 4 ct is priced at $14.49/each

*Buy Hershey's Holiday candy (kisses, bells, or minis) - 2/$5, get a $1 RR (this is a monthly deal)
$1/1 Hershey's kisses - 9-13 SS

*Buy Hershey's Pot of Gold - 2/$9, get a $3 RR (this is a monthly deal)

*Buy Kotex (18 pk tampons, 14-24 ct maxi pads or 48-64 ct pantiliners) - 2/$6, get a $1 RR
$1.50/2 Kotex liners - 10-4 SS
$2/2 Kotex pads - 10-4 SS
$1.50/2 Kotex tampons - 10-4 SS
$1/1 Kotex printable here

*Spend $20 on participating products, get a $10 RR: Benadryl or Tylenol - $4.99/each, Zyrtec - $18.99/each, Sudafed PE or DM - $5.99/each
$1/1 Benadryl - 8-23 RP
$1/1 Tylenol - 9-13 RP
$3/1 Zyrtec printable here
$4/1 Zyrtec - 9-13 RP or 10-11 RP
$1/1 Sudafed printable here
$2/1 Sudafed PE - 10-4 SS

*Buy Prilosec OTC - $18.99, get a $5 RR
$3/1 Prilosec OTC - 11-1 PG, 10-11 PG

*Buy Softsoap body wash, Irish Spring body wash, or 8 pk bar soap - $3.99, get a $1 RR

*Buy Vicks (NyQuil or DayQuil liquid 10 oz or 20 ct, Formula 44 - 6 oz) - 2/$12, get a $5 RR (this is a monthly deal, good through 12/26)
$1/1 Vicks Formula 44 - 10-11 PG
$1.50/1 Vicks NyQuil or DayQuil - 11-1 PG insert
$1/1 Vicks NyQuil or DayQuil - 10-11 PG insert

*Zicam - $9.99, get a $3 RR
$1/1 Zicam - 10-25 SS

BOGO free deals:
*Cheez-It (7.5-9 oz) or Keebler cookies/crackers (11.5 or 16 oz)
$1.50/2 Cheez-it - 10-4 SS
$1.50/2 Keebler cookies printable here
$1/2 Keebler Fudge Shoppe printable at snackpicks.com (must register)
$1/2 Keebler Club crackers at snackpicks.com

*Clearasil products - some items should be free or close to free when you use 2 $2 coupons!
$2/1 Clearasil - 9-27 SS
$2/1 printable here

*CoverGirl lip color
$1/1 GoverGirl - 11-1 PG & 10-11 PG
$2.50/2 - 11-1 PG

*Gift tags or bows (.99/each)

*Nature Made Heart Health supplements

*Rimmel foundation, concealer, powder, blush, or eye
$1/1 Rimmel product - 9-13 RP
$2/1 Rimmel product - November All You Magazine

*Select holiday gift wrap

*Theragran-M multivitamins

*Walgreens 80 or 100 ct pain reliever (ibuprofen, all day pain, headache, or migraine relief)
*Walgreens bandages and other First Aid items
*Walgreens Calcium supplements

*Wet 'N Wild cosmetics

Cheap filler items:
*Baking supplies (Deerfield Farms baking soda, Morton iodized salt, Clabber Girl baking powder, or corn starch) - 2/$1 (w/ in ad coupon)
*Christmas gift sacks or tumblers - 8/$1 (w/ in ad coupon)
*Encore gourmet spices - 2/$1 (w/ in ad coupon)
*Hallmark white tissue paper - $.39 w/ in ad coupon
*Hershey's candy - .49 (w/ in ad coupon)
*Jell-O - 2/$1 (w/ in ad coupon)
.50/2 printable here
*Jiffy muffin mix or corn muffin mix - 2/$1 (w/ in ad coupon)
*Palmer or Willa Wonka Christmas candy - .39 (w/ in ad coupon)
*Royal instant pudding - 4/$1 (w/ in ad coupon)
*Russell Stover Christmas candy - .39/each (w/in ad coupon)
*Xcel solid air freshener - .39 (w/in ad coupon)

MONTHLY RR DEALS: (11/1-11/28) - there are many other monthly deals, these are just the highlights

Almay: Buy 1 or more Pure Blends eye shadow, mascara, or lip gloss, get a $5 RR

Almay Pure Blends Foundation is $9.99, get a $10 RR

Lubriderm is also a monthly deal - buy 6 oz Lubriderm (priced at $3.79-$4.29), get a $2 RR when you buy 2 or an $8 RR when you buy 3

There is a $2/1 Lubriderm coupon in the 10-11 RP
There is a $2/1 printable here
There is a $1 Lubriderm coupon in the Diabetes & You booklet

SCENARIO:
Buy 3 Lubriderm - $3.79/each

Use 3 $2 printables
Use $1 Diabetes & You coupon book coupon (should take off $3)

Spend $2.37 OOP, get an $8 RR

Dulcolax is a monthly deal - Spend $7, get a $4 RR

There is a $2 printable coupon here and some bottles also have $3 hang tags
There is a $5 MIR here

SCENARIO:
Buy Dulcolax - $7

Use $3 hang tag coupon

Spend $4 OOP, get a $4 RR (send in for the MIR and it's a $1 moneymaker!)

Robitussin To Go is $2.49, get a $2.50 RR!

Walgreens has some additional Bonus coupons they've released here! As you may know, these are Walgreens coupons and can be combined with manufacturer coupons for additional savings! Here's a deal scenario:

SCENARIO:

Buy 3 Neosporin Original First Aid Antibiotic Ointment 1 oz $6.99
Total for all three is $20.97
Use 3 $1/1 Manufacturer coupon from here: IE or Firefox
Use the $3/1 Walgreens Bonus coupon (will deduct $9)
Plus, use the $2/1 Coloring book coupon (will deduct $6)
Pay $2.97
Get back an $8 Register Reward
Final cost 3 for FREE + a $5 moneymaker!
**Make sure to hand over the manufacturer coupon first and everything should go through without any beeps.

Giant Eagle- ends 11/11

2009-11-08T23:07:00.002-05:00

Here is the deals I'm going to go get this week- if you want to check them all out HCW has an awesome Giant Eagle forum!

Phisoderm GDA (jen276here)
Total: $.44/1
Sale: BOGO (reg price $4.89/1) = $2.44/1
MQ: $2.00/1 Peelie
CAT: n/a
Math: $2.44 - $2.00 = $.44/1
(Prices may vary slightly from area to area)

Clorox Wipes or Cleaner GDA (jen276here)
Total: 4/$3.00
Sale: 4/$10.00 or $2.50 each
MFQ: $.50/1 10/4/09RP
CAT: $3.00 OYNO (must buy 4 items to qualify)
Math: $10.00 – (4) $.50/1dbld = $6.00 - $3.00 OYNO = $3.00/4 or $.75/each

Snuggle GDA (jen276here)
Total $.49/1
Sale: $3.49
MQ $3.00 10/04/09 RP

they also have great deals on I can't believe it's not butter, Hungry Jack Pancake Syrup, crescent rolls but I don't 'need' these and I don't have the coupons to make them awesome!

2009-11-08T21:52:00.001-05:00

My Goals from last week!

1. Clean and declutter office and craft area! Sort through craft material and make room workable! DONE! See pictures below

2. Make dinner every night- an actual dinner. Freeze 1 meal. DONE! I even froze 1 meal!

3. Clean Grace's room and clear out baby stuff she has outgrown. I cleaned Grace's room but did not organize and clear out her old stuff- will be on next week's list.

4. Pack up Halloween stuff, good enough to survive a move. Well all the stuff is down, but NOT put away nicely-will be on next week's list

5. Take pictures of fabric and get my stuff together to prepare to sell crafts. I took pictures but then bought some new fabrics, I will also continuing working on this!

Here is my freezer meals- this is actually 2 meals of Chicken pot pie, but we already ate one!

Remember the mess?

I've been busy!

Goals for this week:

1. Organize coupons. See the mess is still above?

2. Take pictures of fabric and post- also I need to finish the Taggie blanket's on my list and of course Melissa's binder. I also want to make me a new one!

3. Make dinner every night. Freeze 1 meal- I need to make a menu and use the items I have in the house. We have too much food and not an inch of space in either of our freezers! So far on my list- Biscuits and Gravy, steak sandwiches, faux rotisserie chicken, and then chicken enchiladas with the leftovers-I'm so not good with menu's. Anyone have a fabulous PORK recipe?

4. Clean house and have it clean before I go to bed.

5. Grace's room and Halloween box!

Between the cleaning and the sewing I have a super busy week! Next week I'll do another organizing project-think closets, basement, etc!

And the winner is...

2009-11-07T09:18:00.003-05:00

Melissa, from Melissa's Bargain Blog.

this is her winning entry- "I blogged about your giveaway here: http://melziemomsbargains.blogspot.com/2009/11/great-giveaway-coupon-binder-bag.html"- she later said she liked polka dots with brown.

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max:82

Result: 34

Are you completely disappointed you didn't win and want to know how to get one for yourself? Just email me: abbysmomma@hotmail.com. I'm offering them for sale- the cost will be $15 plus the cost of your choice fabric, if you need a binder I'll send one for an added $3.75 and if you get a binder I'll include 10 starter baseball card holders for free.

I shop at JoAnn's, Walmart and fabric.com for fabrics. The best fabric for the binder is home decorating fabric and you will need 1 yard total in 2 fabrics. email me and I'll help you find one you like. The polka dot or plaid/brown combo would be about $4.50 for fabric.

I accept paypal only.

24 hours!

2009-11-06T08:47:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder you have about 24 hours to win enter to win this cute bag!

Read all the details and enter HERE!

Budget Update

2009-11-05T21:04:00.003-05:00

Wags trip:

2 Kashi cereal (used $3 & $1.50 Q's from Vocalpoint home mailer)
4 Glade Candles (used $3.50 IP, no longer available)
2 Charmin TP (used 1- .25 Q from 11/1 PG)
4 small Halloween fillers .12 each
eta: 1 Thermos funtainer (not pictured) clearanced $4.74

4 transactions- spent $4.10 OOP, spent $13 in RR, got $4 back- but we are running low on toilet paper and my older daughter needed a new thermos for lunch... and I will submit 3 glade receipts, plus I have 1 more for the $5 SC Johnson rebate found here.

Budget Tracker: $4.10 spent, $95.90 remaining

How to use coupons at Walgreens:

Now I think the general consensus is that Walgreens is one of the trickiest places to try to coupons. For each coupon you use, including RR's you need to have an item to match it with, hence the cheap fillers. Most of the time you the store coupons that Walgreens has do not need an item to match with, but everyonce in awhile they will. Also when a coupon exceeds the value of a product the register will not accept it, however if you have multiple items the register will accept the coupon. Example- Kashi cereal is on sale for $2.50, I would not be able to use $3 alone, so in buying 2 items value of $5, I can use the $4.50 in coupons. The exception is when the price goes under the value of a coupon by a Walgreens coupon. Example- Oatmeal is priced $1.99- there is a $1 IP, and an in ad coupon making the oatmeal .99. You can use both coupons as long as you give the manufacture coupon first. If the sale price was .99 you would not be able to use a $1 coupon. It gets really confusing, if you don't understand, please just ask.

The thing I love about Walgreens is that they have GREAT store coupons and sales and you can get lots of things for FREE! The thing I don't like is tax is charged on pre-coupon price- which equals most of my OOP.

Lilaguide (FREE $5 Target Giftcard!)

2009-11-03T20:17:00.003-05:00

Deal spotted...

GET A FREE $5
TARGET GIFT CARD!

LilaGuide.com features real parent reviews of the best hot spots, services, shops and events in your area as well as online parenting groups that hook up thousands of moms in each city. And if you like TheBump.com, TheKnot.com, or WeddingChannel.com, those are all our sister websites!

I did this the last go around and it was an easy free $5- it takes about 15 minutes to review 20 local kid related things! They will email you a confirmation!

Wags (AKA Walgreens) deals this week!

2009-11-03T13:42:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Jane at BBC for this-

Buy 3 6oz FRAGRANCE FREE Lubriderm at $3.79-$3.99 each and get an $8RR back.

Coupons:
$2 off any Lubriderm from 10/11 RP
$2 Printable [lubriderm.com] (hit the back button to get a second print)
$1 Lubriderm in Wags Diabetes & You booklet (found in the front of the store)

3 -3.99 lotions= 11.97

-$6 lubriderm coupons,- $3 Wags coupons- pay $2.97 get $8RR back

Works out to be about a $5 MM after coupons

Other deals I saw-

*Glade 4oz soy candle $3.99 get $1RR back-use $3.50/1 printable (no longer in the database) and it's a $.49 moneymaker!

*Kashi Go Lean cereal $2.50- use $3/1 or $1.50/1 that Vocalpoint mailed for free/cheap yummy cereal!

*Sambucol is $9.99, get back $5RR- there are no coupons but a great way to use up some RR's- this stuff keeps us healthy!

For more ideas and details go to Melissa's blog (She does an awesome job for beginners!)

I have lots of $2.50 RR's from previous deals to use!

Target Toy Coupons!

2009-11-03T12:59:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Melissa's Bargain Blog for the coupon match-ups! She also has some great weekly match-up's!

HOT TOY COUPONS! There are some great printable Target toy coupons here. There are also some great manufacturer's coupons (and likely some great sales to come) which will match up with these deals to make things even sweeter!

Here are a few deals I see already:

*Wii Games are on sale buy 2, get one free this week. Prices start at $14.99 and there are several "premium" titles on sale for $49.99. There is a $10/2 Target Wii games coupon here.

So, if you buy 3 premium titles, you pay $89.99 for all three or $29.99/each. If you buy three of the $14.99 titles, you pay $19.98 for 3 games!

The trick here is to find three games that are similar in price because the lowest priced one will be free!

*Connect 4X4 is on sale this week for $14.99. There is a $5/1 printable coupon here and a $5/1 Target coupon here (this is for the Sponge Bob version so this will only work if that is part of the sale). Final cost for the game after coupons is $4.99! If your store is out of these games this week because of the sale, don't forget to ask for a rain check! (**There are also free Domino's pizza coupons inside specially marked boxes!!)

Clue Secrets & Spies, Pictureka Flipper, and Guesstures are $23.99 regularly. Use the $5/1 Target coupon here and the $5/1 printable coupon here and get them for $13.99 (or wait for a sale and get them for even less!)

*The Leap Frog Tag reading system is $39.99. Use the $10 manufacturer's coupon here and the $10 Target coupon here and get it for $19.99!

*Leap Frog Tag Jr. is currently priced at $28.99. Use the $5 Target coupon here and the $5 manufacturer's here and get it for $18.99!

*Leap Frog Alphabet Pal is priced at $19.99. Use the $10 coupon here and get it for $9.99. Ours has been through two kids now and both have LOVED it.

*LeapFrog My Puppy Pal is $14.99. Use the $5 Target coupon here and get it for $9.99!

Look at how productive I am!

2009-11-02T12:57:00.001-05:00

So already today I've straightened Grace's room and put all her laundry away. Right now I'm cleaning the Office/craft area and found this cute picture! Just wanted to share! It's me and my husband dating during my second year of college- cute!

Budget Monday

2009-11-02T10:58:00.002-05:00

It's the beginning of a month and so I'll be starting my new monthly budget. My husband is a student and our income consists of student loans- not ideal, but we live with it. Now I do pretty good watching our spending, but the two areas I struggle with the most is eating out and the "extras" meaning anything but food! So I set our budget at $100 every 4 weeks, which includes eating out, diapers, wipes, any OOP (out of pocket) for my bargain runs, and anything else that doesn't fall within our food budget that we need.

Now my craft projects are not included- I'm working on a new plan for those as I've been buying a lot and selling them. Also clothes and shoes are not included.

Also my husband and I are given $10 a week for fun money- which we can spend on anything. And we set aside $20 a month for Abby so that she has some money if needed.

So I set this budget a few months ago and I've only stayed within my limits 1 time! So I'm going to try and try and be a very good example to everyone!

I'll be posting my updates every Monday!

Goal setting Sunday!

2009-11-01T21:03:00.003-05:00

So I thought if I sat down one night of the week and made weekly goals it could help me focus on what I want to do this week when I have a free moment!

1. Clean and declutter office and craft area! Sort through craft material and make room workable!

2. Make dinner every night- an actual dinner. Freeze 1 meal.

3. Clean Grace's room and clear out baby stuff she has outgrown.

4. Pack up Halloween stuff, good enough to survive a move.

5. Take pictures of fabric and get my stuff together to prepare to sell crafts.

That should keep me busy this week. I have tons of house projects/cleaning I want to do!

The Motivation: Office Area BEFORE!

Stay tuned for the after picture!

My first giveaway!

2009-11-01T10:09:00.001-05:00

I'm ready for a cool giveaway! All my coupon friends were oohing and aahing over this cute coupon bag found here. I decided to test my sewing skills and copy the design. Here is mine!

Do you want one?

On Saturday Nov. 7 around 9:00am EST I'll be giving one away- I'll even let you custom the fabric! (Please give me 5 days to sew and ship)- I'll even include a start-up of 10 baseball card holders and a few bonus coupons!

Here's how to win! Remember to leave a seperate comment for each entry-

1. Leave me a comment telling me what fabric combination you like- polka dots only, polkadot/plaid combination, or plaid only- and either brown or black (not pictured) base and handles- or if this isn't your style what colors and print would you like!

2. Become a follower and leave a comment telling me you are.

3. Post on facebook or your own blog about the giveaway and leave a comment with a link.

PS. My cute Abby is not included.

Facebook Freebie!

2009-11-01T09:11:00.001-05:00

Thanks Rhonda @ YummyBoyMummy for the heads up!

The first 5,000 people to become a fan HERE by December 1st will receive a customized Heavenly Sis Bath and Body Gift set! Once they reach 5,000 fans we will send a status update with the link to get your freebie. Get the word out!

The next 5,000 get a free gift card. That way everyone gets something.

As of this post 6,099 fans- still time for the gift card!

Giant Eagle sale- ends today!

2009-10-28T15:04:00.003-04:00

I'm so late in the game but if you are local there's some pretty good sales that end tonight at Giant Eagle.

First a little background on using coupons at Giant Eagle. They double coupons up to .99 everyday! Find out more information here. My favorite is combining coupons with sale and getting paid to take it home with their awesome catalinas!

So this week I bought 12 Campbells Cream of Chicken and 6 Swanson Broths. The Cr of Chicken is on sale 5 for $4 and the broth is 5 for $3. Both of them qualify for the promotion of spend $10 get $2 Catalina to use on your next order (OYNO)- the best thing about the catalina promotions is most run off of the original shelf price... so cream of chicken is $1.25 and broth is $1.09... and right now there is a special promotion with the broth where you buy 3- you get $1 OYNO.

Man I'm getting wordy...

I printed $1.00/2 cream soup coupons here, since I have 3 computers I was able to print 6. Also in a recent insert they had Swanson coupons .40/3, so it doubled to .80

Quick math

12 Cream of Chicken $9.60 ($15 shelf price)
6 Swanson Broths $3.60 ($6.54 shelf price)

used 6 $1/2 coupons and 2 .40/3 coupons doubled and paid $5.60 and got back 2-$2 OYNO and 2-$1 OYNO

So I got paid .40 to buy all of that!

And one more note... most of GE catalina deals are 1 per transactions, this one happened to be multiple per transactions.

Oh, and even if you don't have coupons for the broth it is a really good deal buy 10 cans- shelf price $10.90- but sale price $6 and get back 1 $2 coupon and 3 $1 coupons- cost $1 for 10 cans of broth or .10 a piece!

Walgreens Trip 10/28

2009-10-28T14:50:00.004-04:00

6 fusion MVP razors $8.99 each
2 Halls refresher cough drops $1 each
6 robitussin DM to go $2.49 each
1 Chapstick refresh $2.99
2 boxes tissues .89 w/in ad coupon
1 bottle root beer- looked so good! .69 (filler)
9 bags cheetos or doritos .35 each (filler)

I started with $15 in RR- so 6 transactions later- and about $10 OOP (about $6 was tax) I have $26 left in RR. You know it's sad when you think $4 is too much for almost $80 worth of merchandise and you think of ways you should have done it better- well if I had a do over I would have used more RR's in my first transaction instead of my last.

The sale goes until 10/31- so if you have some coupons I can try to help. Next time I'll try to give you some time to get coupons together!

Traveling in December or January?

2009-10-27T16:24:00.002-04:00

Southwest is having a 72 hour sale! Tickets to SLC can be found for $100!

Here are some restrictions:

* Fares do not include federal excise tax of $3.60 per takeoff and landing, airport-assessed passenger facility charges (PFC) of up to $9, and government-imposed September 11th Security Fee of up to $5 one-way.
* Purchase by October 29, 2009, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
* Travel Dec. 2 - Dec. 16, 2009 and Jan. 5 - Feb. 10, 2010.
* Travel valid every day except Sundays.

We aren't headed home this Christmas- but if we were I'd be taking advantage of this sale. My sister is coming out here instead! Now to see if we can find a cheap January vacation?

Also Southwest is my favorite to fly. They still allow 2 checked bags per ticket for no additional charge. When you are flying with a family this is a necessity!

Diapers.com

2009-10-26T11:44:00.004-04:00

I love Diapers.com-

They have EXCELLENT customer service-they have competitive prices, price match other online competitor ads and you can even send in manufacturer coupons for an added discount!

Right now you can get an amazing deal on diapers!

You can get 5 packages of Huggies Pure and Natural for $6.48 (TOTAL!) if you are a NEW diapers.com customer. They are offering a Parenting Subscription worth $14.97 for new customers, or a refund!

Here's how it works:

1. Print off the $3.00/1 Huggies Pure and Natural diaper coupons from coupons.com (you should be able to print 2 per computer) There were also Huggies diapers coupons in the 10-25 SS insert. There are also coupons floating around from home mailers, doctors offices, and inside current packages. Look for High Value ones and gather 5!

2. Send in any manufacturer's coupons you have. Diapers.com accepts manufacturer's coupons. To find out how to submit your manufacturer's coupons for credit, click here.

3. If you haven't already, sign up for Ebates. If you are a new member, you will get a $5 bonus (after you make your first purchase) when you sign up here. Once you have signed up, search for Diapers.com, and click through the link on the site. You will get an additional 1% cash back for shopping through this link.

4. Choose 5 packages of Huggies Pure and Natural diapers Click the "Instant eCoupon box" to save an additional $3.00 instantly.

5. In the promotional code box in the bottom right hand corner, enter the coupon code ABBY1350 if you are a new customer to get $10 off your order of $49 or more.

6. Your total at this point, with coupons, should be $21.95. You will get an additional .50 cash back from Ebates.

**Your diapers should arrive within two business days and shipping is FREE!!

7. Submit your receipts to Parenting Magazine for the $14.97 rebate within 4 weeks. Details can be found here!

If you used Ebates, your total out of pocket when all is said and done should be $6.48 for five jumbo packs.

Also note there are many options out there for diaper choices based on the coupons you have- if you need help let me know!

Swagbucks

2009-10-26T10:52:00.003-04:00

I love, love, love, Swagbucks! It's easy- all you need to do is follow the above banner to sign up. Then you do regular searches using their search engine instead of google. I often win doing my searching my regular internet favorites instead of typing in the URL (daily searches include facebook, hotmail, babycenter, etc) During random searches you win swagbucks! Save up your swagbucks for prizes- my favorite and the most bang for the buck is the $5 Amazon.com giftcard- it costs 45 swagbucks. Don't forget to become a fan on facebook and follow their blog for bonus free codes they give out! I've earned over $105 dollars since February- can't beat FREE money!