Sweetwater Savings

www.SweetwaterSavings.com

2009-03-22T08:53:00.006-04:00

Thanks for stopping by, but I've moved!

www.SweetwaterSavings.com

Be sure to check out my new location
(and new look)
to get the latest coupons, deals, sales and freebies!

Change of address

2008-11-15T21:44:00.004-05:00

WWW.SWEETWATERSAVINGS.COM
That is my new address. This will be the last time I'm posting here. It's pretty sad for me since this is my first blog, but I've been double posting for the last week (at least trying to) and it's getting to be too much. Head on over to my new site to enter my Build-A-Bear giveaway (by midnight tonight!!). I'll let you in on a little secret, tomorrow starts my giveaway for a $50.00 gift card to JCPenny!

I had hoped to have a little more information on what I've been doing these past months, but it's slower going then I had anticipated. The work is much harder and it's taking me longer then I thought. But as my wise friend KJ always tells me, if it was easy everyone would do it.

I have started niche blogging. I was one of the first people to sign up with Amy Bass for her niche blogging course. And I can truly say that I have learned more information with her first three month of content then I expected to learn the entire time. I'm going to write a whole post on it now so head on over here to read it.

I hope you will continue to follow me on my quest to save money. I will continue to post about coupons, sales, freebies and deals. Thanks for reading my blog, I am so blessed and humbled to have such great readers!

Rush to the Rose Bowl Sweepstakes

2008-11-11T22:29:00.000-05:00

I just received an e-mail about Comcast's rush to the Rose Bowl sweepstakes, it's a good one so I thought I'd pass it along. A great one for football fans. You can enter now for a chance to win 4 tickets to the Rose Bowl on New Years Day, 2009 in beautiful Pasadena, CA. The prize includes airfare and premium hotel accommodations, a trip worth over $5,000. You can increase your odds by entering once a day, every day if you like, until December 7, 2008. Click HERE to enter. Good luck, if you win be sure to let me know!

CVS

2008-11-10T10:56:00.007-05:00

We have been crazy busy with lots of company so I wasn't able to get to CVS yesterday and missed out on my $5 off $25 purchase coupon. I got some good deals anyway that I'm pretty happy about. Of course they were out of the L'Oreal advanced revitalift, but I did get a rain check. My girl Nancy there is the best, the one cashier said no rain checks and Nancy called the manager who said to give me one:).

I split my order into two transactions and not only had very low out of pocket, I actually got cash back. I had a coupon for a free CVS chapstick and she didn't ring it up in my transaction (it was my fault 'cause I put the coupon where she didn't notice it) so they gave me the cash back.

Transaction #1
St. Ives body wash $3.99
St. Ives body wash $3.99
CVS chapstick $1.79

I used 9.68 in ECBs so my out of pocket was .09 cents! This is the transaction I received the $1.79 back in cash. I also received $6.00 back in ECBs for the St. Ives body wash.

Transaction #2
Peanuts stickers $ .15
Palmolive $1.49
Garnier Conditioner $2.99
Listerine Agent Blue $3.99
Glaceau water $1.59
Crest Pro White $3.49
Crest Pro White $3.49

Used coupons
- .25 Palmolive
- 1.00 Crest
- .75 Crest

I used 14.98 in ECBs and my out of pocket was .26 cents. I also received lots of ECBs: $ 1.00 for the Palmolive, $2.00 for the Garnier, $3.00 for the Listerine, $1.59 for the Glaceau water, $6.98 for the two Crest Pros ($14.57 total). I know that I missed out on a few more good deals, but with all that's been going on, my couponing (I'm pretty sure that's not really a word) has suffered. Hopefully I'll be back on track next week!

Visit centsible sawyer and money saving mom for more great CVS deals!

Build-A-Bear Giveaway

2008-11-09T11:24:00.002-05:00

Have you been to a Build-A-Bear Workshop lately? They have a lot of new items, including buildabearville.com which is an interactive community for kids. And they have bears and other animals that start at only $10.00. You can have parties there too, I had a birthday party there for my girls one year and it was really great.

Want to win a $10.00 gift card and try Build-A-Bear for yourself? Enter my first giveaway by visiting my giveaway post here. I have been posting on both blogs, but will make the official switch very soon. Be sure to bookmark my new site www.sweetwatersavings.com!

Sephora family and friends sale

2008-11-09T10:58:00.002-05:00

Sephora is having there annual friends and family sale. You can get an extra 20% off your entire order. If you click through Ebates or fatwallet you can get additional savings as well! Enter code FF2008 at checkout. Offer expires 11/10/2008 so don't wait, this coupon only comes out once a year!

Oil of Olay $20 rebate

2008-11-08T14:06:00.000-05:00

Oil of Olay is offering a $20.00 rebate when you buy $50.00 worth of Olay facial moisturizers and/or cleansers. Purchase must be made by December 6, 2008 and postmarked by December 20, 2008. Click here for more information.

Target - 75% off Halloween

2008-11-08T11:34:00.002-05:00

Here is a picture of my loot! I was able to pick up quite a few costumes for the kids at a great price. As usual, if I can score a few items at 90% off I'll return some of these. There were a lot of Halloween items left when I was there yesterday, so I may get lucky. At 75% off here are some of the most common deals you will see: original price $9.99 will be $2.49, $19.99 will be $4.99, $24.99 will be $6.24, and $29.99 will be $7.49.

I bought 9 costumes, 2 accessories (a wig and a power rangers item that didn't make it to the picture), 2 gladware container packs and 5 packs of cups. My total was $61.47 for $269.73 worth of items. More money then I usually spend, but some of the costumes will be Christmas gifts and I did get great deals.

IKEA Sale & free breakfast

2008-11-07T12:39:00.003-05:00

IKEA is having another free breakfast offer this weekend. November 8 - 11. Click here for more details.

CVS

2008-11-06T11:06:00.004-05:00

I just received a $5.00 off $25.00 or more from CVS. It is valid now thru 11/9/08. CVS never sends these to me so I'm pretty excited. Check your inbox to see if you have one.

Sears Essentials

2008-11-06T09:04:00.001-05:00

Sears Essentials also has 75% off on all their Halloween items. They had quite a bit left at mine. I had enough costumes from Target so I didn't buy any, but I did pick up some Ninja accessories for $1.99. Call ahead to be sure your store is at 75% off before you make the trip.

2008-11-04T18:36:00.002-05:00

If you are pregnant or have young kids you might want to check out this website. It has a lot of helpful tips and cute videos. Most of the videos seem to be posted by mommy bloggers, and there are a lot of new products showcased. I thought the videos were interesting, there is a mom that shows you how to teach sign language to your baby and videos that teach you the proper way to install a car seat, plus lots more. You can visit newbaby.com here.

75% off Halloween - only at some Target stores

2008-11-04T16:16:00.002-05:00

I just got a great comment from a reader reminding me that not all Target stores are on the same sale schedule. Some are still at 50% off. Call your store before you make the trip!

Target - 75% off Halloween

2008-11-04T13:18:00.001-05:00

Target has 75% off of all their Halloween stuff already. I was able to get a ton of costumes for my kids and nephews. The 75% is also off of Gladware, napkins, snack foods, anything Halloween that your store has. I'll post a picture of what I bought later, I just wanted to get the word out so you don't miss the sale.

Our Weekend

2008-11-03T21:27:00.007-05:00

We just got home from a long, exhausting, incredibly fun weekend. My sister-in-law got married in Las Vegas in February (yes, by Elvis) and they had a wonderful reception on Halloween. We all had loads of fun & I don't think my kids will ever be the same. They rode in a limo and received an insane amount of candy. Then we spent some time at Universal Studios with family, which again was lots of fun. We arrived back home tonight and I was unpacking when a horrible realization dawned on me. While at the park I had lost all sense of time and forgot to get a newspaper! The sense of panic that consumed me makes me wonder if I need some intervention or coupon therapy. I'm OK now, the shock is over and I know that I will survive this coupontastrophy, but I'm thinking I should subscribe to at least one paper so this doesn't happen again.

TJ Maxx

2008-10-31T00:59:00.000-04:00

I almost didn't stop into TJ Maxx today (well technically yesterday). I don't usually catch the great deals at this location. We'll that all changed today! They had just marked down a bunch of items and I was able to grab a few great deals. Sorry the picture isn't the best angle, I was trying to take it and put the stuff for the kids away before they caught on to what I was doing.

I am a leader for my daughter's brownie troop and the girls are stuffing stockings for the salvation army at our next meeting, which is why I bought so much of the same thing. The stationary kits in the boxes were marked down to $2.00 and the Bratz ones were $1.00! The blue tennis dress, $1.00! No joke. The best deal by far was the green and tan 2 piece outfit. It's a BCBG Max Azria and is great quality. The original price at the department stores was $110.00, TJ Maxx had it for $58.00 and I bought it for $5.00!! They had books for $1.00 and quite a few toys for $1, $2, $3, & $5. I only bought the ones for $1 & $2, I had to make a limit. So if you have a TJ Maxx nearby you might want to stop in and see if they have any great deals at your store.

All together I bought over $245.00 retail value and spent $33.78!

All Detergent

2008-10-29T14:00:00.006-04:00

A few months ago I took advantage of a buy one get one free sale (plus I had 2 coupons) on All Small and Mighty 2x. A few weeks ago I started to use it and I really like it. As I was doing laundry this morning I realized how long it is lasting me. I do quite a bit of laundry and usually go through a regular bottle of detergent pretty quickly, so I'm thinking this was a real bargain. I bought the free and clear because my kids have sensitive skin, plus I use fabric softener and don't like to mix smells. You can get a coupon for $1.00 off here.

Target

2008-10-29T13:28:00.006-04:00

I would love to post a picture of what I bought, but my nosy kiddies had a half day at school today and are sitting in the room with me. I've learned the hard way that they pay attention to the pictures that they see on the computer. Target has 50% off on there $1.00 items (usually located when you first enter the store). I was able to pick up some cute note pads and mini pens and some other great items for stocking stuffers. It's tradition for Santa to put pistachio nuts in the bottom of our stockings, so add that to what I bought today and I can check stocking stuffers off my to do list! There was a lot of wedding stuff 75% off but other then that just new clearance that's worth keeping an eye on. Quite a few DS games too. The markdown was only 30% so I'll keep checking back.

Smilebox

2008-10-28T23:16:00.003-04:00

My friend Dina turned me on to a great website called smilebox. It lets you organize and create all kinds of things with your photos. She is a teacher and has been able to create some great things to send to the parents of her students. The best part is that it's free! Once you download the application, it is really simple to use. You can e-mail your creations, save them to a disc and even print stuff out. I haven't had as much time as I would like to play around with it yet, but what I've done so far is really nice (and did I mention easy peasy?). If you take pictures at all it's worth checking it out. Let me know what you think!

Toys R Us

2008-10-26T11:24:00.004-04:00

We stopped by Toys R Us yesterday looking for some birthday gifts (didn't find what we were looking for). They had a lot of things on clearance, so if you need to get started on your holiday shopping you can get some great deals. I bought some cool shirts for my nephews for Christmas & was able to get a super bargain on makeup refills. I had bought the compacts for the girls a while ago when they were on sale, so refills at $ .50 will make great stocking stuffers.

Pool Thermometer (car) $1.10 (reg. $9.99)
Makeup refill (4) $ .50 each (reg. $4.99 each)
Pink girls t-shirt $1.89 (reg. $11.99)
Boys Batman Lego shirt $2.38 (reg. $8.99)
Boys Speed Racer shirt $2.38 (reg. $8.99)
Transformers shirt $2.87 (reg. $11.99)
Nike shorts $2.24 (reg. $14.99)

My total was $ 15.84 for $86.90 worth of merchandise.

Toys R Us

2008-10-26T09:48:00.003-04:00

I just received my Big Toy Book from Toys R Us and it had 2 coupons, both are valid for in store purchases only. The first one is for $10.00 off $100, and it does not expire until 12/24/08. Toys R Us rarely gives coupons that are valid on black Friday so this is a good one! The other expires 11/22/08 (see what I mean) and gives you a $10.00 gift card when you spend $75.00 or more. I was just at Toys R Us yesterday and they had a lot of stuff on sale! I'll go take a picture and post that next.

New website

2008-10-25T11:57:00.002-04:00

Guess what? I'm making the leap to my own dot com. It is much harder then I had anticipated so it's been slow going. So in the next few weeks (OK, a month tops) I will be making the switch to www.sweetwatersavings.com. I'm going to try to coordinate it with all the exciting things I've got going on; new giveaways, promotions and more information on making money online. I'm starting my third month in my quest to make money online and have started to see some results that I am excited to share with you. Stay tuned!

Target

2008-10-25T00:03:00.004-04:00

Not a whole lot of clearance at Target this week. I was able to pick up some great pajamas for my son and my nephews that I'll put away for Christmas.

Cherokee 3 piece pajama set $3.24 (reg. $12.99)
Cherokee 3 piece pajama set $3.24 (reg. $12.99)
Cherokee 3 piece pajama set $3.24 (reg. $12.99)
The dark night 2 piece pajama set $ 3.74 (reg. $14.99)

My bargain of the week was that I paid $10.35 for 4 sets of pajamas!

About the Kids

2008-10-24T17:44:00.008-04:00

I don't usually post about family stuff, so I hope you all don't mind if I share. Life is crazy enough with 3 kids, and the amount of activities we do is a little over the top. So just to throw a little more crazy into our routine, the kids were playing with a big balloon they had received as a party favor. They were kicking it around and my daughter kicked it full force, missed and made solid contact with our large, wooden, couch foot. Needless to say the couch came out the winner and we spent the morning in the emergency care center.

The x-rays showed nothing was broken, but she had to get liquid stitches. I think it's called durabond, which is basically a superglue. The doctor said she needed to take it easy for a few days so the cut could heal properly. Sounds great right? We get to relax and miss a few activities. Well 2 days later while taking it easy, my son got stung by a bee. And guess what? He is allergic to bee stings. I should have taken a picture of his thigh to show you the size of it. So now I have two recovering children who are milking their injuries for all they can and one child who needs extra attention because she's not injured and feels left out. So much for taking it easy!

Walgreens $5.00 off $20.00

2008-10-23T21:11:00.003-04:00

The $5.00 off $20.00 must be working well for Walgreens, here is another one. It's good for Friday 10/24 & Saturday 10/25. Click here to print the coupon. Happy shopping!

Box Tops for Education

2008-10-22T07:42:00.004-04:00

Are you familiar with this logo? I know I am, we collect Box Tops for our school. My kids can spot the logo a mile away. Most schools run a program and all you do is cut the box top off the products you purchase and send them into school. The school then redeems the box tops for money.

Well, Box Tops for Education now has a marketplace where you can shop and earn additional money for your school. I really like the layout, it's very user friendly. They also have a few stores that I can't get money back from anywhere else. So, I can shop at Staples through the marketplace and the school gets credit! There are a number of stores to choose from. You can check out Box Tops for Education here, or visit the marketplace directly here. It's an easy way to help your school raise money!

Guess what else? Box Tops for Education is going to sponsor my first giveaway! To get you into the holiday shopping spirit I'll be giving away a $50.00 gift certificate to the Box Tops for Education marketplace. Keep checking back as I hope to have this giveaway up and running soon!!!

Shopping at Box Tops Marketplace is easy. Here are some simple steps to help you get started:

1) Go to www.boxtops4education.com and click Sign up Now. Sign up for free and choose a school to support.
2) Click on the Marketplace tab and start shopping online at more than 70 stores.
3) Your school will receive a donation of up to 8% from your qualifying purchase, up to $20,000 each year.

Did You Know?
Your school can earn up to $60,000 every year by participating in all three of the Box Tops for Education programs. You can earn cash for your school every time you 1) shop online at the Box Tops Marketplace, 2) shop for groceries and clip box tops or 3) order books online through the Box Tops Reading Room – at no extra cost to you.

What is Box Top for Education?
The Box Tops for Education program runs year-round. The website offers valuable program information, as well as opportunities to earn Bonus Box Tops through special promotions, such as sweepstakes and the Holly Deal promotions running this Holiday season. It also offers great recipes, coupons, and Family Matters articles to help you navigate through the early school years. Go to www.btfe.com for more information and start earning cash for your school today.

How You Can Earn Cash for Your School by Shopping Online:

Box Tops Marketplace:
Box Tops for Education Marketplace is an online fundraising program that allows you to earn cash for your school when you shop online – up to $20,000 per school every year!

School supporters go to www.btfe.com and register to support their school of choice. Then, when shopping online simply go to the www.btfe.com home page and click on the “marketplace” tab and shop at more than 70 online stores. With participating retailers including JCPenney, OfficeMax, Wal-Mart, Target, Lands' End and Oriental Trading Company, the Marketplace can serve as the source for all of your back-to-school shopping needs and raise money for your school at the same time. Up to 8 percent of every qualifying purchase is donated back to your school of choice at no additional cost to you.

How To Earn More Cash For Your School:
There are two more easy ways to raise money for your school:

Clipping Box Tops:
Clip Box Tops from hundreds of participating products and send them to the school of your choice. The school’s Box Tops Coordinator will collect the Box Tops, send them in to General Mills, and then the school will receive a check twice a year, up to $20,000 annually.

Reading Room:
Box Tops for Education and Barnes & Noble have teamed up to bring you the newest way to earn cash for your school!
Through the Reading Room, your school will earn 6% on your online purchases of new books, including textbooks and magazines. All other purchases, including gift cards, will earn a 3% donation for your school.

Who Can Participate?
Any individual can register to support a participating school by going to www.btfe.com and signing up online.
Box Tops for Education is open to any accredited public, private, or parochial schools for grades K-8 in the United States that have a 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt designation and to any United States military schools, for grades K-8, worldwide. The program is also available to accredited home school associations, K-8, in the United States that have a 501 (c)(3) or 509 (a)(1) tax-exempt designation and have 15 or more students.

When Does the Box Tops For Education Program Run?
The Box Tops for Education program runs year-round. The website offers valuable program information, as well as opportunities to earn Bonus Box Tops through special promotions, such as sweepstakes and the Shopping Challenge this fall. It also offers great recipes, coupons, and Family Matters articles to help you navigate through the early school years. Go to www.btfe.com for more information and start earning cash for your school today.

Official Links

Would you like even more earnings opportunities? Support your school with Box Tops online and get exclusive chances to win Bonus Box Tops for your school, and more! Sign up via this link: https://www.boxtops4education.com/Registration/Default.aspx
Box Tops for Education Home Page: www.btfe.com
The latest news from Box Tops: special announcements, new participating products, Bonus Box Tops offers -- everything you need to stay informed and help your school earn the extra cash it needs: http://www.boxtops4education.com/AboutBoxTops/News.aspx

My Favorite Things

2008-10-21T21:49:00.002-04:00

I haven't participated in my favorite things in a while but my favorite thing this this week is my newest scrapbook! I've been collecting scrapbook items here and there, but haven't had the time to do much with them. Recently I was able to do some projects with the kids; gifts for new babies in the family. It was a lot of fun so I decided to take some time and work on a book for our family. You know what, it was very relaxing and therapeutic. I can't wait to stock up on more scrapbook goodies and do it again!

For more favorite things visit Sarah's blog at fiddledeedee!

Caramel Apples

2008-10-21T21:22:00.004-04:00

We had a lot of fun with the caramels that Publix had on sale BOGO this week! We melted the caramels in a double boiler with a tablespoon of water and stirred every few minutes while they melted. Then we made a bunch of caramel apples (which the kids declared were the best ever). We ran out of sticks, but the corn on the cob holders worked really well. We had caramel left over so the kids tried dipping everything they could find. Bananas and pretzels turned out the best, just make sure you eat the bananas right away as they didn't keep well at all. This was so easy to do and the kids had a great time. If you haven't made caramel apples in a while I highly recommend it!

CVS

2008-10-21T10:17:00.005-04:00

I split this trip into 2 main transactions. This included paying for one of the Butler/Gum 2 pack toothbrushes. I then used the ECBs from the first toothbrush purchase to pay for the next one and repeated that 3 more times so I had no out of pocket for 4 of the toothbrush deals. I had the gift card from transferring my prescription so I didn't mind that I had a higher out of pocket then usual.

Transaction #1

Funlight $ .99
Funlight $ .99
Sure Deodorant $2.89
Pert Plus $3.99
Pert Plus $3.99

Used Coupons
-$1.00 Sure
-$2.00 Pert
-$1.00 Pert

-$7.98 in ECBs. Total was $1.19 out of pocket. Got back $4.98 in ECBs.

Transaction # 2

Gum Toothbrush $3.99
Brach Candy $1.29
Powerade $1.69
Always infinity $4.99
Colgate Max Fresh toothbrush $2.99
Colgate Max Fresh $2.99
Listerine Agent Blue $4.49
Pumpkin Pail $ .99
Pumpkin Pail $ .99

Used Coupons
-$2.00 Always
-$2.00 Colgate toothbrush
-$1.00 Colgate Max

-$8.98 in ECBs. Total was $12.31 out of pocket (I used my gift card). Got back $16.95 in ECBs.

Publix

2008-10-20T10:56:00.003-04:00

I did really great at Albertson's this week, so I didn't need much at Publix. They did have a few great sales I just couldn't pass up though.
Here is what I bought:

Betty Crocker fruit gushers BOGO $2.75 (- .50 coupon. Final price was $1.13 each)
Betty Crocker fruit gushers
Banquet sausage $1.00 (in store special)
Banquet sausage $1.00 (in store special)
Banquet sausage $1.00 (in store special)
pretzels $1.50
Fast Fixin' Chicken Nuggets BOGO $5.99 (-$1.00 coupon. Final price was $2.50 each)
Fast Fixin' Chicken Nuggets
Smart Balance Butter BOGO $3.59 (-1.00 coupon. Final price was $1.30 each)
Smart Balance Butter
Kraft Caramels BOGO $2.39
Kraft Caramels
Oatmeal to go bars BOGO $3.19
Oatmeal to go bars

My total out of pocket was $20.07 for $43.41 worth of groceries. I saved $23.34.

Head on over to Sarah's blog at fiddledeedee to see more great Publix deals.

Ulta

2008-10-19T08:29:00.003-04:00

Ulta is having a good sale if you need anything or want to get some holiday shopping done. To get $5.00 off of $10.00 use code 96306. You also get free standard shipping with orders of $50.00 or more. There are a lot more offers as well, click here to check them out.

CVS

2008-10-18T13:07:00.003-04:00

Just thought I'd highlight a few of the good deals for this coming week at CVS. So far these are the limits posted, if you find something different let me know.

Powerade $1.69 with $1.69 back in ECBs. Limit 1.
Pumpkin pail $ .99 with $.99 back in ECBs. Limit 2.
Brach's candy corn, pumpkin, autumn mix or Indian corn $1.29 with $1.29 back in ECBs. Limit 2.
Funlight $ .99 with $ .99 back in ECBs. Limit 2.
Butler toothbrush 2 pack $3.99 with $3.99 back in ECBs. Limit 5.
Just for men hair color $7.99 with $7.99 back in ECBs.
Pert plus or Sure deodorant - spend $10.00 get $5.00 back in ECBs. I have a bunch of coupons to use to make this a great deal so check your coupons. Limit 1.
Always infinity $4.99 with $1.00 back in ECBs. They had $2.00 coupons last week which will make it $1.99.
Listerine Agent cold blue $4.49 with $3.00 back in ECBs. Limit 5.
Colgate Max fresh $2.99 with $2.00 in ECBs. Again check your coupons, I have $1.00 off so I'll get it free.
Colgate Total buy one get one free. This is only a good one if you have 2 coupons to use.
Huggies diapers & wipes, Gerber food, Similac, Johnson & Johnson - buy select items and get $5.00 back in ECBs when you spend $10.00 / or get $10.00 back in ECBs when you spend $25.00. Offer differs depending on where you are located. Limit 1.
Coke products, 12 pack - 3 for $10.00 get $2.00 back in ECB's. Limit 1.

Walgreens $5.00 off $25.00

2008-10-16T20:41:00.002-04:00

Walgreens is having another 2 day coupon, Friday, October 17th and Saturday, October 18th. This time it's $5.00 off of $25.00, so not quite as good. Click here to print the coupon or to see more information.

Sears Essentials

2008-10-15T20:59:00.004-04:00

I checked out Sears Essentials double coupon sale and boy do I love double coupons! I had forgotten what I was missing, but I made up for lost time today. It was an experience trying to check out because the registers at my store were not programmed to take the coupons, or to double them. Things got a little confusing and to make a long story short what they did was count up the coupons I had, doubled them then gave me back the money. It took over a half an hour for them to figure it out so I kind of lost track of what they were doing. I think I somehow came out ahead, so if my numbers aren't exactly right I can't explain why.

Ritz Bitz crackers $1.00 (reg.$2.79)
Ritz Bitz crackers $1.00 (reg.$2.79)
Lunch bags 100ct. $2.29
Quaker mini $1.00 (reg. $2.79)
Quaker mini $1.00 (reg. $2.79)
Honey Nut Cheerios $1.79 ($2.79 -$1.00 coup.)
Honey Nut Cheerios $1.79 ($2.79 -$1.00 coup.)
Thomas the Train memory game $3.00 (reg. $11.00)
Thomas the Train game $4.00 (reg. $13.00)
Coke $ .88 (reg.1.59)
Coke $ .88 (reg.1.59)
Diet Coke $ .88 (reg.1.59)
Dr. Pepper $-.22 (reg. 1.59, sale price $.88 - $1.10 coup.)
Woolite upholstery cleaner $1.99 ($3.99-$2.00 coup.)
Woolite upholstery cleaner $1.99 ($3.99-$2.00 coup.)
Aussie hairspray $1.79 ($3.79-$2.00 coup.)
Glade rug freshener $ .19 ($2.19 - $2.00 coup.)
Greased Lightning cleaner $.98 ($2.98 - $2.00 coup.)
Greased Lightning cleaner $.98 ($2.98 - $2.00 coup.)
Lysol $ .29 ($2.29 - $2.00 coup)
Fabuloso $1.49 ($2.49 - $1.00)
Scrubbing Bubbles $1.50 ($3.50-$2.00 coup.)
Scrubbing Bubbles $1.50 ($3.50-$2.00 coup.)
pretzels $1.00 (reg. $1.59)
Glade candle $free$ (on sale @ $2.00 - $2.00 coup.)
Fantastic $.79 ($2.79-$2.00 coup.)
Ocello sponges $.79 ($2.79 - $2.00 coup.)
Ocello sponges $.79 ($2.79 - $2.00 coup.)
2000 Flushes $ .99 ($2.99 - $2.00 coup.)
Renuzit pearl scents $ .50 ($2.50 - $2.00)
Mr. Clean magic eraser 4 pk $1.99 ($3.99 - $2.00)
Fabric softener $1.79
Mr. Clean Wipes $ .50 (3.29 on sale for $1.50 - $1.00 coup.)
Zest 6pk soap $1.99 ($3.99 - $2.00 coup.)
Glide Floss $1.79 ($3.79 - $2.00 coup.)
Febreeze $ .99 ($2.99 - $2.00 coup.)
Febreeze $ .99 ($2.99 - $2.00 coup.)
Renuzit $ .19 ($2,19 - $2.00 coup.)
Bubble gum bank $2.50 (reg.$6.00)
High School Musical 2 shirt $3.99 (reg. $20.00)
Cheetah Girls shirt $3.99 (reg. $20.00)
Deluxe nuts $-1.00 (2.79 on sale for $1.00 - $2.00 coup.)
Marshmallows $ .50 (reg. $1.50)
Palmolive $ .20 (1.29 on sale for $.70 - .50 coup.)

I spent $56.78 for over $186.00 worth of stuff. I was really low on cleaning supplies and was thrilled to get such good deals. It was also good to get more holiday shopping done, I'm still behind, but catching up.

CVS

2008-10-14T09:59:00.005-04:00

I was able to switch my B12 prescription to CVS so I got an extra $25.00 gift card, whoo hoo! I didn't get much this week, I wanted to save my ECB's and the rest of my card for next week as there seem to be quite a few good deals coming up.

I bought:
Gatorade and Sobe Life water 5 for $5.00
CVS mouthwash $ .65
Revlon deluxe tweezers BOGO $3.69
Revlon deluxe tweezers
Nature's Bounty Omega 3 vitamins BOGO $9.99
Nature's Bounty Omega 3 vitamins

Coupons:
-$1.00 off on 2 Sobe Life waters
-$1.00 Revlon tool
-$1.00 Revlon tool
-$2.00 Nature's Bounty coupon (printable if you sign up for e-mails here)
-$2.00 Nature's Bounty coupon (hit your browsers back button to print 2 when you sign up above)

I used $10.29 in ECBs and $2.04 of my gift card, so technically I had no out of pocket. I got back $2.00 for the vitamins and $3.00 for the drinks in ECBs.

Check out centsible sawyer for more great CVS deals.

Publix

2008-10-13T08:03:00.003-04:00

I did OK at Publix today. It seems that the more I save, the more I want to save. Today I bought a lot of good stuff and did pretty well with my savings, but if I don't save at least as much as I spend I'm not excited. Mind you this is coming from someone who didn't even use coupons 6 months ago. I hope I'm not going to need therapy to recover from coupon and sale addictions.

Sorrento ricotta cheese $3.00
soda $.69
soda $.69
Mrs. C's croutons BOGO $1.39
Mrs. C's croutons
Barber stuffed chicken BOGO $4.99 (used 2 - $1.00 coupons; final price each $1.50)
Barber stuffed chicken
Luigi lemon Italian ice BOGO $3.19
Luigi lemon Italian ice
Progresso bread crumbs BOGO $ 1.95
Progresso bread crumbs
Polly-O mozzarella $3.69
2 Fruity Cheerios & Cocoa Puffs 3 for $5.00 (used $1.00 off 3; final price each $1.34)
pretzels $1.50
Doritos BOGO $3.79
Doritos
Lysol cleaner BOGO $2.69 (used 2 - $ .50 off; final price each $ .85)
Lysol cleaner
Ronzoni penne BOGO $1.39
Ronzoni penne
tortilla chips $2.29
Ronzoni pastina BOGO $1.39
Ronzoni pastina
Salsa BOGO $2.39
Salsa
Classico Vodka sauce BOGO $2.69
Classico Vodka sauce
red potato $2.99
lettuce $.79
deli ham $4.55
green beans $2.69

My total was $50.22, and I saved $43.60.

Sears Essentials

2008-10-12T11:06:00.004-04:00

Sears Essentials and Sears Grand are having a nice little sale this week. They are having a double manufacturers' coupon event, 10/14-10/20/08 (Tuesday-Monday). I'm not sure if it is all stores, or just select stores so you will have to check your area. The flier I received in today's paper (one piece of paper) also had a $5.00 off $50.00 coupon. I don't usually shop at Sears Essentials, but stores where I live NEVER have double coupons. They are doubling up to and including $1.00, I'm off to check my coupons now.

CVS

2008-10-10T18:33:00.003-04:00

CVS was good this week. I got a few things with low out of pocket and got ECBs back. I had a bunch of coupons at the end of my receipt, which I don't usually get. One was $1.00 off lady speed stick, so I have to run back tomorrow and get another free deodorant.

Lady Speed Stick $1.99
Lady Speed Stick $1.99
Vitamin water $2.29
Always pads $4.98
Colgate Max $2.99
Colgate Max $2.99

Used Coupons:
-$.50 Always
-$.50 Colgate
-$1.00 Colgate
-$1.00 Lady Speed Stick
-$1.00 Lady Speed Stick

I used $12.79 in ECBs, and had $ .67 out of pocket. I received $13.27 back in ECBs for next time.

TJ Maxx

2008-10-10T11:43:00.006-04:00

OK, I can confirm that TJ Maxx has an additional 25% off all red tag sale items this weekend. My TJ Maxx had a bunch of red tag clearance items, many clothes are marked at $5.00 (which would come out to $3.75). For anyone else that would be a great bargain. Unfortunately, I've gotten so into getting good deals that most of the items were still too expensive for me.

I did find a great pair of green Baby Q soft fleece pants for my nephew and a tank top/underwear set from fundeez for my daughter. The sales lady said the 25% was only off red tag items only, but when I checked out they took it off my yellow item as well. I got the fundeez set for $2.25 and the pants for $ .52. Yes, .52 cents for a new pair of pants! What did you get?

TJ Maxx

2008-10-10T07:14:00.004-04:00

I heard a rumor that TJ Maxx is having an extra 20-25% off their clearance items. They only do this sale once a year, so I'll be running there this morning to see if the rumor is true. I'll keep you posted on what I find, but I wanted to let you know in case you are near a store today and can check it out for yourself. I'm hoping I can get some more holiday shopping finished!

Target

2008-10-08T11:55:00.002-04:00

Target just came out with a $5.00 off your $50.00 online order. Many items have free shipping as well. Use coupon code TCDDG111. Visit Target online here.

Shopping for holiday cards

2008-10-08T09:21:00.007-04:00

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought I'd share one of my favorite places to shop with you. This will be my third holiday season using VistaPrint for my Christmas/holiday cards. I also order labels, magnets and a bunch of other stuff from them (yes, a little overboard, but I'm a sucker for items with pictures of my kids and you can personalize so much!!). I even use them for my checks. Their prices are really good and the quality is better then others I have used. If you have a business, they have a lot of promotional items as well.

VistaPrint also has lots of freebies you can get when you order, good ones so take advantage if you shop there . If you see something you like, make sure you search for coupon codes before you check out (if you can't find any contact me, they send me lots of e-mails). I usually use the ones for free shipping.

Walgreen's coupon

2008-10-08T08:32:00.002-04:00

I was a little excited to see this until I realized it was only valid online. I'm definitely not tackling an online order for my first Walgreen's saving experience, but thought I'd make sure you Walgreen's pros could get to it. The ad page also says lots of items ship free, click here for more information. Coupon valid October 8 - 10.

Albertson's

2008-10-07T17:28:00.004-04:00

I know I'm a little late posting, but I did so well this week that I wanted to share. Except for the $5.00 off $50.00 coupon, all the deals are valid through tomorrow.

Quaker granola bars $1.80
Quaker granola bars $1.80
Quaker granola bars $1.80
Quaker muffin bars $1.80
Quaker morning minis $1.80
Eggo waffles $1.00
Eggo waffles $1.00
Eggo waffles $1.00
Knorr sides $1.00
Knorr sides $1.00
olives $1.00
biscuits $1.00
biscuits $1.00
biscuits $1.00
Pillsbury cake mix $.77
Pillsbury cake mix $.77
milk $3.79
Hormel pork loin fillet BOGO $9.99
Hormel pork loin fillet
Sirloin BOGO $15.90
Sirloin
American cheese singles $1.00
American cheese singles $1.00
cream cheese $1.00
Oscar Meyer bologna $1.00
garden salad $1.00
deli ham 1 lb. $4.79
rolls $1.00

Coupons used
-$3.00 off 5 Quaker items (in-store coupon)
-$5.00 off $50.00
-$.55 Hormel
-$.55 Hormel
-$.75 Knorr sides
-$.55 Eggo's
-$.55 Eggo's

My total out of pocket was $49.21.
My total savings was $64.20.

Cute site

2008-10-07T13:24:00.003-04:00

My cousin told me about this cute site that donates part of their proceeds to help animals. There are also ways you can help animals for free. Click here to check it out.

IKEA Sale & free breakfast

2008-10-06T12:24:00.007-04:00

IKEA is having a Columbus day sale from Saturday, October 11th until Monday, October 13th. They are also offering one free small breakfast and one free coffee from opening until 10:30.

Here is a sneak preview of the sale:

$19.99/4 pcs IKEA 365+ cookware set (reg. $59.99)^.

$1.99/17 pcs PRUTA food saver set (reg. $4.99).

$199 NORDEN dining table (reg. $399)^.

49¢/sq ft TUNDRA flooring (reg. $1.15/sq ft)^.

Thanks Danielle for e-mailing me so early!

Walgreens

2008-10-05T21:15:00.004-04:00

I've been giving a lot of thought to why I can't get a handle on shopping at Walgreens and I think I've finally figured it out. I don't like the layout of their flier. It's got too much stuff going on. I definitely don't like that they have so many coupons that you have to cut out either. I spend enough time cutting out manufacturer coupons and I don't want yet another chore to do. Now that I've realized
this, I think I may have a solution. For my first trip there I think I'm going to follow someone else's scenario. That way I can avoid the flier and just cut the specific coupons that I need. I'm going to keep an eye on their hot deals page and next time they have a $5.00 off coupon I'm going to make the leap.

Target

2008-10-04T13:16:00.004-04:00

I can almost always count on Target to have some great clearance items and today they did not disappoint. I put quite a few things back that I am sure I will regret, but I didn't want to spend too much. My sister-in-law is getting married on Halloween (yes, I have to figure out what the 5 of us are going to dress up as. No, I have no clue - but I'm choosing to procrastinate.) so I bought some really nice photo albums that were super cheap.

What I got:

Travel pre-made album $3.98 (reg. $15.99), part scrapbook, part album - it's really cute.
Leather-look brown album $3.98 (reg. $15.99)
Copper album $3.98 (reg. 15.99)
Black wedding album $3.98 (reg. $15.99), this one has black paper that frames each picture so it's really pretty and fancy.
Cream wedding album $3.62 (reg. $14.)
3 packs of Faber-Castell 24 count crayons $ .56 each (reg. about $3.00, a few of our sale stickers were thrown out by accident so I can't remember exactly).
2 packs of Charmin 5 count toilet covers $. 48 each (reg. $ .99)

My total was $23.62 for about $88.00 worth of items. To top it off, I really need these albums and was worried I was going to have to pay (gasp) retail price!

Check out more great deals at moneysavingmom.

CVS

2008-10-03T21:33:00.005-04:00

I had two transactions at CVS today. One for me and one for my mom. I figured I'd post them both since mom's was a better out of pocket deal. The extra bucks you earned for your summer purchases are printing out on receipts since 10/1, so look for that little bonus.

Mom's transaction:
Cover Girl foundation $5.49
Soft Soap $.99
Gillette phantom razor $9.99

Used coupons:
-$1.00 Cover Girl
-$.35 Soft Soap
-$4.00 Gillette razor

Used $9.99 in ECBs. Mom's out of pocket was $1.56 (well, my oop, but she bought me bagels so I'm pretty sure I came out ahead:). She got back $10.79 in ECBs for next time!

My transaction:
Cover Girl foundation $5.49
Gillette phantom razor $9.99
Gillette shampoo $4.50
Gillette conditioner $4.50
Colgate total $2.50
Colgate kids $2.50

Used coupons:
-$1.00 Cover Girl
-$4.00 Gillette razor
-$2.00 Gillette shampoo
-$2.00 Gillette conditioner
-$.75 Colgate
-$.75 Colgate

I used $14.49 in ECBs and my out of pocket was $4.41. I received $14.79 back in ECBs. If I would have split the transaction up I'm sure I could have had less oop, but I can never figure it out right anyway.

Check out more great deals at Denise's CVS superstars at the centsiblesawyer.

Walgreens $5.00 off $20.00

2008-10-03T07:14:00.003-04:00

Walgreens is just cranking out the good will with another $5.00 off $20.00 coupon. It's valid today and tomorrow, 10/3 & 10/4. Click here to print the coupon.

CVS Buzz

2008-10-02T22:43:00.004-04:00

There is a lot of Internet buzz out there about the great deals CVS has coming up for 10/19-10/25. So I went directly to the source for all things CVS, iheartcvs. She's got the deals listed, but doesn't have a copy of the flier yet.
Here is the direct link to the 10/19 - 10/25 deals page.

There are quite a few items that are free after ECBs so I can see what everyone is so excited about. I heart CVS has the corresponding coupons and rebates, it looks like quite a few of these will be money makers. Here are the best deals:

Pumpkin pail $0.99 FREE after ECBs. Sunday and Monday only, limit 2

Brach's Pumpkins, autumn mix, Indian or candy corn 10 oz. $1.29 FREE after ECBs. Sunday and Monday only, limit 2.

Funlight 6" smart light $0.99 FREE after ECBs. Sunday and Monday only, limit 2.

Powerade 32oz $1.69 Free after ECBs, limit 1.

Butler Toothbrush 2 pack $3.99 Free after ECBs, limit 5.

Just for Men Touch of Gray $7.99 Free after ECBs, limit 1.

$2 ECBs when you buy Colgate toothpaste or toothbrush ($2.99 ) limit 2

Free Magazines

2008-10-02T22:24:00.005-04:00

Valuemags.com has a bunch of free magazine offers. The offer for Ready Made seems really good, I'll probably request that one.

More Special Offers:
Get an issue of Bridalguide free! No strings attached. Click here.	Get 12 issues of Salt Water Sportsman free! No strings attached. Click here.	Get 10 issues of Waterski free! No strings attached. Click here.

More Special Offers:
Get 12 issues of Wake Boarding! No strings attached. Click here.	Get 2 issues of Caribbean Travel & Life free! No strings attached. Click here.	Get 12 issues of Boatinglife free! No strings attached. Click here.

Get 12 issues of ReadyMade free! No strings attached.
Click here.

Click here to view the page and order magazines. Make sure you read through anything before you fill it out.

What I've been doing

2008-10-02T22:10:00.002-04:00

I've been neglecting this blog a little bit lately so I thought I'd fill you in on why. As you know I usually post multiple times during the day, but I've been a lot more sporadic lately. I've actually been working on some other websites and ways to make money online. I'm learning a ton of new stuff and lots of secrets and tricks to posting and ranking sites, as well as writing code and developing the sites. It's been really interesting, but very time consuming. Once I start seeing the results I will share all my findings with you. Until then, please stick with me. I'm off to find some good deals for y'all right now!

Albertson's

2008-10-01T19:56:00.004-04:00

It looks like Albertson's has some great sales this weekend. If you're planning a trip there make sure you pick up today's paper. They have another $5.00 off $50.00, plus buy 1 get 2 free on chicken and a lot more. I just glanced at the flier, but wanted to remind you to grab the paper with the coupons.

Sam's Club freebies

2008-10-01T07:47:00.004-04:00

Sam's Club is offering a great freebie for Theraflu. Click here for the link. It states that membership to Sam's Club is not required, but I did put in my Sam's membership number just in case.

Thanks to dee16 for posting this on fatwallet.

2008-10-01T07:25:00.003-04:00

Right @ home is having a great offer, Ziploc's fall gift pack. The first 20,000 people to respond will receive a free Ziploc® Brand Vacuum Freezer System Starter Kit, plus $14.10 in coupons. Click here then scroll to bottom right and click on the Ziploc link. Hurry, this one won't last!

Publix

2008-09-29T08:30:00.005-04:00

I'm very happy with my Publix trip this week, I was able to get a lot of stuff and used a bunch of coupons, which always makes me happy.

Club soda $.69
Lays chips BOGO $3.79
Lays chips
Honey Nut Cheerios BOGO $4.99
Honey Nut Cheerios
Milk $3.79
4 - Yo-crunch yogurts $.60 each ($ .55 coupon)
Yoplait yogurt drink $2.89 (I had a coupon for one free)
2 - Smart Balance butter $3.59 each (stacked $1.00 mfg coup. & $1.00 Publix coup. on each)
Chex Mix BOGO $2.57 ($ .50 coupon on each)
Chex Mix
French Bread $2.19
Cheeze-it's BOGO $4.19
Cheeze-it's
Taco Bell dinner kit BOGO $2.59
Taco Bell dinner kit
Taco Bell dinner kit BOGO $2.59
Taco Bell dinner kit
Ocean Spray juice BOGO $3.69 (used $1.00 off coupon in smartsource coupon display in store)
Ocean Spray juice
Ocean Spray juice BOGO $3.69 (used $1.00 off coupon in smartsource coupon display in store)
Ocean Spray juice
Goya chick peas $1.49
Kraft Mac & Cheese BOGO $2.45
Kraft Mac & Cheese
Ken's dressing BOGO $3.19 ($1.00 off coupon)
Ken's dressing
Ken's dressing BOGO $3.19 ($1.00 off coupon)
Ken's dressing
Campbell's select soup BOGO $2.39 ($ .50 coupon)
Campbell's select soup
Campbell's select soup BOGO $2.39 ($ .50 coupon)
Campbell's select soup
Pillsbury toaster scrambles BOGO $2.49 ($1.00 off 2 coupon)
Pillsbury toaster scrambles
Pillsbury toaster scrambles BOGO $2.49 ($1.00 off 2 coupon)
Pillsbury toaster scrambles
Deli ham $3.74
Deli bologna $1.87
Ritz toasted chips BOGO $3.29
Ritz toasted chips
meat $2.80
meat $2.56
baby cut carrots BOGO $1.69
baby cut carrots
Stouffer's pizza BOGO $3.19
Stouffer's pizza
Birds Eye Voila BOGO $4.99 ($2.00 off coupon)
Birds Eye Voila

With coupons and specials I saved $81.60.
My out of pocket was $ 74.53 for over $156.00 worth of groceries.

CVS

2008-09-29T07:43:00.004-04:00

CVS has a couple of good things this week, here's what I'll be doing:

Cover girl clean makeup $5.49 -$1.00 coupon in yesterdays paper. $5.49 back in ECBs, so this deal will make you $1.00.
Coke 4@$13.00. $3.00 back in ECBs, end price will be $10.00 for 4. I recently read that you can cash your coke points out for $1.00 off coupons, if you have those coupons you'll really make out well.
Colgate Max $2@$3.00. Use 2 - $1.00 off coupons from yesterdays paper & you'll get 2 Colgate Max toothpastes for $1.00
Gillette shampoo or conditioner is on sale 2@$9.00 with $2.00 back in ECBs. Use 2 - $2.00 off coupons from yesterday's inserts. After coupons & ECBs you'll get 2 for $3.00.
Soft soap $.99. Use the coupon from yesterday and you'll pay $ .64.
Gillette fusion razor $9.99 with $5.00 back in ECBs. Use the $4.00 coupon from yesterdays inserts and get it for$ .99.

Also there is a coupon to get a $25 gift card if you transfer your prescription, these are always a great way to get extra money so take advantage of it if possible.

Kohl's deals

2008-09-27T08:24:00.004-04:00

My mom showed me her great Kohl's deals the other day so I though I'd share them. I received another coupon from Kohl's, mine is 20% off. It's valid 10/1 - 10/7, so if you have a Kohl's charge card keep an eye out for yours. Check what your local Kohl's has on sale as each store can be different.

2 - pair of gloves with rhinestone designs $ .50 (reg.$5.00)
Men's leather strap Newport blue sandals $1.20 (reg.$18.00)
2 - pair of girls strappy sandals $2.99 each (reg.$29.99 each)
3 - pair Nike flip flops $1.90 each (reg.$19.00)

Total was $14.78 for $144.98 worth of items.

Proctor & Gamble coupons

2008-09-27T08:13:00.005-04:00

Proctor & Gamble is having another insert in the paper Sunday, with $74.00 worth of coupons. You can enter your zip code to see which local paper will carry the insert. They also have a printable coupon for Tide & Downy total care. Click here to visit the site.

CVS

2008-09-26T22:21:00.004-04:00

Not an eventful trip, but I was able to get the Nivea for men that they were out of on Monday's trip.

Nivea for men body wash $4.99
2 - Ice Cube gums $1.19 each
2 - Ice Breakers sours $1.99

-$1.00 Nivea for men coupon
-$1.19 Ice Cube BOGO coupon ( printed out at CVS with my card)
-1.99 Ice Breakers BOGO coupon (printed out at CVS with my card)

I used $6.00 in ECBs and had $1.32 out of pocket. I received $4.99 back in ECB's for the Nivea.

Walgreens $5.00 off $20.00

2008-09-25T18:31:00.005-04:00

Walgreens has a printable coupon in the hot deals section of their website, $5.00 off $20.00 purchase. The coupon is only valid Friday September 26th & Saturday September 27th. Click here to print out the coupon or to read more about the offer.

Disney outlet deals

2008-09-24T10:05:00.004-04:00

Disney has some good clearance items in the outlet. A few of the items that weren't available last time I looked, are now in stock and can be purchased. The shipping is $5.00 if you spend $50.00 or more. Click here to visit the outlet.

Windex coupon

2008-09-24T09:46:00.004-04:00

Windex is offering a coupon for $1.00 off. You do have to sign up/in to get it (everyone knows to get a free e-mail account at yahoo or someplace to send all the junk e-mail too right?). Click here for the link and click on the coupon.

Betty Crocker Coupons

2008-09-24T08:20:00.004-04:00

Betty Crocker has another bunch of coupons available on their website. Nothing new or exciting, but I always like when they list a lot of coupons in one place. Click here to see if you'd like to print any.

My Favorite Things - Recipe Edition

2008-09-23T08:00:00.004-04:00

This weeks favorite things is a recipe edition. While mine is no "tried and true, country fair ribbon-winning, tastes so good it'll make you slap your mama recipe" it's been getting my kids to eat their veggies so I thought I'd share it. Go visit Sarah's blog to share your best recipe or to see other recipes that have been posted.

Fancy green beans, guideline ingredients:
1.5 lbs of fresh green beans
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 Tbsp butter/spread
1/4 cup olive oil

I start with fresh green beans, wash them & cut the ends (I cut both sides just 'cause the kids like it that way). Then I steam them until they are well done, a little on the soft side. Cook them to the desired tenderness that you like, just remember we'll still be cooking them in a pan as well.
Drain and pat dry beans. In a skillet/pan put enough olive oil to coat the bottom and heat it up. Then add a little butter/spread, whichever you prefer, and the beans. Let them fry for a few minutes, then add bread crumbs. I use the Italian kind, but use what you like. You just want to lightly coat the beans with the bread crumbs. I put the ingredients as a guideline because this is a recipe you have to adjust based on what you like and the moisture in your beans. Mix it around so the beans are coated and the oil is absorbed. Cook on low for a few more minutes and that's it.
If you like add salt & pepper to taste. Hope you enjoy it!

Fun kids experiment

2008-09-22T13:31:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure if this falls under the experiment category, but we do it a lot and my kids love it. My kids first did it at school and call it ooblock. At least that's how they pronounce it and I didn't have time to look it up. Just take corn starch and mix it with water. It's best to play around with it until you get the right consistency, we've tried quite a few times using different recipes, but it never comes out right.
Put the corn starch in a bowl and add a little water at a time. When you hit it or press hard it's a solid. When you dig your fingers in and lift, it becomes a liquid. We add food coloring to change the color. It's really cheap, easy to make and clean up and the kids will play with it for a long time.

Publix

2008-09-22T12:55:00.005-04:00

I didn't have any great deals or coupons this week, but I did OK. I'm seeing some of the other deals out there and my Publix doesn't have a lot of them, I double checked! I'm still liking Publix better then any other stores we have here, but we definitely need more competition!

Entenmann's BOGO $3.99
Entenmann's
Arnold Bread BOGO $2.79
Arnold bread
Milk $379
Orange Juice $2.49
Hebrew National Franks BOGO $4.79
Hebrew National Franks
Caesar salad BOGO $2.99
Caesar salad
Tortilla chips $1.67
pretzel twists $1.50
Kellogg's corn pops BOGO $3.89
Kellogg's frosted flakes
Ronzoni Pastina BOGO $1.39
Ronzoni Pastina
Betty Crocker fruit roll ups BOGO $2.75
Betty Crocker fruit roll ups
bananas 1.62lbs $1.12
french bread $1.79
club soda $.69
shark bite fruit snacks BOGO $2.75
scooby doo fruit snacks
Ronzoni spaghetti BOGO $1.39
Ronzoni spaghetti BOGO
green beans $2.89
Kellogg's Fruit Loops BOGO $3.89
Kellogg's Fruit Loops
ground beef $2.68

Used $1.00 in coupons. Total was $48.29 for $84.37 worth of groceries. Savings of $36.08

CVS

2008-09-22T12:33:00.006-04:00

CVS was OK this week, I've been a little annoyed that they seem to run out of items right away at my store these days. I doubt this is by accident. The girls at my store said that CVS has changed their delivery day from Monday to Thursday night. So if they get the item in it won't be on the shelf until Friday. A little suspicious if you ask me.

I had two transactions today:

Transaction #1

2 - Cottonelle 12 double roll pack $6.49 each
2 - Viva paper towels 8 rolls 50 ct. $6.49 each

- $ .50 coupon on Cottonelle
- $ .50 coupon on Cottonelle

After $13.00 in ECBs my out of pocket was $12.81. I usually wouldn't waste ECBs on something like this, but the sale price was really good (I saved $16.00 before ECBs) and I got $10.00 back in ECBs.

Transaction #2

Ivory soap 3 bars $.99
2 - Crest ProHealth $2.99 each
2 - Brut antipersp./deod. BOGO $3.79
Adidas antipersp./deod. $4.99

-$.75 Crest coupon
-$.75 Crest coupon
-$1.00 off Brut
-$1.00 off Brut
-1.00 off Adidas

After $10.00 in ECBs my OOP was $1.63. I received $4.00 ECBs for the Crest & $4.00 ECBs for the Adidas.

High School Musical 3 giveaway

2008-09-21T20:27:00.002-04:00

High School Musical 3: Senior Year makes its big screen debut on October 24th. Parenting magazine is having a cute giveaway of five HSM3 posters autographed by the stars. Click here to enter and for details.

Diapers.com

2008-09-21T20:14:00.005-04:00

My kids are all out of diapers, so I'm not sure how good the deals are at diapers.com, but I thought I'd pass on their latest offer. Free 2 day shipping on all orders over $49.00 and you can use coupon code PTG16 for $10.00 off that $49.00 order. The coupon is valid on first orders and doesn't expire until 3/31/09.

Times they are a changing...

2008-09-21T19:16:00.003-04:00

I think that Internet coupons as we know them may be changing soon. I had a comment on my smartsource post that I wanted to share with you in case you didn't see it.

Hi, I live in the Tampa area and was told by my Walgreen's that they will soon no longer accept online coupons due to the " coupon fraud" that was online. I will take a copy of this letter with me on my next visit. Also, today at CVS I was told that they had a meeting regarding coupons and will be looking very closely at all coupons that they get. They did refuse my 2/$10.00 coupon since it was " not an original" and was printed from home. So... things are changing here in Tampa.

I want to thank Tina for sharing her experience and giving us a heads up. I'm guessing once it starts it will spread everywhere. I have to admit that for the past two weeks, I've only used one or two Internet coupons and they've been with cashiers that I know, so they don't really count. Has anyone else had similar experiences recently? Please let me know if you have!

This weeks budget

2008-09-20T10:36:00.008-04:00

I've said many times that I am amazed at all these wonderful women who live on a grocery budget of less then $50.00 a week, but it's just not for me. If I ever had to buy toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning supplies in the same week I'd be in big trouble! So I've decided to set a budget, for our family of five, at $100 a week and see how that goes. This will include food, clothes and toiletries - things like that. Any thing else and I'd never make budget! I've done it for the past few weeks and so far I've been pretty close.

My budget will go from Sunday to Saturday and I'll try to update this every week.

Week of October 5th - October 11th
Albertson's $49.21
Sam's Club $27.75 (I didn't post or take a picture, I got 48-half pint waters, huge smart balance tub, bananas, big container grapes, large package chicken breast).

Total spent $ 76.96
Total left $ 23.04

What did you spend?

Smartsource coupons

2008-09-20T10:16:00.010-04:00

If you are worried about the recent crack down on Internet coupons, due to the facebook/vyrlmkt mess, this will be of interest to you. Click here to print out this informative letter from smartsource. You can show it at your local store if you have had problems already, or keep it in your coupon book just in case.

Thanks to dealseekingmom for this great information.

Target

2008-09-20T09:40:00.006-04:00

Target has their school supplies at 75% off. I'll save my receipt just in case I get lucky enough to get some of it at 90%, but there wasn't much left so I didn't want to take a chance. Original retail price is in the parenthesis.

Pink camouflage messenger bag $3.24 ($12.99)
Black & white camouflage messenger bag $3.24 ($12.99)
Hello Kitty $3.74 (14.99)
3 - camouflage lunch boxes $2.98 each ($11.99 each)
4 - large bottles of Elmer's glue .38 each ($1.57 each)
ribbons $ .25 ($1.00)
3 - card making kits $ .25 each ($1.00 each)
3 - eraser packs $ .18 each ($ .79 each)

Total after tax was $23.66 for almost $88.00 worth of school supplies.

Free package for junior scientists from NIDA

2008-09-18T23:08:00.012-04:00

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has a great freebie for your kids. It is the Junior Scientist Package, here is a short description:

The NIDA Junior Scientist Program is aimed at grades K-1. It consists of six modules. It includes a video, materials for students, a parent newsletter, and a teacher’s guide for each module. The goal of the program is to lay the foundation for future scientific learning and substance abuse prevention efforts by providing an early elementary school-age audience with a basis of knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Visit their website to request your free package today. Simply, add to cart and checkout. Total will be $0.00.

MORE INFO

GET IT NOW

Thanks, leatherface00, for the info!

IKEA

2008-09-18T23:08:00.009-04:00

IKEA is having another great sale with free breakfast this weekend, starting today! Click here to see the details.

Thanks, Danielle, for letting me know about this offer!! She let me know Monday, but my e-mail was sending everything to spam. That was happening a lot, but I think I've fixed the problem so keep the e-mails coming, I love them!

Free Disney pass

2008-09-18T23:08:00.008-04:00

Disney is giving away free passes to either of these two parks on your birthday in 2009. Click here for more information. You don't have to sign up, you can just show up at the gate on the day of your birthday, but they will e-mail you a reminder of the freebie and you may want to get e-mail information from them if you are planning a trip.

Facebook

2008-09-18T23:08:00.003-04:00

I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have become slightly obsessed with facebook. I've had quite a few friends from high school contact me recently and it has been a lot of fun revisiting old friendships and reminiscing. I spent an hour tonight chatting and laughing about old photos that have been posted. At first I thought it was kind of silly, but I'm so glad that I did it. If you have people you'd like to reconnect with I highly recommend checking it out. Just beware - it's very addictive!!

TheraCran Sample

2008-09-17T17:03:00.008-04:00

TheraCran® is the strongest cranberry supplement for people who get urinary tract infections, formulated to deal with bacteria before they can start an infection. Click here to fill out the sample request form.

CVS

2008-09-17T17:03:00.005-04:00

I have a love hate relationship with CVS, and it definitely is not healthy. Yesterday I was ready to march right over to Walgreens and pledge my loyalty, but as I stare at my recent CVS receipts I know that will never happen. The managers at my CVS have no clue about what they are doing and no idea about how to treat a customer. I know it wasn't me because there was a little old man sitting there waiting for his wife who heard the whole thing and yelled at the manager to "be nice and give it (the coupon) to the girl". But the truth is that I've gotten used to CVS, how it works and where things are so I'll stick it out.

I had 2 transactions:

Transaction #1

2 glade air sprays $ .99 each

2 purex detergents $2.99 each

-$1.00 off 2 purex

-.99 glade

Total $5.97.

I used $5.97 in ECBs so my OOP was $ .13 tax. I got back $2.00 in ECBs on the purex.

Transaction #2

2 - eraser 2 ct $ .25

2 - pencil 7ct $ .25

2 - purex detergent $ 2.99 each

Excedrin 20ct $ 3.99

2 - Revlon polish BOGO $ 4.39

2 - Hallmark cards $ .99 each

-$1.00 off 2 purex

-$2.00 off Revlon

Total $12.34. I used $12.00 in ECBs so my OOP with tax was $ .44. I got back $5.99 in ECBs.

Tide Coupon

2008-09-16T21:16:00.003-04:00

Sign up for the Tide Fabric Care Network and get a monthly newsletter e-mailed to you with coupons and sample offers. Click here for a $1.00 off Tide total care coupon.

Walmart Freebies

2008-09-16T09:02:00.001-04:00

Check out the latest freebies from Walmart here. Includes samples of Crest toothpaste, Playtex, Goodnites, Benefiber & Huggies.

Albertsons

2008-09-15T12:16:00.004-04:00

I have to say that I've been doing pretty good at Albertsons. I just wish it wasn't so far away. This weeks deals:

2- Birds Eye Frozen corn $.88 each

2 - Rice-a-Roni $ .88 each (we'll see how this goes over w/the kids)

2 - Pillsbury biscuits $ .88 each

2 - Toaster scrambles $1.89 each

Ice cream $2.99

Salsa $1.79

Milk $3.79

2 - Sherbet $.88 each

4 Campbell's chicken noodle soup $.44 each

2 - Spaghetti-O $.88

Toilet paper $.99

2 - Blue Bell ice creams $ .88 each

Root beer $ .79

Soda $ .79

Croutons $.88

2 - Hormel roast BOGO $5.99

Chicken tenders $6.49 (huge pack)

Chicken breast $5.27 (also huge)

Plums $1.00

2 green peppers $2.00

Fresh green Beans (almost 1 lb.) $.83

1lb. carrots $1.00

Cheese (3/4lb) $3.79

deli ham (1lb) $4.94

Rolls $ 1.99

Total after coupons was $55.69. I saved over $51.57.

Publix

2008-09-15T11:51:00.006-04:00

This week my hubby went to Publix for me. He needed chlorine for the pool so he made a quick stop on his way home. He didn't use any coupons (I can only ask so much of him), but did pretty good. We needed the cookies to bring to a barbecue we went to, otherwise our total would have been a lot less.

2 - Cookies @2.99 each

2 - Muller pasta BOGO $1.39 ($ .70 each)

2 - Muller pasta BOGO $1.39 ($ .70 each)
2 - Muller pasta BOGO $1.39 ($ .70 each)
2- Planters nuts packs BOGO $2.99 ($ 1.50 each)
2 - Goldfish BOGO $2.19 ($ 1.10 each)

Total was $18.33, we saved $10.93.

Ulta Deals

2008-09-15T07:29:00.004-04:00

If you shop at Ulta they have some good deals, I'm a little behind it as it's a 2 week sale 9/7 to 9/20. Click here to find your store, then click view current print ad to see Ulta's deals this week.

CVS

2008-09-13T07:44:00.003-04:00

I stopped in to CVS to see if their summer stuff was on clearance, my sister made out great at hers in NJ. While I was there I grabbed two more bottles of excedrin, since I had the coupons. I went to the counter and paid, then walked right out without so much as a glance at where the summer stuff was. Oh well, at least I had a good transaction.

Excedrin extra strength $1.99

Excedrin tension headache $1.99

Then I had 2/$2.00 off 1 coupon. After the cashier adjusted one of the coupons down, I had no out of pocket, they were free!

Check out the "Cent"sible Sawyer for her CVS Superstars deals here.

Airborne - free sample

2008-09-12T21:52:00.003-04:00

I was lucky enough to participate in a survey about this promotion. Click here for a free sample.

There are some other free offers and coupons on there regular site as well. Click here for them.

Betty Crocker

2008-09-12T14:47:00.002-04:00

If you sign up for their newsletter, Betty Crocker has some good coupons available through their website. They will print through Bricks coupons, so you will need to download the coupon printer. Click here to view them.

Run to Kohl's! Hurry! I'm not kidding, go now!

2008-09-12T07:23:00.005-04:00

Seriously, if you have a Kohl's near you change your plans, grab your list, and get there now. I'm going to try to travel to a different Kohl's today to see what they have. The sale prices are amazing and if you use your Kohl's charge you get an additional 15, 20 or 30% off. If you received a card for more then 15% off in the mail bring it. Otherwise ask for one at the check out and they'll give you one to scratch off. I only got 15% both times, but the deals were still great. I bought lots of great gifts for birthdays & Christmas.

3 - High School Musical fake nails $1.00 each (reg.$5.00)

Boy's Sonoma pants $1.20 (reg.$12.00)

4 - Men's Tek gear breathable shirts $4.00 each (reg.$20)

2 - Reebok shorts $5.00 each (reg.$25)

2 - Speedo swim trunks $4.40 each (reg.$44.00)

2 - Jumping beans boy's swim trunks $1.80 each (reg.$18.00)

2- Angel Beach girls tankini $2.60 each (reg. $26.00)

Speedo girls suit $3.60 (reg.$36.00)

Cars boys swim trunks $1.80 (reg.$18.00)

Candies 3 pc. girls suit $3.80 (reg.$38.00)

St. Tropez 3 pc. suit w/sunshirt $2.80 (reg.$28)

High School Musical shirt $3.60 (reg.$18.00)

So girl's shirt $1.20 (reg.12.00)

Healthtex skort $1.20 (reg.$16.00)

My total before tax was $66.20. With my 15% off they deducted another $9.93. After tax my grand total was $59.93 for $500.00 worth of clothes. That's a savings of $440.07!!

Stove update

2008-09-11T21:44:00.004-04:00

So I vented about my hatred for Maytag the other day. I worked for a builder for a long time so I know the guys at our local store where I bough the appliances from. Since I was right there I stopped in to tell them about my dilemma, and one of the guys I know told me how he was going to "take care of me" and do whatever he could & that I shouldn't worry. He was nice enough to even schedule me for the next day so I wouldn't have to wait, he just asked that I call him in the morning to give him the model & serial numbers so he could get an idea of what we were looking at. Great I thought, he's not going to charge me much and it will be fixed right away, how lucky am I!

So the next morning I called him and gave him the information. He told me to give him a minute and he'd call me right back. Sure enough, a few minutes later he called. My jaw hit the floor when he told me it would be $180.00 to fix it. Then I thought about it and figured it really wasn't too bad. So I told him that was fine, I was just going to let my husband know it was going to cost $180. That was when he mentioned that the $180 was only for the part. It would be an additional $75.00 for the guy to come to the house. OK, so I did the math, $255.00. Now mind you as I'm talking to him I'm looking at the fliers from Sunday's paper with an oven/stove for $399.00 so I'm becoming more and more skeptical by the minute. Then he tells me to have the guy call him once he's at my house so he could see what they could do. I have to admit that I was starting to get a little annoyed at how he was "taking care of me".

I'm figuring at this point he's not going to give me much of a discount since he hasn't mentioned any specific numbers. So, again, I told him I was just going to call the hubby and run the $255.00 by him. This next part is true, I kid you not. That's when he said that $255.00 wasn't the total, I would still have to pay $50.00 minimum for installation plus tax. So I said, oh so the final price is $305.00? And his response was "minimum, plus tax".

The ad for the $399 stove is now looking pretty good. So I said I'd have to call my husband and see what he thought since it was almost as high as buying a new stove. That's when he told me all about the new stove I could buy from him for $499.00 plus tax, with a year warranty. I can't decide if this is where he was headed the whole time, or he just figured I'd use them no matter what. Needless to say I made an excuse and cancelled.

I called the hubby and filled him in and after he had a good laugh he said not to worry, we'd just get a new stove. Apparently my husband of 14 years has never met me, since I have yet to find an occasion not to worry. So I hung up and ran to the computer to check out all the stoves in the universe. After about an hour, I was pretty happy with what I had discovered. There were plenty of stoves that were under $400.00 that had everything I need. All of a sudden I hear a beep, so I get up to investigate and end up in the kitchen. The clock on the stove was on and flashing and I could turn on the oven!!! I couldn't make this up if I tried. I've been told the computer may have gotten wet from steam, which caused it to stop working until it dried out. I don't know how long this will last, the clock is still acting funky, but it's been on for 2 days and still going strong.

Albertsons

2008-09-10T18:41:00.002-04:00

The Albertsons flier in today's paper includes a $5.00 off $50.00 coupon that you won't be able to get in the store. Grab one if you need it.

Walmart

2008-09-10T18:32:00.005-04:00

Nothing exciting about my grocery shopping this week. I went to Walmart to pick up a few things. I did have good coupons for the deli turkey and ham. Otherwise nothing else to mention.

I am out of a lot of staples so I started to pick some of them up. I spent $49.96 and had $6.00 in coupons. I'll go back to my normal Publix, and probably Albertsons this week.

This weeks Budget

2008-09-10T18:25:00.000-04:00

I'm not posting a budget this week because I've decided I'm not having one. I'm still tired and cranky and I've decided to throw caution to the wind and forget the budget just for this week. I haven't gone crazy with it either, I think I just need a little room to groove and breathe. I'll be back next week refreshed and raring to go!!

My Favorite Things

2008-09-10T17:57:00.002-04:00

This week my favorite thing is my kids air hockey table that they rarely use. Normally this table would go on a list for my least favorite objects. It is pretty big so we found a place for it in a wide hallway we have. It's right across from our office/hangout room, but it doesn't make them use it more. How did this eyesore go from worst to best? Well, I discovered that it is a fabulous place to fold laundry!! It's the perfect height, large enough for lots of piles, and not too far from any of the bedrooms where, in theory, the folded laundry needs to end up (preferably in the drawers, but that's a whole different story). While folding I'm at a perfect angle to watch the TV in the office and before I know it I'm finished!

To see more great favorite things go see Sarah's blog.

Seventh Generation Coupons

2008-09-10T12:01:00.003-04:00

I just received more seventh generation coupons. You must sign in to print them

$2 OFF any One (1) Seventh Generation Diaper Product
Good on any size Diapers or Training Pants

$1 off any One (1) Seventh Generation Baby Wipes product
Good on 80-count Reusable Tub, 80-count Refill, 40-count Travel Pack

$1 OFF any One (1) Seventh Generation Dish washing Product
Good on Natural Dish Liquid, Automatic Dishwasher Powder, or Automatic Dishwasher Gel

$1 OFF any One (1) Seventh Generation Cleaning Product
Good on Tub & Tile, Shower, Toilet Bowl, Glass & Surface, Carpet, All-Purpose, and Kitchen Cleaners

$1 OFF any One (1) Seventh Generation Laundry Product
Good on Liquid Laundry Concentrates, Powdered Laundry Detergent, Fabric Softener, Non-Chlorine Bleach, Baby Laundry Detergent, Delicate Care Detergent

ValueMags.com

2008-09-09T22:11:00.007-04:00

ValueMags has 6 free magazine offers. To see all offers click here.

Get 3 issues of Oprah! No strings attached.Click here.
Get an issue of Bridalguide free! No strings attached.Click here.
Get a complimentary issue of Rob Report! No strings attached.Click here.
Get 8 issues of Traditional Home! No strings attached.Click here.
Get 24 issues of Parents! No strings attached.Click here.
Get 12 issues of Boatinglife free! No strings attached.Click here.

Updated CVS trip

2008-09-09T15:16:00.004-04:00

You can read all about my first CVS trip here. Below is my updated transaction. I returned the Revlon polishes because my CVS refused to take the coupons I had (which is OK since there are buy one get one free items I can use them towards in next week's flier). I also tried to return the ECBs, but my cashier wouldn't take them. She said no one else ever gives them back and that she wouldn't take them from me. She said that the ECBs are still good, once they are issued CVS doesn't void them when you make returns. It's nice to know, and if it happens here or there I guess it's OK, but it makes me feel like these ECBs are stolen money. I'm all for using coupons and getting deals, but keeping ECBs on items I returned doesn't seem ethical.
Anyway, here's the scoop:

3 Right Guard deodorants $2.99 each
2 Soft & Dri deodorants $2.99
Act Rinse $4.49
Herbal Essence Shampoo $2.50
Herbal Essence Conditioner $2.50
L'Oreal Genesis towelettes $5.99
Excedrin $1.99

Total $ 32.42
used $1.00 off Right guard (had 3 so $3.00 off)
used $ .75 off Soft & Dri (had 2 so $1.50 off)
used $1.00 off Act rinse
used $2.00 off Herbal Essence coup (had 2 so $ 4.00 off)
used $1.00 off L'Oreal Genesis
used $2.00 off Excedrin
$12.50 in coupons.

After ECBs my total OOP was $2.24 for about $50.00 worth of items. I got back $28.99 in ECBs, $2.00 for Act, $5.99 for L'Oreal, $10.00 for deodorant, ($9.00 for Revlon polish that was returned) & $2.00 for Herbal Essence.

Fun treat

2008-09-09T08:28:00.002-04:00

The picture didn't come out so great, but the icee's were really appetizing in person. All you do is get a can of frozen concentrate any flavor, I bought the Walmart brand for $ .93. We used limeade this time, but our favorites are pink lemonade & fruit punch. You can follow the directions on the can & just substitute crushed ice for water. I'm a rebel when it comes to recipes so I just put a ton of crushed ice in the blender, added the concentrate and enough water to get it going (maybe a little more then a can), and let the kids blend away. They try each setting on the blender at least once, and after it's a slushy consistency the kids dive right in. I put theirs in plastic wine glasses & got out the straws and it was a great treat that hit the spot for less then $1.00!

Black Friday

2008-09-09T08:20:00.002-04:00

My friend Melissa finds the greatest sites, the latest one is all about Black Friday. If you're not familiar with it, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when major retailers around the country discount products to help kick off the Christmas shopping season. Many of the best deals you'll get happen on that day. Usually we don't get to see the Ad's until the circulars come out in the newspaper on Thanksgiving, but this website claims to be giving us a head start.