~3 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There should be 3 inserts in the Sunday newspaper:

*1 SmartSource
*1 RedPlum
*1 Procter & Gamble

Happy Clipping!

~Old Navy Wholey Moley Sale!~

It’s the Old Navy Wholey Moley 30% Off Sale!

Starting 4/30-5/2, the WHOLE store will be on sale: take 30% off your entire purchase.

*Valid in store only!

~Sassy Saver Spotlight!~

Below is from a Sassy Savings student that took a class several months ago. I love that no matter what phase or season of life you are in, couponing benefits everyone! Jan has surpassed her monthly goal and is now blessing others. That makes me happy. That is what it is all about. Being a good steward with "God's Money" and blessing others when we have the opportunity.
Jan~I'm so proud of you!
**************************************************************
Having a great time saving money!! My pantry and freezer are pretty well stocked. I think my husband thought it was crazy at first, but now he appreciates how much money I'm saving and he's a big fan now!! The best part, I think, I have been able to pull out of my supply and help a friend out who has been having a hard time. She's a single Mom with a teenage son. Which I think is AWESOME!!! She told me yesterday that they are still using the food I gave her 2 months ago!! I love that!!

I have many items such as toothpaste, body wash etc that the only time I purchase them now is when they are free or almost free.

I want to thank you for helping me learn how to save money. My goal when we came to the class was to pay for my massage each month. So far, I have saved much more than that and we are eating at home instead of going out, which saves a ton of money!

~Scrubbing Bubbles Coupons!~

Go HERE to get some great coupons for Scrubbing Bubbles products brought to you by Right@Home.

~Borders 33% Coupon!~

Go HERE to print off a 33% coupon for any single item to Borders!
This would be great for those books on your summer reading list.

*Coupon valid only on 4/27/10 & 4/28/10*

~My Weekly Menu~

I haven't posted a weekly menu in a while, so here goes!

Breakfast items:
Blueberry muffins
Scrambled eggs & toast
cereal

Lunch:
Turkey sandwich w/ spinach
Leftover roast meal
Leftover enchiladas
Spinach salad topped w/ chicken (leftovers)



Dinner:
Steak, baked potato, spinach salad
Steak nachos (from leftover steak)
Roast, carrots, potatoes, spinach salad
Hamburgers on the grill w/ sweet potato fries
Chicken Enchiladas w/ rice & beans

What's cooking at your house?

Hope you all have a blessed Tuesday!
SHO

~JCPenny Code!~

JCPenney now has a $10 off $10 purchase coupon code for Mother’s Day! Enter code 4BESTMOM at checkout. If you purchase something around $10,then you will only have to pay shipping! If you ship to the store it should be cheaper than shipping to your home. The code is valid through May 9, 2010.

Happy Monday!

~Manager's Special Alert!~

If you live in my area this is for you! Kroger is having a "Manager's Special" on the Pillsbury crescent roll (the small tube). They are marked down to .49!!! I used a .40/2 coupon that doubled and was able to get them for .09 each. Really, I got them for FREE because I combined it with a shortcuts.com ecoupon. I heart FREE food! Plus, there are several recipes that you can put crescent rolls in that are really yummy.

Hope you have a great Saturday! I'm super excited to be attending a Beth Moore event today. :)
SHO

~2 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There should be 2 coupon inserts in the Sunday paper:

*1 Smart Source
*1 Red Plum

Happy Clipping!

~Sassy Saver Spotlight!~

This is a post from a student that got "Sassy" with her savings. Tiffany is a mother of 2 little girls. She has gotten very creative with her menu since becoming a couponer. I love to see what she has come up with. Tiff, I'm so proud of you! Awesome job!
**********************************************************

These are the items I got while visiting Walmart and CVS.
Here's a rundown on the numbers:

CVS: Starting with 6 and 2 ECBs, plus a 2.50 ECB from the machine when I walked in this afternoon!

John Frieda and Biore- Buy $15, get $5 ECB.
Biore wash $6 - used Buy pore strips, get wash free Q.
Biore pore strips $6
John Frieda hair product $5
-$2.50 Q.
=$5

Puffs Plus
$.99
-$1 Q
= FREE

Dove Shampoo $4.49, get $4.49 ECB
-$1.50 Q
=FREE with $1.50 overage

TOTAL at CVS = $1.07, paid in change from my coin purse! Took home 5 and 4.49 ECBs!
Savings at CVS=$27.96

Walmart:
2 Benedryl Itch Sticks
$2.28 each
-$5 off 2 Benedryl products q

Planters peanuts (as filler)
$.48
TOTAL Walmart = $.04!!!

The cashier looked shocked, and even checked the coupon, almost like she might try that little trick! haha. Love it!
The cashier at CVS and I had a great conversation about teaching our children the value of saving money this way. She seemed impressed that my children will know from a young age how to be good stewards of what God has blessed us with. Praise the Lord!

~You Ask...I Tell~

This is a very random post answering some questions that have been asked or emailed to me recently. I didn't get to them all, but this is a good start. I hope this answers some of your questions.

How do you stay within budget and buy meat in bulk?
*I take the amount (Example: $80 spent on ground beef) and divide it by 4 months, which equals $20 per month. Then I get out my spreadsheets for the next months and automatically deduct the $20. The meat will last longer than 4 months, but I feel comfortable with the $20 being taken out for that period of time. That way, I know the money is accounted for. Since I keep accurate records, my system works. If you are doing the envelope system, my system will be easy for you to maintain.

How are you able to only spend $150-$175 per month on all food & toiletries?
*I am very careful about every purchase that I make. Before heading to the store, I know how much I want to spend. Since I have a stock pile, I am on a maintenance plan. Basically, I only have to purchase the food items that I want and at the price that I want to pay.
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
~Phil 4:19~

How often do you grocery shop?
*This is a HUGE MISCONCEPTION about how often I go to the store. Honestly, not often! I usually only go once per week. I could go less than that, but I always want to make sure I don't miss out on any FREE items and usually need some fresh fruit too. I only hit CVS or Walgreen's once per week or sometimes only once every couple of weeks. I ONLY GO IN IF I CAN GET FREE ITEMS! That is my rule :)
*I coupon to make my life easier and more enriched, not to complicate it and make it stressful. Running all over town to get every deal is stressful to me. :)

It is time consuming?
*Honestly, sometimes it is more than others. This week, I've only spent about 15 minutes on coupons while I was cooking dinner. This was not a big shopping week for me. I've spent my grocery budget for the month (almost), so no big trips planned here until next week.


Do you shop at Sam's or Costco?
*No. I love both of those stores, but cancelled our membership once I became a coupon girl. I'm able to get better deals when I combine sales w/ coupons. Plus, the membership fee cancels out a great deal of the savings (for me anyway).

Do you enjoy couponing?
*Absolutely!

Does it get old?
*No, sometimes frustrating when people don't understand their own coupon policies...but I never get tired of saving money ;)
"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil."
~Psalm 37:8~

How do you stay focused?

*I dream about this romantic, tropical island vacation with my hubby each summer. Enough said ;)

What do you do with the money you save?
*I explain this in my very first post (if you have time, you can scroll back and read). Anyway, I started out saving all of the money to pay for our annual island trip. Now, I save more than enough to pay for the trip. So, the rest of the money goes into savings for future large purchases.
"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think"
~Ephesians 3:20~

Do you get great deals on your travel?

*No, I don't have any secrets here. Sorry! We have traveled all over the past 9 years and really enjoy the nicer all-inclusive resorts. This is one area that we are not that flexible on. We want to stay at a luxurious resort. After all, it is what we have worked so hard for all year. So, if there is a deal than it is a bonus! Last year we got a good deal due to the Swine Flu. This year, not so much. I will say that it is worth every penny to have that time to relax, unwind & rejuvenate!
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
~Matthew 11:28~

How many children do you have?
*I have one precious miracle girl and one doggy girl :)

"Children are a gift from the Lord: they are a reward from him"
~Psalm 127:3~

How long do you plan on doing this?
*As long as I continue to island dream :)

"For I know the plans that I have for you, declare the Lord"
~Jeremiah 29:11~

Well, that is about all of the time I have to answer questions for today. I hope this helps. Please feel free to keep the questions coming. I love that some of you are reading from other countries! Hope you all are blessed this Wednesday.
In Him~
SHO

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"
~Psalm 37:4~

~My CVS deal this week~

ThermaCare Heat Wraps
$2.49
-$2.49 ECBs
-$1 q
=FREE + $1 overage after coupons and ECBs!
*Limit 2

*I really like these things. I use them for my lower back. FYI: The shoulder/neck work for the lower back area too! :)

Happy Tuesday!

~Home Depot Garden Club~

Go HERE to sign up for Home Depot's Garden Club. (You might have to click on it once, click out and then try it again to get to the correct page...I have no idea why it does that) They will send you an email with some pretty awesome coupons periodically. Here is a list of a few that I thought were great: B1G1 Mums, B1G1 Shrubs and going on right now is B1G1 Trees!

We just picked up our new trees this weekend! We got a Live Oak that was reg. $54.98, but was on sale for $29.88. We didn't need 2 trees, so we split the bill with some neighbors (Thanks Watson's!). It worked out great because they were needing 1 tree too! So, we spent less than $20 on a nice large tree. Home Depot also has some trees this week for $9.98, but they were much smaller.

Happy Monday!

~2 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There should be 2 coupon inserts in the Sunday paper:

*1 SmartSource
*1 Red Plum

Happy Clipping!

~How to stick to a weekly grocery budget~

My weekly grocery budget is roughly $30.00. Some weeks I spend $40 and other weeks I only spend $15 or $20. Basically, I ALWAYS know how much I have left for the month and figure out how many weeks I have to make that money stretch. Before I go to the store, I make a very detailed list of items that I need, sale items that I will be purchasing and the coupons that I will be using.

Example:
3 Downy sale $3.50 (using $3 q) = .50 each
3 Birdseye Frozen Veggies sale $1 (using .35 q tripled) = FREE!

Then I go through my entire sheet and tally up roughly how much I plan to spend. If I am over my target amount, then a few things get cut. I've found that if you go into a store knowing what you are going to spend, it makes shopping a lot more fun and productive. Especially, if you have a set amount that you are aiming for, things don't tend to jump into the basket as easily ;) (We've all had that happen before, right?) You go in for 5 things and come out with 18 items and forgot 2 of the 5 that you went in for???

Hope this helps and that you have a very blessed day!
SHO

~Oh, Happy Day!~

Hope you all are having a very blessed Wednesday!

I'm LOVING this beautiful weather :)
SHO

~FREE Dove Sample!~

Go HERE to get a FREE sample of new Dove Daily Treatment Conditioner!

~A Few Target Deals~

Here are a few of my Target deals from last week!

Quaker deal: Buy 3 at $2 each and get 1 FREE!

4 Quaker bars
sale $2
-.75/2
-.75/2
-$2 (FREE)
=$4.50 or $1.13 each (my hubs LOVES these bars...takes them everyday with his lunch)

3 Johnson's buddies
.97
-$1 q
=FREE!!!

Visine
$2.37 (clearance)
-2 q
=.37

~My CVS trip this week~

Dove
$4.49
-$4.49 ECB back
-$1.50 q
=FREE + $1.50 OVERAGE!

Schick Hydro
$8.97
-$6 ECB back
-$4 q (this was an old coupon that I found and it expired yesterday 4/11)
=FREE + $1.03 OVERAGE!

~They're Back!~

Procter & Gamble electronic coupons are back on the Kroger.com site! There are not as many as previously, but at least they are back. Yeah! You will need to sign in and add them to your card at least 1 hour prior to shopping.

Some that are most exciting are:

$3/2 Old Spice Deodorant
$3/2 Secret Deodorant
$3/2 Old Spice Body Wash
$1 off Gain
.50/1 Tide

*Remember, these electronic coupons can be combined with man. (paper) coupons for a great savings!

Happy Monday!

~A Few Kroger Deals~

3 Lady Speed Stick
Reg. $1.99 (actually, I think these are more since they are the largest)
.99 (rain check price)
-.50 (doubled)
=FREE!

3 Snuggle
Reg. $4.19
sale $3.50
-$3 q
=.50 each

7 Mighty Dog Food
.69
-FREE coupon
=FREE!

2 Uncle Ben's Rice
Reg. $2.19
sale $1.69
-.50 q (doubled)
=.69 each


3 Ziploc Freezer bags
Reg. $2.89
Sale $2.50
-.40 (doubled)
$1.70 each or $5.10 - $2 catalina = $3.10 or $1.03 each (not the best price I've paid, but I was needing some freezer bags)
*There is a catalina for this if you purchase 3, then you get $2 catalina back*

4 Birdseye Steamfresh Veggies
Reg. $1.89
Sale $1
-.35 q (tripled)
=FREE!

Daisy Sour cream
Reg. $1.59
Sale $1.50
-.50 (doubled)
=.50

Welch's grape jelly
Reg. $2.49
sale $1.79
-.55
=$1.24

Betty Crocker cookie mix
Reg. $2.29
Sale $1.99
-.40 q (doubled)
-.40 shortcuts
=.79

Retail= $50.35
Spent =$8.51
*That is a savings of 83%!

~March Monthly Review!~

Spent $155.92 for the month on groceries/toiletries, etc. I bought dog food twice and had to buy some supplies for our garden. So, I was very pleased that I stayed on budget.
Most importantly, I exceeded my savings goal! Woohoo!

Are you staying within your monthly budget? Have you set your savings goals? I'm excited to hear from you :)

Many blessings~
SHO

~Closeouts!~

Always be on the lookout for "CLOSEOUT" items at Kroger. They are usually awesome deals!

I was able to get 3 Purina One dog food on closeout.
Reg. $7.99
$3.99 (closeout price)
-$3 q
=.99 per 4 lb bag...Basically, I got 12 lb of dog food for $2.97!


Retail: $23.97
Paid: $2.97
Saved: $21.00 or almost 90%!

~2 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There are 2 coupon inserts scheduled for this Sunday (April 11th).

*1 SmartSource
*1 RedPlum

Happy Clipping!

~Quick Meal Idea~

Yesterday, I put some hamburger meat in the fridge to thaw before I left. When I got home, I realized that I only had 3 tortillas. That is not nearly enough for tacos for us. However, I was tired and didn't want to eat out. So, I made a mexican layered dish. It was super easy and quick!

1 layer tortilla
1 layer pinto beans & shredded cheese
1 layer tortilla
1 layer ground beef (brown meat & use taco seasoning first), pinto beans & shredded cheese
1 layer tortilla topped w/ pinto beans & cheese

Put it in the oven on 350 for about 15 minutes and it was tasty.

*This was a very simple version of this. You could really have fun and make it interesting! In the past, I've added peppers, sour cream or Rotel to it. We love mexican food and I love that it is usually a very quick fix :)

~Switch for Free!~

Buy any Land O Lakes I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spread or Smart Balance buttery Spread and get a coupon ( max $2.99 value) mailed to you for a FREE Land O Lakes butter with Olive Oil! Go HERE for more details and to download the form.

~Gap 20% Coupon!~

Get 20% off Women’s, Men’s and Maternity new arrival styles (jeans not included) at Gap! This is a limited time offer and is valid on-line only. Enter code: GAPNEW20 at checkout. Offer expires 4/8/10.

~New Printable Coupons!~

Don't forget to print the new coupons that came out this month! You can go to my sidebar (Coupons.com) and print from there.

Happy Tuesday!

~Campbell's Coupons!~

Go HERE to print Campbell's soup coupons! There is a $1/2, which would make these super cheap or possibly FREE with a sale.

~Happy Easter Weekend!~

"Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise"

In observation of Good Friday and Easter Weekend, I'm taking a few days off from the blog. My focus will be on celebrating the true meaning of Easter with my family. I'll be back to the blog next week bringing you some more tips and deals.

This is Sunday there is only (1) coupon insert scheduled:
* Procter & Gamble


Hope you all have a very blessed Easter Weekend!
SHO

~30% Off Old Navy Coupon!~

Go HERE to print a 30% off Old Navy coupon!