~Restaurant.com 80% Off!~

2 things:

Kroger is having a 50% select cereal products this weekend.


*Me w/ mini-me in Norman, OK outside of the Theta house at OU last week :)

Also, today is the final day to get a $25 Restaurant.com certificate for only $2 by entering PLATE at checkout!!! Be sure to read the fine print as to how much you have to spend, etc. We just used one yesterday in Dallas at The House of Blues. It was soooo good! We had to spend $35 to use the $25 certificate. We were able to get 2 lunch meals, 2 drinks, 1 kid meal & a huge meal (fish & chips) to share for dinner too. We ended up paying $20 out-of-pocket, but that included tip (they add 18% gratuity). So, for $20 we got to eat at a fun place and have enough food for 2 meals. That is a deal to me ;)

Hope your Saturday is full savings!
SHO

~4 Coupon Inserts Scheduled!~

There should be 4 coupon inserts in the Sunday paper:

*1 Smart Source
*2 Redplum
*1 Proctor & Gamble

This is a paper you will not want to pass on. I'm starting to see some great back to school grocery sales.

Happy Clipping!
SHO

~CVS Deal~

Here is another freebie at CVS this week:

U by Kotex
$4.99
-$1 CVS q (printed when I scanned my card last week)
-4.99 ECB back
=FREE + $1 profit!!!

Hope you all have a terrific Thursday!
SHO

~My CVS Pampers Deal!~

I scored an awesome deal on Pampers this week at CVS. These will be perfect for making diaper cakes! Here is how it went down:

1 Box of Pampers (96 count)
$21.99
-$2 q
-$4 CVS q (printed out last week...$4 off any diaper & wipe purchase)
-$10 ECB back
=$5.99
*That makes them .06 per diaper!!!!

1 CVS brand wipes
.99

This is a great example of why you should always scan your CVS card each time you visit the store. I've noticed lately that I will get a coupon for an item getting ready to be on sale.

Blessings~
SHO

~Menu Wednesday!~

I forgot to post my menu on Monday, so here it is today!

Baked Ziti w/ crescent rolls & spinach salad

Veggie Pizza

Beef Stroganoff w/ mushrooms

Tacos w/ refried beans

Shredded Chicken, rice w/ peas & carrots

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday~
SHO

~Kroger Milk $1.50~

Today is the final day of the Kroger milk sale. It is only $1.50!

~Tuesday Tip~

Have a very detailed list with you before going to the grocery store.
Example:

Item: Irish Spring Soap
Price: $1
Coupon: .75
Total: .25


This not only helps you get in and out of the store quickly, it also helps you figure out how much you are going to be spending before entering the store. It is always a good idea to have a budget in mind. That way you have a budget goal and then a bunch of little items (not on the list) don't end up in the buggy. Have you noticed that a buggy is like a magnet for things? He he

This is what I do and it really helps me stay on task and on budget. After all, it is not important how much I "save"....I'm most concerned with how much I "spent".

Hope you enjoyed this Tuesday tip!

Blessings~
SHO

~My Kroger Trip~

Went to Kroger today for the sale items. I bought other items too, but wanted to share some of the deals with you. Prices below reflect the sale prices. This sale is valid through Tuesday.
Crest
$1
-.50 q doubled
=FREE!

2 Irish Spring Soap
$1
-.50/2 (doubled)
=.50 each

3 Captain Crunch
$2.19
-$1 q
=$1.19 each

Turkey *MANAGER'S SPECIAL*
$1.19!!!!!!!!!!
*I was sooooo excited about this find!!! Woohoo!

3 Ivory
$1
-$1q
=FREE!!!

Degree deo.
$1.50
-$1 q
=.50

Suave deo.
$1
-.50 q doubled
=FREE!

2 Softsoap
$1
-.35 q tripled
=FREE!

2 Lady Speed Stick
$1
-.50 q doubled
=FREE!

Act II popcorn
$1.99
-.40 q doubled
=$1.19

Wishbone dressing
$1.49
-.75q
=.75

4 Hunt's tomatoes
.45 each

Loreal Shampoo
$2
-$1 q
=$1

2 Sargento Cheese
$1.88
-.40/2 q
=$1.44 each

Retail $59.71
Spent $14.88
*That is a savings of 75%!

~Could you live in 89 square feet?~

Could you live in an 89 square foot home? Honestly, don't think I could. However, I am FASCINATED with what this man is doing. Truly fascinated!

He does not have a mortgage and pays less than $100 per year for utilities! Can you imagine what that would be like? Wow!
Here is the video showing his house. Pretty awesome!
http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-20910192


I've been out-of-town since Thursday, so I'll try to post my shopping trip later today. Hope you have a great Monday!

SHO

~Old Navy 25% Off Event!~

Old Navy 25% Off Teacher & Student Event!

Time: Friday at 9:00am - July 25 at 9:00pm

------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: All Old Navy stores, in-store only (check local store for hours)

------------------------------------------------------------------
Students and Teachers will receive 25% off their entire purchase, this Friday through Sunday only. Students—show your college or high school ID to receive your discount. Teachers-show your school ID or pay stub to receive yours.

Happy Friday!

SHO

~2 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There are 2 coupon inserts scheduled for the Sunday paper:

*1 Smart Source
*1 Redplum

Happy Clipping!

SHO

~Victim vs. Victor~

Are you the victim or the Victor of your financial situation?



Do you talk to your children about saving up for something special or do you say "we can't afford it!"

Do you explain to them the importance of paying cash?

Do you talk to them about having the money in hand BEFORE making a purchase?

Do you talk to them about not being a "slave to the lender" when they grow up?

Do you rejoice and give God the glory for the money that you have?

Are you truly thankful for what you have?

Are you a financial brat (we're broke, we never have any money, we never get nice things, etc.)
or
Do you consider everything that you have a gift & blessing from the Lord?

Do you do a written budget or just hope it all works out?

Do you spend more than you make? Then do you spend even more because you figure that you already blew it?

Do you consistently have more month than money left over?

Do you eat out when you don't have money in the budget for it?

Do you take and never give?

Do you tithe 10% of your income?

Do you find every way possible to make extra money if it is needed?
or
Do you moan and groan and hope that someone will feel sorry for you and give you money?

Do you have a victim mentality?

Are you passing along a victim mentality to your children regarding money?

Do you speak life over your finances in front of your children (YOUR legacy)?

Do you fight with your spouse about finances or do you come together as a team to make a game plan?

Do you use your credit card to live on, instead of living off what you make?

Do you know people asking a church or other organizations for money when they could be out making some for their family?
*I want to make this very clear....Yes, I do believe that a part of my tithe to my church needs to go to those "in need". However, I don't believe that is intended for people who have overspent and can't afford their utility bill or car payment. That is my point.

Ouch....I fully realize that may sting for someone reading this. Please keep reading. I feel that God has placed this post on my heart and that someone really needs to read this. It is not my intention to make anyone feel bad about anything. It is my intention to bring light to a situation that you may need to change, possibly that you didn't even realize.

Are you trapped in financial bondage? Do you want to be set free?

Do you want other people to feel sorry for your finances?
OR
Do you want to tell of God's love, mercy & faithfulness?

Do you want to OVERCOME any and every obstacle that comes your way financially so that you can tell of HIS glory and faithfulness?

Do you want to be a Victor? I do!

I encourage you that today is not too late to begin your journey to financial FREEDOM. YOU CAN BE A VICTOR! You can turn your finances around. Make a choice for you and your family and stick with it. Will it be difficult? Yes! Isn't everything in life worth having?! You can do it! You can live differently than you think you can. You can make changes to improve your financial future! I promise that if you stand on the promises of God, you will be blessed.

Please feel free to leave a comment or email me. I would LOVE to hear how and when you decided to stop being the victim and started being the VICTOR!

In HIM~
SHO

"Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it."
~Malachi 3:10~

~Menu Wednesday!~

Well, I forgot to post this on Monday....So, here it is today!

Shredded Chicken,rice w/ peas, carrots & corn mixed in & crescent rolls

Baked Ziti, green beans & crescent rolls

Tacos w/ refried beans

Veggie pizza

Beef Stroganoff w/ mushrooms

~Diapers on Sale~

FYI:

If you like Huggies, CVS has them on sale this week.


If Pamper's are your fav, Walgreen's has them on sale this week.


You should have coupons for both brands!

Happy Shopping!

SHO

~My Walgreen's Trip~

Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste 5.8 oz
$3.49
-$1 q
-$3.50 Register Reward back
=FREE + $1 profit!!!

~Quiznos Coupon!~

Go HERE to print a Quiznos coupon good for a sub, chips & fountain drink for only $2.99! Offer expires 7/27/10.

This one is for you Mandy!

Blessings~
SHO

~Tuesday Testimonial~

I'm so excited to share a guest post this week from my Sassy Saving friend Tiffany. She has gotten her bills down to $300 per month, so I wanted her to share with everyone. I'm hoping to do more guest post in the future. If you would like to be a contributor, please let me know.

*Tiffany is on the left in the brown tank. She is a mother of a 4 year old, 1 year old and a baby on the way!
*******************************************************

We use basically the same methods you shared. I have always been one to keep the lights low and blinds closed. Friends and family even tease me about being a vampire! Ha! That is until they hear how low my summer bills are! In the winter I open the blinds on sunny days, and even let in the breeze in the fall and spring. We never turn our fans off, so the air is always circulating to keep things cooler/ more comfortable. The house is so cold in the winter sometimes that I have to walk around with my heavy robe on all day just to stay warm (I am cold all the time though).

Water, our bill is usually $50-60 in the seasons and much less in the colder ones (like around $20-$30). We only water every third day, with a sprinkler system, unless it rains. Then we recalculate.

Phone bill- well, this one has been a process. We have finally gotten as low as we can. We love our service so will not switch, and have the lowest minutes. After watching over about 6 months I realized we could go all the way to the bottom on our minutes and still not go over. We use a lot of texting, so we got a plan that included unlimited texting, mobile to mobile, and 700 shared minutes. With family out of town who mostly use the same service as us, we can talk to them and not use any minutes. My husband also uses his cell as a workbusiness line. We pay about $91 a month. We have no home phone because we would rather have internet. Right now we are paying $38 a month for wireless but I am working on getting that one lower. We just cancelled our cable (Hulu!!!) which was with a cable/internet bundle so I haven't been able to really look into the internet prices yet. Would love any input!

So once you average all the seasons, we come out to about $300 a month! We are still working on some things getting lower, but I am so proud of the teamwork it takes to make the most of what we have been blessed with!
Thanks for asking me to share and let me know if you have any questions.
Tiff

~Tuesday Tip~

This helpful post is from a Sassy saver friend Jenn:

************************************************
"Wanted to share something with you...couponers need to be super careful when scanning their kroger cards. Like most, I have several shopper cards on my key ring and fyi, the scanner will pick up whatever it sees. I went last night for the Tide...I self checked and realized my pg&e coupon didnt show. Since working with my shopper card recently, I knew the last 4 digits or my card and it didnt match the shopper card listed on the register. The scanner accidently picked up my petco shoppers card...be super careful and know your number."
***********************************************
Thanks for sharing Jenn!

~My Kroger Trip~

Ran into Kroger for these deals before the sale ends on Tuesday. Kroger is having a "Mega Event" where if you purchase 10 participating items, you get $5 off at checkout. There are several items that are part of the sale that are not listed in the circular, so be sure to check the tag and see if it is part of the Mega Event. Prices below reflect the price after the $5:

4 Sargento Cheese
$1.88
-.75
=$1.13 each

1 Sargento Cheese
$1.88
-.50 q (doubled)
=.88

1 Degree Deo.
$1.50
-.50 q (doubled)
=.50

1 Suave Deo.
$1
-.50 q (doubled)
=FREE!

2 Gatorade
.50 each

Total $7.39
Saved $18.93
*That is a savings 72%!

~Menu Monday!~

This is what I have planned thus far for my menu this week:

1 dish Pasta Bake w/ green beans & spinach salad
Grilled pork chops, grilled corn-on-the-cob & baked potatoes
Mushroom Swiss grilled burgers...Don't worry Mom, mine was plain ;)
Steak/Chicken Fajitas w/ rice & beans

Happy menu planning!

SHO

~1 Insert Scheduled~

There is 1 coupon insert scheduled for the Sunday paper:

*Smartsource

Happy Friday!

SHO

~I Need Your Help~

Questions???

How much do your utilities cost per month?
Have you found a way to lower any of them?
If so, would you be willing to share?

You can leave me a comment or email me. I'd love to hear from you! I've already heard from several savers about the last post. Everyone would love to know more about how to cut their bills. Since I'm a one girl show around here, I'd love your help. You can email me at coachoshields@hotmail.com or simply leave a message.

*These cloud pictures were taken from the plane on our way to Mexico.

Thursday Blessings~
SHO

~Ways To Cut Down On Monthly Bills~

Cutting back

Have you really stopped and studied your monthly bills? Do you go back and compare your electric bill to last year? Have you thought about ways to cut on your monthly expenses other than couponing? Well, I have!

Let's talk about cable television....This is one thing that is important to my cute hubby. We found the best bundle deal and went with that. It cracks me up that so many people just assume that we don't have cable. Honestly, all of the shows I like to watch are on the free channels, but the football that my hubby watches is not. We do not, however, pay for movie channels. If you are currently paying for movie channels, that is roughly $24 extra dollars per month that you could cut out. Remember me telling you about our fellow Sassy Saver Tiffany and how she is watching her favorite shows now on Hulu.com? It is FREE!

Moving onto cell phones....Okay, people I'm probably getting ready to offend a large population of my readers. Seriously, does your 9 year old really need a cell phone? I highly doubt that your child is going to be in a situation where they are all alone and need to dial 911 at that age. If you need to be able to get in touch with your child, simply call the cell phone numbers of all of their 9 year old friends. They can always borrow their friends cell phone to contact you. It can easily be worked out.

I'm saying this because 10 out of 10 people that I talk to that have financial problems have cell phones. 7 out of 10 of those people are paying for multiple phone/plans, etc. for their kids. They can live without a cell phone. Believe it or not...YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT A CELL PHONE TOO!

I'm going to give you a moment for you to get over the shock of my previous sentence. Yes, it is true. You can live without a cell phone, I promise! I live without one and LOVE IT! It is so peaceful. No texting. Nothing! It is wonderful. Remember that not that long ago we all relied on a home phone. Crazy!
Did you know that you can have your home phone for as low as $8 per month. Granted there are no bells whistles, but again you can live without caller id. An answering machine does the trick too! You can also get phone service through your internet by purchasing an adapter and only paying $20 per YEAR!
I hear the statement everyday "I canceled my home phone and now I'm saving so much money by only using my cell phone." Hmmm...You can't get much cheaper than $8 per month or $20 per year. More on that at a later date.
Now that I've totally freaked you out by the no cell phone bit....Let's talk about your electric bill. Do you keep the thermostat below 78 during the day? Do you keep it turned down when you are not even home? Are you utilizing fans & ceiling fans? Are you keeping the blinds closed during the hot parts of the day? Are you using energy saving bulbs? Are you unplugging or sleeping items that are not in use? Are you turning off lights behind you? Are you teaching your children to be energy efficient?

I'm constantly telling my cute hubby that "If we do what everyone else does, we will have the same result as everyone else and we will be BROKE!"

I encourage you to take a good look at your monthly expenses and see what you can cut out. If you are honest, you will find there are several things you can shave off of your monthly bills. We just did an this for our phone/internet/t.v. monthly service and were able to shave roughly $40 per month off. That is $480.00 annually! Just think if you dropped that $80 cell phone bill, you could save almost $1,000 in a year. Think of the debt you could pay down or the vacation you could take?! If you are serious, you can choose to experience financial freedom.

I better go for know. I'm positive that some of you are still in shock from the no cell phone statement. Email me and let me know you are okay :)

Blessings to all my Sassy savers~
SHO

~My Walgreen's Trip~

Envelopes
.69 (with coupon in ad)

Nature Valley
sale $2
-.50 q
=$1.50

Nothing too exciting this week. I had a couple of Register Rewards to use and needed the granola bars. The envelopes are cheaper than anywhere else that I normally buy them.

Happy Wednesday!
SHO

~My CVS trip this week~

Here is my CVS trip this week:

pens
.99
-.99 ECB
=FREE!

scissors
.99
-.99 ECB
=FREE!

Both were part of the Sun-Tues. sale.

~Target Shoe Clearance!~

FYI:

If you live in my area be sure to go to Target and look in the shoe department. They have tons of shoes marked down and are an additional 50% at the register! I bought my daughter some shoes for next summer for $3. These are the sandals that I normally pay $14.99. I was very excited!

Hope your enjoying this hot summer day!

SHO

~My Grocery Trip~

Wal-mart:
Watermelon $3.88 (cheaper than Kroger)
Plum .46
Mushrooms $1.98 (forgot to check price @ Kroger)
Corn .50 (.25 each)
Grapes $2.42 (cheaper than Kroger)

Kroger:
Strawberries $1.59
Bananas .55 (they are cheaper at Wal-mart right now)
Potatoes $1.54
Cantaloupe $1.69 (they are cheaper at Wal-mart, but didn't look as good)
Spinach $2.50
Peach .32
Carrots $1
Apples $1
bakery bread .99
4 Hunt's Ketchup
$1
-.20 (tripled)
=.40 each

3 Special K
$1.99 (same price at Wal-mart)
-$1.25/3
=$1.57 each

Grand total for the week: $26.33

*I don't normally go to 2 stores for groceries, however I had to run into Wal-mart anyway. I figured I would check a few prices while I was there. I'm very picky about my produce and will pay more if needed at Kroger (just in case you were wondering or saying "I can get that cheaper at Wal-mart").

Happy Tuesday!
SHO

~Kroger Eggs .88!~

I read in the Dallas paper that Kroger is offering 18 count eggs for .88! Offer is good Sunday-Tuesday. That is a great deal!

~Menu Monday!~

Good Monday morning! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I'm going to start this week off by setting my menu on Monday. Yeah! It's been a crazy summer and I'm glad to get back to a routine this week. So, here we go!


Dinner:
Crockpot Roast, Potatoes, Carrots & bakery bread (spinach salad on side)
BBQ grilled burgers w/ spinach, mushrooms & beans
Roast beef sandwiches (leftover roast)& chips
Pizza Hut ($10 large pizza...yummo!)
Mexican layered dish
Roast beef tacos (leftover roast) w/ pinto beans & guacamole

Lunch:
Turkey/Ham sandwiches, carrots & fruit
Bagel sandwiches
Spinach salad, mushrooms, carrots & fruit
Leftover pizza

Snacks & Dessert:
Watermelon
Apples
Bananas
Cantaloupe
Nectarine
Plum
Grapes
Peach
Strawberries w/ angelfood cake

I made a large roast and will have enough leftover to make 3 meals, all of which are different. Remember that leftovers are not a penalty if you make them taste different. If I tried to serve roast the same way 3 times in 1 week my peeps would not be liking that. However if I serve it 3 different ways, they love it!

Happy menu planning!
SHO

~Restaurant.com 80% Off!~

There are 3 days left at Restaurant.com to GET $25 GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR ONLY $2!
Enter Promo Code: FUN

I know several of my readers use these certificates. This is a great deal!

Hope you have a great weekend!

SHO

~Splenda @ Wal-mart~

I was excited to find that Wal-mart has marked the Splenda down to $5.78, which is only .54 more than the store brand. HOWEVER, if you use the $1 coupon, you get the Splenda cheaper than the store brand!

I like Splenda, so this was an exciting find for me :)

Friday Blessings~
SHO

~2 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There should be 2 coupon inserts in the Sunday paper:

*1 Smartsource
*1 Redplum

Happy Clipping!
SHO

~My CVS Deal~

$6.99
-$1 CVS q (printed out when I scanned my CVS card)
-$1 manf. q
=$4.99 or .62 per roll

*This is not the very best deal that I get on papertowels, however it is pretty good. My rule is to not spend over .60 cents per roll. These are good papertowels and I had ECB's to pay for them, so it was a good purchase for me.

Happy Thursday!
SHO

~My Walgreen's Trip~

Pencils
.19 each

Cascade
$3.99
-$1 q
-$1 RR
=$1.99

Dawn
.99
-$1 q
=FREE!

Happy Wednesday!
SHO

~CVS Deal~

Tide
Sale $5.97
-$1 q
-$1 ECB
=$3.97
*This makes it .12 per load if you buy the 32 load container!

~My Grocery Trip~

On my way home from the airport we stopped by and picked up a few groceries from Kroger. The total was less than $20. This will get me by this week since I have meats, cheeses & breads frozen. Again, this is why I love to always have items in my freezer. It makes returning from a trip easier than having to go to the store and start from scratch. In my previous life (before becoming a Home Economist), I would come home from a trip and go to the grocery store and have to spend $125-$150 to get things back in my pantry & fridge. Now, it is a $20 trip. I'll take that :)
*I didn't do any couponing since my binder was at home. It was just a quick trip to get the neccessities this time.
Happy Tuesday!
SHO

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! We flew back in yesterday and I made a quick trip to CVS. When I scanned my card it printed out some really great coupons for today, July 5th, only. If you are near a CVS today, it might be worth dropping in. I'm going to stop in again today to take advantage of a couple of deals.

Speaking of flying. Don't forget that there are coupons for airport parking too! I posted this last year also. We parked at The Parking Spot and saved 20% just by using the coupon.

Happy Monday!
SHO

~1 Coupon Insert Scheduled~

There will be one coupon insert in the Sunday, July 4th paper:

*1 Procter & Gamble

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Blessings~
SHO

~30 Day/$30 Challenge!~

Here is a 30 day, $30 challenge. Anyone up for it????

So many people that I speak with say that they just don't have any money left over to save. I understand how that feels. Before I started purposing EVERY DOLLAR, we didn't have any left either (even when we had 2 incomes). However, today is a different story. We save from the top and purpose every dollar after that for the month. Enough about that...onto the challenge!

Can you save $1 each day of the month? Of course you can!
If you only saved $1 or $30 per month for 1 year, you would have saved $365! Not bad for not even feeling the loss of $1 per day. Just think of what you could do if you saved $2 per day?!

Remember that Christmas is just around the corner. Yes, I realize it is only summer. At my house I start preparing for the Christmas season now (really all year).
December is not a financially dooming month for me. I'm able to celebrate the true meaning due to making preparations all year long.
I'll have more challenges in the future. I want to start you out small and get you excited about saving money!

Why do finances excite me so much?
*It is not finances in general that excite me, but the FREEDOM that comes along with taking charge of our finances.

~To my international readers~
I think it is neat that you are interested in what this southern girl has to say about finances. I would love to hear from you! I know that you probably can't take advantage of the same deals, however you could benefit from this challenge.

Thank you to everyone who reads this blog. Your kind words, comments & emails keep me going! Many blessings :~)

Good luck Sassy Savers!
SHO