~FREE Post-It Sample!~

Go HERE to get your FREE Post-it sample!

~Walgreen's Yesterday~

Walgreen's has a couple of items that I could not pass up this week. Remember to get a rain check, if they are out of the item! My Walgreen's had tons of these razors. However with this deal, they will probably go quickly. Again, ask for a rain check if they are out :)
My cute hubby went in to purchase a few of these too. Once he got back into the car with us I asked him how it felt to check out and the total to be $0.00? He said "That was AWESOME!" I like to share my joy with him and let him experience it too!

Bic Disposable Razors
Buy 1 at 6.99 Get 1 FREE sale
-B1G1 Bic Disposable Razors q
=TOTALLY FREE! Woohoo!


Sure for Men Deodorant
$1.50 with in-ad coupon
-$1.50 q (from the 1/24 SS)
FREE after coupon!

Have a great Monday!

~Procter & Gamble Coupon Booklet!~

Go HERE to sign up for a booklet that has $15 worth of Procter & Gamble coupons in it from Save-a-lot.

~Big Lots 20% Off Coupon!~

Go HERE to print a 20% off Big Lots coupon! Valid Jan. 23-Jan. 31st.

~2 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

2 coupon inserts are scheduled for the Sunday newspaper.

1 SmartSource
1 RedPlum

Happy Clipping!

~Another chosen!~

More exciting news...another reader got chosen for the diaper study! Yeah Rach!!!

~Dinner last night~

Tacos w/ Pinto Beans

Last night I was tired and so I went to my "go to" meal...Tacos! Easy to make and we all like it ;)

Taco meat-less than $1
Pinto beans-.79 (1 can)
Tortillas-.30 (used 3 from a $1 package of 10)
cheese-.25

Total=$2.34....Plus there is enough left to eat for lunch today!

~The Limited Coupon!~

Go HERE to print a coupon for The Limited! It is for $15 off any $15 purchase, $30 off $100 or $50 off $150. Coupon is valid through Feb. 3rd. You could get something super cheap or possibly FREE with this coupon!

~$1 Baked Lays Coupon!~

Go HERE to print a $1 off Baked Lays coupon!

~Tip of the day for Thursday!~

Eat at home!
If you read my blog, you probably are already eating at home a great deal. However, eating out at restaurants is the #1 budget buster. So, to stay on task for 2010, set a realistic dining out budget and stick to it. Yes, we do eat out...that is a reality. I love to dine with my little family, so we have a column in our budget for that.
Thursday Blessings~
SHO

~$10 Betty Crocker Coupon Booklet!~

Go HERE to sign up for a $10 coupon booklet from Betty Crocker!

~Milk Coupon!~

Enter a drawing to win FREE milk for one year. Even if you don't win, you still get a great coupon to print! Go HERE to print a coupon for a free gallon of milk with any $100 grocery purchase.
*This coupon can be used for Organic Milk too!

!Graco Stroller Recall!

Graco Recalls Strollers Due to Fingertip Amputation and Laceration Hazards!!!

Go HERE to see if your stroller is one of them!

~Dinner last night~

Tuesday Night Dinner Totals

Tonight I tried something new and it turned out AWESOME! This is what I put in the dish:

1 chicken breast (cut into little pieces)-$1
1 can cream of mushroom soup-.30
2 cups Velveeta-?$1??
1 bag of broccoli-FREE
1/2 can of milk-FREE
1/2 can of Rotel-.25
1/2 bag of noodles-.50

Total= Around $3 bucks for a really yummy meal. Plus, I made enough for my hubby to take with him for lunch on Wednesday. He ate enough for 2 people tonight...he liked it that much! ;)
You could easily make this into a meal for a large family just by adding more chicken and noodles. I make a similar (mexican)dish when we have our families come to visit us. There is always plenty to go around.
If you have any questions about this recipe you can email me or leave a comment.

Wednesday Blessings~
SHO

~Tip of the Day!~

Use less meat!

I always use less meat than a recipe suggests. I have found that if a casserole calls for 4-5 chicken breasts, 2 will actually do the trick. The less meat you use, the more money you save!

~My Walgreen's Trip~

2 Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes
$2 each
-TWO $1.50/1 Wet Ones (Printable Coupon)
= $1
Get back $1 in RRs
FREE after coupons and RRs!

4 Vicks NyQuil/DayQuil product
$5 each
2 Puffs Tissues
$2.49 each
-$2/1 Nyquil q
-(3) $1.50 Nyquil q
-(2) Free Puffs when you buy 2 Vicks products coupons from the 12/27 P&G
Pay $13.50
Get back $10 in RRs

So,after coupons and Register Rewards I paid $3.50 for all of this! It would have been even better if I had (4) $2 off coupons. Since I didn't, I used the $1.50 off instead. A great deal anyway you slice it ;)

~Family Circle Magazine FREE!~

Sign up HERE to get 3 FREE months of Family Circle Magazine! I get FREE magazines all of the time now. It's great!

~My Kroger Trip~

5 Birds Eye Steam fresh Veggies
Reg. $1.89
Sale $1
-.35q (tripled)
=FREE!

5 Pillsbury crescent rolls
Reg.$1.59
sale $1
-(4).25 q (tripled)
-.50 (doubled)
-.40 shortcuts
-.50 shortcuts
total for 5=$5
paid .10 or .02 each!

4 Pillsbury cinnamon rolls
Reg. $1.59
sale $1.00
-.40/2 q (doubled)
-.40/2 q (doubled)
-.40 shortcuts
=.50 each

Tony's Pizza
Reg. $2.33
sale $2
-.50 q (doubled)
=$1

Gatorade
$1
-.50 (doubled)
=FREE

Sun Chips
$3.79
-$3.79 q
=FREE

2 Pillsbury brownie mix
Reg. $1.99
Sale $1
-.40 q (doubled)
=.20 each

2 Hunt's sugar free pudding
Reg. ?
Sale $1
-.30/2 q (tripled)
=.55 per package


Peter Pan peanut butter
Reg. $2.69
sale $1.50
-$1 q
=.50

2 Maruchan noodles
Reg. .99
Sale .89
-.50 q
=FREE

2 Barilla pasta
Reg. $1.49
Sale $1.39
-.75/2 q
=$1.01 per box

Total= $44.51
Paid= $7.12
*That is a savings of 84%!
*The FREE items! I heart FREE stuff!

~Target Special K Deal~

Ran into Target today and noticed they were having a Special K deal. Buy 2 Special K cereal (other Special K items were included also) on sale for $2.39 and get a FREE box of Special K Fruit Crisps.

2 Special K cereal
Reg. $3.24
Sale $2.39
total $4.78
-$1/2 Target q
-$1/2 man. q
=$2.78 or $1.39 per box!

Special K Fruit Crisps
Reg. $3.24
Sale $2.39
FREE!

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

Retail=$12.63
Paid = $2.78
*Saved 78%!

~Dinner-Friday night~

Breakfast Burritos

Tortillas-.50
sausage-$1.50
eggs-FREE
Cheeses-$1
other ingredients-.50

Total was $3.50, but made enough for us to eat twice. Basically, I made my hubby's favorite meal and it only cost me around $1.75 per dinner. Yeah!

~Thursday Night Dinner Totals!~

Baked Ziti, spinach salad w/ garlic bread

noodles-.50
sauce-.80
cheeses-$1
other ingredients-.25
spinach salad-.50 (probably not even that much)
bread-FREE! (used the white bread that I got for FREE at Kroger and put some butter & garlic on it and put it in the oven for 8 minutes)

The total for this meal was around $3.05 and it made enough for 2 dinners, so technically it cost me around $1.50 per dinner.

This is our favorite Italian meal!

~2 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There should be 2 coupon inserts in the Sunday paper.
1 SmartSource
1 Procter & Gamble

Happy Clipping!

~Johnson's Baby Coupons!~

Looking for Johnson's baby product coupons? Go HERE to the website and look on the right side of the page.

~Tip of the day for Thursday!~

Set a budget! This seems like it would be such an easy task, well it isn't! It may take a couple of months to get the budget finalized. It is KEY to living within your set amount each week/month. You must keep track to stay focused. Make every penny count. On paper, on purpose. It is amazing how far money will go when you are purposefully spending it.

Happy Budgeting!

~Wednesday Dinner Totals!~

Wednesday night dinner menu:

Chicken & Beef Enchiladas

8 tortillas-.80
burger meat-.50 (leftover from something else)
chicken-$1
enchilada sauce-.75
sour cream (only used on half)-.25
cheese-.50
pinto beans-.70

I made enough for 2 meals (dinner & lunch) for both of us. Total was $4.50 for 2 dinners or $2.25 per dinner.

~Walgreens photo deal~

TODAY!!!
Wednesday, January 13th only, use code FANFREE and get a FREE 8×10 photo collage from Walgreens.

~Another Kroger Trip!~

Made a quick trip to Kroger again yesterday for the last day of the "Crazy Meal Deal". My hubby LOVES Special K, so I stocked up. Here are my deals:

CRAZY MEAL DEAL:
Buy 3 Special K products for $7 and get a free milk, eggs, bread & gravy!

4 Special K
Reg. $3.69
Sale $2.33
-$1/2 q
-$1.50/2 q
=$6.82 total for 4 boxes

Milk
Reg. $2.99
FREE!

Bread
Reg. $1.00
FREE!

Eggs
Reg. $1.59
=FREE!

Gravy
Reg. $1.69
=FREE!

Chocolate Milk
$2.99
-$2.99 q
=FREE!

Total= $25.02
Paid = $6.82

~Tip of the Day for Wednesday!~

Open the blinds! When it is cold and the sun is shining, open the blinds and let the sun warm up the room. This really does work well in the winter! The back of my house has 8 windows that are in the master bedroom, dining room & living room. The sun warms those rooms up in the afternoon during the winter.

Have a blessed Wednesday!

~Quaker Oats $1 Coupon!~

Quaker Oats $1 printable coupon HERE!

Offer good until 4/31/10!

~Tip of the Day!~

Don't keep the road hot! Try to plan your trips out so that you are not wasting a bunch of gas (and time) running around every day. It feels so good to not be running crazy everyday. Make a list, get a plan of attack before you leave & go save some money!

~CVS Deals~

I'm probably not going to CVS this week. However, I did want to share a few good deals that were in the ad.

GE Reveal Light Bulbs (4-pk)
2 for $6
- (2) $1/1 coupons from 1/3 Smart Source insert
Receive $2 ECBs
Final Price = $1 each

Pantene Shampoo or Conditioner
Buy 2 for $6.97
- $3/2 coupon from 12/27 P&G insert
Receive $2 ECBs
Final Price = $.99 each

Scope Outlast Mouth Rinse
$3.49
-$1 coupon from 12/27 P&G insert
Receive $1 ECB
Final Price = $1.49

Another student/reader just got the call to be part of the diaper study. Yeah Jamie! Nothing beats FREE diapers! Woohoo :)

~Monday Night Dinner Totals!~

Menu:
Chicken, steamed broccoli, rice w/ carrots & mashed potatoes

Chicken (cooked in slow cooker all day)-$1
Steamfresh broccoli-FREE!
Rice w/ carrots-FREE!
Mashed Potatoes-.40

As you can see we had an entire meal for 3 of us that cost me less than $1.50! Plus, I cooked extra chicken to make enchiladas tomorrow night.

Woohoo, I love saving money and having a plan!!! Have you started figuring up how much each meal that you prepare is costing? If so, how is it going? You can always leave a message or email me at coachoshields@hotmail.com, I love hearing from you all!

Be Blessed!

~My Little Peach~

My conversation today while eating lunch with my 3 year old.

"Mommy, where did you get these peaches?"
Me: "At Kroger"

3 yr old: "Were they on sale?" (with brow raised)
Me: "No"

3 yr old: Looking shocked with big eyes!
Me: "But, I used a coupon on them"

3 yr old: (Sigh of relief) "Oh, okay Mommy"

I love that at 3 years old she is already understanding certain concepts of money. I also love that she wants to buy things on sale and get a good deal. She will ask me often if we got a good deal on something. When I say yes, it makes her very happy!

~Redbox Movie Code~

We heart Redbox at our house, especially FREE movie codes!

Use code: RBXLUV10 and get one FREE movie rental.

Offer expires 1/11/10.

~My Kroger Trip Yesterday~

My Kroger trip this weekend was pretty good. I had gone earlier in the week for fruits & veggies. I love these small trips!

3 Maruchan noodles
Reg. .99
Sale .89
-.50 (doubled to sale price)
=FREE!

Budding Turkey
Reg. $4.39
Sale $2.20
-$1 q
=$1.20

Grande Chips
Reg. $3.49
Sale $2
=$1 q
=$1

5 Johnson & Johnson bars
$1.09
-$1 q
=.09 each (could have gotten these for a few cents cheaper elsewhere, but not worth the trip & needed to use these coupons before expiring)

CRAZY MEAL DEAL:
Buy 3 Special K products for $7 and get a free milk, eggs, bread & gravy!

3 Special K
Reg. $3.69
Sale $2.33
-$1/2 q
=$6 total for 3 boxes

Milk
Reg. $2.99
FREE!

Bread
Reg. $1.00
FREE!

Eggs
Reg. $1.59
=FREE!

Gravy
Reg. $1.69
=FREE!

Total $34.64
Paid $8.65
*That is a savings of 75%, not bad considering I got milk, eggs & bread too!

~Monday Tip of the Day!~

Save Water!
Turn off the water when washing your face & brushing your teeth. This saves on your bill and the environment :)
Wait until the dishwasher is full to run it.
Wash large loads of clothing. Try to wash as much as you can in cold water rather than hot. That will save you money too!

Happy Monday!

~2 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

Expect 2 coupon inserts this weekend.

1 Red Plum
1 Smartsource

Happy Clipping!

~Dinner-Friday night~

Chili w/ beans

beans-.70
meat-.50 (didn't use much)
chili seasonings-.65
tomato sauce-.50
cheese-.25
corn bread-.40

Total=$3.00

~Awesome Deal!~

Target has a BabyBjourn baby carrier for $24.99 plus free shipping in Chocolate brown. I have never seen one this cheap! I've been told that Wal-mart has this same one for $80 right now. So, if you are in the market for one or want to give someone a nice gift this is for you! I'm sure these will be gone fast!
Go Here to see product!

~$5/5 Healthy Choice Coupon!~

$5 off 5 Healthy Choice frozen meals coupon HERE!

~Tip of the day for Friday!~

Light Bulbs:

Switch light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs. Check the watts on each lamp and make sure you are not using a 100 watt when a 60 watt is needed. Wasted energy!
I try to use as much natural light in my house during the daytime. If I only need a small amount of light, I plug in a lamp with a low voltage bulb.

Saving money is really about changing habits. If you can change your habits then it is easy. Most of my "Tips of the Day" are simple things to do. Sadly, most people would rather complain than do them. My challenge to you is to decide to make some changes in 2010 to save your family money!

Have a great Friday!

~Smart Balance Coupons!~

Smart Balance printable coupons HERE!

*This one is for you Denise ;)

~Thursday Dinner Totals~

Chicken-$1
Noodles w/ broccoli-.50
Garlic Mashed Potatoes-.89

Total meal less than $2.50.

~Tip of the day for Thursday!~

~Tip of the day~
Use less product! I am bad about this. Personally, I use too much much shampoo, conditioner, dish soap & laundry soap. I'm aware of this problem and am working on it. We all would automatically save money if every member in our household were using the correct amount of household items. I encourage you to do an inventory check of how much each person is using and see where you can cut back. This may take educating your family on what the correct amount actually is.

Do you have a pre-teen/teenager that has a particular expensive personal product that they love & use too much of? If so, you might consider making them pay for that item one month out of their allowance. Sometimes we all just need to know the value of an item. My guess is after that, the product will last a great deal longer!

~$2/2 Nabisco Coupon~

Get your $2 off 2 Nabisco cracker coupon HERE!

~Dinner last night~

Last night was awesome because my hubby made dinner for us! Always a treat ;)

The menu consisted of breakfast for dinner:

Eggs-.25
Bacon- $1.25
crescent rolls-FREE

So, we ate for around $1.50 again. Plus it was super yummy! Thank you to my sweet husband. You're the best!

~Dinner last night~

Dinner menu last night:

Tacos w/ guacamole & pintos

Taco meat-less than $1
guacamole-FREE!
Pinto beans-.79 (1 can)
Tortillas-.40 (used 4 from a $1 package of 10)
cheese-probably .25 worth of the package

Total meal = less than $2.50! Plus I had enough taco meat & pintos for us to eat it again for lunch today! So, technically the meal was less than $1.50. Woohoo! This is why eating at home saves BIG!!!!

I encourage you all to have a list of what I call "go to meals". They are quick, easy meals that you ALWAYS have on hand. For me, tacos are one of my favorite "go to meals". I have several variations of how I make the tacos and different types of meat that I like to use. That way my family never gets tired of them :)

I hope this is helping you all. Several of you have asked me how I feed my family so inexpensively. We eat really good food and it rarely comes out of box! I try to make my time in the kitchen as efficient as possible. I don't really enjoy cooking, but I love feeding my family good food! Blessing them, blesses me.

~Tip of the Day!~

Tip of the day is something else new I'm going to be posting on my journey to save you money in 2010....I'm going to list some things that I already do and may have posted about previously, but since this is a new year, I thought it would be a good time to start thinking about saving in every way....not just by using coupons!

Tip of the day:
*Turn down the thermostat in the winter! We keep ours at 65 (yes, it is a bit brisk), but we just wear cozy clothes when at home and it is fine. By doing this, my electric bill is $75-$250 cheaper than my neighbors with the same floor plan. Plus, it helps with my daughter's allergies to not have so much dry air. It seems like having a warm house would do the opposite, but it is really hard on people with allergies.
Also, your body does adjust to the temperature. It really isn't cold, just brisk at times. My daughter is never cold. Actually, she takes her socks off because her feet are hot every day. So, I never feel bad about keeping the thermostat on 65 :)
This will be an adjustment for those of you in the 70's. Do it a couple degrees at a time. If you keep it at 72, then do 70 for 2 days before dropping into the 60's.
I'd love to hear from those of you willing to try this. I promise, you will save so much money by doing so.

Wednesday Blessings~
SHO

~Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon!~

Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon HERE!

~Something New!~

I'm excited to be telling you about one of the new things that I am going to be doing in 2010! I'm going to be listing my dinner menu, but also listing what the entire meal cost me to make for my family. This may be a bit tricky at times, so it won't be down to the penny. However, it will be very close! I'm doing this to encourage you to eat at home more in 2010. It really is so much cheaper and so much healthier than fast food.
Menu last night:
salad w/ spinach leaves added (paid $1 for salad kit and then just over $2 for the large bag of spinach, both will last for at least 6 salads)
baked chicken (marinaded with Lowry's...paid .50 for the entire bottle)
rice & broccoli (FREE after coupons several months ago!)
salad dressing- Paid less than .10 for the entire bottle

*We had large salads with the baked chicken chopped and served on top. The rice & broccoli was the side dish. By chopping the large piece of chicken, I was able to use only one large breast.

Total = $2.00 or less

This was a really good and healthy meal that only cost me $2.00 at most. Can't beat that! Plus, it was easy to make ;)

Happy cooking!

~CVS Photo Deal!~

CVS is offering 50 FREE prints for new registrants. Go HERE to sign up!

~Wal-green's Free Electrosal~

Electrasol Powerball Tabs (20-pk)
$3.49
-$2.50 coupon from 1/3 Smart Source insert
Get $1 Register Reward
Final Price = FREE!

*I did not get this deal because I have an energy star dishwasher that does not clean well (at all) with these tabs. I can use regular Electrasol and it is fine, but there is something about these tabs that doesn't do well with my particular dishwasher. Anyway, thought it was a great deal and still wanted to pass it on!

~My CVS deal this week~

This is what I got at CVS for the week. I love these light bulbs!

GE Energy Smart Light Bulb (1 pk)
$2.99
-$1 coupon from 1/3 Smart Source insert
Received $2 ECBs (good on next purchase)

Final Price = FREE!!!

~50 Prints for 50 Pennies from Snapfish!~

Great Snapfish photo deal! 50 prints for 50 pennies by using code NEWYEAR50...go HERE for details!

I just ordered my Christmas photos last night. It feels so good to already have them ordered. I'm going to try to be better about that this new year.

Happy Monday morning!

~5 Inserts Scheduled Sunday!~

This is super exciting to start the new year off with 5 coupon inserts!!! Be sure to buy a paper or two or three. This is a great way to start saving big in 2010!
Coupons scheduled:
1 General Mills
2 SmartSource
2 Red Plum

Happy Clipping ;)

~Happy New Year!~

Happy New Year!
Thank you to all of my faithful readers, students & friends. 2009 was a great year of saving BIG! Wishing 2010 to be a year of financial breakthroughs for you and your family.
I'm going to be changing up a few things on the blog. So, be sure to check in and get excited!

In His Grace~
SHO

~Payless Shoesource Coupon!~

Get a 15% off Payless Shoesource coupon HERE! There is also a $10 off $50 on-line purchase coupon!
*Offers expire Jan. 17, 2010

~Financial Goals for 2010!~

Let's talk about New Year's Resolutions. I am making several financial resolutions in 2010. My cute hubby and I have sat down and came up with a number that will be a challenge to save, but I'm certain it can be done if we stick to our plan. We also want to travel more during the summer (pre-paid travel...it is not a vacation to me if you have to pay for it when you get back!). All of this will be possible if we purpose every dollar (as we have been doing). We budget down to zero each month and that has been key to saving. We have 2 categories that don't get touched and are non-negotiable. 1. Tithe 2. Savings...These 2 come off the top. They are considered our "first fruits". Tithing has been something that we have done since we first got married. We believe it is why we are so blessed. God is honoring the sacrifice of our 10% and making the other 90% go above and beyond. We also live within our budget and don't EVER buy anything unless we can pay for it then. Things are so much more enjoyable when you know there is not a payment plan involved!
Couponing has been the key to us putting money into savings each month. I know that if you set your mind to it, you can save and reach your financial goals. As Dave Ramsey says "On paper...on purpose". I never truly understood this until I started doing it.
I would love to hear about your resolutions. Many of you are new to couponing, so I know you have set some goals :)
I hope this blog is helping you and your family save money and live a more financially blessed life.
Wishing you a very Happy New Year's Eve!

In His Grace~
SHO

P&G Coupons!

Go HERE to sign up for a FREE Home Made Simple coupon booklet. These are typically great coupons!

~FREE Pregnancy Journal!~

Get a FREE PreNexa pregnancy journal HERE!

~Rebate Offer~

Rebate offer: Buy $10 of ConAgra products and get a $25 coupon booklet. I love these types of offers. I will easily buy $10 worth of Rotel. Go HERE to print out the rebate form to mail-in!
Here is a list of ConAgra products:
Orville Redenbacher’s
Crunch ‘n Munch
Banquet
Snack Pack
RO-TEL
Hunt’s
Manwich
Chef Boyardee
Kid Cuisine
Peter Pan

Happy Monday!

The other night we ran into CVS on the other side of town hoping they had some of my rain check items before my coupons expired. Well, they did! However, they were super duper busy and only had 1 cashier. I had to do 2 different transactions. I completely confused the poor cashier, heck I was even confusing myself with all of the paperwork in my hand. Anyway, it worked out and I was able to get my rain check items...use my coupons....use my ECBs....use my Green tag...use a gift card...then put the remaining balance on my debit card. Whew! It actually sounds less confusing than it was because my coupons got mixed up once I got up there (even though I spent at least 10 minutes getting them in order...not sure how that happened). My point here is that even when you are "experienced" at this, we all have our moments when we feel overwhelmed at the register. Take a deep breath and remember how much money you are saving. Then you can leave the stores smiling :)

My sweet hubby & daughter were watching all of the "paperwork" be exchanged. We left there and my husband said "I feel like I was taking the ACT calculus portion trying to figure out what you were doing!" I just cracked up and said "me too!"
Good times :)

~1 Insert Scheduled~

Typically, there are no coupon inserts on holiday weekends. However, Procter & Gamble like to slip one in from time to time. Lucky for us it is going to be a good one!
Happy Clipping!

~After Christmas Sales~

We left at 9 am to do some after Christmas sale shopping. Here is where we went and what they had. Honestly, not much.
Wal-mart-50% off Christmas decor and gift sets....GREAT time to buy these items to stock up through the year for birthday gifts or next year for teacher gifts.
Target- 50% off Christmas decor....they still had a nice selection left!
Home Depot- 50% off Christmas items...not much left!
Hobby Lobby-50% off Christmas...not much left!
Michael's-30-70% off Christmas...lots left!
Dollar Tree- 50% off Christmas...a little left.

I ended up buying several ornaments for our tree for next year. I like to add a few each year. Mostly purchased everything from Target & Michael's. We didn't go into any clothing stores. It was strange that there was not a crowd out shopping at all! Normally, it is crazy on this day.

FYI: Bath & Body Works big clearance sale starts tomorrow!

Happy Saturday! I'm hoping to put a few Christmas items up and away today :)

~Merry CHRISTmas!~

Wishing you a very Merry CHRISTmas from my family to your family.


Be Blessed!

~JCP $10 off $50 Coupon!~

JCPenny $10 off $50 purchase coupon. Good through January 12th. This is a good coupon to use during the after Christmas sales ;)
Go HERE to print!

~FREE Taco Bell!~

FREE Fresco taco at Taco Bell HERE! Hurry, they are only offering one million coupons and they will go fast.

Prior to couponing, I pretty much only shopped at Wal-mart. I believed that I was getting the best deals there. Now, I rarely purchase anything there. Literally, I went from spending $500-$800 per month there to less than $25 now! Of course, my grocery budget is now only $150-$175. Jenny at Southern Savers wrote an awesome post about how Supercenters can't compete with grocery stores. Here is some of her post:
*********************************************************
I have noticed that many people still seem to think that shopping at supercenters is the way to go. In an attempt to prove to you that you will save more money at grocery stores, I did a little test this past week. I took all of the on-sale items at Publix and Kroger and went into my local supercenter to look at how their prices matched up. To put it simply, they didn’t.

It may seem to be slightly biased to select only the on-sale items and compare but my particular local supercenter (and I suspect yours does as well) advertises “Always Low Prices”. In other words, their prices are always as low as they will get and they will not run a lower sale. Also, as you know, I only buy on-sale items.

After taking all the listed prices, I calculated the effect of coupons on both the grocery stores and the supercenter, remembering to double where it applied. I did the math based on buying one of every item on the weekly Southern Savers list. If it was a store brand, then a comparable brand was chosen at the supercenter. The results were:

Publix On-Sale Items Plus Coupons: $139.84
Same Items with Coupons At SuperCenter: $196.80

Kroger On-Sale Items Plus Coupons: $203.99
Same Items with Coupons At SuperCenter: $243.65

This again was pretending to only buy 1 of each item, and using Southern Savers we want to stock up for 6 weeks, which would only make the amount saved greater. To put these numbers in perspective, let’s say that you went to Publix and purchased only one of the on-sale items for a month (4 weeks) instead of the supercenter. You would save over $240 a month!

I hope this is convincing and shows you how much money you could be saving. I know that the supercenters are convenient and it can be easy to shop there. But if you really want to save money, the grocery stores are really the way to go.

Let’s dispel one other myth with these numbers too:

“Aren’t B1G1 prices increased so you really aren’t saving??”

Looking just at the Publix B1G1 deals and comparing the cost after coupons to the cost at the Super Center it truly shows that the Big Box store can’t compete with a grocery sale price. “Buying” one of each B1G1 item the numbers are:

Publix Buy One Get One items with coupon $43.22
Same items with coupons at SuperCenter: $81.17
Buy one get one deals are normally sold at the top retail price, but this shows that getting 50% off the top price is a considerable savings over the “everyday low price” at the supercenter
*******************************************************
Thanks Jenny!
http://www.southernsavers.com/

~Yankee Candle $10/$25 Coupon!~

Yankee Candle $10 off $25 purchase coupon HERE!
*Expires January 16th

~A Fun & FREE Day!~

Today we were out running a few errands around town. FYI: Swiped my CVS card and it printed out $5 off $15 purchase good for 3 days only. Be sure to do that if you go to CVS.
Back to my story...My hubby was going to drop me off at Wal-mart so I could get some summer sausage (FYI: it is the cheapest there). He and my daughter were going to run over to Whataburger for the FREE shake today. On our way we saw a sign at Culver's that said if your name is "Jeffrey" you get a FREE dish today! Well, my husband's name just happens to be Jeffrey. So, we went and got a FREE ice cream too! It made for a fun afternoon :)

Nothing beats FREE!

~Whataburger Coupon!~

FREE 16 oz. Malt or Shake at Whataburger TODAY ONLY! Print coupon HERE.

~CVS Coupon!~

CVS $5 off $20 purchase coupon HERE!

~Today I was reminded....

Why I do all of my shopping EARLY!!! There were so many unhappy and disgruntled people out shopping. It literally upset my stomach. I so badly wanted to say "If you are stressed out, feeling depressed, have no Christmas spirit or are not celebrating the true reason for the season...PLEASE DON'T BOTHER CELEBRATING! Do everyone a favor and don't do it. As I've stated before, this should be a time of celebration of our Savior's birth.
I hope that you all are enjoying your holiday season and are filled with joy, not worry, stress or anxiety. Remember, Jesus would not want any of these things in celebration of his birthday!

CHRISTmas blessings!

~CVS this week~

CVS is finally having some great FREE stuff this week. This is what I have gotten so far. I had to get a rain check for the Thermacare. I was in a hurry this morning before church, but plan to go back for some more goodies ;)

Listerine
$3.99
-$3 ECB
-$1 q
=FREE!

Revlon lipstick
$6.99
-$5 ECB
-$2 q
=FREE!

Nivea body wash
$5.99
-$5 ECB
-$1 q
=FREE!

~No Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There are no coupon inserts scheduled for this weekend. Enjoy the break from clipping!

~$3 EPT Coupon~

$3 EPT coupon HERE! I know several of my readers are hoping for a positive result. Good luck girls!

Wednesday Already???

Oops,hope you got your menu planned! I'm just going to be honest...I have no plan for the week or month really. December is such a busy month for us. The past 2 weeks have been packed. Literally, 4 parties...a Christmas program....company...the list goes on. So, I have plenty of food here and we just figure it out. Sort of how we did previously! I like the new and improved planning method much better ;)
My parents are driving in from out-of-state, so I do have some meals planned for them. It's going to be fun!
My point is this...if you don't have a plan each day, you are still okay. Life is just a great deal easier if you do have a plan (so I'm remembering!)
Hope you all are having a very blessed Wednesday :)

~CVS $5 off $20 Coupon!~

I just found this coupon and was excited! It is for $5 off any purchase of $20 or more. Go HERE to print! Coupon expires on December 19th.

~30% Off Old Navy Coupon!~

Go HERE to print. Offer good through December 19th!

~$10 off $50 Old Navy Coupon!~

Go HERE to print!

~FREE Whataburger Fried Pie~

FREE fried pie coupon at Whataburger! Good today only. Go HERE for coupon!

~Whataburger Coupon!~

FREE Whataburger Breakfast on a Bun coupon HERE! Valid December 12th only.

~$10 off $20 Yankee coupon!~

This is an AWESOME coupon for Yankee candles!!! Yankee candle products make great gifts. I love this time of the year because I always burn my Home for the Holidays candle. Go HERE for a $10 off $20 purchase! This coupon is only valid through December 13th.

~3 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There are 3 coupon inserts scheduled for Sunday.
1 Red Plum
2 Smart Source

Happy Clipping!

~$5 Old Navy Fleece!~

Saturday, Dec. 12th, Old Navy will be offering $5 women's fleece jackets. I'm sure these will go fast, so plan to get there early if you are interested! They look really cute. Go HERE to see them.

~.75 coupon~

Get .75 off any egg purchase and Tabasco sauce at Kroger. Go HERE to sign up for the coupon.

~Veggie Tales Sale!~

Veggie Tales is having a 25% off sale and offering FREE shipping on orders of $25.
Enter Coupon Code SHIP223 at Checkout, U.S. Addresses only. Sale and shipping offer good through 12/16/09.
These movies are adorable and will make great stocking stuffers!

~This & That~

If you missed Kroger's sale last week, you are in luck. Most of the items are on sale again this week!
Also, my postings have been a bit random this week due to my internet being messed up. We just got a new modem shipped today, so I will be able to post more regularly again.
Hope you all are having a blessed week and saving BIG!!!

Exciting News!

One of my students was chosen for the diaper study that I posted about a while back. I'm so excited for you Jen! Can't wait to hear all about it :)
So, if you put your name on the list, they may still call you.

~FREE Whataburger!~

Get your Whataburger FREE Justaburger coupon HERE
Offer good on Dec. 10th only!

~$1 Puff's coupon!~

Fill out THIS FORM and get a $1 Puff's coupon by mail. This should score you some FREE tissue!

I just got mine in the mail yesterday!

~Whataburger FREE Dr. Pepper Coupon!~

Whataburger FREE Dr. Pepper coupon HERE! Offer good 12/8 only.

~A Few Things~

My internet is having probs, so this will be quick...
I will post pics of my Kroger trip and Wal-green's later. My internet is only wanting to work for short periods of time :/
Anyway, be sure to get the Chinet plates at Wal-green's this week. They end up being FREE after the B1G1 in-store coupon combined with the man. coupons. If they are out, be sure to ask for a raincheck.

It's Monday too! Do you have your menu ready??? I have 2 dinner parties this week, so my menu will be short. I love this season of celebration and parties!

Hope you all are having a very blessed Monday!

~It's Not Too Late!~

Kroger is having a 50% off sale on select Kellogg's products. If you have coupons to go along with it, there are some great deals! They are open until 10 pm tonight. This is a 1 day only sale!

~2 Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There should be 2 coupon inserts this weekend.
1. Smartsource
2. RedPlum

Happy Clipping!

~Hobby Lobby Coupon!~

Tis the season for craft projects. Go HERE to get a 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon!

$3 Energy Start LED Coupon!

$3 Energy Start LED Christmas light coupon HERE!

~30% Off Yankee Candle!~

30% off Yankee Candle Coupon! Go HERE for details.

~The Picture People~

The Picture People are offering 15 FREE portrait gift tags with new portrait session. See HERE for more details!

~Free Millstone Coffee!~

FREE sample of Millstone Coffee from Walmart.com. Go HERE to sign up!

~NY & Company Deal!~

Today only, use code 4136 at New York & Company has 50% Off Everything And Free Shipping on ANY Purchase.

~It's Cyber Monday!~

Today is Cyber Monday! There are many stores offering great discounts and FREE shipping if you shop on-line today.

Today (November 30) Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy & Piperlime are offering 20% plus free shipping with no minimum purchase requirement! Use coupon code MONDAY.

Happy Shopping!

~1 Insert!~

There is 1 coupon insert in the paper today. I had read we were not going to get any, but we did! It is a P&G and has some good coupons in it.

Blessings!

~No Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

FYI: No coupon inserts are scheduled for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Be blessed and as always BOOMER SOONER!!!

~Black Friday!~

I'm finally back from Black Friday shopping. Oh my was it crazy! I'm sad to report that I did not get some of the items I really wanted. Oh well. I was still able to get several things on my list. Yeah!
Hope you all had fun shopping today (if you went).

Blessings!

~Happy Thanksgiving!~

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and enjoy time with your families.

Be blessed!

~Old Navy Coupon!~

Old Navy is having a Gobblepalooza sale starting on Thanksgiving Day. Go HERE for details and to get your $10 off $50 coupon!

~$20/$20 at Seventh Avenue~

Use code SA20 and get $20 off a $20 purchase. You will have to pay shipping. They have tons of stuff to choose from. Go HERE to shop!

~Shutterfly Offer-Today!~

Shutterfly is offering 50 FREE prints! Use code PRINTS4YOU and only pay shipping. Offer ends Nov. 23rd. Hurry!

~Menu Monday!~

It's Monday....is your menu ready? One thing I'm certain about is that everyone probably has their menu set for Thursday ;)
I'm happy to report that we did not eat at a restaurant for 2 weeks to the day. Yesterday was the first time in 2 weeks! I had a coupon for Arby's, so we ran their after church. We had a couple of errands to run and our little lady is always very hungry as soon as we leave the church parking lot!

Here is what I do know we will be eating this week:
Poppyseed chicken
Pork chops w/ veggie
Mexican
Turkey dinner

Happy planning & baking!

~FREE Calendar~

FREE 2010 Oriental Trading Company calendar. Go HERE to sign up!

~Walgreen's $5/$25 Coupon!~

Walgreen's has a $5 off $25 purchase valid on Sunday and Monday only. Go HERE for coupon!

~Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There is only 1 Smartsource coupon insert scheduled for Sunday. This will be a great chance to clean out get caught up on organizing your binder! I plan on taking my own advice ;)

~.50 Rotel Coupon!~

I LOVE to cook with Rotel, so this coupon is great! Go HERE to print it (you might have to wait second or two to see it come up). Be sure to print it twice!
If you have a store that doubles, you can get it for FREE. If you don't have a store that doubles, it will still be cheaper than the store brand with the coupon. Everyone wins with this one ;)

~Gap 20% Off Coupon!~

Gap 20% off coupon good on in-store or on-line purchases. Go HERE for coupon!
Coupon good through Jan. 30, 2010. This coupon will come in handy for after Christmas sales too!

~The Dallas Zoo-November 24th!~

The Dallas Zoo is offer $1 admission on November 24th! See details HERE

~The Home Depot Black Friday Ad!~

Go HERE to see The Home Depot Black Friday ad!

~JCPenny's Black Friday Ad!~

Go HERE to see the JCPenny Black Friday ad!

~Bath & Body Works~

FREE Bath & Body Works travel item with any purchase. Coupon HERE

~Bath & Body Works~

FREE Bath & Body Works travel item with any purchase. Coupon HERE

~Ann Taylor 30%Off!~

Ann Taylor is having a "Friends & Family 30% Off Event" starting tomorrow! Go HERE for details!

~Menu Monday~

It's Monday! It was almost 80 here this weekend, but is finally starting to turn cooler this week. I'm ready to start cooking in my oven again! I will give you a recap of what we ate last week:

Roast, potatoes, carrots (twice...dinner & then lunch)
Tacos & queso
Beef Stroganoff (I always add extra noodles to it to make enough for leftovers...also, the beef used was from when I made tacos...I always make extra and take it out before seasoning)
Roast beef tacos & leftover queso(used the leftover roast meat with taco seasoning and it was delicious!)
Spaghetti, corn, salad & bread
BBQ chicken sandwiches (crockpot BBQ chicken)
Pizza

As you can see, we did not eat out this week! Yeah! Also, please note that I use a lot of leftovers too. They don't seem like leftovers if you are making them into something new. It makes cooking so much faster if you already have the meat portion ready!

Hope this is inspiring you all to plan your menu and eat at home more. Dining out is the #1 budget buster.

Happy Menu Monday!

~Rain Checks~

Noticing a trend in some of my posts??? I use a great deal of rainchecks! If a store is out of a special they are running (must be advertised), don't be afraid to ask (nicely) for a raincheck. It is a little bit of a hassle (only because they have to hand write it), but pays off when the item comes in and you get it super cheap, FREE or even make money on it!

Happy Rainchecking!

~Target Black Friday Ad!~

View the Target Black Friday ad HERE!

~Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There are 3 inserts scheduled for Sunday.

1 Red Plum
2 Smartsource

Happy Clipping!

~My Kroger Trip (last week)~

Price I paid after coupons & discounts.

20 cans of veggies-.30 each
2 Dole canned fruit-.72 each
Turkey-.33 per lb= $3.58
8 boxes of cereal-$1 each
3 Dixie napkins-.95 each
Wonder bread-$1.44
3 Listerine-(used a $5/3 coupon)
Grande chips-$1
Noodles-FREE!
Salad kit-.49 (manager's special)

All of the items in the photo were $29.88. All of these groceries and toiletries for less than $30!
I have been encouraging everyone to purchase a turkey at this sale price. I'm not going to be cooking it for Thanksgiving, but I do plan to cook it and freeze the turky for lunch meat. Can't beat .33 per pound! Kroger has them on sale again this week through Tuesday. Be sure to get yours!

~$35 worth of coupons FREE!~

Sign up for over $35 worth of coupons HERE!
They will mail you a packet of coupons that include: Cascade, Dawn, Febreeze, Mr. Clean & Swiffer (to name a few). Last time these were high value coupons. Be sure to sign up while this offer is still available!

~20 Books FREE!~

Get 20 copies of The Christmas Box book and only pay $15 shipping! These would make great stocking stuffers or gifts. Can't beat the price! Go HERE for details :)

~Yankee Candle Buy 2 Get 2 FREE!~

Go HERE for details on this awesome Yankee Candle deal!

~Nikon/Canon Wireless Remote Deal!~

I just ordered a wireless remote control for my Nikon DSLR camera. I know several of my readers have the same camera as me, so I thought I would pass this awesome deal along. Go here Meritline and use code MLC401380111140N and get $2 off with free shipping. The sale price is $4.99, so that makes the wireless remote only 2.99!!!
*This remote also works for Canon cameras as well.

~Bath & Body Works Coupon!~

Bath & Body Works $10 off $30 purchase coupon. Print HERE
This will come in handy for teacher gifts to combine with one of the great sales they have. Enjoy!

Offer good through November 22nd :)

~Outback Steakhouse Bonus Gift Card!~

Purchase a $100 Outback Steakhouse gift card and get a $20 gift card FREE!!! If you eat Outback very often, this is a great deal to purchase for yourself. Here's an idea too, you could keep the $100 for your family and then give the $20 gift card as gift. Just an idea!
Go HERE for details.

30% Off Old Nav, Gap & Banana Repbulic!~

30% off Old Navy, Gap & Banana Republic coupon HERE!!

Offer valid November 12-15.

~Kroger Manager Special!~

I LOVE Manger's Specials!!!


We went out-of-town for a day trip on Saturday. On the way home I dropped by a Kroger in another city. I only had a few things to get, but then realized some of my coupons were about to expire the next day. So, we ended up getting another 10 items for the $5 off promo deal (some items not in pic). My real score was the "Manager's Special" meat that I found marked down. Literally, I may have done a happy dance in the store!
The meat is only 7% fat and was marked down half price PLUS I used .50 cent Kroger meat coupons that doubled. I ended up getting this meat for around $1.46 per lb! I can make 10 meals out of these 5 packages once I split it up and freeze it. That makes me smile just typing it :)
Yes, I could have gotten meat even cheaper. However, it would not be 93/7. It would be at least 15% fat. That is why I am so excited about this score!

2 Colgate-$1 -$1 =FREE!
2 Ricola-FREE (after BOGO q....$2.19 deducted...sale price .50, so this was a moneymaker!)
Chapstick-.50
Grande Chips $2-$1q =$1
Wonder bread $1.99 -.55q =$1.44
Rotel .99 -.50q (doubled)=FREE!

~Walgreen's Yesterday~

4 Sure (raincheck)
Reg. ? (over $3)
sale $1.50
-$1.50 q
=FREE! (These will be perfect for the Christmas shoe boxes that I will be making!)

4 Scotch tape (BOGO sale)
$1.79
-(4) .50 q
=$1.29 for 2 or .64 cents each! I will never use poor quality tape again! :)

~CVS Yesterday~

2 Bengay (these are the large tubes)
$5.99
-$2 ECB
-$2 q
=$1.99 each

Glade (raincheck)
Reg. $9.99
sale $6.99
-$6.99 ECB
-$3 q
=FREE + $3 money maker! Woohoo!

I had also bought a couple other things (vitamins, etc) and used a $5/$15 purchase coupon that printed from my card at the store. It was a very good CVS day for me!

~Fall Savings!~

There is a new ecoupon site that you can now load onto your grocery card. Yeah!
Go HERE to register and load!

Oh Happy Day!

~Denny's BOGO Coupon!~

FREE burger and fries when you purchase a burger, fries & 2 drinks at Denny's!
Print coupon HERE

Offer expires 11/23/09

~Coupon Inserts Scheduled~

There are 2 coupon inserts scheduled for Sunday.

1 Red Plum
1 Smart Source

Happy Clipping!

~Old Navy Scarf Sale!~

Old Navy is having an awesome $1 scarf sale on Saturday (November 7th)! These scarves are normally $5. (Limit 5)

These would make great Christmas Stocking Stuffers!

~VS FREE Shipping Code!~

Today only (November 6th) use code SHIPFREE and get free shipping on any order at Victoria's Secret. Hurry!

~Gap 25% off Coupon!~

Gap 25% off coupon! Print HERE.

Offer ends November 8th.

~Coupons Inserts Scheduled~

There are 2 coupon inserts scheduled for Sunday.

1 Red Plum
1 Smart Source

Happy Clipping!

~Toys"R"Us Game Trade-in Offer!~

Toys"R"Us is having a game trade-in offer right now. See HERE for details!

This is perfect timing for the holiday season!

~Gymboree Coupon!~

Gymboree has a 30% off coupon you can print HERE

If shopping online, use code GYMFAMILY online to save 30% November 5th-8th.

Happy Shopping!

~Brookshire's Deal!~

I was just glancing through the Brookshire's sale ad and they have 5 lb bag of Russet Potatoes for .99! That is a great deal!

Prices good through November 10th.