Wow did I score a fun deal at Oriental Trading! Right now (I think it expires tomorrow) there is a coupon code for $10 off a $10 order. You'll still have to pay shipping at $6.99. I looked through the clearance section and ordered the following:
2 child's size gingerbread apron craft kits at $2.49 each
1 snowman snow measuring craft kit $2.99
1 snowflake glitter tattoos $1.49
1 all aboard w/Jesus color your own stickers $.99
Total after shipping and $10 coupon was $7.44 I think that's a terrific price for 4 activities for the kids. I'll save the apron kits for next Christmas but the other three will keep us busy during the next snow day or two.
I actually plan on placing one more order to pick up some Valentine/ St. Patrick's Day/ Easter crafts.
Oh, if you are interested, the code is AVA910. Don't forget to go through ebates to get 3% back! If you haven't signed up before, here is the link - you'll automatically get $5 when you sign up!
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=XbrrVHIe6loxHLSmfRUsAw%3D%3D
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Snow!
Sitting here in my office looking outside at over 11 inches of snow! Wow! My daughter went down to a friend's house and they are sledding - hopefully I can kick off work at some point this afternoon and get outside to play too!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Deal of the week!
Per request, I posted the method we used for our deep dish pizza in the comments under yesterday's post . . .
This week I had a fun time at CVS, Walgreen's and Kroger!
CVS:
I got lucky and had a $10/$20 coupon for a new CVS that opened near our house - so I used that and bought 8 packs of Huggies wipes, also using 8 $.50 coupons and paid with ECB's. After the $5 ECB I got back it cost me $1.00 for 8 tubs of wipes! I was super excited because we were almost out of wipes.
Walgreen's:
Using the B1G1 free Hershey/ Special Dark coupons in Sunday's paper, I ended up with 12 free candy bars - 6 regular Hershey bars in the freezer waiting for summer smore's and 6 Special Dark in the pantry to be used in place of baking chocolate. I combined that coupon with the B1G1 free coupon in the Walgreen's ad. I purchased some other items (the monthly rebate deals) and didn't have any issues with the coupons.
Kroger
I did a few of the buy 10 items, get $5 off your order, but my favorites were the Rotel tomatoes - they were $.87 and I had $.30 coupons, so ten of them were $8.70 minus $6.00 in coupons then minus another $5.00 for the deal - so I came out ahead on those - plus we use the tomatoes like crazy! My other favorite was Kraft shredded cheese - it was on sale for $1.99 a bag, and there was a blinkie right in front of it for $.75 off a bag. So, ten bags were $19.90 minus $5.00 and then minus $7.50 for a total of $7.40 or $.74 a bag. I stuck them in the freezer so we'll be set for pizza and mexican nights for a while.
This week I had a fun time at CVS, Walgreen's and Kroger!
CVS:
I got lucky and had a $10/$20 coupon for a new CVS that opened near our house - so I used that and bought 8 packs of Huggies wipes, also using 8 $.50 coupons and paid with ECB's. After the $5 ECB I got back it cost me $1.00 for 8 tubs of wipes! I was super excited because we were almost out of wipes.
Walgreen's:
Using the B1G1 free Hershey/ Special Dark coupons in Sunday's paper, I ended up with 12 free candy bars - 6 regular Hershey bars in the freezer waiting for summer smore's and 6 Special Dark in the pantry to be used in place of baking chocolate. I combined that coupon with the B1G1 free coupon in the Walgreen's ad. I purchased some other items (the monthly rebate deals) and didn't have any issues with the coupons.
Kroger
I did a few of the buy 10 items, get $5 off your order, but my favorites were the Rotel tomatoes - they were $.87 and I had $.30 coupons, so ten of them were $8.70 minus $6.00 in coupons then minus another $5.00 for the deal - so I came out ahead on those - plus we use the tomatoes like crazy! My other favorite was Kraft shredded cheese - it was on sale for $1.99 a bag, and there was a blinkie right in front of it for $.75 off a bag. So, ten bags were $19.90 minus $5.00 and then minus $7.50 for a total of $7.40 or $.74 a bag. I stuck them in the freezer so we'll be set for pizza and mexican nights for a while.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
Easy week - going with old favorites for the most part:
Monday - "fake" jambalya
Tuesday - roast, fresh bread
Wednesday - ham & beans, cornbread
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - homemade pizza
Saturday - burritos, spanish rice
Sunday - breakfast (eggs, sausage, toast)
Last week we made a deep dish pizza in addition to our normal pizza and it was FABULOUS!!! Every bit as good as a pizza parlour pizza - we've been talking about it ever since, so that is definitely back on the menu for this week.
Monday - "fake" jambalya
Tuesday - roast, fresh bread
Wednesday - ham & beans, cornbread
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - homemade pizza
Saturday - burritos, spanish rice
Sunday - breakfast (eggs, sausage, toast)
Last week we made a deep dish pizza in addition to our normal pizza and it was FABULOUS!!! Every bit as good as a pizza parlour pizza - we've been talking about it ever since, so that is definitely back on the menu for this week.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Frugal Friday Night Entertainment
I love doing something on Friday nights - for some reason it just makes the weekend seem longer! But, as ususal I don't want to spend much. So, we often have a dinner and game night with friends - we cook dinner at someone's home and play games (board games, cards, Wii, Rockband, whatever we decide)
Tonight we are doing a slight variation on the usual. Some friends are coming over for homemade pizza and then we are heading out to the local high school basketball game. Our husband's are teachers, so we get in for free, but even if we had to pay, tickets are only $4 for adults. We enjoy watching basketball, my daughter enjoys watching the cheerleaders and we have a fun night out!
What are some other ideas for inexpensive Friday nights?
Tonight we are doing a slight variation on the usual. Some friends are coming over for homemade pizza and then we are heading out to the local high school basketball game. Our husband's are teachers, so we get in for free, but even if we had to pay, tickets are only $4 for adults. We enjoy watching basketball, my daughter enjoys watching the cheerleaders and we have a fun night out!
What are some other ideas for inexpensive Friday nights?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Deal of the week!
I did terrific at both CVS and Walgreen's this week.
CVS:
I had a bunch (like $45) of ECB's to use up, so I made a big trip to CVS Sunday. I purchased all the monthly ECB deals which was nice, so I ended up with the products and new ECB's. I also did a few of the weekly deals on items I needed:
Cottonelle Toilet Paper - big pack get a $4 ECB
Bounty Paper Towels - no ECB, but $6.99
When I scanned my card I ended up with a $10 off $50 coupon, and since I had so much to spend I did very well.
Walgreen's:
This was a great stock up sale for me:
Buy 8 Ragu pasta sauce and get $10 on your next order (Register Reward - RR)
Buy 8 Skippy peanut butter's and get $10 on your next order (RR)
You can mix the two promo's together. Since I didn't want to clear the shelves I went to two different Walgreen's and bought 4 of each. I used $.40 off coupons on Skippy and $.75/2 coupons for the Ragu. Both were in Sunday's paper. I also used a $5 RR I had from the Pepsi promo last week. So, now I have enough peanut butter and pasta sauce to last us probably the rest of the year, and $20 to spend next week. Unless there are spectacular deals, I'll probably use the $20 on the monthly Walgreen's rebates.
CVS:
I had a bunch (like $45) of ECB's to use up, so I made a big trip to CVS Sunday. I purchased all the monthly ECB deals which was nice, so I ended up with the products and new ECB's. I also did a few of the weekly deals on items I needed:
Cottonelle Toilet Paper - big pack get a $4 ECB
Bounty Paper Towels - no ECB, but $6.99
When I scanned my card I ended up with a $10 off $50 coupon, and since I had so much to spend I did very well.
Walgreen's:
This was a great stock up sale for me:
Buy 8 Ragu pasta sauce and get $10 on your next order (Register Reward - RR)
Buy 8 Skippy peanut butter's and get $10 on your next order (RR)
You can mix the two promo's together. Since I didn't want to clear the shelves I went to two different Walgreen's and bought 4 of each. I used $.40 off coupons on Skippy and $.75/2 coupons for the Ragu. Both were in Sunday's paper. I also used a $5 RR I had from the Pepsi promo last week. So, now I have enough peanut butter and pasta sauce to last us probably the rest of the year, and $20 to spend next week. Unless there are spectacular deals, I'll probably use the $20 on the monthly Walgreen's rebates.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
Only have a general idea of what I'll make this week. I have to run to the store at some point to pick up some basic (for us) items we are out of (chocolate chips, sour cream, soy sauce, popcorn). However I still have enough general groceries to last most of the week. So I'm putting off the trip as long as possible hoping some good deals on the items I need will come along with the new ads later in the week.
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - shrimp quesadillas (never made them last week)
Wednesday - out to eat
Thursday - something in the crockpot (soup or roast I suppose)
Friday - homemade pizza
Saturday - salmon, green veggie, quinoa
Sunday - chicken something . . . (stir fry or baked)
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - shrimp quesadillas (never made them last week)
Wednesday - out to eat
Thursday - something in the crockpot (soup or roast I suppose)
Friday - homemade pizza
Saturday - salmon, green veggie, quinoa
Sunday - chicken something . . . (stir fry or baked)
Friday, January 16, 2009
Kid's Art Supplies
I've found that my kids love to do art projects. But, it can be expensive to have them use up a sheet of paper for a few scribbles or to continue to buy them stickers. Luckily, there are many items around your house that you can use for free or next to free. It's also a great way to recycle. Some things we save:
toilet paper and paper towel rolls (once the paper is used)
return address labels (the free ones from the mail)
empty envelopes (after bills or whatever have been removed
used paper (the backside is still good!)
ribbons and bows off of gifts
packing paper or cardboard from boxes (Amazon sends great HUGE sheets of paper)
cardboard boxes
Just gather up a few of these items, give them to your kids with some crayons or markers and watch them spend a few hours creating!
toilet paper and paper towel rolls (once the paper is used)
return address labels (the free ones from the mail)
empty envelopes (after bills or whatever have been removed
used paper (the backside is still good!)
ribbons and bows off of gifts
packing paper or cardboard from boxes (Amazon sends great HUGE sheets of paper)
cardboard boxes
Just gather up a few of these items, give them to your kids with some crayons or markers and watch them spend a few hours creating!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Free Shampoo
Today only, go to:
http://www.suave.com/nomics/index.html
and register for a coupon for a free bottle of Suave Shampoo - even if you don't use that brand it would be great to donate!
http://www.suave.com/nomics/index.html
and register for a coupon for a free bottle of Suave Shampoo - even if you don't use that brand it would be great to donate!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Deal of the week!
Kind of a slow week for me - plus I don't really need anything.
Walgreen's:
Pepsi 12 packs on sale 5/$15 with a $5RR. Pretty good if you drink pop. Bounty basics paper towels are on sale for $.89 with the coupon in the ad. Combine that with a recent $.25 off coupon and it's a decent price.
Target
The horizon milk 3 packs are $2.89 to $2.99 and with the $1.00 off coupon from Sunday's paper, it's worth picking some up. I also combined the coupon from the Target website for the Pringles with a recent $1.00 off to get the small snack bags for $.50 each - not bad to add to school lunches.
Walgreen's:
Pepsi 12 packs on sale 5/$15 with a $5RR. Pretty good if you drink pop. Bounty basics paper towels are on sale for $.89 with the coupon in the ad. Combine that with a recent $.25 off coupon and it's a decent price.
Target
The horizon milk 3 packs are $2.89 to $2.99 and with the $1.00 off coupon from Sunday's paper, it's worth picking some up. I also combined the coupon from the Target website for the Pringles with a recent $1.00 off to get the small snack bags for $.50 each - not bad to add to school lunches.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
I have a nice, balanced set of meals planned for this week - some old recipes and some new, a bit of beef, chicken, seafood and pork . ..
Monday - Ropa Vieja, fresh tortillas
Tuesday - shrimp quesadillas
Wednesday - Orange chicken, broccoli, brown rice
Thursday - hamburger helper (free box and I'll be out that night)
Friday - Fish tacos, refried beans
Saturday - pork roast
Sunday - spaghetti & meatballs
Lunches will be leftovers, sandwiches, soups
Breakfasts will be cereal, oatmeal, english muffins and eggs
Monday - Ropa Vieja, fresh tortillas
Tuesday - shrimp quesadillas
Wednesday - Orange chicken, broccoli, brown rice
Thursday - hamburger helper (free box and I'll be out that night)
Friday - Fish tacos, refried beans
Saturday - pork roast
Sunday - spaghetti & meatballs
Lunches will be leftovers, sandwiches, soups
Breakfasts will be cereal, oatmeal, english muffins and eggs
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Lemon Thyme Chicken Salad
This is one of my favorite easy dinners. It's light and easy to prepare:
Chicken breasts (I usually use two for 3 - 4 people)
Red onion, sliced (about a cup)
3 T Lemon Juice
2 T olive oil
1 t. thyme
few drops hot pepper sauce
feta cheese
romaine lettuce
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, thyme and hot sauce. Put the chicken in a plastic bag or bowl and pour 1/4 of the dressing over the chicken. Put the sliced onions in another bowl or bag and pour 1/4 of the dressing over them. Marinate for a few hours to all day.
Grill (or use a George Foreman grill) the chicken and red onions. Remove from grill and let the chicken sit while you divide the lettuce into bowls. Top each bowl with a portion of the onions, slice the chicken and add some to each bowl and then sprinkle with the feta. Drizzle the remaining dressing over each bowl.
Serve with some fresh bread and you have a simple, delicious dinner!
Chicken breasts (I usually use two for 3 - 4 people)
Red onion, sliced (about a cup)
3 T Lemon Juice
2 T olive oil
1 t. thyme
few drops hot pepper sauce
feta cheese
romaine lettuce
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, thyme and hot sauce. Put the chicken in a plastic bag or bowl and pour 1/4 of the dressing over the chicken. Put the sliced onions in another bowl or bag and pour 1/4 of the dressing over them. Marinate for a few hours to all day.
Grill (or use a George Foreman grill) the chicken and red onions. Remove from grill and let the chicken sit while you divide the lettuce into bowls. Top each bowl with a portion of the onions, slice the chicken and add some to each bowl and then sprinkle with the feta. Drizzle the remaining dressing over each bowl.
Serve with some fresh bread and you have a simple, delicious dinner!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Deal of the week!
Back to some good deals this week!
Walgreens:
I did great here this week. They have in the instore ad a few really good coupons:
$1.79 for Mott's Apple Juice and $.99 for 20 ft. Reynold's Aluminum Foil. In addition, I had a $1.00 off juice coupon and six $1.00 off Reynold's coupons (the coupon stated for any size except 25 ft.).
So, I ended up with 6 rolls of foil for free plus 1 - 64 oz bottle of juice for $.79. These are items we use weekly so I was very excited to stock up. The foil coupons were I believe from the 11/16 ads.
My other big score was at CVS:
Hershey's kisses were 75% off (or $.75 a bag). I had 3 coupons for $1.00 off Hershey's Dark Chocolate kisses (not sure which insert this was from) so I made a slight profit on each bag. The kisses went into the freezer to be used next time I need chocolate for baking or a treat!
Walgreens:
I did great here this week. They have in the instore ad a few really good coupons:
$1.79 for Mott's Apple Juice and $.99 for 20 ft. Reynold's Aluminum Foil. In addition, I had a $1.00 off juice coupon and six $1.00 off Reynold's coupons (the coupon stated for any size except 25 ft.).
So, I ended up with 6 rolls of foil for free plus 1 - 64 oz bottle of juice for $.79. These are items we use weekly so I was very excited to stock up. The foil coupons were I believe from the 11/16 ads.
My other big score was at CVS:
Hershey's kisses were 75% off (or $.75 a bag). I had 3 coupons for $1.00 off Hershey's Dark Chocolate kisses (not sure which insert this was from) so I made a slight profit on each bag. The kisses went into the freezer to be used next time I need chocolate for baking or a treat!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
Hard to believe the holidays are over - they went so quickly! Back to the grind!
This week we are concentrating on eating healthier - after weeks of excess over break, it's much needed!
Monday - meeting the inlaws - salads for us!
Tuesday - spicy tuna melts
Wednesday - lemon thyme chicken salad (I'll post the recipe Wed - simple & yummy!)
Thursday - taco salad (like taco's without the shells)
Friday - salmon, green veggie (whatever looks good at the store, brown rice
Saturday - white chicken chili, salad
Sunday - roast, salad
Breakfasts will be cereal, steel cut oats, eggs, fruit and maybe pancakes w/ blueberries one day
Lunches will be leftovers, soup and sandwiches
This week we are concentrating on eating healthier - after weeks of excess over break, it's much needed!
Monday - meeting the inlaws - salads for us!
Tuesday - spicy tuna melts
Wednesday - lemon thyme chicken salad (I'll post the recipe Wed - simple & yummy!)
Thursday - taco salad (like taco's without the shells)
Friday - salmon, green veggie (whatever looks good at the store, brown rice
Saturday - white chicken chili, salad
Sunday - roast, salad
Breakfasts will be cereal, steel cut oats, eggs, fruit and maybe pancakes w/ blueberries one day
Lunches will be leftovers, soup and sandwiches
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
