Refresh Your Nest Coupon Booklet

Go here to get a booklet with over $35 in coupons for products like Cascade & Febreeze

Printable coupons from Tylenol

Go here to register for a Tylenol calendar with $50 worth of printable coupons.

Free Samples from Quality Health

Yes, more offers from Quality Health are available! If you've signed up and recieved samples in the past, just remember that you have so sign up each time they offer new free samples.

Free Gevalia coffeemaker is back!

I haven't seen this offer in quite a while and I'm pretty excited about it! It is a great deal to get a free coffee pot....now, I know some of you are going to be shocked, but try to hold onto your hats when I tell you...I don't own a coffee pot. Neither my husband or I are a big coffee drinkers but we do have a need for one. As we get older (ouch!), we've been hosting more holiday dinners, brunches, etc. at our house. I'm a little embarrassed to admit, I never offer anyone coffee at these events. And I'm really embarrassed to tell you that someone recently brought a box of coffee from a local convenience store to a dinner I was hosting. I've been waiting for a good deal on a coffee maker and now it's here!
This deal works out to be $14.95 for 2 boxes of coffee and a really nice coffee maker shipped.

Rite Aid has tons of Freebies this Week!

If you missed all the freebies last week at Rite Aid like I did, you'll be excited to know that there is a whole bunch more available this week! Make a special effort to get there because it is so much better to buy "free" ahead than have to make an emergency run when you or your child is sick and spend $6 for a bottle of cold medicine!
And thank For the Mommas here for saving this $5/$25 coupon for you to print to make many of these deals moneymakers as well! Go here to print your coupon.

Here are the free after rebate items you can get this week:
Zantac $8.99, Submit SCR $8.99
FREE after SCR & Coupon

Zucol Coldcare 5.99, Submit SCR $5.99
use $2.00/1 in 03/08 SS
$2.00 overage to FREE after SCR and coupon

Little Colds $5.49, Submit SCR $5.49
FREE after SCR

Little Colds Sore Throat $3.99,Submit SCR $3.99
FREE after SCR

Coldcalm or Chestal $7.99, Submit SCR $7.99
Use $1.00/1 printable HERE
$1.00 overage toFREE after SCR

Little Allergies $9.99, Submit SCR $9.99
FREE after SCR

Sambucol $7.99, Submit SCR $7.99
FREE after SCR

EOS Lip Balm $1.99, Submit SCR $1.99
Free after SCR

Cepacol Fizzlers $4.99, Submit SCR $4.99
FREE after SCR

Blink Tears $7.99, Submit SCR $7.99
use $4.00/1 in 08/02 RP
$4.00 overage to FREE after SCR and coupon

Neilmed Nasa Mist Saline Spray $9.99, Submit SCR $9.99
use $2.00/1 printable HERE
$2.00 overage to FREE after SCR & coupon

Neilmed NasaGel $5.99, Submit SCR $5.99
use $2.00/1 printable HERE
$2.00 overage to FREE after SCR & coupon

Free Snuggle Fabric Softener

My husband does most of our laundry and he LOVES his fabric softener! No, really, he LOVES it. Fabric softener has never really meant that much to me. I don't remember my mom using it, but this news will make my hubby very happy! This week, Dollar General has Snuggle liquid fabric softener 60 load on sale for $2.50. Use your $3 coupon from 10/4 insert to get it FREE!
KMart has the 60 load liquid on sale for $3 through 11/9 - so FREE there as well!
Thanks Moms By Heart here!

CVS $5/$25

Forgive us Blog readers...it has been 19 days since we last blogged. Oh, I am very excited about the great deals going on this week!! Here is my favorite! There is ANOTHER CVS flu quiz link available along with a $5/$25 purchase for taking the quiz! Go here to get yours!

50 New uses for common things...

Go 1=32001">here to get some great ideas-like a Twister Mat used as a tablecloth!

Front Door Redo for $120.00!!!

See what I have been working on while I was neglecting you? I don't have a before picture because I do not plan ahead like that. It was a beautiful wood door, but the cold weather this past winter put a huge crack in it :( I filled it with wood putty and sanded it down. It never quite looked right to me, and I have been craving-yes I said craving - a black door 4ever! So, my doubtful husband went to Lowe's with me and we picked out some paint, primer, and after an unfortunate experience trying to spray paint the old lock set, a new set. All in all I spent about $120.00 on this and I love the way it looks. I had originally thought I spent almost $250, but I found my receipts and added it all up.

I was really feeling badly, looking at that line where I had puttied and sanded. Small home repair and basic cleaning keeps your home from looking shabby; it also helps keep you from getting tired of things and spending a ton of money on remodeling. A small change makes a big difference in your heart!

For more low cost decorating projects visit Sara at Thrifty Decor Chick.

Free Thank you cards

Go here for a chance to win free thank you cards from Dove...no purchase necessary

Toys R Us $10 Gift Card Offer

Wednesday September 30th through Wednesday October 14th you can get a $10 Toys R Us giftcard when you purchase $30.00 of Tide, Dreft, Always, Bounty, Charmin or Duracell products. This offer was sent to me via email from P&G. There was no website or link with further details, but the fine print says the gift card will be given at the register, and it is only available in stores.

Free Calendar from Annie''s Homegrown & Kiwi Magazine

Annie's & Kiwi Magazine have teamed up to give you a free 2010 calendar when you buy one Annie's Homegrown product. The calendar has over $11.00 in coupons inside! Go here for more information!

Deals from my favorite store...

Marcy at StretchingABuck has the deals for Target this week. I am definitely going to need to take advantage of that razor deal- I snapped my Venus in half in the shower this morning and I have no more in my stockpile, I must be stronger than I thought.

Get a $5 Target Gift Card when you buy 2 Fusion Manual or Venus Embrace Razors or Cartridges:

Gillette Fusion Manual Razor - $7.94/ea
Use $4/1 in 9/27 P&G insert
Final Price = $3.94/ea

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor - $7.94/ea
Use $2/1 in 9/27 P&G insert
Final Price = $5.94/ea

Special Trick or Treats.....

I just read about the McDonald's Trick or Treat pack with 12 coupons for free items and the Wendy's Trick or Treat Gift Book-each selling for a $1!!!!!!!!!! Go to
Coupon Cravings for more information! I think this might solve my left over Halloween candy eating problem.

leftover...who am I kidding...you know you do it too....

Walgreen's $5/$25 Coupon

Walgreen's has some outstanding deals this week - lots of items free after Register Rewards! To make the deals even sweeter, you can go here and print a $5/$25 coupon that is good on Tuesday and Wednesday only. Your total should be $25 after coupons.
Here's a sample scenario that I'd like to do:

Oral B advantage 1-2-3 toothbrush
$3 w/ $3 RR + Use the $0.75/1 coupon from the 9/27PG
Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion
$6.99 w/$6.99 RR + $1.50 off coupon
Chapstick Fresh Effects
$2.99 w/$2.99 RR
Dentek Dental Care, floss or dental picks (we need floss!)
$2 w/ $2 RR +Use the $1/1 coupon from April or May All You magazine or from here
Theraflu
2/$8 with $4 RR + use $2 off Theraflu coupon from Walgreen's Health Savings Booklet. I picked one up right at the counter at my Walgreen's last week.
Halls Refresh sugar free drops
$1 w/ $1 RR
Nyquil
2/$10 w/ $5 RR
Total = $33.98
-coupons for $7.25
-$5/$25 coupon
Total = $21.73
RR received back = $24.98
I actually make $3 purchasing a bunch of stuff I need that I can now roll into more Register Rewards. I actually might use a few of my RR to get more Nyquil and Theraflu and earn more RR. It's great to stock up on cold meds now before winter comes, you get desperate and end up purchasing these things for their usual prices of $8 per bottle.
To see all of Walgreen's weekly & monthly deals with coupon match-ups, check out Hip2Save here.

Join Vocalpoint!

If you haven't joined Vocalpoint yet, I'm urging you to do so! In the past 2 weeks I've been offered a free full-size Secret Clinical Strength deodorant and a free 30-day supply of an Olay Regenerist product ($47 retail!). They also offered a free Bounce Dryer Bar but I didn't get in on that one. They are sending me these products on good faith that I will answer a survey about them after using them (and I will, cuz I want them to keep offering me free products!). Once you sign up with Vocalpoint, the key to getting coupons and free products (over the summer I received coupons for free Kashi GoLean waffles, Free frosted mini-wheats and a Free box of Rice Krispies) is by being an active member of the site. I periodically log in and fill out surveys (rarely more than 5 questions long) and leave a comment or 2 on the message boards.

Kids eat FREE at Boston Market thru 10/31

Click http://www.bostonmarket.com/home for all the details. With a minimum $6 adult meal purchase, receive 2 free kid meals. That's a great deal!!

CVS $5/$25 for EVERYONE!

Click here to take a brief survey on the flu from CVS. You will earn a $5/$25 coupon even if you fail (like I did with 4/5 questions wrong!!!).

Free Digital Cookbooks

Find 25 free digital versions of Taste of Home here. I'm going to check out "Halloween Party Favorites" first! I love making spooky cupcakes and the like for Halloween parties.

Free Geotrax DVD

For a free Steamer and Samuel Geotrax dvd, click here. This does not require a credit card and they always arrive!

Free, Free, Free!

Well, I guess it's kind of obvious I took the summer off from blogging...It wasn't planned at all...I was just having so much fun with my kids and staying busy with so many other things...that I didn't get to blog much. I also didn't see too many great deals that got me really excited over the summer...but now my stockpile is getting low and I need to refill it. So I'm going to get you started off with some free samples. Free samples are one way I stock my cabinets with facial moisturizers, lotions, shower gels, razors and much more! I really missed my packed mailbox over the summer though I am still enjoying reading my free magazine subscriptions!

Get a free Curel Itch Defense sample here.
Get a free sample of Cheerios here.
Get a free sample of Total Blueberry Pomegranite cereal here.
Get a free 2010 Wildlife calendar here. (Great kid stocking stuffer!)
Get a free sample of Pangea Organics Skincare kit from Allure here.
Get a free sample of Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters here.
Get a free box of Kashi Cereal here.
Get your free Kotex sample here.
Get your free Always sample here.
Get your sample of Huggies Movers here.
Get a free sample of Playtex Sport here.
Get a free sample of EmergenC cherry multivitamin here.

Simple & Delicious

Have you signe dup for Simple & Delicious yet? There are some great printable coupons available there, including this one for $1.50 off 1 Marie Callender's Home Style Creations. Sign up and look around, and you'll also find $1/1 Egg Beaters, and $1/1 Hebrew National Franks...

DelMonte Printable Coupons

Go here to get 3 printable coupons for DelMonte Fruit Bowls

Yankee Candle Coupon

Print a coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase at Yankee Candle here. It looks like there is a sale right now for B1G1 50% off, so I am thinking this would make for some nice teacher gifts, or Christmas Gifts. Happy Shopping!

BTW- Christmas is only 4 months away, yikes!

CVS Deals 8/23 through 8/29

Centsible Sawyer has this week's CVS deals. I can't wait to go shopping again! I mentioned before that my stockpile was getting low, and I am really looking to build it back up for the Fall/Winter. Here is one of my picks:

Supreme Protein,Met-Rx,Pure Protein or Promax 1.5-3.52 oz. B2G1(psa $1.49)
Pure Protein High Protein Bars B1G1F(up to $1.59) (10/04/09) RP 8/23/09

Walgreen's Deals 8/23 through 8/29

Go see MoneySavingMom for this week's Wags deals:

Reach Toothbrush--$0.99 after in ad coupon
Use $1/1 coupon from 8/2 SmartSource insert
Free after coupons

For any of you local Albany/Saratoga NY folks, have you seen the new Wags on Route 9 in Halfmoon is almost done? Also, I spotted a sign for another Coming Soon in Clifton Park...over by KFC and Mc Donald's. This is great news for us-we have a serious Wags shortage around here!!!!

Rite Aid Deals 8/23 thru 8/29

Visit CouponCravings for the best deals at Rite Aid this week:

Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste: $2.49
Use $1/1 coupon from 8/9 Smart Source insert
Receive $2.49 Single Check Rebate
Final Price = FREE plus possible overage

Too many of these....

posts where I am apologizing for not posting. I think I mentioned a few months back my life would get crazy around this time- and I appreciate you all sticking around. We have been so busy preparing for my husband's election, planning alternate options for the future, and keeping the rest of our lives together! We graduated Financial Peace University, but unexpected expenses have come up that are depleting our Emergency Fund. We made no large debt payment in July. I am happy to report that over the course of the FPU class (13 weeks) we managed to pay off $2,000.00 in debt!

Now, it is time to get back on the wagon again! I have not been sale shopping, and my stockpile looks more like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard! For the rest of August my goal is to survive! I will put the budget back down on paper for September, and get back to business. I hope you will be joining me...

For Motivation I'll be checking out Money Saving Mom's Month Financial Check-Up

Target 75% off Toy Sale is BACK

According to Lori from Moms By Heart the Target Toy Clearance is back! My sister blogged about it here. Just in time to start doing some Holiday Shopping. Nothing beats having my Christmas shopping done in October-NOTHING! Except getting great deals...and ice cream, ok I lied...why are you still reading anyway? Why aren't you at Target yet people?!!!

Price Chopper Bargain MEALS of the Week

Don't forget - if you're not a Price Chopper Shopper, you can click the link above to go to $5 Dinners and find a Bargain Meal of the Week for your grocery store!

Ok, since I've been neglecting you...and feeling really uninspired by the PC flier in recent weeks (good for snacks, etc. but the main dish meal menu was hard to come up with), I'm making a comeback with a week's worth of dinners for you at Bargain Prices! The PC flier was pretty good this week! Here are 5 day's worth of meals you can make for about $25, assuming you have a few ingredients on hand (like milk for your scalloped potatoes, butter for your corn, and salad dressing). If not, your total will increase slightly by $3 or $4. (Keep in mind that some of the meat will have to be bought in bulk - but that will help cut down on next week's shopping trip).

I'm even including a shopping list:
1 lb of London Broil Steak = $1.79/lb
2 lbs Chicken Drumsticks = $1.19/lb
1 lb 80% lean Ground Chuck = $1.99/lb or 1 lb of Villa Capri Italian Style Sausage
1 lb of boneless pork chops = B1G1 Free, these are usually $4.99 pound w/ B1G1 = $2.50/lb
1 Can Price Chopper Petite Tomatoes = $1.00
2 Zucchini @$1.29/lb = about a $1.00
1 jar of PC Applesauce = $1.oo
1 box of Betty Crocker scalloped or au gratin potatoes = $1.50, although I'm sure you could save a few cents by buying the PC brand which will be slightly cheaper, probably closer to $1.00
1 loaf of PC Italian bread = $1.49
1 bag of PC French Fries = $1.99
1 can of PC chick peas = $0.69
1 can of PC green beans = $0.50
4 ears of sweet corn = $1.92
1 box of Prince pasta = $1.00 (though I thought PC pasta is on a lower price sale for $0.87 - I'll get whichever is cheaper)
1 cantaloupe = $2.50
1 head of romaine lettuce = $0.99
2 tomatoes - $1.00 (roma tomatoes are usually about $1.88/lb)

From your pantry (or add to the shopping list if you don't have on hand) - milk, butter, Italian salad dressing, Buffalo Wing Sauce

Meal 1:
Grilled London Broil w/ corn on the cob and tossed salad
Marinate your london broil with your favorite marinade, using ingredients you have on hand - soy sauce, lemon juice, spices, salad dressings. I usually cut it into 2 or 3 pieces for faster cooking.

Meal 2:
Grilled Chicken Salad with Italian bread
Cut chicken into strips and marinate with Italian dressing or your favorite marinade (soy sauce, lemon juice, etc.)
Grill on medium for about 10 minutes on each side
Add to tossed salad made with Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and chick peas along with your family's favorite salad dressings.


Meal 3:
Goulash with Ground Beef or Italian Sausage
w/ zucchini and Italian bread
Cook pasta as directed (we like spaghetti but mostly any shape will do!)
If using ground beef, brown in skillet with diced zucchini. If using sausage, slice skin off sausage and crumble into skillet to brown.
Add diced tomatoes to skillet to heat through and add cooked pasta.
Serve with Italian bread.

Meal 4:
Grilled Boneless Pork Chops
w/ Applesauce and Scalloped Potatoes
I like to marinate my pork chops in what else? some type of salad dressing!
Grill about 15 minutes on medium each side. About 5 minutes before finished, you can add some (hopefully free with coupons in recent weeks) Kraft BBQ sauce.
Make scalloped potatoes as directed on box.
Serve with applesauce.

Meal 5:
Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks (more meat, less fat, same great taste!)
w/ french fries and cantaloupe wedges. My family usually eats about a 1/2 a bag of fries with a meal.
Try this recipe at Woman's Day here.
I omitted the celery and blue cheese because they are more expensive. I thought the fries and fruit would balance out the meal nicely.

Enjoy! Please and comments would be great! Let me know if you can do dinners for $25 this week!

Price Chopper Trip 7/5

I was not planning on typing out everything I bought today but since you can't see it all I will. First, my total before coupons was $233.35, after coupons and AdvantEdge Savings I paid $138.95 and earned 40 cents off a gallon of gas up to 20 gallons!!!

I bought:
1 pack Bottom Round Steak
2 packs Extra Lean Ground Beef
2 Dole Salad Mix- B1G1F
2 cartons of Strawberries
2 packs Whole wheat Tortillas
1.5 lb bag of grapes
1 Can Chickpeas
1 Lb. Asparagus
4 Kraft BBQ Sauce
4 Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers
4 Uncle Ben's Rice
1 Purex 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent
1 Hefty One Zip Gallon Size Bags
3 Kelloggs Special K Cereal
4 Smartfood Snack 100 Cal Pack
1 Int'l Delight French Vanilla Creamer
4 Kraft Salad Dressing
2 Healthy Choice Entrees
8 Lean Cuisine Entrees
4 Bird's Eye Frozen Vegetables
3 Jell-O Pudding 6 packs
3 Yoplait Yo-plus Yogurt 4 packs
2 Luna Bars
2 Laughing Cow Cheese
4 Smuckers Sundae Toppings
1 Price Chopper Lite Syrup
1 Can Dole Pineapple Chunks
2 Dozen PC Eggs
2 PC Peanut Butter
2 Betty Crocker Brownie Mix

If I get a chance I will update this with the coupons I used and what was free, and under 50 cents.

Dinner Tool by Vocalpoint

Vocalpoint is introducing a new site called DinnerTool. One of my favorite features I found while exploring around is Recipe Search. You can enter the ingredients you have and get recipes to make meals from them! If you haven't joined Vocalpoint yet, umm, well, what the heck are you waiting for? Check out original post about Vocalpoint and Online Communities here.

Organic Coupons from Stonyfield Farms

Get a coupon book for Organic products from Stonyfield Farms and other organic product manufacturer's here. It looks like these coupons are actually printable...

All You Grocery Challenge

All You Magazine is sponsoring a Grocery Challenge beginning July 13th. Here are the terms:

Spend no more than $25 per family member per week on groceries over a four-week period beginning July 13. That's $100 a week for a family of four. You could win a $1,000 grocery card plus a year's supply of Knorr side dishes and the chance to appear in ALL YOU magazine.

Rite Aid Photo Deal & $50 in Gift Cards

Rite Aid has a special through July 4th to get 15 4x6 Digital Prints free when you purchase 50 prints or more....
check it out here

Also, now through July 31st if you transfer 2 prescriptions to Rite Aid you can get a $25 Gift Card for each one....
here

This is not valid in NY, but should work for readers in other States. There is a law in NYS that prohibits this.

You can get a gift bag worth $40 in Value if you purchase $20 in skin care items listed
here.

Kraft Foods

Sign up with Kraft foods to get great tips, samples and coupons from Kraft. Also, go here to get a coupon booklet with $55 in savings for the school year!

Price Chopper Coupon Match Ups!

Here are some cheap deals at Price Chopper this week! I confirmed with Price Chopper yesterday (by phone) that all Unilever and Kraft products count for these deals, not just the ones pictured in the ad. Update: The only Unilever products counting toward this promotion are those listed in the ad PLUS Wishbone Salad Dressing. Also, during the last Unilever deal, back before Easter, people were able to do the deals and roll the catalinas into more deals and get more catalinas. Also, when doing these deals, the price before Advantedge savings counts toward your total, so keep that in mind when figuring out your scenarios.

Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies- B1G1 Free- $3.49- 2 $1 off coupons http://www.couponbug.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=11349&nid=15&zid=ck03
74 cents ea

Sabra Hummus- B1G1F- $4.49- $1/1 6/28 SS - $1.24 ea- if you PC doubles then 24 cents ea!!!

Ball Park Franks- B1G2F- price check? $1/2 6/28 RP = really inexpensive hot dogs!

Heluva Good Dip- $1.99- $1 off 2 6/28 SS- $1.49 ea

Marzetti Dressings & Dips 2/$5- $1/1 from 6/21 SS
$1.50 ea

Kraft Promotion: Spend $20 on Kraft Products get $7 off your next shopping order (if you printed the 2nd round of Kraft printables that came out a few weeks back, the reset with the 8/31 expiration date, they will come in handy with these deals!).

Kraft BBQ Sauce 99 cents
75 cents off 1 6/14 SS = 24 cents ea

A1 Steak Sauce $3.59
$2/1 6/14 SS

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Brick $1
($1/2 from the Kraft printables a few weeks back) = 2/$1!

Kraft Salad Dressing $1.68
$1/1 6/21 SS = 68 cents

Wheat Thins - $1.99
B1G1 5/17 SS exp? = 99 cents ea

Jello - 3/$2
$1/off 3 from Kraft printables = $1 for 3

Unilever Promotion - Buy $10 of Unilever products and get $3 off your next order

Hellman's Mayo - $2.99
$1/1 Hellmann's light printable

I can't believe it's not butter - $1.68

Lipton Lemo Iced Tea B1@4.99Get1Free
50 or 60 cents off 1, 5/17 RP (depending on your region)

Bertolli Pasta Sauce 2/$5

Popsicle Ice Pops 10/$10

For a complete list of coupons for Kraft and Unilever product coupons, visit the coupon database at http://www.afullcup.com/. Just type in the item you are looking for and a list of coupons will come up. Also, visit the Price Chopper forum to see some scenario ideas for maximizing these 2 deals!

Rite Aid Deals of the Week 6/28

WOW has Rite Aid brought out some great deals with coupons- and even rebates- this week. Money Saving Mom has all the information you need here

This month, Rite Aid is running a deal: Purchase $25 Worth of Participating Products Get a $10.00 Rite Aid Gift Card or Purchase $50.00 Worth of Participating Products, Get a $25 Rite Aid Gift Card.You can see a listing of all the participating products

Buy 1 Wet Ones at $1.99, Get $1 Single Check Rebate
Use $1/1 printable (or $0.75/1 coupon from the 5/17 SmartSource insert)
Free (or $0.25) after coupon and Single Check Rebate

Buy 2 Secret Deodorants at $1.99 each, Get a $1 Single Check Rebate
Use 2 $1/1 coupons from the 5/17 P&G insert
$0.49 each after coupon and rebate

Buy 1 Glade Sense & Spray at $6.99, Get $2 Single Check Rebate
Use $4/1 from the July All You magazine or from the 05/10 SmartSource insert
$0.99 each after coupon and Single Check Rebate

Price Chopper Deals

There are some really good deals to be had at Price Chopper this week!
Get $7 on your next purchase when you spend $20 on participating Kraft products!
Get $3 on your next purchase when you purchase $10 on participating Unilever products!
I will post some scenarios later this evening, along with a Bargain Meal of the Week! This is the first time I've been excited about the PC flier in a LONG time!

The "B" word-Part 1

For over a year now I have been focused on getting deals, and saving money. The last 2 months we have been taking personal finance classes and we needed to budget. We sat down and figured it all out, and put it on paper. I am glad to finally have it done for two reasons: there have not really been many good deals, and I have been so busy that getting deals is on the back burner.

Before you disregard a budget, let me assure you that it was not as hard as I thought it would be. Basically, I reviewed the bank account for how much was spent on Gas, groceries, eating out, etc., and created the budget based on those numbers. It was out first month, and we went just a little over, and we wound up with enough money at the end of the month to pay almost an additional $1,000.00 on a debt!!!! You cannot take budgeting for granted anymore! It must be done.

The new budget works basically like an envelope system. First we put down all monthly bills, like mortgages, electricity, trash etc. Next, we took anything not paid monthly, like taxes for example. We pay taxes once a year. We divided that payment by 12, and that number goes into an "envelope" each month to be saved for when it comes due. Also, groceries were set at $50.00 per week, so that went into an envelope each week. When all was said and done, I went about $5 over budget. This month I will set the same budget, and if I still go over budget I will evaluate if it was me overspending, or if I set my budget too small. The class teaches that the budget should be done at the beginning of each month, My husband and I are going to sit down over today and tomorrow and work on the budget for July.

I don't want to relay alot of specifics about the class or the teachings, but I do feel that these are the basics of most budgets. I do however, want to leave you with one thing that I think I should share: You need to take care of the financial needs of your home and family first. That is, you need to pay rent, electrical, food & car payments before you worry about credit cards. You cannot go to work, earn money to get yourself out of debt, or just stay afloat, if you cannot eat, or shower, or get to work, or have a place to live. Those items need to be a priority in your life.

If there is anyone reading this that is struggling, realize that the Creditor will wait, the mortgage payment and feeding your family cannot. That doesn't mean you don't pay your debts at all, it means you pay what you can, after you have taken care of your basic comforts- Starbucks is not basic comfort people- and then pay creditors what you can.

CVS Deals Week of 6/28

You have to check out Moms By Heart and now is your perfect chance if you haven't already! She has a great post with coupon match ups page by page for CVS this week! Don't forget to look at her 50 cents or less shopping posts too!


Clean & Clear spend $15 get $5 ECB
-$2.00-$5.00 printables here

Edge Shave Gel $1.99
-$1.00 printable here
Price: $.99

Walgreen's Deals Week of 6/28

Deal Seeking Mom has all of your best deals for Walgreen's this coming week-might be a good time to stock up on some summer snacks:

Select Nabisco/Kraft Products
Get $3 RRs wyb $15 or $5 RRs wyb $20
– Ritz Crackers $2
– Chips Ahoy $2
– Capri Sun $2
– Planters Peanuts 12oz $2
– Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese 3/$5
– Velveeta Shells & Cheese 3/$5
– Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip (32-oz.), $3
$1/1 Capri Sun Sunrise Product, exp. 7-31-09 (SS 4/19/09)
$1/2 Nabisco Chips Ahoy, exp. 6-28-09 (SS 5/17/09)
$1/2 Nabisco Cookies, exp. 6-30-09 (SS 4/19/09)
$1/1 Miracle Whip, exp. 7-21-09 (SS 6/14/09)
$0.75/1 Kraft Mayo, exp. 7-19-09 (SS 6/21/09)
$1.50 off 2 Velveeta Shells & Cheese Printable

Free Water from Nestle !!!!!!!!!

Nestle Pure Life Water is Running a Rewards Program this Summer:
Purchase any Participating Nestle Pure Life Product Between 4/1/09 and 9/30/09
Download the Healthy Rewards Request Form
For every 3 UPC’s You Send In, You will receive a Coupon for a Free Case of Water up to a $4.99 Value. There are several other rewards you can choose from as well, including a $10.00 sporting goods gift card.
Go here for all the details & forms
I signed up for VeryBestBaking.com and was able to print two coupons for $1 off a 24 pack of Pure Life Water.

National Bomb Pop Day!

June 25th is National Bomb Pop Day! Blue Bunny is giving printable coupons for $1 off a box- making these really cheap at Wal-Mart. Go here to become part of the Iscream team or
here to print coupons for $1 off Bomb Pops!!!

Price Chopper debuts Fuel Advantedge Program in the Capital Region!

Price Chopper sent me an anouncement yesterday in my email. This looks like a pretty cool program. For every $50 you spend at Price Chopper, you earn 10 cents off PER GALLON of gas, up to 20 gallons at participating gas stations like Sunoco and select Stewarts locations. Get all the details here and get ready to start saving on gas! I'm so excited about this!

Low Cost Meals from Our Favorite Retailers

Does that ever look good? Perfect for Summer lunch or dinner? A while ago I signed for some email newsletters from some well known product manufacturers, and this was sent to me today. I receive emails once a week, with printable coupons, and tons of recipes. Lately I have noticed more and more with a Budget Friendly Menu section. They are so convenient with the recipe online, i can take a quick scan of what I need, and then cut & paste to a word document a shopping list, and print out the coupons that go along with it. It makes it easy to scan through blogs to see if there are any good deals. Alot of these newsletter have sections you can click what you want, and it adds it to a printable shopping list. I don't do it that way because I go across several emails and cannot merge the lists. Keep in mind that you may be able to buy generic brands or other brands for less, and save yourself even more.



Ultimately, since I know deals are cyclical and run about every 3 months, I'd like to make a rotating menu plan, and have a preset grocery list that I can check off items as I get the best deals on them.



To sign up for some of these newsletters :

Betty Crocker

Kraft

Pillsbury

Bargain Meal of the Week - Price Chopper

Don't forget - if you're not a Price Chopper Shopper, you can click the link above to go to $5 Dinners and find a Bargain Meal of the Week for your grocery store!

Crock Pot Chicken W/ Black Beans and Cream Cheese
Ingredients:
Boneless frozen chicken breasts - $1.66/lb (must buy 4 pound bag for $4.98)
1 (15 & 1/2 oz) can of black beans - I got progresso last week for around $0.99 a can
1 15 oz. jar of salsa $1.99 for PC brand (other brands may be on sale)
1 can corn $0.59 Green Giant niblets (may be able to find PC brand 2/$1)
1 8oz package of cream cheese $1.88 for PC brand tub

Instructions: Follow the recipe at Recipe Zaar here. It looks super easy and very delicious!
Final cost: Approximately $7.oo depending on other brands being on sale, what you have on hand, and what you coupons you have (may be able to find cheaper corn, black beans
This is one I haven't actually made yet. It received all rave reviews! If you try it, please feel free to give it a little review in the comments section of this post! Thanks!

Target Deals 6/14

Here are a few deals that I am thinking of taking advantage of at Target this week:

Archer Farms Yellow or Blue Tortilla Chips - $2.33/ea
Get a FREE Archer Farms Salsa (16 oz) with purchase of 2 Archer Farms Tortilla Chips
Use $1/1 Target coupon in the Afullcup.com Target Coupon Generator (use 2)
Final Price = $1.33/ea when you buy 2 + FREE Salsa

DiGiorno Frozen Pizza (12 in) - $5.50/ea
Get a FREE 2 liter of selected Coke with purchase of any 1 DiGiorno Pizza
Use $1/1 in 6/14 Smart Source insert
Final Price = $4.50 for 1 Digiorno Pizza + a 2 liter of Coke!
We usually make pizza from scratch but this would be a good in a pinch....

Suave Body Wash (12 oz) - $1.49/ea
Use $1/2 in 5/17 Red Plum insert
Final Price = $0.99/ea when you buy 2

Crystal Light On-the-Go (3 pks) - $0.99/ea (look near the registers)
Use $1/1 here, here and here
Final Price = FREE

A-1 Steak Sauce - $2.09/ea
Use $2/1 in 6/14 Smart Source insert and $2/1 here
Final Price = $0.09/ea

Check out Stretching A Buck for more deals...

Long Time No Post- Target Deals!!!!-

****************************UPDATE**********************************************

I could only get 1 of the $2 off coupons from the softsoap website to print, but looking through my coupons I found that I had a $2 off Softsoap from the June 09 Reinventing Beauty magazine sold exclusively at CVS. The coupon is not in the usual insert book of CVS coupons, but on one of the pages, and it does not state only at CVS. The best part- Reinventing beauty sells for 99 cents, and is full of so many coupons. It makes a great filler for purchases!

Now through July 13th there is a gift card deal on Softsoap Ensembles Value Packs! Check this out: Buy 2 Softsoap Ensemble Value Packs at $6 each Use 2 $2/1 manufacturer's coupons here Stack with 2 $2/1 Target coupons here Spend $4 plus tax out of pocket, Get a $5 Target gift card.

You can roll these deals--using the gift card earned from the previous transaction to purchase another two Softsoaps to earn another gift card--thus lowering your out-of-pocket costs even more. This is a great opportunity to stockpile enough hand soap for a year. If you do this enough, and get your hands on enough coupons, you can buy a ton of soap for pennies each!!!

Target also has a Special K promotion going on this week: Buy any three Special K cereals ($2.39) and get a free box of Special K crackers.
Here's how to get these for very inexpensively:
Buy 3 boxes of Special K cereal and 2 boxes of Special K crackers Use 1 B2G1 coupon here or here (buy two cereals, get a free box of Special K crackers)Use 3 $1/1 coupons from 6/7 RP insert$0.83 plus tax per box after coupons and store promotion

Degree men's deodorant (Artic Edge and Intense Sport)--$2.49 Use the $1.50/1 Target printable coupon here Stack with the $1/1 manufacturer's coupon from the 5/17 RedPlum insert

Check out some other great deals before you go to Target at Stretching a Buck !!!!!

What's Free This Week????

Erin at Coupon Cravings has some great deals for you -like this one at Walgreens:

John Frieda Root Awakening Hair Care: Buy 3 for $15

Use 3 $3/1 coupons from 6/14 Smart Source

Receive $5 Register Rewards

Final Price = $.33 each

She's also listed the free and little to nothing out of pocket deals at CVS & Rite Aid too. I only hope there is some of this stuff left when I get to Walgreens tomorrow!!!!!

If you are new to shopping at WAGS check out this post here. Happy Shopping!

CVS Deals 6/14

Here are some of the best deals at CVS this week....they are starting ot look better and better to me:

Kellogg’s Raisin Bran and Corn Pops cereal 12-15oz $1.88
-$1.00 from 6/7 RP
Final Price: $.88

Skippy Peanut Butter 16.3oz 3/$5
-$.40 from 4/5 Unilever
Final Price: $1.27 ea

Aveeno ECB Deal: Spend $20 Get $10
-$1.50-$2 from inserts
-$2.00 from June ALL YOU magazine
-$2/1 or $5/2 printable HERE – Positively Ageless Products

Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste, Rinse or Oral B Floss, $2.99Get $2 ECBs (limit 1)
$0.50/1 Crest Toothpaste or Liquid Gel, exp. 7-31-09 (P&G 6/7/09)
$0.49 after coupon and ECBs!

Schick Quattro Titanium Razor or Trimmer, $7.99Get $3 ECBs (limit 3)
$4/1 Schick Quattro Titanium Razor, Trimmer, or Refill, exp. 7-17-09 (ALL YOU magazine June ‘09 issue)
$4/1 Schick Quattro Titanium Razor, exp. 7-27-09 (SS 6/14/09)
$0.99 after coupons and ECBs!

Check out Deal Seeking Mom for more deals...and scenarios

Staples - $1 printer paper and photo paper

Get up to 2 packs of Hammermill Copy Paper and Photopaper at Staples when you submit an online rebate.

Here's the deal:

HammerMill Copy Paper (500 sheets), $4.99

$3.99 Staples Easy Rebate (limit 2)$1 after rebate!

Staples Photo Paper (50 sheets), $12.98

$11.98 Staples Easy Rebate (limit 2)$1 after rebate!

Also, while you're there (it takes about 2 minutes), sign up for the Staples rewards program and earn 10% back in Staples Rewards on all ink and toner, case and ream paper and Copy & Print Center purchases. And if you return your inkjet print cartridges (as part of the rewards program), you can receive $3 back for any brand inkjet print cartridges!

Walgreen's $5/$25 Wed & Thurs only

Go here to print your $5/$25 purchase at Walgreen's. I tried to get those darn Bayer and Contour meters last week 4 times and they were out of stock. So was the ecotrin and the hair dryer. And I started looking on Monday! Your $25 must be after coupons though YMMV because at my Walgreen's they usually scan it in as soon as my total hits $25.

Hip2Save has a great list of the monthly and weekly deals here. Check them out!

Free Geotrax DVD

Get a free Geotrax dvd from Fisher Price here. These are cute little dvd's (usually only 20 minutes or so) but they make great stocking stuffers, additions to birthday gifts or movies to keep at Grandma's house!

I Sense Date Night Coming On....

Through June 22, 2009, you can take this coupon to any TGI Fridays location to get a free entree with the purchase of another entree. Limit one coupon per table per visit.

Bargain Meal of the Week - Price Chopper

Don't forget - if you're not a Price Chopper Shopper, you can click the link above to go to $5 Dinners and find a Bargain Meal of the Week for your grocery store!

Pork Spare Ribs with Green Beans & Noodles
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless pork spareribs $2.99/lb
1 lb fresh green beans $0.99/lb
2 packages of Top Ramen Pork Flavor $0.20 = $0.40
1 cup of Italian Salad Dressing $0.50 - hopefully you have some on hand from the sales from the previous weeks. You can also buy a bottle PC Italian dressing for about $1.50.
1 cup BBQ Sauce %0.50 - ditto the top - if you used your Kraft coupons, this would be free! Otherwise, your cost for a bottle of PC bbq sauce will be about $1.00.
Total Cost: ~$5.50
Instructions:
Marinate spareribs in Italian dressing for about 30 minutes. Let them sit on the counter and come to room temperature while they're marinating.
In the meantime, steam green beans and cook Top Ramen as instructed on package.
After marinating, pre-heat the grill with medium flame. Cover grill with foil and put ribs on to cook. Cook time is about 30 minutes. Brush with bbq sauce a few minutes before they're finished.

Frugal Family Fun for Summer

Some of you are already out of school for Summer but we've got about 4 more weeks to go! In the meantime, I'm gathering up some frugal family fun ideas for this summer to keep us busy. Here's a list of some ongoing Summer Fun deals to get you started:

Kids Bowl Free Summer Program - Click here to sign up. You choose from a bowling center in your area and your kids (15 & under) can bowl up to 2 free games per day all summer long! They are also offering a special Family Pass - after you sign up, you will have the option of adding a family pass for $23.95 which will allow up to 4 adults in your family (including kids over 15) also bowl 2 free games each, every day, all summer long. This is a fabulous deal! My family of 4 went bowling over Winter Break and it cost us nearly $40 to bowl and rent shoes and that was for only 6 games (I bowled with Ella). You do have to sign up at one bowling center and use that one all summer long. Locals: We have a pick of Spare Time Bowling in Clifton Park, Latham, South Glens Falls, and Lake George. I signed up for the bowling last night and I'm really excited for this one! I purchased the family pass so we can bowl with our kids and even take Grandma or Grandpa with us sometimes!
Free Movies from Regal Cinemas - Click here for participating theaters in your state. When school’s out, kids around the country visit selected Regal theatres for the Free Family Film Festival. It’s a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents. Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it’s FREE!
Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.
Some of the movies being shown this summers include Charlotte's Web, The Tale of Despereaux, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Kung Fu Panda.
Free Movies from Rave Motion Pictures - Don't have Regal Cinemas in your area? Click here. Rave Motion Pictures is a different chain of theaters offering pretty much the same deal.
$1 Movies from AMC Theaters - Pretty much the same deal as the other theaters but they are charging $1 per person and giving the proceeds to charity. Click here for locations. Still a pretty good deal!

Barne's & Noble Summer Reading Program = Free Books - Get the scoop here. Kids (grades 1-6) read 8 books this summer and write about their favorite part of each book. When they turn in their journal they get to choose from a list of free books. You can download the journal from the site as well. On hot days, go to Barnes and Noble to do your reading in a cool, comfortable spot. A huge selection of books to read and another free outing!
B1G1 Free Minor League Baseball Ticket (courtesy of Kraft) - Click here to see if your local teams are participating. Bring a Kraft Singles Wrapper to the Ballpark box office for a Steal of a Deal! Buy 1 Ticket and Get 1 FREE from Kraft Singles! Ticket offer valid only on Tuesdays. May 12 through Sept 1, 2009at participating minor league home games.

Home Depot Kids Workshops - Click here for a schedule. These are held the first Saturday of the month for kids ages 5-12. On Saturday, June 6th they will build a hardware sorter and on Saturday, July 4th they will make a picnic caddy. In addition, kids get a free home depot kids' apron and an achievement pin.

Lowe's Build & Grow Clinics - Click here to sign up. Similar to Home Depot's program, Kids can build a putting green on Saturday, June 13th and a pirate ship on Saturday June 27th. Joey attended and built a #48 race car over the winter and he just loved it!

Apple Camp - All Apple stores are sponsoring free workshops for kids. Kids can take movie, music and photo workshops, learning how to use a Mac for fun projects. Click here for all the details and to find a store near you. (Thanks Hip2Save!) This looks like fun for grown-ups, too. I wouldn't mind being able to take one of these classes (though I'm not on a Mac).

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life As Mom here. Hop on over to see lots more great Frugal Friday ideas!

Frugal Gardening Tips + Free Organic Gardening Magazine

Raise your hand if you're planning a garden this year! Some of you may have already started because you're in a much warmer climate than us....but I did go purchase my starter plants on Memorial Day at Lowe's. Yes, not the most frugal way to start but I did use my $10/$50 Lowe's purchase coupon from the Lowe's insert 2 weeks ago. Last year we tried to start our plants from seed with very little success and ended up buying many of our plants anyway. So, as I wait for this hopefully LAST NY cold snap to pass, I have been gathering frugal gardening tips to help us along the way. Here are a few gathered from around the web and from my own experience. Please feel free to add your tips to comment section!

Get a free 12-month subscription to Organic Gardening when you become a My Stonyfield Community Member. Click here to sign up. Hurry! Offer expires 5/29!

Instead of purchasing compost and fertilizer from Garden stores, ask a local farm if they have any for sale. They usually have large piles and will allow you to take some for just a few dollars or for FREE! (http://www.tiphero.com/). I took this advice and told my mom about it. She has a friend who owns a farm and he said to bring some buckets and help ourselves!

The Happy Housewife has instructions for a DIY compost bin here. This is the simplest one I've come across and I can't wait to try it! Others are just starting a compost pile in the backyard with their eggshells, coffee grounds, shredded papers and newspapers, fruit rinds, etc. You can use anything that's not meaty or bony (they will attract animals).

Milk Jug Irrigation: Save your old milk jugs and juice containers (plastic, clear ones). Poke small holes in the bottom, fill them with water and set them next to your plants. They will slowly water your plants all day long.

Milk Jugs also act as mini greenhouses. Cut off the tops and use them to start your seeds.Put the tops back on (duct tape into place) and you have a great place to get your plants going. You can start several seeds in one milk jug.

Share plants. My neighbor has given me tons of flowers that she's dug up from her own garden. My dad has an over-abundance of daylilies in his yard and we just go dig up what we need and use them to border the sides of our house. Check Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.com/) for people giving away plants, flowers, wood chips, anything you might be able to use in your own garden.

Use newspaper and pine needles for mulch. Need pine needles? Stop by my house anytime! I never knew about this use for pine needles....I've got a never-ending supply of these!

Before you drain the kiddie pool, have the children use their buckets to water your garden with the water. Fun for them - since they usually hear, "No water out of the pool!"

Use vinegar to kill weeds. White vinegar is usually pretty inexpensive at Wal-mart and Aldi's. Spray it directly on the weeds, not the surrounding plants as it will kill all plants it comes into contact with. This might be a great solution for the area in between the stones for our front walkway!

Scarecrows really work in the garden! We tried everything last year to keep pests out of our garden (like a woodchuck, deer and rabbits that just loved eating our plants before the veggies even grew). We placed the small scarecrows that we decorate in the Fall with (and bought at the $1 store) into the garden and the animals stopped eating our plants!

On another note, deer do not like the smell of humans...they are trained to go the other way if they sense one. Use human hair clippings as a border around your gardens to keep deer from eating away at your plants. Ask a local barber shop or hair salon for their hair clippings.

Freebies from Landscape firms. Check out a great article here. You may be able to bargain with local Landscapers to get their clippings for free! They avoid dump fees and you gain free plants!

Have any other frugal gardening tips? Please leave a comment!

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom here. Hop on over to see more great Frugal Friday Ideas!

Local Price Chopper Rumor

I heard from a family member (who works for Price Chopper) that local Price Choppers will soon be implementing the Gas Rewards Program in the Albany-Saratoga region of NYS that they currently have in other parts of the state! Not sure exactly when it's going to be unveiled but employees are being trained on the program RIGHT NOW! She didn't have all the details but shopping at Price Chopper = discounts per gallon on gas at certain gas stations when you swipe your Advantedge card! I can't wait to hear more details!