A Frugal Mama

Reminder - Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam – March 3rd, 2012 Ford Field!

2012-02-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

Reminder! This will be the last Monster Jam for a while and tickets do sell out! This is a great deal!

Reminder - Nuclear Cowboyz February 11, 2012 at The Palace of Auburn Hills

2012-02-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

Reminder! The show is this Saturday! Don't miss it!

Meal Plan Monday

2012-02-06T05:54:00.001-08:00

Here is this weeks meal plan:

Monday: Pizza Bread
Tuesday: Sausage, Veggies & Rice
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Chicken
Thursday: Fish Sticks, Mac & Cheese
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Out to Dinner
Sunday: Taco's

CVS & Rite Aid 2/5/12

2012-02-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

CVS:
6 Suave Kids Shampoo $1.50/e - used 3 $1/2 mfc
4 Suave Deoderants $1.00/e - used 4 $0.75 mfc
Zarbee's Cough Syrup $6
True North Snacks $3.99
Used $4/$20 CVS Coupon
Used $8.87 in ecb
Paid $5.01 on gift card
Got back $6 ecb from Zarbee's & $4 ecb from Suave
Found a Try Me Free Rebate on the True North for $3.99

Total Spent: $0.11 MM after rebate!

Rite Aid:

2 Stayfree Pads $3.00/e - used BOGO mfc
4 Irish Spring Deoderants $3.99/reg on clearance 50% off so $1.99/e - used 4 $1 mfc
2 Revlon Nail Files $1.25 & $0.62 (on sale BOGO50%) - used 2 $1 mfc
Revlon Mini Tweezers $6.49 - used $1 mfc
Revlon Eyelash Curler $1.82 (on sale BOGO50%) - used $1 mfc
Used $8 in +up rewards
Paid $8.59
Got back 2 $2 +up rewards from Stayfree & $4 +up reward from Revlon

Total Spent: $8.59

Disney On Ice Treasure Trove Coming to the Palace March 14-18th

2012-02-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

CVS, Target & Walmart 1/31/12

2012-01-31T11:54:00.000-08:00

I ran a few errands today while I was out re-stocking my antiqe booth. I went to Target:

4 Market Pantry Corn $0.99/e - used $1.00/4 Target Coupon
4 Bic Pens $0.99/e - used 4 $1.00 mfc
Paid $3.16 on giftcard
(they were out of the Iams cat food & the papertowels I went for)

Walmart:

2 KY $2.84 - used 2 $3.00 mfc
4 Breathe Right 2ct $0.97/e - used 4 $1.50 mfc
2 Welch's Fruit Fizz $2.98/e - used 2 $2.00 mfc
2 Avery Tags $1.88/e
Paid $4.08

CVS:

Centrum Pro-Nutrients $9.99 - used $5 mfc & $4 CVS Coupon
Cadbury Mini Eggs $0.87
Paid $1.87 on Gift Card
Got back $0.87 ecb from Cadbury & $1 ecb from my green bag tag
FREE Trip!

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-30T06:06:00.001-08:00

It's Monday! I will be visiting CVS later in the week so those deals are still to come. In the mean time here is our dinner plan for the week:

Monday: Veggie Chicken Cutlets, Mashed Potatoes & Veggie
Tuesday: Quiche
Wednesday: Fish Sticks, Mac & Cheese, Veggie
Thursday: Pork Chops, Scalloped Potatoes, Veggie
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Roast, Potatoes & Carrots
Sunday: Hot Dogs & Fries

Estate Sales 1/27/12

2012-01-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

I decided this morning to stop at a few local estate sales, normally I skip the estate sales because I've found most of the items to be overpriced and because of it not worth my time. Standing outside of the first sale waiting to be let in I got into conversation with someone and he asked me what I specialize in, my response was anything that most people would over look. After being a dealer for almost 10 years now I have things I look for that most people don't waste their time with and that the estate sale companies generally mark low since they aren't hot "collectors" items at the sales. Here are some of the things I picked up today (with the exception of the Storey's book - that was just on my desk waiting to be listed online and stuff got piled on it).
Pipes - $2 each - worth $12-$40 each
Perfume $0.75 each - worth approximately $30 each
Mugs $2 for the set - worth about $20-$30
Hand Lotion made by Arbonne $0.50 - worth $25
Those are just a few examples and it's not to say that for instance every pipe you see will be worth money it's a matter of knowing through experience what to look for - I saw a lot of things today from newer machine made quilts for $40 to used children's paperback books priced at $2 each (yep I almost fell down when I saw that one!) but today was a reminder to me that there are still deals to be had. My worst deal of the day though was a parking ticket (I swear there wasn't a sign) that cost me $25.

Nuclear Cowboyz February 11, 2012 at The Palace of Auburn Hills

2012-01-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited to take my family to see this show, they LOVED Monster Jam and this looks like it's going to be fantastic!

Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam – March 3rd, 2012 Ford Field!

2012-01-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

If you missed the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam in January here is your chance to see the show!

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-23T09:00:00.001-08:00

I have a sick little one today so meals are going to be simple (although I'm still in my pantry challenge which I have a feeling will be extending into February and possibly March) this week:

Monday: Soup & Sandwiches
Tuesday: Chicken Fried Rice
Wednesday: Pasta & Breadsticks
Thursday: Pizza Bread
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Taco's
Sunday: Hot Dogs & Fries

This Weeks Ways I Saved

2012-01-22T06:08:00.000-08:00

I sat down today to write this post and my list from this week looked like this:

So I had to dig a little deeper into my week, it wasn't a record breaking money saving week but this has been a way of life for me since I was a little girl so things that seem ordinary to me may be not so ordinary to others. So here is what I came up with:

I used 2 of my $20 pharmacy coupons to pick up some things (like fruits & veggies) that we were low on at Meijers. I ended up spending just under $8 for around $60 worth of groceries after my manufacturers coupons and pharmacy coupons. I tried to focus on the stock up deals for the week (applesauce, milk and eggs) and fruits and veggies.

I sold some more of our unneeded items online. Some things really suprised me and some things suprised me that they didn't sell the first time around.

I debated joining a gym - mainly for the classes since a lot of the classes that are offered in my area are during the evening hours and with kids activities and early bedtimes combined with a husband that works in the evenings those don't work for me. I decided instead to take two community classes and drag out my collection of DVD's as well as put our kinect to work. I'm also in search of a couple of good pieces of used equipment. I know with patience (and cash) we will find something fantastic.

We invited family over for dinner rather than going out and we also had a "fend for yourself night" I have to admit this is my favorite night at our house - no cooking and everyone is in charge of cleaning up after themselves.

We helped out a couple of neighbors - one neighbor's husband is recovering from surgery so my son has been in charge of clearing their snow. Our neighbor was kind enough to give him a thank you package yesterday that contained some homemade bread, a hand knit scarf and $15. Another neighbor recently passed away when I saw the family clearing out her house I offered not only my condolences but also my assistance if they ever needed anything. I also told them I was willing to take just about anything they were going to plan on throwing out. They called me over this weekend to come and take some cast iron patio furniture, an aluminum glider, an old schwinn bike, a rocking chair and a few other misc. pieces. Some things we will keep and others I will sell come spring. It was a win win since they didn't have to cart the items out of the house and deal with disposing them and we got some wonderful pieces that will always remind us of our kind neighbor that passed away. I also helped them re-home a next to new mattress set that I found a very happy person to come and cart away for them.

I continued to put 10% of our weekly income into our savings. This is a habit I had to abandon a few years ago when things got very very lean it's so wonderful to be able to do this again. I just transfer the 10% on Friday when I get my husbands check before I pay any bills and we never miss it.

I didn't go to CVS or Rite Aid this week - I'm sad that the deals have been well, sad. But this is when I am thankful for my pantry and the items I already have on hand. I do see a few things at CVS this week but I have a sick little one this weekend so my trip will have to wait.

So what did you do this week to save money?

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

I am continuing my Pantry Challenge in my quest to empty out one of our freezers that is in need of a good defrosting. While I'm making good progress the freezer is no where near empty yet. So here is the plan for this week:

Monday: Hot Dogs in the fireplace & Smores
Tuesday: Crockpot Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes, Salad (we never ate this last week)

Wednesday: Fish Sticks w/Mac & Cheese
Thursday: Chicken Fried Rice
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Dinner Out
Sunday: Chili Spaghetti

This Weeks Ways I Saved

2012-01-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Here is this weeks edition of ways I saved:

Monday was my birthday so I spent the week using up all those free birthday offers - free coffee from starbucks, free breakfast, free treat at Panera & MORE it was so fun to get to do so many things and not pay a dime!

I got a medical bill last week and the wording on it didn't sound quite right something along the lines of this will be applied to your deductible for 2012 but the service was rendered in 2011 and we met our deductible for that year already. The bill was for $145 which frankly is a lot to just fork over without questioning it, lucky me there was an email on the bill for questions so I sent a quick email explaining that I was confused. I recieved a quick email back on Monday appologizing and letting me know a new bill of $21 will be coming in the mail. One short email saved us over $120! QUESTION those bills!

I finally had enough points at Nature Made (they have a great rewards program) to order my yoga mat! Totally free!

I stopped at the Target toy clearance sale - and didn't buy a thing! Most years I stock up on toys but this year I found that the toys being offered were not things I would use as gifts. Plus the store I stopped at hadn't done their markdowns from 50-70% yet. I will probably stop at a couple of Target's next week and see what's left but I don't plan to make a lot of purchases, we are planning a family vacation as the kids "big" gift next year so they will just get a few things plus I need to buy for my nephew.

I did buy a few things at Walmart - with coupons of course! I don't remember what exactly I bought but it was all with coupons & overage. Yep I'm sure that was VERY interesting.

I recieved an email from Active.com offering a $20 rebate on any race entry fee if I registered in January - race fee's get very expensive and I already had a list of events on my desk I've been wanting to register for. Turns out one race's entry fee was exactly $20 - making it FREE!

I also recieved an email from Shutterfly offering me a free $20 to spend on their site BUT once I read all the fine print I realized that I would have to spend $20+ in order to use the offer PLUS I would end up paying close to $10 in shipping charges. Since there wasn't anything I "needed" to order I passed. Spending $15 on something I don't need isn't a deal.

I continued to cook from my pantry, I did make a trip to Meijers but listen to this - Meijers on occasion offers shoppers catalina coupons offering money in exchange for using their pharmacy. The way it generally works is they offer you $20 (the money comes to you as a catalina coupon for in store use) when you fill or refill a prescription, then when that coupon prints another offer for $10 generally prints for the next time. I never seem to be the lucky recipient of those coupons BUT I do find A LOT of discarded coupons! I currently have 2 $20 offers and 2 $10 offers on my bulletin board all FOUND discarded at Meijers either by the catalina machines at the self checkouts or along the front windowsill. So I used a $10 coupon from a filled prescription to buy the things we needed to round out our dinners for the weekend and I will pick up another prescription today and get another $20 coupon to use this week to stock up on some weekly deals.

As you can see a lot of things I did to save this week were not spending money rather than actual savings. I will be visiting CVS and Rite Aid today (not because of their great deals but because I now have $$ that will otherwise expire for the stores) .

How did you save big this week?

Show Recap Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam – Jan.14, 2012 Ford Field!

2012-01-15T06:46:00.000-08:00

We got the opportunity to go to the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam at Ford Field last night and it was a fantastic show! Everyone got into the excitement when the trucks started to get really adventurous and some even rolled over which drove the crowd wild! My 5 year old daughter loved that two of the drivers were ladies! I think the highlight of the show was the trailer demolition derby race - it was hilarious! If you didn't get a chance to go to the show last night you still have another chance when they come back to Ford Field on March 3rd. Don't wait to buy your tickets though - the stadium was PACKED last night and the discount tickets were sold out! It's a great event to kick back, relax and have fun with the whole family. I definitely suggest ear protection for small children and be sure to get downtown EARLY - we didn't realize that there was so many events going on last night and it took us well over an hour of driving around in heavy traffic before we finally found an open parking lot.

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

So it's not Monday again is it? Nope it's Tuesday but yesterday was my birthday and we went out to dinner. I also didn't go to CVS or Rite Aid this week since the deals were less than stellar, hopefully once the holiday buzz has worn off the deals will pick up again. Here is our meal plan for the week:

Monday: Out to dinner
Tuesday: Spagetti & Pretzel Bread
Wednesday: Tilapia, Mac & Cheese, Veggies (on a trip to Meijers last weekend there was a tasting station serving Mahi Mahi - I don't know if my daughter was feeling unusually adventerous or if she was just really, really hungry but she decdied to try the fish and LOVED it so we are going to try a dinner with some fish that isn't in stick form around here and hope for the best!)
Thursday: Crockpot Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes, Salad
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: ?? Not sure yet depends on if my hubby ends up having to work
Sunday: Taco's (hubby did end up having to work last weekend so these didn't end up being made)

This Weeks Ways I Saved

2012-01-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

NEW ADDITION TO THE BLOG!
This Weeks Ways I Saved:

Bought a new coupler for our blender with my Amazon credit (so OOP cost was $0) my hubby was complaining about the blender and showed me what the problem was, we have a nice KitchenAid blender with a strong motor but this its the second time I've had to replace this part - I think it's a design flaw in the product but $5.50 is way less than a new blender (I did contact KitchenAid in the past about it and they told me to order a new part) and since I used credit I already had on Amazon it didn't cost me a thing and our blender should be good for another 2-3 years before I have to replace the part again. Blend away honey!

Recieved my Gardens Alive! seed order - completely free! See the post about this here. This means I am all set for my spring planting!

Spent a good 3+ hours clearing out our playroom, normally you wouldn't consider this "saving" but I'm selling off some of the toys I cleared out (so I'm actually making $$) and I also realized that my daughter has WAY too much crap - something that I will be remembering on future trips to the store for sure which DOES save me money.

I cooked a super tough cut of meat in the crockpot - hubby declared it the best roast I've made in a long time and asked if I was hiding any more in the fridge somewhere :-)

Sold some cuckoo clocks on consignment - this is a great opportunity for myself and my consigner since he isn't "on line" and he get's his $$ for something he does as a hobby (repairs the clocks) and I get to make some money for very little work. I figure it comes out to around $30 per clock for my commission and it's about 30 minutes of work total for each clock between listing, answering questions and getting them ready to ship out. Not a bad hourly wage if you ask me.

How did you save money this week?

My free seeds from Gardens Alive!

2012-01-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

I recieved a Gardens Alive! catalog in the mail a few weeks ago with an offer for a free $25 to spend - when I entered the code from my catalog online it included shipping in my discount. So I stocked up on some seeds for this coming spring, although if the weather keeps up I'm going to need to hurry up I think the warmer temps are already confusing some of my plants!
5 seed packets + shipping - $25 discount = Completely FREE!
As far as I know you can head on over to the Gardens Alive! website and request your catalog, it should come with the $25 free offer on it!

CVS & Rite Aid 1/1/12

2012-01-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Rite Aid:

I had $20 in +up rewards that I needed to spend and there really wasn't anything in the ad that looked appealing to me as a great stock up deal so I purchased the Align 28ct for $23.99, used a $3 mfc and got a $5 +up reward back. Align has a money back guarantee offer I will take advantage of with this. I also bought my daughter a crayola clip in hair extension (not pictured) for $3.19. I paid $4.18 oop after my coupon & +up rewards.
Total after all coupons & offers: $0.38

CVS:

4 Skinny Cow Candy's on sale BOGO $4.99/e - used 2 BOGO mfc (only took off $3.48/e)
Toblerone Candy $0.99 (after Christmas sale)
CVS brand Omeprazole 3-42ct boxes $16.99 - used $3 CVS coupon (these boxes were wrapped as a 3 pack - I'm not sure they are supposed to be sold that way but I did ask the cashier and was told since the manager put them out that way it must be right)
Used $5/$25 CVS coupon
Used $12.49 in ecb
Paid $1.18 on Gift Card
Got back $2 ecb from omeprazole

Total Paid: $11.67

Total for the day: $12.05

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

I'm doing a pantry challenge for the month of January spurred on by Good Cheap Eats. So this week's menu is all from our stockpile. I will NOT be visiting the grocery store at all this week, this will change as we run out of fresh foods next week so I will grocery shop throughout January but we will be eating mainly from our stockpile/freezers/pantry.

Monday: Chili Spaghetti
Tuesday: Cheeseburger Mac
Wednesday: Roast w/carrotts & potatoes
Thursday: Fish & Fries
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Taco's
Sunday: Dinner Out with extended family

Finishing out 2011 and what to expect in 2012

2011-12-30T08:05:00.000-08:00

I've got the bug to get really really organized - this is pretty typical for me post-holidays where I begin to feel overwhelmed and closed in by all the "stuff". I also begin to think about what I want to accomplish in the coming year - not really resolutions but goals. Some goals are personal some are financial but I decided to end 2011 by taking steps to put me on the right path toward achieving those goals. Here are some of my 2012 goals and the steps I'm taking now to be sure they are achieved:

Run a Half-Marathon - I've already asked a friend to join me in this which makes me accountable, I've also arranged a back-up plan that will include my family & a small vacation included.

Save a total of $2500 (aside from our tax return) and NOT touch it unless it's an emergency or big ticket purchase: I have been working hard at clearing out my email in-box, the less email notices of 75% OFF SALE I get the better my chances are of resisting temptation to spend money I don't need to spend.

Clear out the house of anything we don't USE or NEED: This kind of goes with the above goal since as I clean out each cabinet, drawer and room I will sell off our unneeded items and that money will go directly into our savings account.

Get back to basics: I am running low on laundry detergent and I found in the bottom drawer of my washer (I keep all my sample size detergents in there and I have been going through those since we are completely out of my stockpiled detergents) enough ingreedients to make 20 gallons of my own detergent - FREE since I already have the stuff here. I want to get back to cooking from scratch, making my own stuff and using what we have around the house.

I also want to try and keep up on things - keep the stockpile & freezers organized, keep up on my coupons and not let them pile up to become overwhelming. Life is so much simpler when I'm organized and can find things quickly. I have a TON of repurposing projects waiting for me piled up all over my basement that I need to tackle and not allow to overwhelm me again. I bring things home and pile them up and I need to tackle them right away.

I thought I would share a bit of what I have in mind for the blog for 2012 - some things will definitely remain the same. CVS & Rite Aid deals will always be here as will my plugs for the Feld Entertainment shows like Disney on Ice. But I will be adding in some new/old ideas on saving money and using what we have, repurposing projects and experiments in frugality. I think those things should be the backbone of the blog.
Is there anything else you would like to see next year? What are you doing to prepare for the new year?

HOT deal on Ziploc bags at Meijers!

2011-12-30T07:50:00.000-08:00

I found a HOT deal at Meijers yesterday - the Holiday Ziploc Baggies are on clearance for $0.75/box, use the $1/2 mfc that are available and get each box for only $0.25! That is definitely a stock up price for Ziploc bags and I ended up using all of my coupons. Since my kids are off school this week it was also a great opportunity to teach them about after holiday clearance sales, while we don't need any more decorations it's a great time to stock up on things we will use throughout the year but may have a holiday theme (like paper towels or ziploc bags) especially things that don't have an expiration date. I also bought a huge bag of red & green tortilla chips for $1.29 reg. price was over $5.
Now is a great time to check out the after holiday sales!

CVS 12/26/11

2011-12-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

I only went to CVS this week, we had a wonderful holiday but on Christmas night my daughter started to get sick. She sitll isn't feeling great so there won't be a meal plan for this week (we will just eat leftovers and wing it while she recovers hopefully before the weekend). Anyway I bought at CVS:

2 Theraflu $4.77/e - (bought one on a seperate receipt for rebate) used 1 $3 mfc
Sundown Tea Tree Oil $5.49 - used $1 mfc
Zyrtec $5.99 - used $2 mfc
Also used $10 ecb
Paid $5.06 and $0.90 on gift card ($5.96 total)

Got back $1 ecb from Green Bag Tag, $3 ecb from Theraflu, $2 ecb from Sundown and $5.99 ecb from Zyrtec
Will also recieve a $5 gift card from Theraflu rebate

Total: $1.03 MM!

Reminder! Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam – Jan.14, 2012 Ford Field!

2011-12-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Holiday Prep Week 8

2011-12-19T04:38:00.000-08:00

This is it! The week of Christmas! I hope you aren't (far) behind I still have a lot of preperations to do (those bookmarks are still on my diningroom table I'm only about half done with them). This week:

Quick Clean: Do what needs to be done to make sure your home looks clean and organized, if you have extra time you can delve into it more (or even better just sit back and relax!)

Finish Baking: I don't like to bake too far ahead since then things just get stale so I have my bake-a-thon planned for later in the week. I set aside one full day with the next day as a backup in case I don't finish.

Finish anything that needs finishing: For me it's handmade bookmarks that still aren't completed and some general catching up around the house on things that have nothing to do with the holiday but are calling for my attention. I also plan to glue the ornament I dropped back together among other little things.

ENJOY! Where ever you are in your preperations be sure to take the time and enjoy the holiday with your family, take some time to relax! No one will really know if you didn't finish (unless your handing over half wrapped gifts or partially completed projects that is!)