BeCentsAble

Family Tip Friday: Consignment Sale Review

noreply@blogger.com (chrissy) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:45:00 +0000

The Just Between Friends consignment sale is this week in my area. My sister and I shopped at and reviewed this consignment sale. We checked out the selection of items and quality in order to share with those of you who have not been to one of these large scale consignment sales.

The most important thing to do to ensure success at a consignment sale is to go prepared!

Here is a list of things we did before we went to the sale:

Go through all my kids fall clothes
Make a list of what they have
Make a list of what they need and sizes
Check for special items (Halloween outfits, Christmas dresses, etc.)
Don't forget about shoes and accessories

Tips for during the sale:

Shop without kids
If the sale doesn't provide bags, bring some
Examine all items for damage
Bring a friend to help

What we thought:

The selection was amazing! They had everything you could need. The prices are about 25% higher than a garage sale but you save a ton of time and gas money because everything is in one place. The line was super long-we waited about an hour and 20 minutes to check out!!! If you are going for just a few things it's not worth the wait but if you got as much as we did than it is!

What they had:

The sale had strollers, car seats, beds, cribs, high chairs, toys, clothes, maternity, shoes, accessories, DVDs, books, Halloween outfits, and much more!

What we got:

I spent a little over $100! This seems like a lot but my girls now have everything they will need for fall/winter including Halloween and Christmas. Four of the dresses and both of their costumes were Gymboree!

4 sets of pajamas
2 Halloween shirts
2 Halloween costumes
1 Christmas dress
6 dresses
3 outfits
2 jeans
5 pairs of shoes
1 snow suit
3 pairs of tights
1 jacket

*I am having problems posting my pictures. I have several pictures of the sale and what I got. I just got a new laptop and have been having some issue. I will get them up as soon as I can!*

What great family tips do you have? Share your FTF tips and tricks by leaving a comment or link!

Fry's (Phoenix)

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:19:00 +0000

Since I'm running so far behind this week I thought I would go ahead and try it and get your feedback!

I'm curious to know what you think of the format and readability of the information for grocery deals here.

I'll be back on track and posting our regular format next week.

Basha's (Phoenix)

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:40:00 +0000

Meat:

New York Steak Bone-In $4.88lb

80% Lean Ground Beef $1.99lb

Chicken Drumsticks, Thighs or Leg Quarters .79lb

Bar’S Meat Bologna or Franks 10 for $10

USE: Printable .25/1, DOUBLES to $.50/1
Final Price: .50

Farmland Extra Tender Pork Spareribs $1.99lb

Farmland Extra Tender Country Style Spareribs Bone-in $1.99lb

Raw Shrimp 50-60ct Farm Raised $4.99lb

Fresh Yukon River Keta Salmon Fillet Wild $5.99lb

Blue Marlin Fillet Wild $5.99lb

Produce:

Bartlett Pears $.99lb

Navel Oranges Large or Small Gala Apples $.99lb

Plums or Pluots $1.69lb

Large Green Bell Peppers $.59 ea

Full Circle Organic Herbs selected .66 oz 2/$3

Dairy:

Bashas gallon milk $1.99 (with in-ad coupon and additional $10 purchase – first 2)

Grands! Biscuits 10/$10

USE: $.30/2 in 8/10 SS
Final Price: $1.40/2

Sargento Deli Style Cheese 6-8oz 3/$10

USE: $.40/1 in 6/22 RP
Final Price: $2.53

Country Crock Spread 30 – 45oz $2.99

Shamrock Farms Cottage Cheese 16oz 2/$5

Frozen:

Flav-R-Pac Classic Vegetables 10 for $10

Lean Cuisine Entrees 4 for $10

Beverage:

7-Up or RC Cola 2 liter $.89

Powerade Drinks .79

USE: $.75/1 in 6/8 SS or $1/1 in 7/13 SS
Final Price: FREE

Dasani Water 24pk ½ liter $3.99

Lipton Tea To Go 10 ct or bags 22-44ct 2/$4

USE: $.60/1 in 8/17 RP
Final Price: $1.00 - $1.50

Grocery:

Fritos, Cheetos or Pringles 5.13 – 10 oz 10/$10

USE: $.30/3 cans in 8/31 P&G
Final Price: $.80

Oscar Mayer Lunchables 10 for $10

Holsum Sandwich Bread 2 for $3

USE: $.55/1 in 8/24 RP
Final Price: .50

Campbell’s Ready to Serve Microwave Soups 10 for $10

Prego Pasta Sauce 3 for $5

Malt O Meal Cereal 17 – 23.5oz 2/$5 (in-ad coupon *FREE ½ gallon of Donald Duck Orange Juice up to $4.00 wyb 3 bags of Malt-O-Meal Cereal)

USE: Possible Printables HERE
Final Price: Varies

Sara Lee Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns $1.99

Thomas’ English Muffins 2 for $5

Newman’s Own Salad Dressing $2.99

USE: $.50/1 in 8/24 RP
Final Price: $1.99

Roman Meal Whole Grain Bread 20oz $1.99

USE: $.55/1 in 8/24 SS
Final Price: $.99

Bumble Bee Fillet Tuna 6oz 2/$3

Splenda 3.8oz or 80-100 pkgs $3.99

USE: $1/1 in 6/8 SS or $.55/1 in 6/8 SS
Final Price: $2.99

Other:

Hefty Bowls, Plates or Platters 16 – 60 ct 2/$4

USE: $.55/1 in 5/18 RP
Final Price: $1.00

Pantene Hair Products $2.88 (first 4)

USE Pantene Styling Product or Treatment FREE wyb Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner in 8/31 P&G
Final Price: 3/$5.76

Scotch Brite Sponges Multi Purpose or Scrub 1ct 10 for $10

Some information courtesy Pinching Your Pennies

Safeway (Phoenix)

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:07:00 +0000

Safeway doubles manufacturer coupons up to $.50 (for a total of $1 off)

Special 2-day sale (Saturday and Sunday only)

Green seedless grapes $.77/lb
Johnsonville Brats 19.76 oz 2/$5
Mission Tortilla Chips $.97 (limit 3)

Whole boneless pork loin $1.97/lb

NY strip steak $4.97/lb

Lucerne 18ct eggs B1G1 Free

Lucerne gallon milk $1.99

Prego pasta sauce B1 at $3.29 G1 Free

Safeway fresh split chicken breast $1.79

John Morrell Natural Bistro Smoked Sausage B1 at $4.49 G1 Free

Use $.75/1 in 8/17 RP
Final Price = 2/$3.74 or $1.87 ea

Roman Meal bread 2/$4

Use $.55/1 in 8/24 SS
Final Price = $1.45 ea

Mott's Applesauce cups 4-6pack 2/$4

Use $1/1 printable or $1/2 in 8/10 SS
Final Price = $1-$1.50 ea

Kellogg's frozen breakfast products 3/$6

Use $1/2 in 8/3 KL
Final Price = 2/$3

raspberries 12 oz $3.99

Buy 5 Save $5 Deals

(no limit stated for this deal)

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars $1.49 (after instant savings)

Use $.75/2 in 8/10 SS
Final Price = 2/$2.22

Mott's Apple Juice 64 oz $1.49 (after instant savings)

Use $1/1 printable or $1/2 in 8/10 SS
Final Price = $.49-$.99 ea

Tree Top Apple Juice 64 oz $1.49 (after instant savings)

Kellogg's Cereal $1.49 (after instant savings)

Rice Krispies 12 oz
Froot Loops 12.2 oz
Cocoa Krispies 16.5 oz
Apple Jacks 12.2 oz

Use $1/2 in 8/3 KG
Final Price = 2/$2

K-Mart Deals During Double Coupon Days

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:28:00 +0000

Mercedes at Common Sense with Money was nice enough to compile a list (and share it with us!) of K-Marts across the country participating in double coupon days and some great FREE stuff you can get!

Check out her post!

Albertson's (Phoenix)

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:10:00 +0000

Boneless, skinless chicken breast $1.77/lb

Bananas $.39/lb

half-gallon Albertson's milk 10/$10 (limit 10)

Bar-S meat franks or bologna 10/$10

Use $.25/1 printable
Final Price = $.75

Country Style Ribs $1.49/lb

Albertson's Shredded or Chunk Cheese 8 oz 2/$5

Hillshire Farm Deli Selects 2/$5

Use $.55/1 in 8/24 RP
Final Price = $1.95

Knudsen Cottage Doubles 10/$10

Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Dazs ice cream cups or Mollicoolz Singles 10/$10

Shamrock Farms 12 oz 10/$10 (use this with your Shamrock Farms Ultimate Green Bag to get an extra 10% off)

French's mustard 12-14oz 10/$10

Use $.50/1 printable (or here & here)
Final Price = $.50

Bush's 15-16 oz and SW Organic 15-15.5 oz Beans 10/$10

Fresh Express Garden Salad 2/$3

HUGE Breakfast Sale

Buy 7 Save $3 Instantly!

No limit is stated on the number of times you can do this deal

The following items are $1.07 after instant savings (BUT BEFORE MFC's), priced at 2/$3

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars /or Bites

Use $.75/2 in 8/10 SS
Final Price = $.69 ea ($1.39/2)

Aunt Jemima pancake mix 32 oz

The following items are $1.24 after instant savings (BUT BEFORE MFC's), priced at 3/$5

Quaker Instant Oatmeal 8-10 packs (this includes Quaker Simple Harvest Oatmeal)
Quaker Quick or Regular Oats 42 oz

The following items are $1.57 after instant savings (BUT BEFORE MFC's), priced at 2/$4

Quaker Simple Harvest Granola Bars

Use $1/1 printable
Final Price = $.57 ea

Quaker Breakfast Cookies
Quaker Morning Minis
Aunt Jemima Syrup 24 oz

Buyer Be Ware...

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:29:00 +0000

In Phoenix, this week seems to be a hot week for deals on soda.

As I was going through the ads I noticed several of these "deals" for "Buy 2 get x Free". In many cases the potential savings are listed below the ad in fine print.

I want to make a cautionary statement...

Be careful that you are not paying more per pack of soda to get one or even two free.

In some cases the advertised savings indicated a per pack price that was at least a $1.50 more than it would normally be and over $2 more than some recent GOOD deals at stores like CVS and Walgreen's. In the past two months we've seen prices as low as 4 12-packs for $9 and 4 for $11. I don't buy soda on a regular basis but it seems that the average price for Pepsi and Coke products hovers around $3.50-$3.99 a 12-pack.

I personally only saw ONE deal that looked legitimate and it was for Pepsi 2-Liters.

Phoenix Grocery Ads

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:03:00 +0000

Sorry for the delay in the Grocery ads for Phoenix this week. We have been busy with church all morning! I will have them posted by this evening!

In the mean time you can check out some of the information here. We'll have coupon match ups with our post so if you don't have to, don't go to the store today!

Thanks for being patient!

Should You Buy It?

noreply@blogger.com (chrissy) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:57:00 +0000

We are starting a new series called -Should you buy it? We will review products and let you know what we really think. We will review the quality, durability, and cost and then give our honest opinion of the product.

*If you have a product that you make or sell and would like to get your product reviewed just email us at becentsable@gmail.com!

Eco Bags Lunch Bag

(we tried the cream lunch bag)

Things I liked:

All organic material
WASHABLE-machine wash/hang dry
folds up and saved space
Price-only $6.00!

Things I didn't like:

Size-good size for kids but we are using it for my husband and he eats a ton so sometimes it doesn't all fit.
The handle is just on one end and I would like it better if it had a strap all the way across the top.

Would I buy it:

I would buy this product. I love that it can be washed and that it folds up when we are not using it!

To get your organic lunch bag go to http://www.ecobags.com/

Now it is time to give us your opinions. What do you think-would you buy it? Every comment will enter you to win a $5.00 credit at Ecobags.com!

Fresh & Easy (Phoenix)

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:00:00 +0000

I believe these deals are good at any location through 9/16

There are several $2/$10 and $5/$20 coupons in mailers coming out and there is a $5/$20 in the ad itself!

Boneless beef ribeye or NY strip $5.99/lb

F&E brand Blueberry Vinaigrette or Caesar Vinaigrette 12 oz $2.29

dzn eggs $1.45

Van's mini waffles (chocolate chip only) $2.29

F&E brand sliced wheat bread 16 oz $1.99

F&E brand pure drinking water 16 oz bottle $.69

F&E brand roasted garlic pasta sauce 25 oz $2.25

Lean Cuisine Chicken Club panini $2.49

Post Honey Bunches of Oats $1.99

Deals good at Dobson and QueenCreek loc only (opens 9/10)

Strawberries $1.49/lb

**F&E does not accept MFC's**

Sprouts - Phoenix Area

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:51:00 +0000

Gala apples $.99/lb

Strawberries 1lb clamshell 4lb for $5 ($1.25/lb)

Red bell peppers $.69

Bartlett Pears $.69

Zucchini $.88/lb

Red or Black plums $.88/lb

President Feta Crumbles B1G1 FREE

RW Knudsen Just Black Cherry Juice $2.99

Use $.75/1 in 3/16 RP or $1/1 in Meijer Healthy Living (pg 13)

Final Price = $2.24 - $1.99 ea

Newman's Own Salad dressing (all flavors) 2/$4

Use $.50/1 or $1/2 in 8/24 RP

Final Price = $1.00 - 1.50 ea

Holey Cow household cleaners 32 oz $2.29

Mountain High Yoghurt 32 oz 2/$4

Use $.50/1 in 7/27 SS

Final Price = $1.50

Natural Pork Baby Back Ribs $2.99/lb

Extra Lean All Natural Ground Beef $2.99/lb

Grocery Gathering Preview Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:36:00 +0000

Here are the eagerly anticipated PREVIEWS for the coming week (and month)!

Weekly Deals are good 9/7 through 9/13

(9/5 through 9/11 in some CVS test market)

:: CVS Weekly (Weekly)

:: CVS Monthly (September)

:: Rite-Aid Weekly Deals (Weekly)

:: Rite-Aid Monthly SCR (September)

:: Walgreen's Weekly (Weekly)

:: Walgreen's Monthly (September)

:: All You September Issue Coupon Preview

We are providing a list for you because the field of options is much smaller! But please fell free to add any sale previews you might have via mr linky or in a comment!

If you are looking for current deals check here and here

Around the Frugal Blogger Cooler

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:49:00 +0000

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons...

$5 off at KMart (x 2) when you join their mailing list
Kellogg's Smart Start Coupon and MIR
Freebies4Mom Walmart Samples and Coupon Roundup
Betty Crocker printables

Some Special Store Deals!

http://iheartcvs.com/2008/09/purex-laundry-detergent-hidden-deal.html: Purex Laundry Detergent
2 Deals at Target (this may vary by region...)

Pantene Expressions - 3 Nearly FREE! in Maryland
Juicy Juice $2 for 2 8-packs in SC

Kroger...Free toilet paper for life??

Some Great Online Deals!

Great Deals on Photo Printing

Other Fun Stuff

Have fun online with your kids

Also try out Starfall

Read about and watch videos of the new "11 Moms" selected by WalMart for a frugal forum (more here)
Visit Blogcoach to see the interview with Shannon of "Rocks In My Dryer" (they host the ever popular "Works For Me Wednesday" meme)
If you have ever had children who wouldn't sleep...read this article at 5 Minutes for Parenting

Nice Bloggy Things To Do!

Congratulate Crystal on her growing family!

Enter These Giveaways!

I registered here last week and I really love the clean layout and wealth of information!

A Good Reminder

Rose, one of our readers wrote in with this information.

It is a great idea to donate to your local food banks, BUT.........Please Please tell everyone to check the cans to be cure that they are NOT RUSTING or SWELLING in any way. On the rim, on the side, please no signs of rust, or swelling. I've had to throw out a lot of food from going to my local pantry every week. When I mentioned it to them and they said they cannot afford the dumpster to throw it out! I am grateful for the food but I do not want my family getting sick (we have no insurance). Some dated foods are still good up to 6 months after the sell-by date but if it has been years, please just throw it out!

price chopper

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:14:00 +0000

9/2-9/8

Frozen chicken breast
$1.69 lbs

Grapes
$0.99 lbs

Purex Detergent $1.99
$0.50 off 8/10 SS
final price $1.49

Kool Aid
$.10 (use as 3 kraft product to get one free in "All You" Magazine)

Luvs big Box $14.99
$5.00 off (in home mailer)
final price $9.99

South Beach Bars $2.00
$1.00 off 7/27 SS
final price $1.00

Zucchini or Yellow Squash
99¢ lb.

Hen House

noreply@blogger.com (chrissy) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:05:00 +0000

9/2-9/8

Hunts snack pack pudding $0.98

$0.30 off 2 8/3 SS

doubled

final price $0.68

Knorr Side Dishes $0.98
$0.75 off 3 8/17 RP

final price $0.61

Chef Boyardee Pasta cans/cup $0.89
$0.35 off 3 8/3 SS

doubled
final price $0.65

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix $0.68

$0.50 off 2- 7-13 SS

doubled

final price $0.18

South Beach Diet Bars $1.97

$1.00 off 7/27 SS

final price $0.97

Special K Bars $1.97

$1.00 off 2-8/3 KG

final price $1.47

Eggland Best Organic eggs-6 ct $0.98

$0.35 off 5/4 SS

doubled

final price $0.28

Luvs big pack $13.46

$5.00 off (in home mailer)

final price $8.46

Hyvee

noreply@blogger.com (chrissy) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:13:00 +0000

9/2-9/8

Oscar Mayer or Louis Rich Wieners or Bologna

$0.88 with in ad coupon (limit 1 )

Hy-vee Aspirin 100-ct.

$0.39 with in ad coupon (limit 1 )

Midwest Country Fare Bathroom Tissue 4-roll/ Facial Tissue 160-ct.

with in ad coupon $0.59 (limit 1)

General Mills Cheerios $2.00

$0.75 off 8/17 SS

final price $1.25

Betty Crocker Pop Secret popcorn $1.67
$0.50 off 2 8/10 GM
final price $1.42

Betty Crocker Helper $1.00

$0.75 off 3 8/10 GM
final price $0.75

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks $1.67

$0.75 off 2-8/10 GM

Betty Crocker Cake Mixes

$0.98

Dole Premium Classic Salads 9 - 12 oz. bags
$1.50

Chef Boyardee Pasta cans/cup $1.00
$0.35 off 3 8/3 SS
final price $0.88

Hormel Black Label Bacon $2.50
$0.50 off 2/17 SS
final price $2.00

Hy-vee Children's Chewable Aspirin

$0.99

Knorr Side Dishes $1.00
$0.75 off 8/17 RP

final price $0.63

Hunts snack pack pudding $1.00

$0.30 off 2 8/3 SS

final price $0.85

Old El Paso Refried Beans $0.99
$1.00 off 2 8/10 GM
final price $0.49

Old El Paso Tortillas and Taco Shells $0.99

$1.00 off 2 8/10 GM
final price $0.49

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits $1.18
$0.30 off 2 8/10 GM

final price $1.03

Quaker Oats quick or old-fashioned 18 oz.

use in ad $3 off 5 Quaker products

final price $0.88

Right Guard Sport Deodorant $1.88

$1.00 off 8/10 SS

final price $0.88

Charity Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:56:00 +0000

NOTE: We've had several people ask if Non-bloggers can participate...ABSOLUTELY! We hope that everyone will find a way to donate a little (and tell us about it)!

The idea is simple, but enormously impactful! $5 from you can truly make a difference for someone, and with your money saving skills and strategies you can make $5 stretch further than most!

We'll give you $5 back to keep it going!

We'd like to challenge you to see just how far $5 can go and whose life you can change!

We've teamed up with Erin @ Coupon Cravings to offer you TWO chances to win back your $5 each week.

Why Should I Donate?
Aside from the chance to win it all back?!? Hard economic times mean your local food pantries are struggling to provide for those in need.

What Should You Buy?
You can contact your local church, the Community Services League in your city, the Salvation Army, or a local food bank (through America's Second Harvest) for drop-off locations and a specific needs list.Typically, they are looking for dry goods with longer shelf-life, canned goods, personal care items and basic undergarments, linens, etc.

Need Some Inspiration?
Visit Keeping the Kingdom First and look over the ideas from the $5 CVS Challenge, see what others are buying for $5 for Charity at Coupon Cravings and here, on our blog!

Read more about charitable giving at MomAdvice.com's blog The Motherload

Leave the details of your purchase and where you are donating (if you wish to share) in a comment, or link up to this post! We will draw a winner next week on Tuesday morning!

Grocery Gathering (Part II)

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:49:00 +0000

This edition of the Grocery Deals Gathering is for stores with ads starting any day Tuesday through Friday.

Readers

Look for your store linked below (there will likely be multiple listings for each)
check back on Thursdays for the Preview Edition (Walgreen's, CVS)
and Saturday night for Part I (stores with ads starting any day Saturday through Monday)

Contributors

Follow the guidelines below for including your link (be sure to link up to the proper post based on your ad dates)
Add our new GG logo to your post with a link back to this site
your link up to Mr Linky should be in the format of our example

Store Name, City or State (Your Name or Blog Name)

If you are a first time contributor and need any assistance with the format of the gorcery deals, check one of the links to see examples or e-mail us.

We are watching for your feedback this week to help us decide how to proceed!

Read this post for more information and to leave a comment (good or bad) about the new format of the Grocery Gathering.

Helpful Grocery Resources

All You September Issue (Coupon List)
My Grocery Deals and Sunday Saver
Freebies4Mom (Look for her "Coupons4Mom" post each Thursday morning!)
Check out the Master List of "bricks" (online printables offered direct from the manufacturer

Looking for a few good bloggers...

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:25:00 +0000

Chrissy and I are looking for two weekly contributors to our blog and we'd LOVE to have you join us!

Here are the features we'd like to cover:

Family Tip Friday: our feature highlighting simple, frugal, fun ways to celebrate your family and children, spend quality time together and keep your sanity!
A new series we are hoping to spin-off (from Tipster Tuesday) on Eco-Friendly, Organic (and of course Frugal) ideas, inspiration and information!

Do you have some great ideas you'd like to share? Do you have a blog already in place where you post articles of a similar nature?

E-mail us at becentsable [at] gmail.com and tell us why you'd like to join our team! Bloggers and non-bloggers welcome!

We'll keep this opportunity open until Friday, September 19th

Charity Challenge Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:14:00 +0000

Congratulations to Liberty! She won our Charity Challenge this week and will be the recipient of a $5 gift card to the store of her choice.

Check in tomorrow for a new edition and another chance to win!

Around the Frugal BloggerCooler Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:05:00 +0000

After two days off I found a ton of great new offers to share...

New FREE Samples

Pledge Multi-Purpose Duster Starter Kit and a coupon

FREE Enfamil Breastfeeding Support Kit

Free 2-year Remedy Life magazine subscription

These would make great gifts for Christmas!

Free Issue of Cooking Pleasure magazine plus a multi purpose grater when you try the Cooking Club of America free for 1 month

Get a Free S&S Book from Kellogg's

FREE gifts w/$30 purchase from Clinique

Free Kraftmaid Idea Book

Free issue of Handyman magazine plus a 7-in-1 tool when you try the Handyman of America Club free for 1 month

Free issue of Gardening How-To magazine and gardening shears when you try the National Home Gardening Club free for 1 month

Free issue of North American Fisherman and bobber when you try the North American Fishing Club free for 1 month

Free issue of North American Hunter plus Wild Game Cookbook when you try the North American Hunting Club free for 1 month

Printable (and snail-mail) Coupons and Some Store Deals

Buy Excedrin at Walgreen's this week and earn $1 RR. You can also use a $2/1 printable coupon to make it FREE. See the details and get the coupon here
Get a $2.25/1 Silk Soymilk coupon (that's gets you the milk almost FREE at many stores!)
The Home Solutions News coupons have been reset and can be printed up to 2x per person/household
SoyJoy and 8th Continent ... also, don't forget to check out all the new coupons available in September at Coupons.com
FREE Dawn dish liquid available at CVS (remember to double check the price before buying to make sure!), see all the details here
Print a coupon for Earth's Best foods and see how you can earn a $10 Barnes and Noble gift card
Coupon for a Free cup of Oikos Greek Yogurt from Stoneyfield Farms

A few notable giveaways

Mommies With Cents has two this week

Several Books (for young readers)
Boxed set from Craft Magazine, Craft: The First Years

Flip Camera Phones from the "11 Mom's", some of the details are here
Another chance at the jewelry giveaway from Mom's Need to Know

Fun & Friendly Blog Stuff TO Do !

Stop in at Sisterly Savings to welcome the two new "sisters"
Check out the re-launch of Blissfully Domestic

Tipster Tuesday: Choosing Your Meat Centsably

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:04:00 +0000

We don't know about you but Chrissy and I agree, catching a good deal on meat (specifically beef) is our biggest challenge! The primary problem is that we don't know enough about different cuts to understand what might be a good deal and what might be a waste. Even if you get meat very inexpensively, it's wasteful if it's a poor cut and your family doesn't like it much...especially when you're hoping for leftovers!

With rising prices of chicken and turkey, my family has been substituting beef a few times a month to help offset cost.

Here are some tips and resources to help you choose meat "centsably"!

First, look for the cut you want

Different cuts of meat are inherently more tender than others. Selecting cut in conjunction with a grade will ensure that you are paying the right price for the quality and help you discern a good deal from a not so good one!

Tender cuts of meat are muscles that the animal uses infrequently. The rib and loin sections are the least exercised and therefore will be the most tender.

These tender cuts include the following: (listed in order of tenderness - most tender being the tenderloin)

Tenderloin Steak (aka 'Filet Mignon'),
Rib Steak,
Rib Eye steak,
Porterhouse steak,
T-bone steak,
New York Steak,
- KC Strip Steak falls somewhere here
Flank Steak,
Top Sirloin Steak
Skirt Steak

Less-tender cuts of meat are muscles that are used frequently, and they are more flavorful as a result. The shoulder (or chuck), rump, round and legs are the most exercised and therefore will be the least tender, yet most flavorful.

Among these less tender cuts are:

short ribs,
pot roasts (chuck or rump)
round roasts
round steaks

(information taken from Thundering Hooves.net)

Recommended Reading:
Information on Flavor and Tenderness (Thundering Hooves)
Healthy Cuts of Meat (Good Housekeeping)

Next is Grade Selection

When choosing a grade remember that the better the grade, the more marbling (aka intramuscular fat) or tenderness...and the less healthy for your heart. Also, if you can't afford to buy organic meats, a leaner (standard or select) cut will lower the quantity of pesticides, hormones or antibiotics that could be in the meat. See post here about buying organic foods and why the fat % matters!

Grades, listed from higher to lower (a relative relationship)

Prime
Choice
Select
Standard

There are grades below standard but these are typically used for processed (canned and pre-packed meals, hot dogs, etc.) foods.

I strongly encourage you to read the USDA's article on buying meat. It discusses the grades and their meaning in very understandable terms (it's about midway through the article).

Finally - Pricing!

The most exciting resource of all...a searchable database of average retail meat (beef, poultry, lamb,pork and veal) prices. This database is scheduled to be updated in the next couple of months with newer data. It is still helpful to see the trends from the past few years. Just take into consideration that prices are currently rising at about 5% per year on average. Some of the database results and instructions are written in "economist-ease" so I will try to decode it for you a bit. I do have degree in economics after all!

First, select the year and month you want to view. I would suggest viewing 2005 since it was the most recent year of prices collected. Granted the prices have increased across the board but meat hasn't increased enough to make this table out of date.

Second, select the specific cut of meat you are interested in.

Third, select a report style. There really is not a difference in this so long as you don't select the "one observation per record" option.

When you click submit the database will return the information to you in table format. A key thing to note: the weighted price per lb is based on average prices across the country. The Midwest tends to run right at the average whereas the coasts may be just above or below it. You can comfortably ignore the rest of the data!

You may also download an excel table of current meat prices by cut/month for 2007 and 2008.

Hopefully this will help you make a more informed, frugal meat purchase! Please add your own meat buying tips for others to read.

Next week we'll talk more about buying poultry and fish!

Please join in Tipster Tuesday by leaving a comment or link below!

Bountiful Baskets and Our Three Week Menu Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:56:00 +0000

As I mentioned earlier in the week, we began participating in the Bountiful Baskets program here in Phoenix. We picked up our first order this weekend and I am SO excited to tell you about this wonderful program!

Let me start by explaining what this program is and how you can get involved in your area.

Bountiful Baskets is a co-op of purchasing power. The group as a whole is able to buy produce (both organic and traditionally farmed) in large quantities at lower costs. As a customer I am able to order a basket of produce once every two weeks (prepaid) at prices much less than I would pay at the local grocery store.

Often Co-ops will ask you to join and pay up front for several months or a year. There are programs like Bountiful Baskets, that allow you to order when you want to with no commitment to continue.

You can find a local co-op by visiting the Local Harvest website,

OR simply type "food co-op in ____(your city, state)" in your search bar.

We participated in the Organic produce offering this time around. I ordered online last week and picked up the basket of produce early Saturday morning.

Here is a photo of the order we received.

I was very surprised by the quantity of produce and the variety!

I've done a price comparison to see how much this saved me...

Contents of the Basket (ALL ORGANIC):

2 bunches of green leaf lettuce

2 lbs grapes (estimate)

6 peaches (I'll say about 6 pounds - these were MASSIVE peaches)

2 bunches green chard

6 Roma tomatoes (3lbs)

1 cantaloupe

10 plums

6 zucchini

My best calculation of local grocery store prices for the same: $40.80 Actual price through Bountiful Baskets: $25.96 (incl. a $1.50 handling fee)

I'll admit it's a rough estimate as there is no way to know the individual weight. The total is said to be 25 lbs minimum but I know we received extra plums and peaches this time around.

Now, I had to quickly find out about storing the chard...and what to make out of it!

Here is our menu for the next THREE WEEKS! This will be the longest menu I have planned in advance so we'll see how it goes.

Dinners:

1 dinner out (we went to Rainforest cafe Saturday with the kids)
hamburgers with sweet potato french fries and salad
baby back ribs with pasta salad, chard and green beans
sweet & sour meatballs with rice
cheese quesadillas, refried beans and Spanish rice
homemade pizzas with hamburger & onions
zucchini and cheese frittata with (homemade english muffins)
spaghetti
veggie night and pasta w/marinara sauce
breakfast (pancakes and eggs) (twice)
grilled chicken salads with fruit
my healthy version of nachos (with turkey and vegetables)
birthday dinner for my son (grilled hotdogs, chips, birthday cake and ice cream)
bbq chicken, baked potatoes
tilapia with vegetables, rice
turkey tacos
OYO (or leftovers - 3 times)

That's 19 meals - I have one open night I can play with down the road!

Cheer for Chicken!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:30:00 +0000

If you have a Chik-fil-A nearby, stop in today for some free chicken strips to celebrate the beginning of football season! Click the logo below

(be sure to take a minute to watch the intro here and look over the site...it's amusing!)

Go into a Chick-fil-A wearing your pro or college football team's logo (any article of clothing or accessories) and you will receive a free 3 piece box of Chick-fil-A's new chicken strips.

THere is a limit of one box of chicken strips per person, offer is valid from 10:30 a.m. to closing in the following states: AL, AR AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NM, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, and WY.

Safeway 3-day Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:50:00 +0000

Deals are good Sun-Tues in the Phoenix Metro Area

Lucerne milk 1-gallon $1.88 (Limit 2)

Buy 2 boxes participating GM cereals, get one free (I did not see a limit on this but there are specific sizes

Cinnamon Toast Crunch ($.55/1 here)
Cocoa Puffs
Kix
Lucky Charms
Golden Grahams
Trix

Snack Pack 10/$10 (Use $.30/2 - DOUBLES - or $1/4 in 8/3 SS)

In-Ad Super Coupons valid through 9/2 with $10 minimum additional purchase:

Eating Right 1-lb bag carrots $.99 (limit 2)
Mission Soft Taco shells 10-ct $.89 (NO LIMIT stated**)
Skippy PB 2/$3 (Use$.60/1 or $1/2 in 8/17 RP)
Charmin Bath tissue 6 mega or 12 double rolls $5.99 (limit 1) (Use $.25/1 in 8/31 PG)
Kleenex tissue 75-200 ct 2/$2 (limit 1 purchase of 2)
Oral-B Toothbrush OR Crest Pro-Health 4.2 - 8.2 oz $1.79 (limit 1) (Use $.75/1 in 8/31 PG or $.50/1 - DOUBLES)

You can also take advantage of their P&G offer: Buy $20 Save $5

Use your P&G Brandsaver coupons from this week's paper to purchase the items and save $5 additional - try to roll in the P&G items listed above!