Dymond Family

Cake 'N Crumbs Candy Clay Class

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:46:00 +0000

Alright, so, my BFF has started on a new venture of her life in a "Direct-Sales" Company called "Cake 'N Crumbs" (and also a way to help her stay at home with her babies!! Remember, I'm a HUGE advocate of Stay-at-home moms, so I will support her 100% on this!). Basically, she will come to your house, teach you how to do something baking/candy related, and then offer the products for you to purchase! (Kind've like Pampered Chef, but you actually get to be involved in the making of stuff.)

Anyways, today I hosted a class at my home called "Candy Clay". The great thing is that a lot of these classes are geared towards kids, so you get to bring them with you! Today's class was all about the kids! So, Andrea pre-made the clay (it has to sit overnight in the fridge), and colored the white chocolate different colors so the kids could make designs. (Now, our kids were all under 3, so there wasn't any "design" making, except for what the parents did.)

I would HIGHLY suggest hosting or attending one of these classes with or without your kids! It was so much fun! The kids had a blast and loved the fact that they actually got to EAT the clay! Check Andrea out on Facebook at "Andrea's Cake 'N Crumbs", or email her for more information at TwoSweetTreats@aol.com.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the products, you could place an order through me before Thurs, Feb 17, contact Andrea, or order online at Cake 'N Crumbs website!

Here are some pictures from our fun adventure!

Candy Clay

Product and Sample Display

Wes eating the Chocolate Clay

So, I HIGHLY suggest attending or hosting one of these classes! There are sooo many available options! All the kids AND adults had a blast!

Enjoy!

Love,

Sarah

29 FREE Photo Cards from Seehere.com with FREE shipping!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:31:00 +0000

Get 29 FREE photo cards by going to SeeHere.com and registering or logging in. After creating your card, make the quantity 29. Then, at checkout, use the code "newbaby".

I just ordered 29 Valentine's day cards! (Not that I will be mailing them out, but they will make great Valentine's for any parties!)

ACT FAST! Last time, the free shipping ended early!

Thanks STL Mommy!

Love,

Sarah

Wednesday Musings

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:53:00 +0000

Today I babysat for Will's friend's son. He is about 6 months old. Westley didn't realize he was coming (he's only 16 months you know), and when he (Wes) woke up from his nap, he saw the baby and was in utter amazement. I think he must have sat and stared at him for about 8 minutes! Then he started to wave and talk to him. It was really cute.

Felicity loves babies, so she of course, couldn't get enough of him. Wanting to help with the bottle, and the sippy, and just about everything.

Now, just a few minutes ago, and several times over the past few days, Wes has been bringing me things he's not supposed to have: hangars, tape dispensers, dvds, etc. When he hands it to me, he claps for himself as he's walking away! It's THE cutest thing ever! I am enjoying his little personality so much!

Baked Shells Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:47:00 +0000

So, I saw this recipe on the Rachael Ray show (it's pretty much the only TV show I watch during the day. I try to keep it off during the day while the kids are up, but they nap at 2, and that's when Rachael Ray is on. )

Anyways, I LOVE stuffed shells, I just don't always love all the work that goes into them. This is such a great option to make stuffed shells easier. Only thing is I definitely will only use 1 box of chopped spinach next time. 2 boxes made each bite way too "spinachy". LOL. Oh, I also only used the "dry" version of any herbs and spices as I'm not very good with keeping fresh herbs and spices "fresh".

Baked Shells Casserole - Serves 4-6 (though I think it could serve up to 8 people at least!)
5 tbsp EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided

1 large or 2 small to medium onions, finely chopped, divided
1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano or marjoram, half a palmful
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1/3 palmful
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed by pressing under flat of your knife
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 5 to 6 sprigs
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white or red wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 28-ounce cans Italian crushed tomatoes
1 pound medium or large shell pasta (not extra-large stuffing shells)
2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in clean towel (I will only use 1 from now on)
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon (I used ground Nutmeg)
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese (equivalent to 16 oz)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus some to pass at table (I bought plain Parm. Parm-
Reggiano is VERY expensive!)
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 3/4 of finely chopped onion and the carrot. Season with salt, pepper, oregano or marjoram, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds and thyme, and gently sauté 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in parsley, stir, then add wine and reduce a minute. Add stock and tomatoes, bring sauce up to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer sauce 45 minutes.

After sauce has been simmering for 30 minutes, preheat oven to 375˚F.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt water and cook pasta 5 minutes.

While pasta water comes to a boil, heat remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO in a small skillet over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and onion and sauté to soften, 5 minutes. Add spinach, pulling it apart and separating it as you add it to pan. Stir to combine well and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn off heat.

Drain undercooked pasta and return it to the hot pot. Add spinach mixture to pot along with ricotta and grated Parm. Stir to combine, adjust salt and pepper then add eggs and stir.

Pour a thin layer of marinara sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Fill dish with pasta then top with another thin layer of red sauce. Save remaining sauce to pass at table. Bake 30 minutes until bubbly.

Serve casserole directly from casserole dish, passing extra sauce and cheese at the table.

__________________________________________________________________________

I substituted the pasta for whole grain/wheat pasta, and used fat-free ricotta (trying to eat healthy wherever we can.) =)

Well, I realized as I was re-reading the recipe, that I forgot to add in the eggs (duh), and I forgot to put extra sauce on when I served it. So, it was kind've bland last night. But, when we ate it for lunch today, I put extra sauce and grated parmesan cheese, and Will, the kids and I couldn't get enought of it! It was awesome!

Let me know if you make this for your family and what they think!

Love,

Sarah
Original Recipe

Coupon Binder Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:05:00 +0000

So, as most of you know, I'm a couponing addict! Anyways, my FAVORITE coupon site I Heart Publix is having an awesome giveaway for a coupon binder and couponing system! It's soooo cute! Check it out:

I've just entered the giveaway, and am praying that I win! I do already have a binder, but this one is soooo cute!

Anyways, if you live in a state that has Publix as a grocery store, you should definitely check out the site: http://www.iheartpublix.com/, or click on the link on the left side of this page!

Love,

Sarah

First Day of "School"

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:45:00 +0000

Ok. So, today was our first day of "school". Again, it's not really school, just a little daily structured activity with Felicity. Though, I think Wes was more excited than she was.

This week's theme is "cows". So, we read a book called "Click, Clack, Moo. Cows that Type". Felicity enjoyed the repitition and even joined in when it was time to say "Moo". Of course, that's the only animal sound Wes knows, so he did it too. Then we talked about what month and date it was, what the weather was like, and what the weather might be like tomorrow.

Here's a picture of the "classroom board".

We also talked about the letter "A", the number "1", the shape "square", and learned the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle". The vocabulary word for the week is "calf".

After we read the book and talked about all the new stuff Tize was going to learn this week, both kids got to color a picture of a cow.

They also each got a letter "A" to trace with their fingers and color. I know it will still take a while for Felicity to "really" get it, but it was fun to hear her say "A", and then have Westley repeating it. =)

I definitely learned that Tize's attention span is not quite as long as I thought. Though, I was shocked at how long she DID pay attention.

We will read the book and rhyme again later today, as well as sing the song. All in all, I think it went fairly well, and I know it will get better with time.

I just moved the "Fridge Phonics" toy from the fridge to the front door and only gave them the letter "A" magnet.

Later today I'm planning on making a chore chart for her. It will have a picture of the toy bins, one of her brushing her teeth, and a picture of her bed all made. Each day she moves all 3 over to the "finished" pocket, we'll give her a sticker. If she has 5 stickers by the end of the week, we'll give her a little "allowance". We want to teach her the value of money and saving as well.

For now, I'm off to make lunch. We've still got grocery shopping and dinner planning ahead of us. If all goes as planned, we're going to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch, so Felicity will get a little bit of motor skills and math today too!

Have a great day!

Love,

Sarah

2010! A New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:47:00 +0000

Well, I've been working through what this blog was REALLY going to be about. I've decided to bring it back to our expanding family. (Granted, if I hear about really great deals, I'll post them here too, but I'm going to close my cooking blog. I'm just going to keep adding new recipes here, if they pass the test with my family. 1 blog is enough.)

Anyways, my cousin Melissa started a blog about her journey into homeschooling, and it brought me back to wanting to keep up on this blog. I probably won't write everyday, but I'm going to try.

After reading Melissa's blog, I got really excited about "teaching" Felicity. I know, she's only 2.5, but I realized that the reason she is becoming so hyper during the day lately is because she needs some sort of "structure" in her day. So, I started to scour the internet for ideas. I'm not going to "force" her into learning, but thankfully, she is really interested in it.

I found this program (online and totally FREE!) called Letter of the Week. It's an online "intro to reading" program with "lessons" from birth to age 5! I'm so excited and plan on starting the Preparatory Curriculum on Monday. It's extremely kid friendly and I know she will love it!

The first week's theme is Cows. The woman who wrote the program links you to coloring/cut-out activities, vocabulary words, books about the theme, poems, songs and more. They also work on gross and fine motor skills, as well as shapes, numbers and colors. I've told Felicity that we're going to start "school" next week, and she is so excited! She talks daily about going to "work", so I'm hoping I can turn her "schooling" into her imaginary work.

As for the rest of us...I'm sure most of you have heard by now, but we are expecting again! This little peanut is due July 11th! We are so excited! We should be able to find out the gender in just over a month!

Little Westley is growing with leaps and bounds! He had his first haircut last week, and he looks so grown-up! I can't believe he is already 16 months! He has started using several words on a daily basis (before it was totally random), and finally after mastering "Butch", "ball", "cup", "cat", "dog", "car", and many others including "da-da", he finally said "ma-ma" last week and pointed to me. It definitely brought tears to my eyes! It's so wierd to think that he was once a tiny newborn!

As for Will, I could write a book! I am so blessed with this man! For Christmas, instead of buying gifts for each other, we purchased a dishwasher! (Yes, it sounds silly, but I've been hand-washing dishes for almost 5 years!) Now, when it was just the two of us, it didn't take very long, but now with 4 of us, and all the sippy cups and their filters (which have crevices that are almost impossible to reach), I asked for a dishwasher! So, a couple of days after Christmas, Will went and bought the dishwasher and brought it home. It sat in our back room for what seemed like eternity (really only 4 days). Every time I saw it, I just thought how Blessed I was to actually have a dishwasher, and washing the dishes by hand for those 4 days didn't matter at all! Then, the Sunday after Christmas, he installed it for me! I am always amazed at what he can do! It is THE most awesome thing to not have to stand on my feet for 45-50 minutes!

Will works so hard for our family and to keep me home with our babies. Like I said, I am extremely blessed!

As for me, I feel amazing! I love being pregnant, and can't wait to meet this little bundle! I have headaches once in a while, but I try to offer them up for others who are suffering or have a harder time than I do.

Well, I'm sorry this is like a book! I'm just so excited about our lives and this New Year! I promise, future posts will not be sooo long! For now, I'll see you soon!

Love and blessings,

Sarah

Tylenol Calendar + $50 in coupons!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Sign up for the 2010 Tylenol Calendar and you will receive $50 worth of Tylenol Savings offers. The calendar starts with November 2009 and offers tips, information about Tylenol products and coupons.

November offers include:

Tylenol PM, $2.00/1
Childrens Tylenol, $1.00/1
Tylenol Extra Strengh or Arthritis, $1.00/1
Tylenol 8HR, $1.00/1
Tylenol, Cold, Allergy or Sinus, $1.00/1

After you sign up each month they will remind you to check in for new offers, updates, and tips!

Thanks STL Mommy!

Love,

Sarah

$1 Boston Market Meal Deal!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:03:00 +0000

All week, ends 11/1, Boston Market is offering $1 meals.

Choose from 3pc dark or 1/4 white chicken plus mashed potatoes and a biscuit. Some are letting you choose any side. Offer good at participating Boston Market locations. REALLY, it's only $1! You could feed your whole family for under $5! (Depending on the size of your family. LOL)

You have to print a coupon from this site: http://www.bostonmarket.com/restaurant?page=coupons. After your coupon prints, print it again! Enjoy! The site does take a while to load.

Love,
Sarah

Coupons 101 - Tip # 3 The BOGO Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:46:00 +0000

Ok, so I'm sure you've heard the term "BOGO" a lot; on t.v., in advertising, people talking, etc. BOGO stands for "Buy One, Get One (free/half-off, etc)". It's usually "buy one get one free". The great thing is, if your store offers this, you can use up to four, yes I sad FOUR coupons on two items.

Let's start with an easy one:

Last week at Publix, Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta was BOGO (free). They are normally $1.79 per box. So, I would have paid $1.79 for two boxes, instead of just one. Well, there just happened to be a $1.00 off 2 coupon printable on the internet. This would make two boxes cost $0.79! I don't know if you've seen better, but $0.40 for a box of whole wheat pasta is pretty darn good! I just happened to have 6 of these coupons, so I was able to get 12 different boxes for $4.74! Normally, 12 boxes would have cost me $21.48! That's a savings of $16.74 or 78%!

Ok. Now, here's how you can use four coupons on two items (pretty sure most grocery stores will do this, but you'd have to check with your store).

If you notice something on sale for BOGO, that you have coupons for, check to see if the store's advertisements have coupons on the same item.

There's an internet printable right now for $2 off Tylenol 8-hour. Publix has a coupon for any Tylenol product for $3 off. If Tylenol were to go on sale BOGO at Publix, I could use 2 printable coupons (MQ) and 2 Publix (store) coupons. This would give me a total of $10 off! I'm sure that one bottle of Tylenol is NOT $10, so, I would actually MAKE money by using all these coupons. Now, I haven't actually gotten to do this at my normal grocery store (nothing has been BOGO that I have all those Q's for, but it's definitely a possibility), but I have used 2 coupons (1 manufacturer coupon & 1 store coupon) for lots of items!

The BOGO FREEbie!

Ok, now I've only been able to do this at Kmart during Double Days, because that's the ONLY time Florida doubles coupons! Ugh! However, for those of you North of Florida, you should check with your store if they double coupons and which days. My dad said some stores even have TRIPLE days! (I've heard that some stores don't advertise these, so you do have to ask.) Anyways...during Kmart Double Days, I had a coupon for BOGO Hershey's Bliss chocolate bars. Now, they double coupons valued up to $2.00. So, a Hershey's bliss bar was around $1.00. (I still don't quite understand how this works, but apparently it does). Anyways, the register charged $1.00 for the first one, and $1.00 for the second one. Then, my coupon was for BOGO (the cashier has to manually type in the price of the item), since it was double days, the coupon doubled the $1.00 to $2.00 and I got both bars FREE! I'm hoping this will work with toothbrushes soon at Publix. We always need toothbrushes. =)

So, whenever there's an item that I use often on sale BOGO, I dig out all my coupons, check the internet for printables, and head over to Publix to stock up!

It's amazing, with coupons, you can go back to buying name brand stuff, often for less than store products!

Love,

Sarah

Monday Mailbox Madness - 10/19 - 10/25

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:04:00 +0000

This was another GREAT week for mail!

*Sample of Curel lotion and coupons.

*Sample of Philosophy lotion and coupon

* Different samples of Tampons - 3 in each box

*Bealls 20% off coupons

*Old Navy 30% off coupon

*TWO $10 of off $50 Office Depot coupons

*Full size sample of Olay Pro-X lotion

*Publix Baby Club newsletter and store coupons

Still waiting on some other exciting freebies/cheapies that I ordered!

What was in your mailbox?

Love,

Sarh

FREE Snuggie Blanket! Act quick!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:16:00 +0000

Click HERE to get a FREE, yes FREE Snuggie blanket! You don't even have to pay S&H!

Info from STL Mommy!

Monday Mailbox Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:24:00 +0000

So, I've decided to move this part of the Cooking with Cents to this blog because I'm writing more coupon related stuff on here.

Here's what I got from 10-11 to 10-18:

*Coupon for a FREE 5-lb bag of Eukanuba Dog Food
*Trial Size of Clinical Secret Deoderant and five $2.00 off coupons!
*Trial of Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal with $0.75 off coupon!
*Costco coupon book
*Dove Dimensions mini-mag with four high-value ($1+) coupons!

I get most of these coupons and such by signing up for manufacturer's websites, trial and survey websites, and emailing the manufacturer. I also find out about a lot of these free trials through the blogs I read!

Here's what I did...I set up a "junk" email account, i.e. abccoupons@email.com. That way, when I sign up for things, the junk email I know will come along with signing up for something, WON'T flood my normal email. All my emails come to my phone, so when I check my email accounts, it's really easy to go to the "coupon" email and delete ALL the emails. I do weed through them a little. Just in case one is an actual coupon (sometimes Manufacturer's/companies will email you a coupon instead of mailing it).

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Love,

Sarah

PUBLIX Candy Deal - Just in time for Halloween!! - Ends Wednesday!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:17:00 +0000

There are 2 great candy printables on Coupons.com! One is for Nestle Candy (Crunch, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger) which is BOGO at Publix until Wednesday! This makes each bag only $1! You can print 2 of these from each computer you own!

here's the scenario:

Buy 2 packs of Nestle Candy - BOGO $5.99
Use two $2/1 coupons: -$4.00
TOTAL COST: $1.99! Each bag is only $1.00

There's also a $2/1 for any Wonka Candy, so be sure to print that one too and hold on to it! Who knows what good deals you could get next week with it!

Enjoy!

Love,

Sarah

Blogs I Read

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:42:00 +0000

Ok, so there are a couple of blogs that I read every day. I signed up for their emails, so if I see something I really like, then I know to check it. Unfortunately, they send the emails late at night, and sometimes you miss a "great deal". But, I try to get on and read them every morning, then I check back during the day during lunch, naps, nursing, etc. I only read these 2 daily:

http://www.mymilitarymommy.com/
http://www.stlmommy.com/

I also recieve emails from http://www.thekrazycouponlady.com/. But, I only read hers when I see something REALLY interesting in the emails. I find their site a little overwhelming.
Then, there's http://www.iheartpublix.com/. I get her emails, but only read her site on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, in order to plan my weekly Publix trip. She gives you the BOGOs and sales at Publix a couple of days early, so I can prepare what I'm going to buy before the new BOGO sale each Thursday (down here they run from Thursday - Wednesday). However, if she finds a GREAT deal, and I see it in an email, I will definitely check her site right after I read the email.

Usually, you can print coupons from most of these sites, as well as having match-ups. You can print 2 of each coupon for every computer you have.

Hope this helps!

Of course, you can read and subscribe to my blogs as well. I'm not great at updating them daily, but I'm trying! They are http://www.cookingwithcents.blogspot.com/ (cooking blog) and http://www.dymondfamily2001.blogspot.com/ (family/business/couponing blog).

Love you all!

Love,

Sarah

Coupons 101 - Tip # 2 - Coupon Lingo

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Here are some of the abbreviations for terms frequently used with couponing. I will definitely be abbreviating when writing about couponing!

•SS –Smart Source insert
•RP –Red Plum insert
•P&G –Procter & Gamble saver insert
•B1G1 -Buy one, get one free
•CAT- Catalina Coupon
•EX - expires on
•GC- Gift Card
•MFR -Manufacturer Coupon
•MIR -Mail in Rebate
•MM- Money Maker
•OOP -Out Of Pocket
•Peelie- Coupon peeled off product itself
•RR- Register Rewards (Walgreens)
•SC –Store Coupon
•WYB –When You Buy
•YMMV-Your Mileage May Vary (a generic term for "It worked for me, may not work for you")

Coupons 101 - Tip # 1 - What is a coupon & where can I get them?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:35:00 +0000

What is a coupon?

From Wikipedia:

In marketing a coupon is a ticket or document that can be exchanged for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product. Customarily, coupons are issued by manufacturers of consumer packaged goods or by retailers, to be used in retail stores as a part of sales promotions. They are often widely distributed through mail, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, and mobile devices such as cell phones.

HERE's a link to how coupons work!
Where can I get them?

Copied and edited from several blogs I read:

NEWSPAPER ~ You could sign up to receive your local newspaper on Sundays only. (I didn't even know you could do that!) It's fairly inexpensive to do it this way, especially considering the savings I will be getting. Each Sunday there are 1, 2 or sometimes even 3 coupon inserts. I try to wait for Sundays, to look through my mom's paper, but if I'm not going to be there early enough, I will just go ahead and buy 1. Sometimes I take my time and look through the "preview" on other blogs, which will tell me if it's going to be worth it to me or not.

i.e. I know that tomorrow there will be a $1 off any CoverGirl cosmetic. I also have a PUBLIX $2 off CoverGirl coupon. That makes the CoverGirl $2.99 eyeshadow completely free! If I get 8 of these, I can then apply for the Proctor & Gamble Breast Cancer Awareness cooking kit for FREE! So, basically for the cost of the papers, I will get 8 eyeshadows (donate or save for gifts), 8 sets of coupon inserts (with more savings) and a FREE cooking kit!

****ETA (edited to add): Several dollar stores sell the Sunday newspaper for, yup, you guessed it, $1.00! For me, that's excellent, because our local Sunday paper is $2.00! All I want are the coupons, so I end up with a TON of recycling. LOL. Anyways, I can get 2 for the price of one! Which is great for me because if I know there will be good coupons in the upcoming paper, I can buy 8 papers for the price of 4! (Yes, I generally buy about 4 papers, except on BIG holiday weekends when there are NO inserts!)****
ONLINE ~ There are many websites that offer FREE printable coupons, but these are the ones that I've found, so far, to be the best. Also, keep in mind that some stores do not accept printed coupons. I've already checked in my area and every store where I live does. There are plenty more sites, but I'm trying to save myself time by going to the best ones. I will definitely be adding to this list more as I do more research.

http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.redplum.com/
http://www.smartsource.com/
http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/
http://www.afullcup.com/

EBAY ~ Yes, I just said EBAY! There are tons of grocery coupons for sale there. Now, it is against the law for people to actually sell coupons, but they can charge a fee for their time to clip them. I've never done this, and don't plan on it. But, I've read about people that do! And I bet for Kmart Double Days, this would be a great idea!

STORE ADVERTISEMENTS ~ Lots of times there are coupons in the different advertisements for different stores (ie. Target, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc.). You would find these in the mail, in the newspaper or at the actual store. Also, a few places post coupons online. Target is a good one to check out for coupons online. Some stores will take competitor coupons. My Publix will take Winn-Dixie coupons, which is great because I get $10 off $50 coupons from Winn-Dixie all the time. They may also price match any sale in our area.

MANUFACTURE'S WEBSITES ~ If there are some specific brand names that you like, go to their website and sometimes you might be surprised to find a coupon right there. You could also, email the company and tell them how much you love their product and see if they might send you something special. I've gotten several coupons from my favorite product's websites.
THE MAIL ~ I was pleasantly surpised to find a bunch of grocery coupons in my mail just this weekend! In the past, I've considered these junk and would have tossed them, but now how could I? It's like money in my pocket that I would be throwing in the trash! I open EVERY envelope now! This past week I got an envelope from SC Johnson, and would normally have thrown it away. I opened it to find a little coupon booklet, with a couple of really great coupons!

PRODUCT PACKAGING ~ I was amazed to find coupons already in my pantry! Some companies put coupons right on the packaging of the food items that you already use.

MAGAZINES ~ I'm not talking about coupon magazines. I'm talking about regular old magazines (ie. Everyday w/ Rachael Ray, Family Fun, Country Living, etc.).

STORE SHELVES ~ A lot of times, you will walk right past a coupon in your grocery store! They have machines that spit out coupons attached right to the shelves! Also, I've found coupons before that someone has actually left on the shelf because they didn't need it! (I call those the coupon fairies!!)
Wow, that is a lot of places to find coupons! Just think, that I've been throwing away all of these things all these years! I am seeing coupons in a whole new light these days. They are like free money.

Do you have any coupon resources that I haven't already mentioned here? I would love to hear 'em!

Publix Yogurt Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:18:00 +0000

Now, I'm really NOT picky when it comes to yogurt! As long as I have strawberry, I don't care what brand.

Anyways, Fiber One yogurt is BOGO at Publix this week, making it $2.50/2. Go HERE to print two, $1.25 off coupons to get 8 yogurts completely FREE! If you have 2 or more computers, double it by printing 2 coupons from each computer! We will get 16 yogurts (4 packs of 4) from this deal!!

If you only have 1 computer, but want to buy more than 2 packs of yogurt, go HERE to print two $1.00 off coupons, making each pack of yogurt $0.25!

Love,

Sarah

Awesome Diaper Coupons!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:59:00 +0000

Ok, so, I know that some people are picky about brands, BUT, that's the #1 thing you have to let go of if you are going to coupon! Thankfully, when it comes to diapers, I could care less, as long as they are cheap!

BTW, the BEST places to use these coupons would be either Walmart (cheaper prices) or Target (you can stack these with a Target Store coupon!). You can also stack these with any other "store" coupon! AND ALWAYS buy the smallest package available to get the best bang for your buck!
Ok, so here are the coupons:

Go HERE for a $2 off Huggies coupon! This is a PDF coupon, so there's NO LIMIT for printing! Woo-hoo! This one expires 12/31/09!

Go HERE for another $2 off Huggies coupon! (This one may be on any product and can be printed twice!)

HERE's another $2 off Huggies coupon! (This one may be on any product and can be printed twice!)

Go to Luvs.com, and sign up for their Diaper Network. Then, on the right-hand side, there will be a box to check. It says "Check here for your two $2.50 money saving coupons!" (or something very similar). Make sure to check that box and save your information! (The only thing that stinks with Luv's, is that they will mail you the coupon, so it takes 4-6 weeks). These can also be stacked with store coupons!

Go HERE for a $2.00 off Pull-Ups coupon!

Don't forget to fill out your Caregiver's Marketplace form when you buy Huggies or Pull-ups! You can earn $0.75 back for every pack of Huggies you buy (as well as other products). Check it out!

Awesome Diaper Deal from KMart Double Days Last Week

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:30:00 +0000

Awesome Diaper Deal!

Ok, so, I'll explain about KMart Double Days in my next post, for now, I'm going to explain the diaper addiction above! LOL.

Anyways, one of the bloggers that I read daily, STL Mommy posted a way to get Huggies brand diapers for just $0.08 per diaper! Now, if you don't have kids, you won't know, but $0.08 a diaper is an INSANE deal! I normally buy Luv's diapers at BJ's Wholesale (a warehouse store like Costco), as they are the most reasonable at $0.17 per diaper. (Huggies usually run around $0.24 - $0.29 per diaper!)

Anyways, here's what I did. I purchased five packages of Huggies diapers for $9.99 each (total of $49.95), then I bought another specific product (they were running a special), to bring my total to just over $50. I then used five $2.00 off Huggies coupons, which double to $4.00 off because of double days. This brings my total down to about $29.42 with tax. So, I pay OOP (out-of-pocket), $29.42. Then, the register prints out a $12 off my next order coupon. When you factor that in to the $29.42, it comes out to $17.42. That's $3.48 per pack of Huggies (with taxes)! Which comes out to about $0.11 per diaper!

When I got home, I filled out a form for Caregiver's Marketplace. They will send me a check for $0.75 for each pack of diapers that I buy, making each pack $2.73! Now, Westley wears size 4 diapers, and there are either 27 or 31 in the pack, depending on the type of Huggies diaper. If it's the 31 -pack, the diapers are $0.09 each! Smaller size packs have more diapers, making each individual diaper less!

Needless to say, I bought 20 packs of diapers! I used two of my $12 coupons towards packages of Luv's diapers, which gave me 104 MORE diapers, basically for free! The other two $12 off coupons, I used towards dog food and other purchases (see pictures below).

There should have been one more picture of the last set of diapers (that my parents went special to Kmart for me to get! Those of you who know my family, can you picture my dad buying all these diapers with coupons and having to make sure that the right coupon gets picked. LOL.)

So, all in all, For the days that I went to Kmart for diapers, I spent a total of: $144.44. I got 22 packs of diapers, a total of: 664 diapers! If you factor in the $15 I will recieve back from Caregiver's marketplace, that makes it $129.44. Then, factor in the two $12 coupons I used towards other things, makes it $105.44. Then, subtract the $6 for the Halloween candy I bought for my mom, brings it to $99.44. That paid for 22 packs of diapers, and all the other stuff in the pictures above! Some of the other items were:

18 pounds of dog food

6 bags of Halloween Candy

4 boxes Special K Cereal

2 Special K crackers

3 Wheat Thins

3 boxes A&H Dryer Sheets

40 Bic Razors (four 10-packs)

Huggies wipes

And lots of other stuff!

If I was ONLY paying for the diapers, my total (after taxes) would have been as follows: $212.79 - four $5 off coupons= $192.79 - four $12 off next purchase coupons = $144.79 - 20 $2.00 off coupons (which actually doubled to $4 off each) = $64.79 - $15 rebate checks I will receive from Caregiver's Marketplace = $49.79 for 664 diapers! That makes all the diapers $0.08 per diaper!! Woo-hoo! 1 box of Luv's from BJ's gives me 180 diapers for $29.99: about $0.17 per diaper.

Anyways, that was a LOT of figuring out. I am sooo excited!

Keep checking back for more great deals, and for Couponing 101!

Love,

Sarah

Tip About Buying Produce

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Alright. Now, I have to tell you, that I went produce shopping Friday, late morning, which is why I never got to make the chicken broccoli orzo. Anyways, there's a little "farmer's market" (actually it's about the size of a barn), called C&D Produce, not too far from my house. While I was there, I spent $18.29! For 2 weeks worth of produce! Now, if you shop at a grocery store for your produce, $4.xx of that would just be for pre-bagged lettuce! Here's what I got:

1 red pepper - $0.90 ($1.29/lb)
5 plum tomatoes - $0.58 ($0.79/lb)
.59 lbs string beans - $0.47 ($0.79/lb) - that's less than a can costs, and it's better because it's fresh!
2 green peppers - $0.37 ($0.69/lb) - these were $0.78 EACH at Walmart on SALE!
Romaine lettuce (2 hearts) - $1.75
1.97 lb Mini-bananas - $1.75 ($0.89/lb)
3 beefsteak tomatoes - $0.85 ($0.49/lb) - these would have cost about $4 at Publix!
1 orange - $0.35 - I think these were 3/$1
3 LARGE red potatoes - $0.93 ($0.59/lb)
3 bulbs garlic - $0.79 ($1.49/lb)
6 Idaho potatoes - $2.16 ($0.59/lb)
2 Granny Smith apples - $0.76 ($0.79/lb)
1 pint grape tomatoes - $1.79
red creamer potatoes - $0.99 ($0.99/lb)
1 red onion - $0.33 ($0.59/lb)
1/2 pint blueberries - $1.99
6 LARGE carrots - $0.90 ($0.49/lb)
2 HUGE sweet potatoes - $1.28 ($0.69/lb) - I really mean HUGE when I say it about these! 1 could feed 3-4 people!

Total cost: $18.29! Next time I go to Publix, I'm going to check out prices on these items, and I'll compare. I'll try to make a spreadsheet to show you! These are all items I would normally buy even if I wasn't planning monthly meals. If you include the less than a gallon of gas it takes me to get there, I probably spent a total of $20! Not bad!

It's totally worth it! Plus, the little market is Spanish based, so they have some REALLY interesting fruits/veggies there, and the kids get to feel and hear the names of the stuff. Plus, they can TOUCH everything without getting looked at funny. It's a whole learning experience!

Next time you need to buy produce, think twice before getting it at your normal store! (Plus, you can go here before your grocery store because it won't go bad sitting in your car while you grocery shop...as long as you don't take forever!)

Enjoy!

Love,

Sarah

Tulle order in!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Woo-hoo! My first custom tutu order is to make a peacock tutu dress! I received the tulle Tuesday, and started the dress yesterday! It looks so cute! I can't wait to put the finishing touches on it and try it on Felicity! I will post pictures as soon as it's all together. I'm hoping to ship it tomorrow.

Then, I'll be working on some samples that I hope will sell pretty quickly. I'll also be making Felicity's pirate tutu dress!

Check back later for pics!

Love,

Sarah

Publix Trip 9/14/09

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:43:00 +0000

Well, looks like I have hit my "budget" for the month. Although, I still have to go to the produce market to get some fresh fruits and veggies. Darn. HOWEVER, the trip I made today included stocking up on quite a few things. Here's what I got:

I paid out-of-pocket (OOP) $80.74. But I saved $107.07!!! I'd say that's pretty darn good! Plus, I stocked up on pasta sauce, pasta, cream cheese, laundry detergent and frozen veggies! Ok. Hereare my highlights and best deals...

4 All Detergents - On sale $4.99 Each BOGO - w/Qs, I paid $1.50 each!
6 jars Newman's Own - BOGO - w/Qs, I paid $0.85 each!
2 Boxes Kix Cereal - BOGO - w/Qs, I paid $1.25 each!
2 Boxes Frosted Mini Wheats - BOGO - w/Qs, $1.35 each
6 Green Giant Frozen Veggies - 10/$10 - w/Qs, $0.50 each!
4 Toaster Strudels - BOGO - w/Qs, $0.25 each!
6 Healthy Harvest Pastas - BOGO - w/Qs, $0.40 each!
5 Philly Cream Cheese - 5/$5 - w/Qs, $0.40 each!
3 Duncan Hines Brownie Mix - 10/$10 - $1.00 each!

I also purchased items I needed for the rest of the month's meals. So, if you were to take away all the stuff I "stocked up" on, I'd still be under $250. But, since I bought it in September, it's going in my total grocery spending. We'll hopefully make it to the produce market this afternoon, but if not, definitely tomorrow. I'm hoping to only spend about $20 there, but sometimes they have such great, fresh produce, you can't help but spend more! We'll see!

At least I won't have to buy pasta sauce, detergent, frozen veggies, or breakfast stuff for a while (other than eggs)! =)

Happy shopping!

Love,

Sarah

Jamba Juice Coupon

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:49:00 +0000

If you go HERE, you can print a coupon for Jamba Juice. When you buy one smoothie, you'll get the second one for $1, when you give them this coupon.

CVS Trip - 9/11/09

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:14:00 +0000

So, I wouldn't normally buy groceries (except milk) at CVS, but when I was in there buying milk yesterday, I noticed that their General Mills cereals were $2.00 a box, and I knew I had a $2.00 off of 2 coupon, which would make it be BOGO for me. So, I grabbed their weekly ad on the way out and went home to see what I could do.

Here's how I did!!

4 boxes cereal: $4.00
2 Ajax Dish Soaps: FREE!
2 Colgate Toothpastes: $1.39
1 Crest Toothpaste: $0.99 (after $2.50 ECB)
2 VO5: $1.54
3 lb bag cat food: $2.99
4 full-size EDY's Ice Creams: $5.99! (That's $1.50 each!)

Total cost: $15.19! I saved $49.23! That's a 70% savings at a drugstore! I just couldn't pass up that Edy's deal! They were BOGO. Plus, I had a coupon Buy 3, get 1 free. Since the store offered the BOGO, I was technically purchasing 3. So, I got 4 for the price of 1! We eat ice cream a LOT here, so it was a fantastic deal! Plus, I got $2.50 back in extra care bucks, so my total cost was really only: $12.69. That's just $0.80 per item!