Frugal and Thrifty Mama

The Time Has Come...

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:33:00 +0000

....for me to make some decisions about what's most important in my life. The last couple weeks I've been tossing around the idea of what to do with my blog. Keep blogging for a couple more months....or stop all together. I really feel for a couponing blog to be effective it should be updated a couple times a day. The last while I haven't had time to do that and I'm the type of person that if I can't do something 100% then I would rather not do it all.

Last evening my husband and I had the opportunity to attend New Horizons Ministries Banquet. I was expecting that we'd eat dinner, give them some money and be on our merry way. Instead I was really touched by the ministry they're doing. I sat there thinking "I wish I could be a nanny for a little baby and teach the little one about Jesus but I can't because I have my own two children." In that moment God spoke to me by reminding me that he blessed me with 2 children and it's my duty to teach them about him. Children are only little once and I don't want to miss the opportunity that God has given me.

So in conclusion, this will be my last blog post. I want to start focusing more of my time and energy on my children. With summer coming up things always tend to get a little busy. I'm also expecting our third child and am due late September. So I course want to spend time this summer canning and freezing as much as possible to make my load lighter for next summer. I also need to prepare myself to start homeschooling my oldest this fall. That alone will be a huge challenge to me and something I never expected I'd have to do.

I started this blog in the summer of 2009 because I wanted to let my friends and family know that it's possible to be able to get toothpaste, shampoo, razors and grocery items for pennies and sometimes free! I've accomplished what I wanted to so I feel good about quitting. I will, of course, still be couponing! I don't know that I'll ever be able to quit that! It makes me sad to think that when I find a good deal at Kroger or elsewhere that I won't be able to share it with you. Maybe I'll have to give a shout out on Facebook once in awhile. :) If you ever have any questions please feel free to e-mail me. I don't mind at all.

I will leave you with some links to my favorite blogs.

The 3 blogs I check daily are:
Hip 2 Save (she is all around the best blogger, if there's a deal she'll have it posted)
Money Saving Mom (I like her blog because she's a Christian, has 3 small children and is in the same stage of life as myself.)
For the Mommas (If you shop Rite Aid you will want to follow her blog. She'll post unadvertised deals she finds there. She also always lets you know what coupons to expect in Sunday's paper.)

If you're wanting Kroger deals I recommend checking Stockpiling Moms or Stretching A Buck. It's also a good idea to occasionally check the Kroger section on A Full Cup. There you can find out about the most recent catalinas and discover unadvertised deals.

Thanks for reading my blog! I will miss you guys very much!

Coupon Insert Preview ~March 27

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:36:00 +0000

We can expect to receive 3 coupon inserts this weekend; 2 Smartsource and 1 Red Plum. Go here to see a preview of the coupons.

Kroger: Triple Coupons, Today Thru Sunday!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:29:00 +0000

Wow! I don't think Kroger has tripled coupons in over a year! Today thru Sunday Kroger will be tripling coupons up to $.50. So a $.50 coupon will be worth $1.50, a $.25 coupon will be worth $.75. A $.75 coupon will just double like normal meaning it would be worth $1.50. I really don't have time today to work on any match-ups and I'm really not sure if there's any good deals to be had or not. If you head into Kroger and find some good deals you can leave a comment here and let us know what you found. I'm actually not sure if I'll even go in. Gasp!

Thanks, AFC!

Make Your Own Wheat Thins

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:15:00 +0000

Did you know it's possible to make your own Wheat Thins? I sure didn't until yesterday when I saw this recipe. Two Peas and Their Pod shows you how to do it here. I would love to give it a try but am a little bit apprehensive about it since I'm not very good with rolling out dough that thin. Hey, I can't even roll out pie crust. But I know if I don't try making them I'll always wonder how they taste. So I may have to put this on my list of things to do.

What do you think? Are you going to try it? If you do come back here and let me know how they turned out!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom for the link!

Meijer: AWESOME Deal on Cleaning Supplies and Trash Bags!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Meijer has an awesome deal going on this week on cleaning supplies! Buy 7 select products and receive $5 off instantly at the checkout. On top of that there's a catalina deal running on Clorox and Glad Products; Buy $15 worth of Clorox and/or Glad Products in one transactions and receive a $5 catalina! You can view the Meijer sale flier here. The cleaning supply deal can be found on pages 14 & 15.

Here's a scenario I came up with.
2 Glad Trash Bags - $6.49 ea
1 Clorox Bleach - $1.88 ea
1 Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner - $1.88 ea
1 Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner - $2.00 ea
2 Lysol All Purpose Cleaner - $2.00 ea
Clorox/Glad Total - $16.74
Grand Total - $22.74
Use 2 - $.75/1 Glad Trash from the 3/13 SS
Use 1 - $25/1 Clorox Bleach from 3/13 SS
Use 1 - $.75/1 Clorox Toilet Bowl printable
Use 1 - $.75/1 Lysol Toilet Bowl from 3/6 SS
Use 2 - $.75/1 Lysol All Purpose from 3/6 SS
-$5.00 Instant Savings
Final Total - $8.24, Get back a $5 catalina, bringing your total to $3.24!!!! That's a pretty awesome deal considering you're buying 2 boxes of trash bags!

You can work this scenario to meet your needs! I'm needing Clorox Bleach right now or I would have skipped getting that and gotten 2 of the Clorox Toilet Bowl cleaners instead. Go here to read about more scenarios.

$1/1 Minute Maid Orange Juice!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:15:00 +0000

Yay! Minute Maid just released a new coupon! Head over to their Facebook wall and "like" them, if you haven't already. Click on the MOJO tab along the left side of the page. Next, click on the green "Get it Now" button and it should take you to the page to print your coupon.

Coupons for orange juice are rare so print it now it you want it!

Kroger: Smart Taste Pasta $.29 ea

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:13:00 +0000

I just wanted to give you the heads up that Kroger has raised the price of the Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta; so it's no longer free. :( The Garden Delight and Healthy Harvest are still priced the same as last week.

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta - $.79 ea
Use $1/2 printable or from the 1/23 SS
Final Price - $.29 ea

I also happened to notice that the Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner is included in the March to Savings Event.

Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner - $1.99 ea
Use $.75/1 from the 3/6 SS
Final Price - $.49 ea
*If you have Meijer close by be sure to check out their sales flier as they have a better deal on Lysol cleaning products.*

Kroger Deals 3/21 - 3/27

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:16:00 +0000

For some reason I didn't get a Kroger flier this week. :( So I'm just reposting all of the March to Savings Deals. So be sure to check out your sales flier before shopping.

March To Savings Event: Buy any 10 participating items and receive $5 off instantly at the checkout. Prices listed below are assuming you're buying 10 items thus receiving the $5 discount.

Coca - Cola 2L - $.89 ea

Powerade - $.50 ea

Fuze - $.75 ea

Simply Juice 59 oz - $2.74 ea
Use $1/1 printable (no longer available)
Final Price - $1.74 ea

Capri Sun or Kool-Aid Jammers - $1.49 ea

V8 or V-Fusion Juice 46oz - $2.49 ea
Use $1/2 from the 2/6 SS or printable
Use $1/1 V8 Fusion Tea printable (if included)
Final Price - $1.49 ea - $1.99 ea

Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs - $1.49 ea

Oscar Mayer Bologna - $1.49 ea

Chips Ahoy! Cookies - $1.99 ea

Ritz Crackers - $1.99 ea
Use $1/2 Spring Ritz Printable (no longer available)
Use $1/2 from the 1/30 SS
Final Price - $1.49 ea

Wheat Thins Crackers - $1.99 ea
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final Price - $.99 ea

Wheat Thin Crunch Stix - $1.99
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final Price - $.99

Triscuits Crackers - $1.99 ea
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final Price - $.99 ea

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta - $.49 ea
Use $1/2 from the 1/23 SS or printable
Final Price - FREE

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta - $.79
Use $1/2 from the 1/23 SS
Use $1/2 printable
Final Price - $.29 ea
Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta - $.49 ea
Use $1/1 from the 1/23 SS
Use $1/2 printable
Final Price - FREE

Bumble Bee Tuna - $.49 ea

Kraft Salad Dressing - $1.49 ea

Kraft Miracle Whip - $2.49 ea
Use $.75/1 printable (no longer available)
Final Price - $.99 ea

Dannon Yogurt - $1.49 ea
Use $1/1 from the 2-27 SS or 3-6 SS
Final Price- $.49 ea

Heluva Good! Dip - $1.49 ea
Use $.75/1 from the 1/23 SS
Final Price - FREE (Thanks, Rachal!)

Post Cereal - $1.99 eaUse 1/1 Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley from the 2/27 SS
Final Price - $.99 ea

Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks - $.79 ea

Hershey's Drops or Reese's Minis Candy - $1.99 ea
Use $2/2 from the 1/30 SS
Final Price - $.99 ea

Staples: FREE Paper!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:00:00 +0000

It's been quite awhile since I've seen free copy paper! I always like to take advantage of these deals! The paper comes in handy to print coupons.

HP 8.5 x 11 Multipurpose Paper - $5.99
$4.99 Easy Rebate (Limit 2)
Use $1/1 HP Paper w/ColorLok Technology
Final Price after coupon and rebate - FREE

It's super easy to submit for the Staples Rebates. You can do it online here.

Thanks, For the Mommas!

Kroger: FREE Frito-Lay Chips, April 1, 3 - 8 PM

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:53:00 +0000

Did you all notice the ad in the Smartsource yesterday about Kroger giving away free chips? On Friday, April 1st from 3-8 PM Kroger will be giving away FREE bags of Frito-Lay chips (2.5-3oz.). While supplies last. Limit one free bag per customer.

I'll try and post a reminder about it next week.

Vocalpoint: FREE Pint of International Delight Breve Creme Coffee Creamer

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:49:00 +0000

Wow! Another freebie from Vocalpoint! Head over here to request a FREE pint of International Delight Breve Creme Coffee Creamer. This freebie isn't available to all regions so you may not be able to request it. I was able to request it so if you live close to me you should be able to get it.

FREE March 2011 Issue of Parenting School Years Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:19:00 +0000

Request the March 2011 Issue of Parenting School Years Magazine for FREE, courtesy of ValueMags.

Thanks, Hip 2 Save!

Coupon Insert Preview ~March 20

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:16:00 +0000

We are suppose to receive 2 coupon inserts this weekend; 1 Smartsource and 1 Red Plum. For the Mommas has a preview here.

Vocalpoint: FREE Sample of Kelloggs Cereal

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:13:00 +0000

If you're a member of Vocalpoint, head over here to request a free sample of Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats w/a Touch of Fruit. These samples usually come with great coupons.

Not a member of Vocalpoint? Go here and sign up (don't worry, it's free) and then request your sample here.

Thanks, Hip 2 Save!

Printable Coupons: Wheat Thins & Triscuits = $.99 at Kroger!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:16:00 +0000

Go to the Wheat Thins Facebook page to print a coupon for $1/1 Wheat Thins Crunch Stix. Click on the "coupon" tab on the left side of the page and you should see the coupon link. Share about Wheat Thins on your Facebook wall and you'll be able to print another coupon for $1/1 Wheat Thins Crackers. (On the coupon page you should see a link at the bottom of the page you can click on to "share" about Wheat Thins on FB. Once you do so you'll be able to see a link to print the $1/1 Wheat Thins Cracker coupon.)

Go to the Triscuits Facebook page to print a coupon for $1/1 Triscuits Crackers.

Here are the deals at Kroger:

Wheat Thins Crackers - $1.99 ea
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final Price - $.99 ea

Wheat Thin Crunch Stix - $1.99
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final Price - $.99

Triscuits Crackers - $1.99 ea
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final Price - $.99 ea

All 3 of these items are part of the March to Savings Event which means you have to buy 10 participating items to receive the prices above.

FREE 1 Year Subscription to Woman's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:57:00 +0000

~~Request a free 1 year subscription to Woman's Day magazine~~ ~~courtesy of Mercruy Magazines. You will have the option to select Homemaker when you're asked to choose your Industry. FYI-the site is running very slowly!~~

~~Thanks,~~ ~~Hip 2 Save~~!

My Kroger Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:51:00 +0000

I was so excited about Kroger this week I decided to take a quick picture of my shopping trip. I was tickled to find that Smart Taste Pasta and Garden Delight Pasta are on sale for the same price as Healthy Harvest Pasta! I was also happy with the Lays Chips deal! It's not very often you can get those for $.89 a bag! The Reese's Pieces came to $1 a bag which is a decent price so I got 4 bags of those. Reese's Pieces is my hubby's favorite candy. I also like to put them in my Monster Cookies. I got everything pictured above for $24.49! Close to $10 of that was in produce alone. I also splurged and bought myself a bag of Wonderful Pistachios! They were on sale for $3.99 and I had $1 e-coupon as well as a $1 printable coupon so I got them for only $1.99!

Here are a couple new deals I found.
Items listed below are part of the March to Savings Event. Buy 10 participating items and receive $5 off instantly at the checkout. Items listed below are assuming you're buying 10 items thus receiving the $5 discount.

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta - $.49
Use $1/2 from the 1/23 SS
Use $1/2 printable
Final Price - FREE

Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta - $.49 ea
Use $1/1 from the 1/23 SS
Use $1/2 printable
Final Price - FREE
**********************************

Wonderful Pistachios 10oz - $3.99 ea
Use $1/1 printable or from the 11/21 SS +
Use $1/1 e-coupon
Final Price - $1.99 ea

Go here to see a complete list of Kroger deals for this week.

Kroger Deals 3/14 - 3/20

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:43:00 +0000

White Seedless Grapes - $.97 a lb

Kroger 1/2 Gallon Milk - $1.25 ea

Kroger Brand Sour Cream 16 oz - $1.25 ea
Use $.45/2 e-coupon
Final Price - $1.03 ea

Kroger Frozen Potatoes - $1.99 ea
(includes French Fries, Shredded Hashbrowns, Sweet Potato Fries, Tator Tots and Tator Rounds)

Lays Potato Chips - $1.99 ea
Use $.55/1 in the 3/13 SS
Final Price - $.89!!!

Tostitos Tortilla Chips - $2.48 ea
Use $.55/1 Tostitos Artisan Tortilla Chips from 2/27 SS (if included)
Final Price - $1.38 ea

Chex Cereal - $2.18 ea
Use $.50/1 from the 3/6 SS
Final Price - $1.18 ea

Zone Bars - $1.00 ea
Use $.55/1 from the 1/16 SS or 2/27 SS
Final Price - FREE

Kettle Brand Potato Chips 14 oz - $3.00 ea
Use $1/1 from the 1/30 RP
Final Price - $2.00 ea

Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner - $2.59 ea
Use $.75/1 from the 3/6 SS
Final Price - $1.09 ea
*****************************************

March To Savings Event: Buy any 10 participating items and receive $5 off instantly at the checkout. Prices listed below are assuming you're buying 10 items thus receiving the $5 discount.

Coca - Cola 2L - $.89 ea

Powerade - $.50 ea

Fuze - $.75 ea

Simply Juice 59 oz - $2.74 ea
Use $1/1 printable (no longer available)
Final Price - $1.74 ea

Capri Sun or Kool-Aid Jammers - $1.49 ea

V8 or V-Fusion Juice 46oz - $2.49 ea
Use $1/2 from the 2/6 SS or printable
Use $1/1 V8 Fusion Tea printable (if included)
Final Price - $1.49 ea - $1.99 ea

Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs - $1.49 ea

Oscar Mayer Bologna - $1.49 ea

Chips Ahoy! Cookies - $1.99 ea

Ritz Crackers - $1.99 ea
Use $1/2 Spring Ritz Printable (no longer available)
Use $1/2 from the 1/30 SS
Final Price - $1.49 ea

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta - $.49 ea
Use $1/2 from the 1/23 SS or printable
Final Price - FREE

Bumble Bee Tuna - $.49 ea

Kraft Salad Dressing - $1.49 ea

Kraft Miracle Whip - $2.49 ea
Use $.75/1 printable (no longer available)
Final Price - $.99 ea

Dannon Yogurt - $1.49 ea
Use $1/1 from the 2-27 SS or 3-6 SS
Final Price- $.49 ea

Post Cereal - $1.99 ea
Use 1/1 Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley from the 2/27 SS
Final Price - $.99 ea

Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks - $.79 ea

Hershey's Drops or Reese's Minis Candy - $1.99 ea
Use $2/2 from the 1/30 SS
Final Price - $.99 ea

There's is also a Kraft Catalina running until tomorrow, March 15 ; Buy $20 of participating Kraft Products and receive a $5 catalina at the register. Go here to see a list of participating products. Remember this is only working until tomorrow, March 15!

Kroger: New Instant Win Game!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:09:00 +0000

Wow! Kroger sure has been generous the last while with all the freebies they're handing out via instant win games! Through April 3 you can play the March to Savings Instant Win Game. You can play once everyday. There is a limit of 2 prizes per account so once you've won twice there's really no point in playing. Good Luck!

Let me know if you win anything!

Thanks, AFC!

Pepsi: Buy One Get One FREE Coupon!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:46:00 +0000

~~HURRY! Head over to the~~ ~~Pepsi Throwback Facebook page~~, "like" them and click on "Throwback Coupon" on the left side of the page. You should then see a link to click on to print a coupon for FREE 12 Pk of Pepsi Throwback when you buy One 12 Pk of Pepsi Throwback! This is limited to the first 5,000! So hurry! This coupon doesn't expire until 12/31/2011 so you will have plenty of time to pair it with a sale!

Thanks, Hip 2 Save!

The Winner Is....

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:23:00 +0000

The winner of the Csnstores.com giveaway is comment #35 which is Sarah (mansarg.xxxx.com). Congratulations! I've sent you an e-mail and you have until Monday, March 14 to respond. If I don't hear from you by then another winner will be chosen. A big thanks to everyone who took the time to enter!

Coupon Insert Preview ~March 13

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:04:00 +0000

You can expect to receive 2 coupon inserts in Sundays paper; 1 Smartsource and 1 Red Plum. Go here to see a preview of the upcoming coupons.

Kroger: Chex Cereal, Keebler Cookies, Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:49:00 +0000

I missed a couple items in the match-ups.

Chex Cereal - $2.18
Use $.50/1 from the 3/6 SS
Use $.75/1 Chex Cereal Printable
Final Price - $.68 - $1.18 ea

Keebler Cookies - BOGO Free
Use $.55/2 from the 3/6 RP
Final Price - Varies

Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner - $2.59 ea
Use $.75/1 from the 2/6 SS or 3/6 SS
Final Price - $1.09 ea

Kroger Deals 3/7 - 3/13

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:14:00 +0000

Tyson Boneless Chicken Breast - $1.88 a lb

Kroger Pollock Fish Fillets 12 oz- $1.00

Zone Bars - $1.00 ea
Use $.55/1 from the 2/27 SS or 1/16 SS
Final Price - FREE

Juicy Juice 100% Juice - $2.49 ea
Use $1/1 printable (must sign in/log in)
Final Price - $1.49 ea

Pepsi 2L - $.95

Hormel Pepperoni 3.5oz - $1.00 ea
Use $1/2 from the 1/23 SS
Final Price - $.50 ea

Totino's Party Pizza - $1.00 ea
Use $.50/2 from the 2/13 GM
Final Price - $.50 ea

California Pizza Kitchen - $4.77 ea
Use $1/1 from the 2/20 RP
Final Price - $3.77 ea

Kroger Frozen Potatoes - $1.99 ea
(includes, Tator Tots, French Fries, Tator Rounds & French Fries)

Pillsbury Toaster Strudels - $1.99 ea
Use $.75/3 from the 2/13 GM
Final Price - $1.49 ea

Hamburger Helper - $.99 ea
Use $.75/3 from the 2/13 GM
Final Price - $.49 ea

Nature Valley or Fiber One Bars - $2.50 ea
Use $.75/2 from the 2/13 GM
Final Price - $1.75 ea

General Mills Cereal - $2.18 ea
Use $1/3 from the 2/13 GM
Use $1/2 printable
Final Price - $1.68 - $1.85 ea (not really a great price for cereal)

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks - $1.99 ea
Use $.50/2 from the 2/13 GM or printable here, here or here
Final Price - $1.49 ea
Catalina Alert: Buy 3 - Get $1 OYNO, Buy 4 - Get $2 OYNO, Buy 5 or more - Get $3 OYNO

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, Crescent Rolls or Grands Jr. Biscuits - $1.25 ea
Use $.40/2 Pillsbury Crescents from the 1-30 SS or printables here, here or here
Use $..40/2 Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls from the 2/13 GM
Use $.30/2 Pillsbury Grands Biscuits from the 2/13 GM
Final Price - $.85 - $.95 ea

Yoplait Yogurt - $1.99 ea
Use various coupons found in the 2/13 GM
Final Price - varies

Tide Stain Release 18 ct or 36 oz - $5.99 ea
Use $3/1 from the 2/27 P&G +
Use $3/1 e-coupon
Final Price - FREE

Bounty Paper Towels 8pk - $5.99 ea
Use $1/1 from P&G coupon booklet or
Use $.25/1 from the 2/27 PG +
Use $2/1 e-coupon
Final Price - $2.99 - $3.49 ea

Charmin Toilet Paper - $5.99 ea
Use $1/1 from P&G coupon booklet or
Use $.25/1 from the 2/27 P&G +
Use $3/1 e-coupon
Final Price - $1.99 - $2.49 ea

Gillette Body Wash - $3 ea
Use $2/1 from the 2/27 PG
Final Price - $1 ea

CVS: FREE Candy or Beverage

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:14:00 +0000

Head over to the CVS Facebook page, "like" them and the click on the "Special Offers" Tab (found on the lower left side of the page) to snag a coupon for FREE Candy or Beverage at CVS!. The coupon will be sent to you via e-mail.

Thanks, Hip 2 Save!