Just wanted to give everyone a quick heads-up that I’ll be posting back on Coupon Geek again. Be sure to sign-up for the Coupon Geek Newsletter so you don’t miss out on any hot posts over there.

I will keep updating Glowing Gazelles so stick around!

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer!

Back On Coupon Geek!

The other day I mentioned just some of the Apps that you can use in order to save yourself a little extra money. I want to dive deeper into talking about Apps by showing you an example of how you can save specifically on one area with those apps and that’s Produce!

I am personally more of a visual person myself. People can tell me things and it may not click but give me examples and a visual and it sinks in. That is what I had in mind with this post. So here we go with an example of savings I picked up this week and what Apps I used:

Earthbound Farms Organic Salad Mixes $2.99 – Bought 2
* Saved $2.99 with BOGO sale
* Saved $1/2 with Meijer Salad Coupon from mPerks App
* Earned $.30 via MobiSave for Lettuce Purchase
FINAL PRICE = $1.69 for 2 or $.85 each

Fresh Green Beans – 12 oz Steamer Bag $2.99
* Saved $2 with in-store sale
* Saved 5% Off with Target Cartwheel App
FINAL PRICE = $.94

Fresh Broccoli – 12 oz Steamer Bag $2.49
* Saved $1.50 with in-store sale
* Saved 5% Off with Target Cartwheel App
FINAL PRICE = $.94

Bananas $.39 sale price – Bought 1.5 lbs for $.58
* Earned $.30 via MobiSave for Bananas Purchase
FINAL PRICE = $.28

Apples – 1lb. $.66 sale price
* Earned $.30 via MobiSave for Apples Purchase
FINAL PRICE = $.36

Organic Carrot Chips $1.79, regular price
* Earned $.25 via Checkout 51 App
FINAL PRICE = $1.54

Potatoes 5lb $2.99 – BOGO Sale w/ 3lb Onions
* Saved $1.99 w/ BOGO sale
* Earned $.30 via MobiSave for Onions Purchase
FINAL PRICE = $2.69 for all 8 lbs.

NOTE: I thought I’d earn 20% Off with Saving Star but it was for loose onions and not bagged. So make sure you read all details on the Apps! There’s a good chance it might have been zero since technically the onions were free but sometimes they’ll count that as a store discount and give you 20% Off the price, which would have been another $.40.

Clementines $4.99
* Saved $1.50 with sale price
* Earned $.30 via MobiSave for Clementines Purchase
FINAL PRICE = $3.69 for 3lbs.

Squash $1.76 for 1.5 lbs.
* Earned $.30 via MobiSave for Squash Purchase
FINAL PRICE = $1.46

(In case you’ve never tried it, Spaghetti Squash works great as a side dish mixed with sauce. There are also so many stuffed Spaghetti Squash recipes online if you are looking for another option.)

Oddly enough, Ibotta didn’t have any produce offers for me this week. They usually have 3-4 of them. Thankfully MobiSave added several new ones. Combining the use of several Apps will make sure you get the most savings each week on produce that you will actually use. As you can see from my examples, I also tried to look for produce that was on sale to combine with the App savings.

In this particular trip, I spent $13.59 for the veggies/fruit pictured. You’ll notice several of them are Organic, as well. In the end, I have about 18 lbs of food to use, making it around $.76 lb. While on this trip, I also earned myself 200 Shopkicks (getting me partway to that $2 giftcard.) , I earned extra coins on Receipt Hog, and I also accumulated more money towards the $175 threshold to earn $6 through the Meijer mPerks App. Every little bit will add up over time.

I’m hoping this post will help encourage you to try some Apps to help you save money on Produce this week! Stay tuned as I have several more posts coming on ways to save on produce! We’ll get your fruit and veggie crisper drawers full in your fridge before we are done!!

Produce Savings Via Apps!

When it comes to saving money on groceries and household products, I do recommend using coupons to cut back on your bills. But, coupons aren’t for everyone. They can be cumbersome to haul around and can often be left at home instead of with you when you need them. Thankfully a new era has begun of Apps via smartphones that have the capability of virtual coupon clipping and on top of that, offering you money back on some purchases. Some are as simple as scrolling through offers and “clipping” coupon savings and then typing in a phone number at checkout while others require you to scan UPC codes of products purchased along with a scan of your receipt. While it can take a little extra time, the savings can add up very quickly. I often tell people to think of it this way—if someone offered you a simple task to do that would earn you say $20 for an hour’s work, would you turn them down? Always think of savings in an hourly wage as it will make the time a bit more justified.

So these are a few of my favorite money-saving Apps that I’ve found so far:

Ibotta – They have listings of stores and special offers for each store that you can opt to receive. Sometimes you may have to read a short sentence about a product or watch a 15 second video but it’s super fast to clip the offers overall. Once you have the offers clipped, you need to purchase them and then scan the product UPCs and receipt. Some stores automatically send receipts and it makes it so much easier when you find those places. When you reach a certain threshold, you can “cash out” for a payment or gift card, etc. I often turn mine in for a Walmart or Amazon gift card and save them for during the holidays when I can maximize my savings further. Just using this app here and there, I saved about $200 last year. I’ve been using them a lot more lately and will probably double that figure this year. I was excited when I saw that they also had options for retail stores and even theaters, too. We earned $.50 just for watching the new Star Wars movie!! My favorite thing about Ibotta is that they offer several produce savings each week and randomly offer savings on things like bread and milk, as well. By far, Ibotta is one of my favorite Apps to use. I highly recommend them for additional savings!

Saving Star – It works very much like Ibotta with the virtual clipping of offers and redemption. Each week on Tuesday they have a “Healthy Offer” with savings on a produce item. Randomly, often on Fridays, they’ll offer a 100% cash back on an item. They also have it set up where some stores, such as Jewel, automatically send their receipts so you don’t have to do anything except to key in your number at checkout on the credit card machine. They often will have offers for $5 off $20 of a certain item. What’s nice is that you can usually accumulate the purchases rather than buying them all at once. You need to reach $5 to be able to cash out but it usually adds up quickly. You can get a Paypal Credit, Bank Credit or a gift card option. I like when they have the AMC gift card option as I can treat my kids to a theater outing that way!

Checkout 51 – Very similar to Ibotta and Saving Star. They have a “Pick Your Own” offer each week on produce items. Even if you did nothing but grab those produce offers, you’d earn around $13 a year. You need $20 to cash out but they have been getting better offers lately and it adds up fast. I chose a payout of a check and it arrived very quickly. It was nice to get a paycheck for grocery savings!

Shopkick – Now this App is completely different than the others. You open the App at certain stores and grab “shopkicks” just for simply walking in the door. They will sometimes give you offers for scanning specific items in store. And they will also randomly give offers for purchases in store. You link a credit card to it and then use your card on the purchases. Just the other day I earned a point for each $1 I spent at a store. You need 500 shopkicks for a $2 Target Gift Card. They do have other things you can turn them in for but that one is my favorite to grab. They have several days where you can earn 100 shopkicks just for walking into places like Walmart so you can see how the money can add up. The best place to use it? At the mall! They often have several stores with offers for “walk-ins” and I earned $2 on one mall visit. Who doesn’t like to get paid for shopping?! Always keep your eyes open for those big days where you can earn large amounts for walk-ins and scans! My kids say it’s like a treasure hunt when I tell them we are going to scan offers sometimes. I’ve earned quite a bit through them and wish I had found them sooner!

Receipt Hog – This is an App for scanning all your receipts throughout the week. You’ll earn “coins” for the receipts and sometimes be rewarded spins on the slot machine. I’ve won several coins with my slot machine spins. You need 1,000 coins for a $5 Amazon Gift Card. They do have other forms of payment, as well. I usually scan my receipts at the same time I’m grabbing my Ibotta, Checkout 51 and Saving Star offers so it’s easy money to earn.

The following are other Apps that I’ve found. I don’t use them as much but they are adding up over time:

Mobi Save – They have limited offers but what I love about them is you get instant payment via Paypal, often within 24 hours. You don’t need to wait to reach a certain threshold. If you are new to signing-up, they sometimes will have a waitlist for the program but it’s usually fairly quick so don’t let that stop you!

Shrink – This is a great App if you tend to buy a lot of natural/Organic brand items. They have a $10 threshold for payout. I was surprised to find that some of the items I already buy are listed there. I also like this one as I feel I can try these healthier items and get savings on them overall. If you do sign-up, my referral code is NSJLBO.

Snap – This App is through Groupon. I’ve just recently starting using them so I can’t give a lot of details on their program yet. But I am happy with their produce offers and have grabbed some on onions and apples, etc. and also savings on bread. I love when companies pay you savings on basic needs items!

Store Specific Apps:

If you shop at a larger chain store, take a minute and see if they have an App available. You might find out that you have been missing out on some great clippable savings! Here are a few I’ve found so far:

Meijer mPerks – Don’t even get me started on them! Oh how I love, love Meijer! Ours just opened in July and it’s been like Christmas for me every week. They have the best produce selection in our area for the price. It actually compares to Whole Foods or Trader Joes but with prices similar to Target. Their App is called mPerks and it by far has saved me the most money – especially when paired with savings from Ibotta, etc.! mPerks has clippable coupons – often manufacturer coupons – and they often will give store offers as well. One weekend it was 15% Off purchases! They also have Rewards offers that are fantastic. Some are things like $6 Off $175 purchase that you can earn throughout the month. Others are things like $5 Off $45 produce purchase, $3 Off $30 baby purchase, etc. The offers vary per month and account. The bonus feature I love on their App? Their “Find” button. You can type in a product and it will tell you if they carry it and what aisle it’s at in the store, if they do. No more walking up and down the aisle searching for an item you rarely buy. Kudos to Meijer for an awesome job on their App creation! In order to use their App you set up an account with your mobile number and then clip your offers and then either key in your mobile number and PIN at checkout or have them scan your mPerks on your phone.

Target Cartwheel – Target has also done a great job on their App. You can clip so many offers for extra savings in-store. During the holidays, they usually have a 50% Off a specific toy each day. This last week, I was able to grab their 50% Off spiral ham offer for a very inexpensive meal option. The more you use the App, the more offer spots you’ll unlock. The great thing is, the Cartwheel offers “stack” along with the Target Store Coupons AND Manufacturer Coupons. You can sometimes get triple savings on one item. The way this App works is you “clip” the offers you want and then have the cashier scan the bar code of your Target Cartwheel App at checkout. Easy peasy to use!

Jewel MyMixx – Jewel is a store chain based mostly in Illinois and Indiana. If you do have one by you, make sure you grab the App. They have clippable Manufacturer Coupons and offers through it. Last week I was able to get an Organic Salad Mix completely free using their App. They’ll randomly have free offers that usually have a 2-day window to grab. Keep your eyes open for those. For this App, you just set up your account via phone number and then key that in at checkout on the credit card machine pad under MyMixx.

Walmart Savings Catcher – If you shop at Walmart, you’ll definitely want this App. It’s ridiculously easy to use. All you do is scan the code at the bottom of your receipt. It will then seek out any prices that were lower on items that you purchased and see if a competitor offered a better price. If they find one, they’ll give you the difference back via the App. I use this any time I shop there and I often end up with extra money just with a click click on their App. If only everything in life was that easy!

As you can see, there are several Apps that can save/earn you money throughout the year on your grocery and household purchases. These are just a few that I’ve been using. There are several more out there if you need more. Several grocery store chains that are exclusive to certain areas of the country also have Apps so make sure you check your App store to see if your local store has one. These are such an easy way to earn savings without having to deal with the cumbersome task of carrying coupons with you.

Here are my insider tips on using some of these Apps:

For the Apps such as Ibotta, Checkout 51 and Saving Star, you often have to scan the bar codes of items you purchase. This can feel like a pain when all you want to do is get your groceries put away when you get home. So I do this right away so I don’t forget. Put an * by each item on your grocery list that you need to scan. I usually put a letter of the App afterwards so *I for Ibotta, *C for Checkout51, etc. When I get home, I just check my list for items I ended up purchasing via those Apps and I set them on the counter as I’m unloading the groceries. I then take the two minutes to scan them and my receipt and I’m done. Money earned.

Now when it comes to Shopkick, I often forget to use the App as I’m focused on getting in and out of the store. So I take a minute to see what is offered at the stores I plan on shopping at that day before I go. If I see simple items I can scan, I’ll jot them down on my shopping list followed by *scan after them. I also put “Shopkick” at the top of my list so I remember to open the App and get my walk-in points before I start shopping. It truly helps!

I sure hope this post has helped you learn a bit more about just some of the available Apps that are out there that may help you save and/or earn extra money each week. What are your favorite money-saving Apps that you’ve found that I didn’t list? I’d love to hear what you’ve found, too!

Money Saving Apps – Savings Beyond Coupons!

It’s January. That time of year when people set resolutions and often times one of those is to get finances under control. While the best place to begin may be making cutbacks and creating a budget, I also wanted to touch base on the little things that can add-up over time. There are so many little changes that can be made that can add up to huge savings when you make them a part of your lifestyle.

The first one I want to start with is to always keep your house inventoried, as I call it, to prevent unnecessary purchases and/or waste. I’m not only referring to your basic foods kept in your fridge, freezer or food pantry but also places such as your bathroom cabinets and wherever it is that you store your cleaning supplies.

In the past when I have run out of stock of something in my house and I’d have to go out and pay full-price for it, I would get upset at myself for allowing such a silly thing to happen. But when you stop and think about all the things you, and your family, use in the course of a month, you’ll discover that you are doing a pretty good job of keeping up with things.

But pretty good doesn’t equal big savings either. So let’s look at how to prevent such a thing from happening. Your end goal is to never have to pay full-price for anything!

The first place to start is to roll up your sleeves and dig right in there to your pantry shelves. There’s no way of knowing what you need if you don’t know what you already have. As you are weeding through shelf after shelf, you’ll be mystified at what you may find. You’ll be excited over the foods and items you didn’t have a clue were lurking there and you’ll get angry over allowing several things to have expired and are now useless. Money lost. Smile over your good finds and shake off the money losses for now.

While you are sorting through these cabinets and shelves, take time to organize them in a useful manner. Foods and products you use most should be near the front. Items that are rarely used can be pushed further back. As you are going through the items, pull out anything you see that has an expiration date within a month or two of when you are doing this overhaul. Those items, regardless of type/category, will be moved to a new place that I simply refer to as “Use First!” I have a separate area for these items in my fridge, freezer and cabinet. I find it is much easier to remember to get them used that way.

When you are all done with each cabinet/shelf, grab a sheet of paper and jot down three things: 1) Everything you do have 2) Everything you are low on and 3) Everything you are out of stock on. Yes, this will take some time. When I went through this process, I just did one cabinet per day, over the course of about a week.

Once you are done, not only will you be more organized and have a clean pantry/fridge/freezer/cabinet, but you’ll have also created some very important lists. You see, those lists are going to save you big money over the next month and here’s why.

The first list of things you have (List = things you have) will help you to find meals you can create with things you already have on hand or meals that you can make where you need the least number of items purchased at the store. This is where you test your creativity and open mind to new recipes. We often have one or two months a year where we try to have an “eat from the pantry” challenge and make only meals with what we have on hand, aside from a few random fresh fruits/veggies purchases. It’s a great way to clear out older food and you can take all the money you’d spend on groceries that month and use it for something important, like paying down another bill or having a cushion in the next month’s budget to stockpile up a few great deals you can find.

The second list of things you have (List = items you are low on) will help you to know the items you are going to have to be alert for finding great deals on those items. These are the things you’ll want to look for coupons for and watch the sale ads for a hot price on them.

The third and last list (List = items you are out-of-stock on) are those things you need to add to this week’s grocery/household shopping trip. You’ll want to scour the ads for the best price you can find that week. If it’s something you use quite often, you’ll then want to add it to your “low inventory” list and mark it “watch for stockpile price” so you won’t run out of them again.

I try to do this inventory check each quarter, about every 3-4 months. It’s a great way to weed out expired items and take note of things you can use soon to save you money in the long run. If you keep up with this quarterly (or monthly if you have time!) inventory habit, you will never run out of things you need and you’ll always be getting the best prices for things that you use. Apply this inventory process to everything including food, medicine, paper products, cleaning supplies, clothing items, household needs, pet supplies, etc.

Don’t be discouraged by the amount of time it will take you to do this the first time. It will get easier each time you do it as you’ll find yourself getting more organized and also needing to write down less low and no-stock items.

This is just the first step in helping you to save more money. Stay tuned for more little ways to save big!

Inventory, Inventory, Inventory!!

It has been awhile since I’ve been blogging. So long that I barely remembered my website log-in info!! I have spent the last several months catching up on all those things that have been pushed aside during my nearly 7 year blogging adventure on Coupon Geek. I’ve been cleaning and organizing and more importantly—resting! You would not believe how little sleep I had all those years I worked on that site. I’ve also been focusing on my health and getting myself to the point where I feel pretty good. And while 2016 will bring me to the Big 4-0, I have to say, I am feeling the best I have in a long time. This goes back to what I’ve stressed before about the importance of taking time out for yourself to recharge.

And now I’m ready to get back into the blogging arena! And it’s a great time to do it as the new year is quickly approaching. As silly as this may sound, it almost feels like when that first day of the new year hits, we kind of have a clean slate at starting over. While I’m not one to do resolutions, I do make a few goals that I’d like to achieve. And this year’s biggest goal for me is quite a doozy. I would really like to have a simpler year. One where I make the most of each dollar I spend and seek out fun that is free or fairly inexpensive. I’d like to take on the challenge of just how little one can spend throughout the year. How low can you go? It’s time to begin the Spending Limbo Game! (Queue the Limbo Music…)

This is actually how my Coupon Geek site started. My husband and I were determined to pay off all our debt, aside from our house. And just reflecting back to that time, I don’t remember it being stressful but a fun challenge. I appreciated the things I had more and the outings we did take were extra special.

So while I’ve been fairly vacant on Glowing Gazelles for several months, you can now expect to see me here quite often. I’ll be sharing all the things I find to help myself save money and the ways I find to bring more happiness to our lives.

When you have an incredibly ostentatious goal sometimes the hardest part is defining where to begin. So these are the 3 steps I am planning on having in place before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve:

1) Set up a budget for us to follow in 2016. This will mean having a plan in place for any vacations or special events we’d like to attend throughout the year. We’ll have a “family meeting” and vote on the things that are most important to each of us.

2) Inventory the food pantry, fridge, freezer and household pantry/cabinets. This will give me an idea of what I have to work with and the items I need to look for deals on throughout January. And you know what will happen for those things that I need to buy? Yup, finding a sale and a coupon to match! I may no longer be “Coupon Geek” but I do try to avoid paying full-price for anything!

3) Create a rough-draft monthly meal plan for January. Since we tend to have cold and snowy winters this is a great time to do this as I am not a fan of several shopping outings in that kind of weather! My goal is to try to have a no or low spend month in January and “eat from the stockpile.” I will need to budget some for fresh veggies/fruit, though, as I am not sure I could technically be happy without those!

These are the 3 places where I’ll begin and I’ll share how I went about accomplishing them as they happen. I encourage you at this time to think about what goals and/or challenges you plan on tackling in 2016. Perhaps you can play the Spending Limbo Game along with me and see how low you can go for your yearly spending, too!

Preparing For The New Year and The Spending Limbo Game!

Halfway through April. How is that even possible? Hope you all are getting some beautiful weather and soaking up some of that good Vitamin D!

So here’s the “Fun Friday” for the week of 4/17/15:

Kroger Affiliates: Free Lipton Sparkling Tea – 4/17/15 only

Farm Fresh Stores: Free BoomChicapop Popcorn through 4/19/15 with FB Coupon.

SavingStar: Free Hershey’s Chocolate Bar – Thru 4/19/15.

Extra Savings with These New Coupons: Buy Cheez-Its Get Pringles Free, Gerber Good Start Soothe, So Delicious, High-value Quilted Northern Coupon, Olay Hand and Body Lotion, Bounty, Ziploc Bags, Tide, Seventh Generation Dish Soap, Hefty Slider Bags, Puffs, Finish, Claussen Pickles and Sargento Cheese.

Free Redbox Code – You can try code PLKMP982 for free rental or $1.50 Off BluRay or Game through 4/30/15. Text SHOPS to 727272 for a free rental. Check to see if any of the “ongoing” ones will work for you, if you haven’t used them in the past.

Free Kellogg’s Family Rewards Code: BLOGSBESTRKTREAT for 25 points. FREECODEJUST4YOU for 100 points. PTSWORTHMELTING4 for 5 points.

Free Pampers Gifts to Grow Code: C3M6T9YFR1M2015 for 20 points.

Lowe’s: Build and Grow Clinic on 5/9/15 – kids can make a Mother’s Day Planter. Registration opens on 4/27/15.

Home Depot: Kids’ Workshop on 5/2/15 – kids can make a picket fence photo frame. Starts at 9AM. Make sure you register!

Williams & Sonoma: Junior Chef Class on 4/18/15 for kids ages 5-13. They are learning about DIY Homemade Drinks. For adults, a Technique Class on 4/19/15 for Coffee – Be Your Own Barista. Call your local store to register.

Barnes and Noble: Free Storytime (Aqualicious – Pinkalicious goes to the beach!) at 11AM on 4/18/15. Don’t forget about their free online storytime, too!

Wendy’s – Purchase a Frosty Tag for $1 donation and you’ll get a Free Jr. Frosty with each purchase in 2015!

Some free points from Recyclebank: (I save up mine for gift cards!)

Learn about Organic Waste for 155 Points

Learn about Getting Crafty for 110 Points

And a few Free eBooks: (Keep in mind prices flip fast on Amazon so be sure to check current price before purchasing!!)

Gluten-Free Paleo Diet: Amazing Paleo Dessert Recipes For Healthy Eating And Weight Loss “The Delicious Way” (Under 200 Calories Per Serving)

Effortless Savings: A Money Management Guide to Saving Without Sacrifice

DIY Lemon: How to Clean, Improve Your Health, Rejuvenate your Skin, and Lose Weight

Superfoods Cookbook: Book One: 75+ Recipes of Quick & Easy Cooking, Low Fat Cooking, Gluten Free Cooking, Wheat Free Cooking, Low Cholesterol Cooking

Superfoods Cookbook: Book One: 75+ Recipes of Quick & Easy Cooking, Low Fat Cooking, Gluten Free Cooking, Wheat Free Cooking, Low Cholesterol Cooking, … cookbook – weight loss plan for women 29)

The Green City Market Cookbook: Great Recipes from Chicago’s Award-Winning Farmers Market

Quick Easy Recipes: 5 Ingredient Cookbook: Easy Recipes in 5 or Less Ingredients (Quick and Easy Cooking Series)

Square Foot Gardening: Grow Organic Fruits and Vegetables with Lesser Space, Time and Money (Square Foot Gardening for Beginners Book 1)

Vertical Gardening! A Beginner’s Guide: Growing Vegetables in Less Space and Time (Vertical Gardening Book Book 1)

Dump Cake: Extremely easy, fast, high-quality recipes that can be cooked by anyone!

The Personal Blender Recipe Book: 100+ Personal Blender Smoothies That You Can Use for Good Health & Weight Loss – For Breville Blend Active, Oster, Hamilton, … Nutribullet & Other Single Serve Blenders

Mediterranean Cookbook: Revealed! 65 Delicious Mediterranean Diet Cookbook Recipes Sure To Delight and Amaze All While Losing Inches (Cookbooks of the Week)

Raw Vegan Cuisine & Fermented Foods: Gourmet & Cultured Living Raw Food Recipes.

My Grain & Brain Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook: 101 Gluten-free Slow Cooker Recipes to Boost Brain Power & Lose Belly Fat – A Grain-free, Low Sugar, Low Carb and Wheat-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook

DIY Declutter and Organize: Proven Hacks and Strategies to Declutter and Organize Your Home with Less Time, Money and Effort

Children Books: Lucky the Lizard (Bedtime Stories For Kids Ages 3-10)

Gluten-free Today: 36 Quick and Easy Lunch & Snack Recipes

Fun Friday: Freebies and Fun Things to Do – The 4/17/15 Edition

Inching closer to that summer weather! My kids are on spring break starting today so I’m excited for the extra time with them!

So here’s the “Fun Friday” for the week of 3/27/15:

Kroger Affiliates: Free Sparkling Ice Tea – 3/27/15 only

SavingStar: Free Cadbury Egg – Thru 3/29/15.

Meijer Stores – Check your mPerks account for a Free Skinny Cow Iced Coffee Coupon. Valid through 3/28/15.

Farm Fresh Stores: Another FB Offer – Free Culinary Pizza with $10 Purchase.

Extra Savings with These New Coupons: Turtles Minis, Horizon Mac & Cheese, Tide, Sargento Shredded Cheese, Glad Products, Windex, Kraft Parmesan Cheese, 7UP, Huggies Wipes, Lady Speed Stick, DiGiorno and Starbucks.

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar Coupons Here and Here – Check your stock for dyeing Easter eggs!!

Free Redbox Code – You can try code 5678JJNN for free rental or $1.50 Off BluRay or Game. Text MOVIE to 727272 for a free rental. Check to see if any of the “ongoing” ones will work for you, if you haven’t used them in the past.

Free Kellogg’s Family Rewards Code: KFRMEMBERSRGREAT for 100 points and MAGICALCREATIONS for 25 points, (exp unknown), STPATRICKSPOINTS for 50 points (3/31/15) and code SCOOBYSWEEPS4YOU for 50 points (exp 3/31/15) if you haven’t already added them.

ToysRUs: They are having a Free Lego Ninjago Event on 3/28/14 from 12-2PM. Kids will get to take home a free Lego Ninjago Mask.

Lowe’s: Build and Grow Clinic on 4/11/15 – kids can make a See-and-Grow Planter Box. Check to see if there are any registration spots open!

Home Depot: Kids’ Workshop on 4/4/15 – kids can make a chalkboard planter stands. Starts at 9AM. Make sure you register!

Williams & Sonoma: Junior Chef Class on 3/21/15 for kids ages 5-13. They are learning about Eggs-cellent Eggs. For adults, a Technique Class on 3/22/15 for Brunch Entertaining. Call your local store to register.

Barnes and Noble: Free Storytime (Duck and Goose) at 11AM on 3/28/15. Don’t forget about their free online storytime, too!

Free Disney Movie Rewards Codes worth a total of 20 points: GOLDEN, WHITE, REDCAPE and YELLOW.

Wendy’s – Purchase a Frosty Tag for $1 donation and you’ll get a Free Jr. Frosty with each purchase in 2015!

Some free points from Recyclebank: (I save up mine for gift cards!)

Earn 25 Points for learning about 3 Streams for Organic Waste.

And a few Free eBooks: (Keep in mind prices flip fast on Amazon so be sure to check current price before purchasing!!)

Slow Cooker Breakfast Cookbook. Easy Recipes to Prepare with your Slow Cooker.

Gifts in Jars: Recipes for Easy, Delicious, Inexpensive DIY Gifts in Jars (Jar Recipes, Jar Gifts, Homemade Gifts)

Pressure Cooker for Beginners: Cookbook for Busy People with Quick, Simple & Delicious Recipes (Pressure Cooker Recipes)

Elegant Vegetarian Cooking

One Day Crochet: Incredible One Day School for Crocheting Unique Vintage Ponchos and Scarves

DIY Gifts: 23 Unique Ideas for Quick, Lovely, Inexpensive DIY Gifts in Jars

Herbal Antibiotic Medicine: Natural Pathway To Health & Healing

Woodworking: 101 Beginners Guide (The Definitive guide for what need to know to start your projects today)

Soap Making 101 : The Different Soap Making Techniques: Homemade Soap Recipes – Ultimate Guide to Creating Your Own Soap at Home

Smoothies for Runners: Healthy Smoothie Recipes for Running and Workout Training

25 Days of Home-Baked Cookies: A collection of tried and true cookie recipes that are delicious and kid-friendly

Clean Eating For Weight Loss: Top 12 delicious recipes and meals for cleansing, High energy, Fat loss and living a healthy life

A Place In Space

Gluten Free Desserts: The Only Gluten Free Cookbook You Will Ever Need!

Declutter Your House, Declutter Your Life: 21 Steps to a Tidier, More Organized Home

Re-Mind Yourself:Better Memory, Less Stress

Books for Kids: Dinosaur Tales

Children’s Books: HOW THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON

Fun Friday: Freebies and Fun Things To Do – The 3/27/15 Edition!

Happy First Day of Spring to all of you! It has been such a lovely weather week here. We are doing our best to enjoy each nice day that we get!

So here’s the “Fun Friday” for the week of 3/20/15:

First Day of Spring Freebies: Free Italian Ice at Rita’s

Kroger Affiliates: Free Nestea Liquid Water Enhancer – 3/20/15 only

Farm Fresh Stores – Free Dozen Eggs with $10 Purchase (FB Offer)

SavingStar: Free Hunt’s Tomato Sauce – Thru 3/22/15.

Extra Savings with These New Coupons: Gerber Juice, Play-Doh, Dreft Detergent, Glad (High Value!), Windex, 7UP, Huggies Wipes, Huggies Pull-ups and Canada Dry.

BOGO Horizon Snack Crackers Coupon!

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar Coupons Here and Here – Check your stock for dyeing Easter eggs!!

Earthbound Farm Organic Coupon – $1/2 products. Will get you carrots for around $.50! Through 3/24/15.

Free Redbox Code – You can try code 5678JJNN for free rental or $1.50 Off BluRay or Game. Text MOVIE to 727272 for a free rental. Check to see if any of the “ongoing” ones will work for you, if you haven’t used them in the past.

Free Kellogg’s Family Rewards Code: POINTSFORREWARDS for 100 Points.(exp unknown) LUCKYLEPRECHAUNS for 50 Points. (exp 3/24/15) STPATRICKSPOINTS for 50 points (3/31/15) and code SCOOBYSWEEPS4YOU for 50 points (exp 3/31/15) if you haven’t already added them.

Lowe’s: Build and Grow Clinic on 4/11/15 – kids can make a See-and-Grow Planter Box. Check to see if there are any registration spots open!

Home Depot: Kids’ Workshop on 4/4/15 – kids can make a chalkboard planter stands. Starts at 9AM. Make sure you register!

Williams & Sonoma: Junior Chef Class on 3/21/15 for kids ages 5-13. They are learning about Easter Baking. For adults, a Technique Class on 3/22/15 for Easter Baking. Call your local store to register.

Barnes and Noble: Free Storytime (Edmund Unravels) at 11AM on 3/21/15. Don’t forget about their free online storytime, too!

Free Packet of Wildflower Seeds, while supplies last!

Corner Bakery – Make a reservation to get a Free Grilled Flat!

Free Printables: National Geographic A to Z Animals Coloring Pages. You can also select them individually at A to I or J to Z

Wendy’s – Purchase a Frosty Tag for $1 donation and you’ll get a Free Jr. Frosty with each purchase in 2015!

Some free points from Recyclebank: (I save up mine for gift cards!)

Earn 25 Points for Learning about why Garbage never goes away.

And a few Free eBooks: (Keep in mind prices flip fast on Amazon so be sure to check current price before purchasing!!)

Helichrysum Essential Oil: Uses, Studies, Benefits, Applications & Recipes (Wellness Research Series Book 9)

The Tale of the Clownfish and the Great Shark (Fun Rhyming Children’s Books)

Slow Cooking Recipes: 50 Quick and Easy Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes, Slow Cooker Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

Superfoods Cookbook: Book One: 75+ Recipes of Quick & Easy Cooking, Low Fat Cooking, Gluten Free Cooking, Wheat Free Cooking, Low Cholesterol Cooking

Children’s book:”I’M A DRAGON”

The 31-Day Paleo Diet Challenge with Cast Iron Skillet Recipes: One Paleo Diet Recipe for Every Day of the Month Using Cast Iron Skillets

How To Knit: Adorable Book with Luxury Lace Patterns and Ideas. 24 Can’t Miss Knitting Tutorials

Children’s Book: I Wish I Were a Dolphin: A Story of Bubbles the Goldfish: Kids Photo Book

The Greatest Mexican Recipes In History: Delicious & Easy Mexican Recipes To Make At Home + Mexican Food Guide (Tacos, Tortillas, Burritos and More!)

Freezer Meals for the Slow Cooker: Quick and Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for the Busy People

Children’s Books: ONE HUNDRED EGGS FOR HENRIETTA

Fun Friday: Freebies and Fun Things to Do – The 3/20/15 Edition!

One of the ways that you can save money throughout the year is to invest in a deep freezer and pick up meat in bulk and freeze veggies and fruit when in season. But with a deep freezer comes the difficult task of keeping it organized so you can make sure you use those foods when you need them and before they go bad. I’ve tried several, several methods and ways to organize my deep freezer, each having it’s own negative outcome. Those thick milk crates? Way too heavy for me to lift! Just leaving every loose in the freezer? It became like a treasure hunt and often discouraged me from cooking as it took too long to find the right cut of meat! By far, this method I’m about to show you is my favorite.

Before you begin, you’ll want to find some high-quality containers to sort out your meat cuts. I found the ones pictured above at Target (I also saw them at Walmart) and they have worked really well for me for the last year. They often go on sale so if you aren’t in any hurry you may want to wait and save yourself some money. You’ll find them in the storage container area as opposed to the kitchen area of your store.

Our deep freezer has a deep “well” in the middle and then a shorter shelf-type area on the other side. I’ve found that I can fill the middle of the well with the larger containers and then slide the smaller ones down the other side and then a few on top. I also use the larger ones on the shelf area.

Before you organize, you must think about what cuts of meat you use the most/least. The ones you don’t cook too often will go on the bottom of the stacks. Things you use often you’ll save for the top.

I usually have 1/4 cow, 1/2 hog, a few whole chickens and some loose random items in my deep freezer. It just all depends on what time of year it is and what’s the latest I’ve had delivered by our farmer. (Don’t know where to look for a good farmer contact in your area? Try Local Harvest as you should be able to find a farmer and/or farmer’s market near you.)

Here’s how I sort them by cut:

1) On the bottom, I keep pieces such as roasts, ribs, soup bones and any cuts I rarely use.

2) On top of that is a large bin of hamburger patties.

3) On the side and bottom of those large containers, I keep our steaks if it’s not BBQ season. They get transferred up top during the summer!

4) On top of those are the larger steak pieces such as sirloin steaks, etc.

5) On top of the hamburger patties are another large container of ground hamburger. We go through this the most so it is always towards the top.

6) On top of the ground hamburger are smaller containers of beef stew meat and cubed steaks. These fit nicely in those small containers so I keep them stacked on top (otherwise they throw the larger containers off balance!).

7) As you can see on the side with the smaller containers, there’s a gap between them and the freezer. This is where I’ll drop extra soup bones and whole chickens, if I am stocking up on them. I also store hams and/or turkeys there, too. I don’t cook too many per year so they fit nicely there.

8) Off on that “shelf” space, I use larger containers and I keep my pork here. I usually have pork chops and pork steaks in the bottom one and on top I’ll keep pork sausage, bacon, etc. as I use them more. I usually have my pork delivered when my beef is low and vice versa so I always have enough room to store them. Right now, I’m lower on pork than beef.

9) Our freezer came with a basket. I keep things such as homemade bone broth/stock, whole chickens, bread products, etc. in there. If yours doesn’t have a basket, just use more smaller containers.

10) On top of everything, I’ll add small containers of fruit/veggies that are in season. We picked quite a few blueberries so that’s what I have there at this time.  My other veggies/fruit are in our main freezer space along with our ice cream and such. I don’t use a lot of processed foods so I don’t need much storage space for those. I will shift any large containers left or right, as needed. When I decided to add the blueberries to this freezer, I shifted the ground hamburger over on top of the pork since there was room. That’s what’s nice about these large and small containers is that they really work well together as far as space and lots of options of how to stack them.

11) After you sort the meat cuts into the small/large containers (and before you stack them in your freezer), take a minute to jot down what you have on inventory.  I went a step further and typed mine up in Excel and printed it with extra columns of gridlines. Now, when I take cuts out, I can cross it off and update the new total. I keep it safe in a little plastic bag with a hook. (Talk about re-using items–this bag came from a multi-pack of kids socks! I always keep things like that as you’ll never know when you can use them!!) My totals may not always be exact but at least I’ll have somewhat of an idea of what I have on hand.

12) Since that little bag had a hook, it hangs perfectly on my extra spice rack which I keep in my pantry where my deep freezer is stored.

Now there are times when I need meat cuts on the bottom of the freezer but it is so easy to take out the top containers to get to them. They are really light-weight and easy to put back in as they fit perfectly in there together—there’s no more throwing out your back trying to lift those impossibly heavy milk crate containers!

What it really comes down to is this–you need to organize your deep freezer in a way that works for YOU. It should be simple enough that you won’t be discouraged from cooking because you don’t have time (or energy!) to dig through your deep freezer.

And this should go without saying but….always make sure you rotate your stock of meats and use your oldest cuts first. When we are getting our next batch of beef or pork, I’ll take what’s left of the last batch and move them to my freezer that’s attached to my fridge. I then try to work my meal plans around those cuts of meat first.

And here’s a great tip for defrosting meats–always keep an 8×8 Pyrex type dish in your fridge so you can easily toss meats in there to defrost. (Just make sure you wash it in between uses!) I have been doing this for awhile and it saves me time from trying to clear space to make room for them. As soon as the dish is washed out, I put it right back in the fridge, empty and ready to be used again. Also, it’s always best to defrost your meats on the bottom shelf of your fridge so if they leak, they won’t drip all over your other foods!

I hope this helps you get your deep freezer more organized! I’d love to hear your tips of what you do to keep yours nice and neat!

Disclaimer: Please use your own judgment as to whether containers you use are safe for your freezer and foods. I am not saying these are the safest containers but just that I use them. Check your local stores for containers marked “freezer safe” if you are concerned about your food safety, etc. You might be able to find similarly shaped containers that are marked as such.

How To: Organize Your Deep Freezer

Loving this great weather we’ve been having this week. Makes ya feel like summer’s right around the corner!

So here’s the “Fun Friday” for the week of 3/13/15:

Kroger Affiliates: Free Mars Easter Egg Singles – 3/13/15 only

Ralph’s Stores: Add a coupon for Free Cabbage. Exp 3/16/15.

SavingStar: Free Rice-a-Roni or Pasta Roni – Thru 3/15/15.

Extra Savings with These New Coupons: Heinz Ketchup and Mustard, Tide, RoTel, Keebler Ready Crust, Crisco, Starbucks Iced Coffee, Jennie-O, Charmin and Minute Maid.

Free Redbox Code – Text MOVIE to 727272 for a free rental. Check to see if any of the “ongoing” ones will work for you, if you haven’t used them in the past.

Free Kellogg’s Family Rewards Code: FREEPOINTSFORYOU for 100 points (exp 3/15/15), STPATRICKSPOINTS for 50 points (3/31/15) and code SCOOBYSWEEPS4YOU for 50 points (exp 3/31/15) if you haven’t already added it. Code EVERYONELOVESKFR for 100 Points! Code KELLOGGSREWARDSU for 100 Points. Not sure on expiration date on that one.

Lowe’s: Build and Grow Clinic on 3/14/15 – kids can make a Monster Truck. Check to see if there are any registration spots open!

Home Depot: Kids’ Workshop on 4/4/15 – kids can make a chalkboard planter stands. Starts at 9AM. Make sure you register!

Williams & Sonoma: Junior Chef Class on 3/14/15 for kids ages 5-13. They are learning about Pancake Party. For adults, a Technique Class on 3/15/15 for Knife Skills. Call your local store to register.

Barnes and Noble: Free Storytime (Mustache Baby) at 11AM on 3/14/15. Don’t forget about their free online storytime, too!

Facebook Freebie: Free Easter Egg Decorating Kit – limited to first 100,000.

IHOP: Participating locations are offering Free Short Stack of Pancakes when you wear green on St. Patrick’s Day!

Free Sample: Equate Feminine Care Sample Pack

Free Printables: National Geographic A to Z Animals Coloring Pages. You can also select them individually at A to I or J to Z

Dairy Queen: Free Cone Day on 3/16/15 at participating locations!

Arby’s Freebie: Free Roast Beef Classic with Drink Purchase and sign-up

Wendy’s – Purchase a Frosty Tag for $1 donation and you’ll get a Free Jr. Frosty with each purchase in 2015!

FaveCrafts: Free St. Patrick’s Day Crafts/Recipes eBook or Garden Crafts eBook

FaveHealth: Free Healthy Recipes eBook

Some free points from Recyclebank: (I save up mine for gift cards!)

Energy Calculator: Worth 15 Points

Update Your Decor: Worth 20 Points

And a few Free eBooks: (Keep in mind prices flip fast on Amazon so be sure to check current price before purchasing!!)

How to Save Money at Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to Cut Spending

Cast Iron Cookbook. Cooking Easy Recipes with your Cast Iron Skillet

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes: Celebrating Authentic Irish Cuisine

Clean Food Diet: Avoid processed foods and eat clean with few simple lifestyle changes

The Best Investment: A Better You

100 More Easy Recipes in Jars

DIY Household Hacks: The Ultimate Guide To Effective, Affordable And Practical Household Hacks That You MUST Learn

Green Cleaning: The Ultimate Guide

30 Recipes Using Cooked Chicken: Real food your family will love

GMO Free Diet: The Ultimate Guide on Avoiding GMO Foods and keeping Your Family Healthy with a GMO Free Diet

Quilting For Beginners: A Proven Clear-Cut Method For Learning How to Quilt In Record Time

Crocheting for beginners: How to Crochet A Beginners guide to crocheting easy crochet patterns and crochet stitches

IRISH RECIPES FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY: The Best of Irish Cooking, Drinks and Jokes For St. Patrick’s Day

Children’s Books: THE LITTLE LEPRECHAUN WHO LOVED YELLOW!

MINECRAFT: Diary Of A Minecraft Pig

MINECRAFT: Diary Of A Lonely Creeper

MINECRAFT: Diary Of A Minecraft Skeleton

Minecraft: Diary of a Wimpy Steve series Book 1: Trapped in Minecraft!

Fun Friday: Freebies and Fun Things to Do: The 3/13/15 Edition