Lovin' Spoonful

Great Deal on Tide Liquid Detergent!!! Plus good diaper steals!

2013-01-11T09:55:00.002-08:00

Next week (1/13/13) at CVS, Tide is at it's best!

Here is the scenario!

Tide 50 oz (make sure you check what you get. Some won't be 50 oz, but some will!)
$5.94 each

Get 5!

5.94 x 5 = 29.70
You have to hit $30 to get the $10 gift card. This is different than CVS extra bucks. It doesn't expire and they give it to you on a card. It is new for 2013!
Buy one Dawn Hand Renewal dish liquid (which is my favorite by the way) for 99 cents.

Total: $30.69

Tide has a manufacturer's coupon that was in the PG 12/31 for $1.50 off any Tide excluding the PODS. You will need five of them. You can order then or if you are local, talk to me! I just ordered 15 for $4 on ebay and only need at most 5! :) So the coupons is .26 each. 5 would be $1.

30.69
- 7.50 coupons
-10.00 gift card you will get back
+ 1.39 PA Tax
= 14.58 for 5 Tides!

Each tide is 50 oz so 250 oz of Tide for 14.58 is less than 6 cents an ounce! You really can't find it cheaper than that!
If you prefer it in loads, there are 32 loads in a bottle. At 2.91 each, it's .09 a load.

AWESOME DEAL! :) Stock up!

Diapers:

If you want you can combine a little bit of tide with some Huggies diaper deals.

Jumbo packs of Huggies are 9.49 each: $3 printable manufacturer -- http://see.walmart.com/huggies/?cid=sbo.389.3026

You can print two of the coupons after you watch the video, so make sure you do!

2 Diapers = 18.98
2 Tide = 11.88

30.86
- 6 Diaper coupons
- 3 Tide coupons
= 21.86
+ tax
= 23.17
- 10.00
= 13.17

This makes each item 3.29 each! If you get size 3 diapers, it's 10 cents a diaper!

It's 10 cents per load of laundry too!

At target if you buy the huge box of 180 diapers (size 3) it's 14 cents a diaper. So this is cheaper and the name brand!
Tide at target is 17.99 for 150 oz. Here you get that amount for 9.87! Almost half price!

There are a few more deals in the CVS ad that are part of the $10 off $30.
Huggies Wipes Jumbo pack 5.99
Covergirl makeup Buy 1, Get 1 50% off (makes for GREAT deals especially with coupons!)
12 packs of Coke are $3 each (If you bought 10, too many I know, it would be $2 each)
2 ltrs of Coke are 3/$4
-These are another good option if you need to get to $30 without spending much and more...

PS. If you have never sign up with CVS for their emails, you get a $4 off $20 coupon when you do. That would be usable on these scanerios making them even better deals!

These deals can be done multiple times in one week at CVS. The current limit on $10 cards is 5!!

Happy Couponing!

16 boxes cereal for $.74 total at Giant food stores

2012-05-16T11:45:00.001-07:00

Oh, if I ever could love a grocery store, it would be Giant... But seriously, this week there is a great deal on Kellogg's cereal! And you don't have to order coupons either. Just print them. Depending on the cereal you want, you can come out just over $1 for eight boxes of cereal (trips one and two).

So here is how the deal works. You buy 4 participating Kellogg's cereals and you get $6 off instantly. If that isn't good enough, you also will get a $4.50 off a gallon of milk at the end from the coupon printer. I know, milk isn't $4.50 (depending on what kind you buy). No worries! As long as you buy something with it, you get the full $4.50. So buy milk at $3.90 and something else for .60 and it's all free! I buy milk anyway, so I just count it toward my cereal savings. You can do this as many times as you want in a transaction. I just went in different trips because it's how it worked out.

NOTE TO SELF: the milk coupons expire about a week and a half from your purchase. So plan accordingly!

Here are the scenarios that I have done and am doing.

First trip:
Kellogg's Corn Flakes $3.79 (great for chicken fingers if you don't like them plain)
Caramel Crunchy Nut $3.79 (it's a newer cereal)
Krave double chocolate $3.99 (not healthy... but no worries we get Special K later!)
Cinnamon Roll Mini Wheats $3.99 (see above)

These are the printables on Kellogg's site and coupons.com:
.50 off one Corn Flakes
.50 off one Caramel Crunchy Nut
.70 off one Krave
.50 off one Cinnamon Roll Mini Wheats

This is when it really matters that Giant will double all of those coupons! Total coupon discount = $4.40

Total for cereal before coupons: $15.56
                                                - 6.00 instant promo savings
                                                - 4.40 coupons
                                                  $5.16
                                                - 4.50 back toward milk
                                                    $.66 for four boxes of cereal!!!

Second trip:
3 Cocoa Krispies $3.19 each
1 Cinnamon Roll Mini Wheats $3.29

These are the printables on Kellogg's site and coupons.com:
.50 off one Cinnamon Roll Mini Wheats (This one doubles!!)
$1/3 Kellogg's cereals
Total coupon discounts: $2

Total for cereal before coupons: $12.86
                                               -   6.00 instant promo savings
                                               -   2.00 coupons
                                                 $4.86
                                               - 4.50 back toward milk
                                                    .36 for four boxes of cereal!!!

Third trip: (8 more boxes)
4 Special K cereals $2.99
3 Cocoa Krispies $3.19 each
1 Caramel Crunchy Nut $3.19

These are the printables on Kellogg's site and coupons.com:
$1/3 Kellogg's cereals
.50 off one Caramel Crunchy Nut (Doubles!)
(2) $1/2 Special K cereals
Total coupon discounts: $4

Total for cereal before coupons: $24.72
                                               - 12.00 instant promo savings ($6 x 2)
                                               - 4.00 coupons
                                                 8.72
                                               - 9.00 back toward milk
                                                  MAKE .28 for eight boxes of cereal!!!

NOTE TO SELF: You don't have to go in different trips. It just worked out that way for me.

Get to printing coupons and go get the cheap cereal!! :)) For the kellogg's printables, go to http://www.kelloggs.com/ and it's under offers and promotions. You do have to make a login, but it's worth it.

Good luck!

Oh! How I love RiteAid!!

2012-02-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

So this week has some good deals at RiteAid. It all depends on if you really wanna coupon shop!!!! I will be making $4.28 when I go to RiteAid this coming week! And that is after getting 12 packs of single gum and two packages of bandaids today and walking out having been paid $2!!! LOVE IT!

This coming week (2/19/12) you can get:

2 Vaseline Intensive Care lotions at $2.97 each. It will print out $2 +UP rewards for each! There is a coupon you can order here for $1/1 that will make this FREE!!! (the limit is 2 +UP rewards)

You also can get BrainStrong toddler 30 counts for $13. It prints of a $13 +UP as well! There is a $2 coupon you can get for signing up with the company (it's quick) here. This makes it a $2 MONEY MAKER!! I will be able to donate this at work, so it's not a waste to get!

Lastly, Colgate toothpaste is $3.50. It will print a +UP for $3.50 for each one you get!!! Not only is it free, you can use the .75/1 coupon (click for link) and make money!!! The limit is for! So buy 4 @ $14 and get $3 off in coupons and then get $14 back in +UP! That's another $3 MONEY MAKER!

Now, you do have to figure in tax. So that is why you don't make $6.

Transaction 1:

BrainStrong @ $13 - $2 MC + tax = $11.66
- get $13 back!

Transaction 2:

2 Vaseline lotions $5.94 - $2 MC = $3.94
4 Colgate toothpaste $14 - $3 MC = $ 11
Total $14.94 - $13 +UP + tax = $2.06!

AND YOU GET $18 back ($4 on Vaseline and $14 on Colgate!)

Out of pocket spent: $13.72
Left over +UP : $18
YOU MAKE $4.28!!! Not too shabby :)

Short and sweet! Order those coupons!

STOCK UP SALE! :) Awesome cereal and skin care/personal care deals plus a few more

2012-01-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

Ok. So I am a little late with this this week to be able to quickly order coupons. But you could get a good deal without many coupons. Just use what you have :) You can order if you want but I can't guarantee they will get here in time... Typically it takes three days. So they might be in Saturday... but maybe not worth the gamble.

First is the cereal deal! It's a Giant. When you buy 4 GM cereals you get $4 off instantly and then a coupon prints for $4.50 in milk. This is a catalina and works when you buy milk. Wait, milk isn't $4.50! No worries :) You get the overage. So make sure you don't just get milk. If milk is $3.80, and you have $10 in groceries, you will pay $5.50. Make sense?

There are coupons out there right now for cereal. It's $1/3 GM cereals. Not awesome, but pretty good.
The best way to do this deal is to do it 3 times. That makes for 12 boxes of cereal. This way you have a coupon for each of the boxes. So you will use 4 of the $1/3 coupons but get 3 of the deals with $4 off and the milk coupon.

I am not exactly sure what the cost of the cereal is. The cheaper and smaller boxes you pick, the better off you are going to be. There is also going to be a restriction on the size on the coupon. It's normally about 12 ounces. So let's shoot high and say each box is $4 each (we should be able to get it cheaper than this!)

12 boxes x $4 each = $48
$4 instant x 3 =        - $12
$4.50 milk x 3 =      - $13.50
$1 MC x 4 =           - $4

Grand total = $18.50 for 12 boxes of cereal!!!! That's $1.50 a box! Not bad!

Now... The real fun comes in when you go online.

On www.coupons.com there are two good coupons. One is the $1/2 boxes of any Cheerios (which are GM) and .50 off one box of Cinnamon toast crunch. You can print these twice from one computer. If you have two computers in your home, you can print a total of 4 times (2 from each) and so on.

The best deal to have is the Cheerios. Do it as many times as you want. Let's look at doing it once. So you will print from one computer the 2 coupons and get 4 Cheerios (any style) from the store.

Say $4 a box:
$4 x 4 = $16
            - $ 4 instant
            - $ 4.50 milk
            - $ 2 MC

Total = $5.50 for 4 boxes of ceral

I think there will be cheaper boxes than $4! Get the small boxes! I know it's less cereal but it will be sooo cheap!
Say $3 a box:
$3 x 4   = $12
               - $ 4 instant
               - $ 4.50 milk
               - $ 2 MC
GRAND TOTAL = $1.50 for 4 boxes of cereal! Be excited with me on this one :-P

If you don't like cheerios you can still get a good deal. Without any coupons and pick any $4 box your total is $7.50 for 4 boxes of cereal. If you are just getting into the couponing or don't wanna take the time, this is a good option and still getting you over 1/2 off! :)

Now, as for Rite Aid and the skin care/personal care products
On the last page of Rite Aid's ad is a spend $30 get $10 in UP rewards. There is some good potential! The first item, the lighter, isn't part of that $30 thing. Also, Rite aid has a thing running this month that if you spend $100 on items with the "buy & save" circle buy them you get $20 up. This is the case for all the items in the spend $30 get $10 thing. So if you spent $100 in these items, you could get $30 back.

Items:
Zippo candle lighter $9.99
- $5 UP
  - $5 single check rebate
    **If you haven't done Rite Aid single check rebate before, you can make an account online and just enter in the receipt number. NOTE!!! You DO NOT submit the rebate until the end of the period. You can only submit once and you might want to enter more receipts for more rebates later. They run a rebate period every month. So you don't wanna submit til the end of January... Trust me, I screwed this one up the first time I did it.
TOTAL: FREE!!!

Thermacare heat wrap 1 ct $3.99
   - $3.99 UP
TOTAL: FREE!!!

$30 promo items:
1. Clean and Clear skin care B1G1 50% off (range in price at CVS online from $5-$7)
     -$2/1 MC Order
2. Carefree pantiliners 2/$5 36-60 ct
    -$1/2 in Rite Aid ad
    -.50/1 MC Order
3. Neutrogena skin care B1G1 50% off (range in price at CVS online from $6-$8)
    -$1.50/1 MC Order
4. Neutrogena make up
    -$2/1 MC Face makeup Order
    -$1/1 MC Lip and eye makeup Order
5. Avenno lotion, hair care, and baby B1G1 50% off (about $8.50 on CVS online for an adult lotion 12 oz)
      (hair care online CVS $7.50 and baby items from $6+)
     -$1/1 on lotion or baby item printable at http://www.coupons.com/
     -$1/1 on hair care printable at http://www.coupons.com/
6. Johnson and Johnson baby care $3.99
    -$1 UP on 1 (limit 1)
   -$1 baby oil printable at http://www.coupons.com/

So do two transactions:
1. Buy the lighter and heatwrap
Total after tax: $14.82
Will get $8.99 UP and $5 rebate for a total of 13.99 (you just paid tax)

2. Get your $30 stuff. Remember this is before coupons but after the 50% deals. And this can look different for everyone. **If you did the first transaction don't forget to use the UP rewards on this!

Idea 1:
4 Clean and Clear cleansers @ $5 each (2 will be 1/2 off)
Total before coupons and toward $30 = $15
- Use (4) $2/1 coupons = $7 to you.
2 Carefree items 2/$5
Total toward $30 now = $15 + $5 = $20
- Use $1/2 ad coupons and (2) .50/1 MC = $3 to you + $7 = $10
2 Aveeno lotions @ $8.50 + $4.25
Total toward $30 = $20 + $12.75 = $32.75
- Use (2) $1/1 printable = $10.75 for you.
Total for you with coupons = $20.75 + tax = $22
$22 - $10 UP = $12!!

Idea 2: No MC coupons
2 Aveeno hair care products @ $7.50 + $3.75 = $11.25 total
   (2) $1/1 hair care printable
2 Aveeno lotions @ 8.50 + 4.25 = $12.75
   (2) $1/1 lotion printable
Carefree 2/$5
   $1/2 in ad coupon
Johnson baby care $3.99
   $1/1 baby oil printable
   $1 UP reward
Total before coupons = 32.99
After coupons = 26.99 + tax = 28.61
You get $11 back in UP.
$17 total

There are TONS of combinations. You just need to look at the coupons you have the printables that you are interested in! Good Luck!

Not much this week but a great deal on Excedrin and a few other!

2011-12-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

Walgreens:
Walgreens will have a coupon book near the ad in the store. That is where you will find the in store coupons you will see below!

Viva Paper towels 6 count 2/$12
$3/2 in-store coupons
$4.50 each after coupons (not too bad)

Coke 2 liters 4/$5
$1/4 in store coupon
$1 each!

Spend $25, get $5 RR
$5.49 6 count Bounty paper towels
-$1/1 6 count paper towels (exp 12/31)
$3.49 6 count double roll Charmin toilet paper
-$1/2 Charmin (Expires 12/31)

Options:

4 Bounty paper towels
1 Charmin roll
Total: $25.45 - $4 MC for paper towels = $22.74 after PA tax
Get $5 back!
$17.74 total

4 Charmin rolls
3 Paper towels
Total: $30.43 - $5 MC ($3 paper towels, $2 charmin) = 26.96 after tax
$5 back
$21.96

RiteAid

Coke (must buy 3) 12 pks 3/$9.99
-$2/3 +UP
Pay the 9.99 + tax and get $2 UP
$7.99 + tax for 3 12 pks

Big Red, Juicy Fruit, Doublemint, or Orbit single gum packs $1
-$1 UP!
Only pay tax!!

Covergirl Makeup B1G1 50% off
$1 UP rewards on each (limit 4)
$1/1 Covergirl Item (Exp 12/31)

Options:
4 Eyeshadows (4.99 online)
$14.97 at B1G1 50% off - $4 MC = $10.97 + tax = $11.63
Get $4 in +UPs = $7.63

2 Eyeshadows $4.99
1 Mascara $7.99 (online price)
1 Foundation $7.99 (online price)
With the 50% off = $19.47
- $ 4 MC
Total = $15.47
Get $4 UP
Total after UP = $11.47

CVS

Revlon Grow Luscious mascara or certain lip options $6.99
-$4 EB
Total: $2.99 plus the tax on $6.99

Decoration Band Aids $2.99
-$2 EB
Total: .99 plus the tax on $2.99

ThermaCare
-$4 EB on 2
-$1/1 Thermacare 2 count or larger
$6 off total

Excedrin $10 EB when you spend $20 (remember precoupon!)
-$2/1 20 count or greater

Option:
Online a 24 ct is priced at $4.79
Buy 5 = $23.95
Use the $10 MC coupons (5 of the $2/1)
Total before EB and with tax = $14.79
Get $10 EB back!!!
Total for 5 Excedrins: $4.79

Revlon Nail $4.99
-$3 EB
Total: $1.99 plus tax on the $4.99

The Joys of CVS

2011-12-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

For those that have been looking to get into couponing, there isn't really a better place to start than CVS! During the holidays, they are running a promotion where if you buy $30 of select products, you get your pick of a $10 gift card. When I went last week there was American Express cards, Gap, Macys, CVS (great to just reuse on your next coupon trip) and more! I have heard through the grapevine that it takes a few hours for the AmEx cards to be active so you won't be able to do separate transactions and use the cards right away.

CVS puts their ad up for the next week on the Thursday before. So you can go today to cvs.com and click on weekly ad. You then click the tab for "Upcoming Weekly Ad." This way if you don't have the coupons you need you can get them in while those sales are going.
**All the links are to purchaseable coupons at http://www.westcoastcouponclipping.com/

Deals this week:

Spend $30, get a $10 gift card:
All Salley Hansen cosmetics or Hair removers
    -They are also buy one, get one 50% off! (B1G1 50%)
$4.99 Scott 6pk pick a size paper towels
     * $1/1 four count or large Scott paper towel
$7.49 Scott toilet paper 12 pk
     *$1/1 Scott toilet paper 8 count or large
A bunch of different fragrances from $4.99 - $19.99
$1.99 and up Hallmark Holiday boxed cards
Entertainment book (Says starting at $35 so I'm guessing it's $35)
All Rimmel Costmetics B1G1 50% (you can use a coupon for each item, even the 50% off ones)
     *$1/1 Rimmel London product
Secret or Gillette Clincal strength deoderant $7.99
     *$1/2 Secret deoderants
     *Buy one Secret product, get $1/1 Olay bodywash (if you want to go for the Olay rebate below)
Enfamil or Nutramigen $22.99 (I don't know if that's a good price on formula but keep in mind the $10) 22.2 oz - 25.7 oz
     *$5/2 Enfamil
Advil $7.99 (tablet, caplets, gel tablets 100 ct; liqui-gels 80 ct; Advil pm 32-40 ct)
     *$1/1 Advil 40 count or larger
     *$1/1 Advil PM 16 count or larger
Sundown Vitamins or Ester-C B1G1 50%
     *$1/1 Sundown naturals
     *$2/1 Sundown Fish Oil or CO Q-10
Claritin $18.99
     *$4/1 Claritin 15 count or larger
Bounty Select-a-size 2 pk 3.99
     *.25/1 Bounty paper towel or napkin (not great but it's something if you really want Bounty)
Honeymaid graham crackers, Ritz, Wheat thins, triscuit or nutter butter $2/5
12 pk Cokes $3/12

So you have lots of options here! You can get up to 5 gift cards a week. So if you spent $150 in these products, you would get $50 back in gift cards. Here are a few scanarios:
Also, keep in mind, you have to hit the $30 before tax but also before coupons!

1. Need for baby formula
Buy 4 Enfamil Formulas @ $22.99 each = $91.96
This qualified for 3 gift cards!
Use the $5/2 coupons = $10 off
$91.96
- $10.00 Manufacturer's coupons (MC)
$81.96 + tax = $86.87

You will get $30 in gift cards bringing your total to $56.87 for 4 things of formula.That's $14.22 each! I'm no expert on babies (for sure) but amazon and target sell this same thing for about $23 normally so I guess that's pretty good?

Only need 2 things of formula?
2 Enfamil formula @ $22.99 each = $45.98
options:
1. Get just the formula:
Use one coupon and get one giftcard ($10 off) = $33.44 (with tax figured in).
$16.72 each
2. Get paper towel, toilet paper, and a box of holiday card with it to hit $60 and get the extra card
$45.98 for formula
+ $ 4.99 paper towels
+ $7.49 toilet paper
+ $1.99 holiday cards
$60.45 - $7 MC = $53.45 + tax = $56.66
**Coupons used: $1/1 paper towels, $1/1 toilet paper, $5/2 formula
You will then get the 2 gift cards! So you will have spend after gift cards $36.66!

Scenario 2: Need for paper products:
You could do a lot of combos just depending on what you need.
Get 3 things of toilet paper and 2 packs of paper towels:
3 toilet paper @ $7.49 =   $22.47
2 paper towels @ $4.99 =   $9.98
                                         $32.45
Use (3) $1/1 toilet paper and (2) $1/1 paper towels.
Total after MC = $27.45 + tax = $29.09
Then you will get $10 on a gift card!
So your total is $19.09

Scenario 3: Advil and Claritin
1 Claritin @             $18.99
2 Advils @ $7.99 = $15.98
                               $34.97
Use the $4/1 Claritin and (2) $1/1 Advils
$34.97 - $6 MC = $28.97 + tax = 30.70
Get the $10 gift card and your total is : $20.70

Scenario 4: Just need coke and an Advil
$12/3 canned Coke
get 6 = $24
Buy $6 in the category = Advil @ 7.99 OR pick out some makeup
with the Advil:
$24 + $7.99 = $31.99
$1/1 Advil MC
$30.99 + tax = $32.85
Get $10 back: $22.85

Makeup Deals:
There are some good makeup deals this coming week! They are in EB (Extra Bucks)

Buy any 2 Almay cosmetics get $5 EB toward your next purchase
Spend $10 (precoupon) on L'oreal lip or eye, get $3 EB
    *$1/1 Eye product
Spend $14 on Covergirl face,eye, or lip, get $4 in EB
     *$1/1 Covergirl product
Also keep in mind the spend $30, get $10 with the Rimmel costmetics.
   I don't know the prices off hand, but this is an idea from online (original prices)
   $5.99 for a liquid foundation (Perfect Foundation with SPF)
   $7.49 20 Hour foundation
   $5.69 pressed powder
   $7.49 - $8.99 mascara
   $6.99 Lip gloss or lip stick
   $6.49 eye liner roll up
   $3.49 eye pencil
   $5.69 bronzer

Scanerio with the Rimmel Makeup:
Buy 2 Perfect Foundations @ 5.99 with B1G1 50% = $8.98
   OR 2 pressed powders @ 5.69 with B1G1 50% = $8.53Buy 2 of the $7.49 mascaras with B1G1 50%= $11.23
OR 2 of the $8.99 mascaras with B1G1 50% = $13.48
Buy 1 lip glosses or sticks and 1 eye liner @ 6.99 and $6.49 with B1G1 50% = 10.23

If you get the powder and the cheaper mascara your total should be $30 even.
You then will use 6 of the MC to get $6 off! so $24 + tax = $25.44
You then would get a gift card for $10
All that for $15.44!!

You could go and just mix and match what you need! Just remember that you will get the best savings if you have a 50% larger items. That is why the above scanerio has buying doubles and then a lip gloss and eye liner that are close in price. You get the best deal this way!

Misc others:
Oral B toothbrush refills for electric toothbrushes are $19.99 with a $5 EB.
     *$5/1 replacement head 3 ct
Total cost : $9.99

Blistex chapstick $.99
     *$1/2 Blistex (different coupon website... My favorite one didn't have it)
     *.25/1 Blistex (different coupon website too. Same as above)

Xtra laundry detergent $1.49 for 28 loads

Buy 2 L'Oreal hair care items, get $5 EB
   Idea: The EverStrong / EverPure / EverSleek Line is regularly $6.99
     *$1/1 EverPure/EverStrong/EverSleek Item
   Buy 2 @ $6.99 = 13.98 - $2 MC = $11.98 + tax = 12.69
   Get $5 back => Makes the total $7.69 for a higher quality shampoo and conditioner

Spend $30 on Gillette Shaving items, get $10 EB
    There aren't great coupons for this right now. The best deal would be to stock up on shaving cream
    If your store has it, there is a bottle of Fusion Ultra Sensitive Hydrogel for $2.19 (2.5oz). Use this coupon:
         *$2/1 Gillette Fusion shave prep or skin care product
    Buy 14 of them and your total is : $30.66
    Use 14 of the $2/1 coupons :      -$28.00
                                                        $ 2.66 + tax = 2.82
***** YOU SPEND $2.82 and get a $10 gift card!! And this is why we love CVS :)
   Other option is to get the 7 oz of the fusion gel for $4.59 (internet pricing again)
   Buy 7 @ 4.59 = $32.13
                            -$14.00 MC
                             $18.13 + tax = 19.22
   You still get the $10 gift card with this and it's a total of $9.22 and you will have shaving gel for the year!

This is all I've got for now! If there are any deals that are worth it at the other drug stores I'll throw them up here later!

Between Rite Aid and Walgreens: $30 of stuff for $2.64!

2011-08-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Items from Rite Aid and coupons required:
4 single packs of Trident Gum @ 2/$2 (will print a $1 UP. Limit 2 UP rewards)
-.50 off 3 packs Rite Aid video coupon
-$2/3 Single packs Trident
*.50 money maker
1 Mitchum Advanced Control Women's Deodorant @ 3.99 (will print $2 UP on 1. Limit 2)
- $2/1 Rite Aid video coupon
-$1/1 Women's Deoderant 48 hour protection

You ring it up all at once. The gums (select any trident) will be $1 each. Get 4 = $4. The deodorant will be $3.99 before coupons.

Total before coupons = $7.99
Total coupon value = $5.50
-$2/1 Mitchum RA coupon
-$1/1 Mitchum womens MC
-$2/3 Trident single packs MC
-.50/3 Trident single packs RA coupon
Total after coupons: 2.49 + tax = 2.60
Get $4 back in UP rewards!!! You make $1.40 and get gum and deodorant!

Items from Walgreens with coupon detail:
Transaction 1:
1. Carmex chapstick (vanilla or lime twist) @ 1.50
- prints $1.50 RR so FREE! (there is a limit of only one)
2. Crayola crayons @ $1 (24 pk)
- prints $1 RR so FREE! (there is a limit of only one)
- This rang up at $1.50 because apparently the power outage did something to the registers. Just make sure you watch the price and they will fix it.

Transaction 2:
1. 4 things of Planter's Peanut Butter @ 2/$3
-.75/1 Planter's MC
2. 2 filler items
- 9 cent folders
- 30 cent notebooks
* You need this if you want to use your register rewards. Since they are now considered MC, you can only have on per item. Since you will hopefully have a MC for each of the peanut butters, you have to have another item to use the MC.
*I need a medicine and got it and also got another things of Crayons for $1 because I'm sure my church probably could use them!

Transaction 1:
Crayons $1
Carmex $1.50

Total = $2.50 + tax = 3.17 Get $2.50 RR

Transaction 2:
4 peanut butters @ $1.50 each
-(4) .75 coupons
2 Filler items (say you did the 9 cent folders) = .18

Total before coupons = 6.18
Total after coupons = 3.18
Plus tax = 3.37
Minus the RR from Transaction 1 = .87!

Total OOP for Walgreens: $4.04
Total OOP for Rite Aid: $2.60
Total OOP: $6.64
You still have $4 to Rite Aid in UP!

Grand Total: $2.64!!!

This week makes me think about getting a second CVS card! :0

2011-08-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

So for those of you that haven't done the CVS thing yet, you should! I never pay more than a quarter for toothpaste or get paid for it! Body was never more than $1 and it's the good kind! CVS is a combination of manufacturer's coupons (MC), CVS coupons, and EB (Extracare bucks). EBs are like giftcards that expire and you get them for buying certain things.
For example, spend $10 on ? and get $3 EB. So you will pay the $10 and on your receipt. Next time you go to the store, you just hand them that part of the receipt and it comes off your order.
The awesome part about EB is that the total you have to spend is BEFORE coupons!!!!! So, in the example, you have to spend $10. Well if you have $4 in coupons, you are only spending $3 total after the $4 MC and $3 EB. Things become free most of the time when you have a MC, CVS coupon, and EB. However, sometimes they just have great deals!

Note: Never just trust the CVS ad for what coupons to use. CVS lists coupons that will be in that week's paper. There is almost always a better deal! This coming week is proof of that!!

OK. This week it's not going to be about EB. It is going to be about $10 gas card. Throughout the summer, CVS has done a deal where if you spend $30 (pre coupon) on certain items, you get a $10 gas card. It's to BP or Shell, I think. So not the cheapest gas, but it's still $10!!

CVS puts their next weeks ad up on their site on Thursday of the week before. This allows time to kinda plan it out and order coupons if needed!

**Also, a Proctor and Gamble coupon book comes out this week. But I have started ordering my coupons instead of spending money on the paper plus coupons and having extra coupons I'll never use.

Precoupon Pricing on Gas Eligible Items:
Tide Laundry Detergent (19-32 loads including the HE type) @ 5.94
Charmin Basic (12 ct), Ulta Strong/Soft (9 cnt) @ 5.44
Dawn dish detergent (My favorite with the hand renewal!!) @ .99
Covergirl Makeup B1G1 50% off. Prices vary but here is the range from online:
~mascara = 5.99-7.99
~eyeshadow = 5.49
~foundation = 5.99 - 15.99
~eyeliner = 8.99
Aussie/Herbal Essence Shampoo, Conditioner, or Treatment @ 2/5.97
Pringles @ 4/$6

Coupons available:
This weeks P&G:
$1.50/2 Tide
.50/1 Tide
$2.50/2 Covergirl products
$1/1 Covergirl product
$1/4 Pringles
.25/1 Puff's
.25/1 Dawn detergent

Already out there:
$1/1 Bounty 6 ct
$1/2 Charmin products
$1 Aussie/Herbal Essence

Cost of items with coupons: (keep in mind you haven't got the $10 gas card yet)
Tide quantity 2 = 10.38
quantity 1 = 5.44
Dawn detergent = .74
Charmin Basic quantity 2 = 9.88
quantity 1 = 5.19 (.25 coupon in this weeks paper)
Bounty Basic quantity 1 = 4.84
Covergirl: going to vary a lot. I will put up scenarios (see below)
Aussie/Herbal Essence = 2/3.97 (if 2 coupons)
Pringles = 4/$5

option 1: Tide Galore
Buy 5 Tides @ 5.94
tide total precoupon = 29.70
So, add a filler to get the $10:
Dawn detergent @ .99

Total precoupon = 30.69
Coupons:
(2) 1.50/2 Tides
(1) .50/1 Tide
(1) .25/1 Dawn
Coupon Total: 3.75

Total after coupons: 26.94
Total with PA tax: 28.56
Get $10 back in gas --> 18.56 for 5 Tides and 1 Dawn. 3.71 each for Tide! Not bad, because Tide is expensive but makes a difference (at least we think so)

option 2: household supplies
2 Charmins @ 5.44 = 10.88
1 Bounty @ 5.84
2 Tide @ 5.94 = 11.88
2 Dawn detergents (filler) @ .99

Total precoupon: $30.58
Coupons:
(1) $1.50/2 Tide
(1) $1/2 Charmin
(1) $1/1 Bounty
(2) .25/1 Dawn
Total coupons = 4.75
Total after coupons = 25.83
With PA tax = 27.38
Get $10 back!!

option 3: Make up
(2) Covergirl mascara @ 5.99 & 2.99 = 8.98
(5) Eyeshadows @ (3) $5.49 & (2) 2.74 = 16.46

Total precoupon = 30.93

Coupons:
(3) $2.50/2 Covergirl products
(1) $1/1 Covergirl product
Coupon total: $8.50

Total after coupons = 22.43
After PA tax: 23.77
get $10 back!!!!

Other deals: (not in on the gas thing)
Skippy peanut butter 3/$5 (most of the time they are out. Probably will have to raincheck this one. See below)
Poptarts 3/$5
Duracell batteries (AAA or AA (4 pk), 1 9-Volt) 2.99/pk
~$1/1 MC for Coppertop

So the end result:

mix and match how you want and according to what you need!
try to get your precoupon (and pretax) total as close to $30 as possible
Order the coupons! Awesome coupon clipping site
Enjoy the savings!!!!

Most CVS trips leave you with some EB, but since this one doesn't have any it's a little different. However, order your coupons (it takes about 3 business days for them to come in) and then head into the store to get some deals!!

NOTE: If they don't have what you want in stock, just as for a raincheck at the register and they can do that. That also includes the $10 gas card. Don't just buy something you aren't prepared for unless you thought it out before hand. That can cost more. If you get a rain check, you go back within 30 days and get the item at the same price!

GOOD LUCK!

Guess some of LovinSpoonful is turning coupon!

2011-08-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

So, after moving 1000 miles, one thing is for sure. Groceries cost more. Well, that or we are just eating more... :-/ Either way the amount we spend has almost doubled. So I am trying to do something about it. I have been a pretty passive "couponer" until the summer before we got married. Yes, Katie Popwell it is your fault! :) Also, if you are thinking you don't have any of the coupons, keep reading! There is a solution for that!

I don't typically go to Acme because it's not as close, but this is something worth going for. When you leave the store you will have:
6 Hamburger Helper meals (or chicken or tuna. Take your pick)
4 Totinos pizza rolls
8 Progresso soups (you can expect a recipe using soups in the near future)
1 Betty Crocker cake mix
1 Better Crocker cake frosting

You can mix it up by looking at the ACME ad if you don't want some of it.

THE BREAKDOWN:
Acme has a thing going that when you buy 10 of the items listed (General Mills, so if you need cereal check it out for that) you get a $5 Catalina. If you aren't familiar with catalinas, they are coupons that are good toward your next purchase. So in the case, you would have $5 to ACME next time you go (we are going to use it on the next transaction).
You also get 25 box tops. Which doesn't sound that exciting. However, I have recently learned that people PAY for these on ebay... Weird. I know. One box top = .10 plus a little. Last week, I got 60 box tops from Giant and actually got $8 for them! :-O I was floored! But it's $8 back in the budget.

ITEMIZED:
This will take two transactions. This is where it can get tricky!

Transaction 1:
option 1: You already have the $1/5 hamburger helpers coupon
6 Hamburger helpers @ $1 each
(2 options)
-$1/5 manufacturer coupon (MC)
- .75/3 Skillet Hamburger helper meals
4 Totinos items @ $1 each
-.40/2 Pizza Rolls

Option 2:
$1/5 hamburger helpers or (2) .75/3 hamburger helpers
-The .75/3 gets doubled to $1.50!!! So use 2 and get $3 off!
.40/2 Pizza rolls (The pizza rolls are the better deal!)
-This gets doubled! ACME will double up to .99 cents and doesn't have limits as far as I can tell! If you get the pizza rolls, you will use two of the coupon taking $1.60 off. With the party pizzas, you will get $1.20 off.
Total before coupons: $10

With Pizza Rolls and higher value HH coupon:
Total OOP: $5.40

GET: $5 Catalina and certificate for 25 boxtops (worth $2.50!)
- You essentially get $7.50 back! You have already made $2 and gotten some food!

Transaction 2:

8 Progresso soups @ $1 each! Pick wisely :)
-$1/4 MC (use 2)
1 Betty Crocker cake mix @ 1.50
1 Betty Crocker frosting @ 1.66 (or 1.67 not sure how it rings up)
-.75 off when you buy a cake mix and a frosting! This DOUBLES to $1.50!!

Total before coupons: 11.16 (or 11.17)
After coupons: 7.66
Use the $5 Catalina from the last transaction: 2.66

GET: $5 to ACME and 25 more box tops!

TOTAL OOP for the day: $8.06 with $5 left to ACME and 50 box tops (should sell for about $6!)

You potentially make almost $3 just to buy this food! Sounds like a good deal to me! :))

COUPONS AND THE LACK THEREOF:

So, most people aren't just going to have these coupons. They have all been in your Sunday papers and the mailed out inserts though! The solution, is one: I might have extra. And two, I have discovered an awesome site! For those of you with kids in diapers, this will be nice as well.

westcoastcouponclipping.com

This site has all the coupons currently out there and you can order them. It will probably take 2-3 days for them to get here though and this sale ends the 18th (Thursday). So it's a little tight. However, if you enter your full 9 digit zipcode they will get here fasted. I ordered mine today at 3 pm and they are already marked shipped.

If you order $4 in coupons (which is actually kinda hard to do!), the shipping is free! I think orders placed before noon are shipped out the same day! But check with me if you are interested. Hopefully mine will come in and I will have plenty extra!

You can search the site in the mid-top right by brand or whatever! It's a pretty great site! Especially when you want to buy multiples when they go on sale, but don't need all the coupons the Sunday paper provides! This is definitely the cheaper way to do it!

I definitely have one extra in the betty crocker (and believe me, I don't need it). Maybe two depending on if they will take the expired one. By the way, lesson learned. Don't throw away expired coupons! They rarely check!

I will also have 2 extra of the progresso soup coupons if mine come in in time!

I have two of the $1/5 coupons for the Hamburger Helper that people can have. After I get this HH, I won't be buying it for a LONG time! (too much of it...)

I also will have 2 of the party pizza coupons if they get here in time!

Hope this helps! And happy shopping! I will keep y'all updated on when my coupons come in and how many it looks like I have.

***Time to get coupons: Thankfully, my coupons came in today! So I will go do the deal tonight after work. I ordered them Monday around noon and gave my full 9 digit zip code. They arrived on Thursday! So about 3 days is what we can expect! They are shipping all the way from Washington state.

YUMMY Pork Chops SOOOO EASY!!

2011-05-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while. Sorry! We are now officially Northerners! We are loving the place in PA and enjoying the exploration!

This recipe is great! It takes about 25 minutes start to finish and is a new favorite! :))

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Italian dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
4 boneless pork chops

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Mix the dressing, soy sauce, and pepper in a bowl. Stir it really well to get it to mix.
2. Place the pork chops in a skillet on medium heat. Pour the liquid mixture over it.
3. Just let it cook for 25 minutes flipping the pork occasionally. I let it bubble for the majority of the time!

You're done! So simple and great! I served it over rice and with green beans and corn! :))

Yummy Pork Chops made without breaking a sweat

2011-03-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

So today recipe is EASY!! And good! It was something I found online that worked out well! It's also cheap to make! You do have to have soy sauce but you don't use that much. Definitely less than $2 a person if you shop the sales!!! :)

Money Savers
Pork Chops are cheap! :) I got the ones that are thin without the bone in them. If you prefer others, I am sure you could use them.
Kraft dressing is B1G1 at Publix this week! So you can get the italian dressing there!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups italian dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce (I just light soy sauce. But you can use whatever)
1/2 tsp pepper
4 pork chops

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine in a bowl, the first three ingredients. (I just combined them in the skillet to save a dish)
2. Place the pork in a skillet. Try to use a skillet not much bigger than will fit the pork chops. They will be better covered this way.
3. Pour the mixture over the meat.
4. Let cook for 25 minutes on medium or until done as desired!
*I did it for 25 minutes. Started out on medium. Our stove gets a little hotter than normal. I ended up turning it down to a medium low once it was hot.

I know some of the ingredients should weird! But, I think italian dressing might be good on all meats! Another easy meal is to marinate chicken in italian dressing overnight and then grill it (outside or inside using a grill pan).

ENJOY! :)

Fruit topped cookies! (called pizza cookies... not sure how I like that name)

2011-03-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

So these are delicious!!! And different! Don't be fooled by the name. I don't know why they call them pizza cookies. They are more fruit topped deliciousness! :)

Sorry it has been so long! In the last two weeks, we have been in D.C. to see dear friends. We have been in Philadelphia area for five interviews in two days and then back to D.C. for a few more days. We then travelled to Nashville to enjoy time with our families and for me to take part in some wedding festivities for Aimee! Since then, I have accepted a job at Quest Diagnostics as an "Associate Programming Analyst" (sounds official!) and Walt was accepted to Westminster Theological Seminary! We have put a deposit down on an apartment (I know you typically think a deposit is for a house or something, but with as much as rent is up there it may as well be!) and are excited to be moving May 16th and 17th!! (it's a 16 hour drive from Philly to Tuscaloosa).

This recipe came from Kara (Aimee's older sister) who had seen it used at another shower! It looks so good on display! It's from tablespoon.com.

Money Savers:
   Strawberries are on a great sale at Publix this week! Even if you aren't making the cookies, you might want to get some!

Options:
   The recipe calls for just slice and bake cookies. I am not a big slice and bake person so I just used the favorite sugar cookie recipe instead. This does take more time! But I think it is worth it! The slice and bake can be a little overly sugary for this recipe (but that might not be a bad thing).

INGREDIENTS:
sugar cookies obtained somehow (says for about 20 cookies)
1 pkg of cream cheese softened (8 oz)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs frozen limeade concentrate (thawed)
   *not sure what you wanna do with the rest afterward... I plan to eventually just look into making a small amount instead
fruit for toppings! (the site has strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, and raspberries)
   *I omitted the kiwi because my mom is allergic and I didn't want to risk it! I haven't ever really had it.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bake the cookies like normal
2. Cool COMPLETELY!!! Trust me, you don't want the icing to run off the cookies. They can be just barely warm to the touch.
3. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and limeade in a medium bowl. Beat until smooth.
4. Spread each cookie with 1 tbs cream cheese mixture on each cookie.
   * I didn't measure this out. Just spread it on the cookie according to what looks good!
5. Top with fruit as desired!

Since it was a bridal shower, we used a heart shaped cookie cutter for the sugar cookies. Thankfully, I was at home (like my parents) when I made these and my little sister and mom helped out tremendously! Bug added the cute pattern to the sides of the cookies that adds some texture!

Happy Wedding Season! :)

Greek Penne and Chicken how you like it!

2011-03-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

I tried something new. I think it paid off. There were a few things that needed to be tweaked depending on how you make it! This week has been a little crazy with my school work so the recipes have either been easy and quick or something I have made a lot! (Tonight I am getting around to making the pretzel chicken. Just waiting on the timer to go off in about 9 minutes!) Last night, we made the Greek Penne and Chicken. I love feta cheese!!!! So here it is!

Money Savers!
So this week is a little low on the savers!
However, find out how to get 3 bags of veggies, sargento cheese, and coffee creamer for approximately $.80 total at Publix this week! If you wanna know how go to http://www.polkadotpantry.com/?affid=464&affref=other

INGREDIENTS:
**Use what you want! We didn't do the tomatoes or the artichoke hearts. However, I think that those two ingredients are supposed to add some moisture to the entree! So if you leave it out you might wanna add a little olive oil at the end (not much at all!!! For the whole recipe maybe like 1 1/2 tbs)

1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts in water
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook penne pasta until al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat melt butter, add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add chopped chicken and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium- low. Drain and chop artichoke hearts and add them, chopped tomato, feta cheese, fresh parsley, lemon juice, dried oregano, and drained penne pasta to the large skillet. Cook until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Season with salt and ground black pepper. Serve warm.

Hope you enjoy it!!! ps... it makes a ton!

Pretzel Chicken! :-)

2011-03-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

This is another favorite in the Boling household! It's easy and so good!

Money Savers:
Frozen Chicken at Winn Dixie BOBO for $5.50!
Just for fun: Penny item at Publix today is Publix tortilla chips! Spend $10 pre-coupon and get them for 1 penny!

Also!!! Date night! $9 for two movie tickets through Fandango! Check it out! It's only good for a day!
https://livingsocial.com/deals/28498?ref=conf-jp&rpi=6775207

Pretzel Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
2 large chicken breasts
2 eggs
2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/3 cup Italian dressing
3 tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 tbs olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Add olive oil to medium state over medium heat.
3. Slice chicken breasts in half to make skinny (or use 4 slim chicken breasts).
4. Crush pretzels in a bag. (I use my mini chopper. They need to be finely crushed so that it doesn't burn).
5. Add the parmesan to the pretzels and shake to mix.
6. Whisk two eggs in a shallow bowl. Add the lemon juice and italian dressing.
7. Coat chicken in egg mixture and then put in bag and shake to coat.
8. Add chicken to skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
9. Place the chicken in a foil lined baking dish and cook for 20-30 minutes.

***I serve this with noodles and spaghetti sauce!!!! LOVE it!

An easy, quick side or full meal! Mac and cheese

2011-02-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

So though this may be simple, there are many ways to make macaroni and cheese. I have a harder more old-fashioned, like my grandmother makes recipe for mac and cheese too that I will put up sometime later! This is for a quick side!

Money Savers:
So... since it is Tuesday night, anything that I put up from Publix will be over in about an hour when the close and the sales change for this next Publix week. So... it is probably about time for them to run the sale again for Kraft cheese 2/$4 and that is a great deal! Other than that, get the noodles on sale :)

INGREDIENTS:
about 1/4 a cup milk
1 package of shredded cheese (4 cups)
A package of elbow noodles
2 tbs butter

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cook the noodles as instuctioned on the box. Drain.
2. Melt the butter in the same pot as you cooked the noodles on a low heat setting.
3. Return the noodles to the pan. (keep on low/medium setting)
4. Add the cheese and about half the milk.
5. Stir until cheese melts.
**You kinda have to judge how cheesy you like it! You could see the pulled melted cheese in what I made tonight. But do it how you like. If you like it really creamy, add a little more milk.
REMEMBER: a little milk goes a long way!!! You don't need that much! If you add too much, you just end up with cheesy noodle soup!

Fiesta Salad (courtesy of Linda Daniels)

2011-02-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Fiesta Salad

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 bunch green spring onions, chopped
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
lime juice (about two or three limes)
chopped cilantro (handful)!

Option: Add a little bit of watercress if desired for a little more healthy eating!

This sounds delicious and Linda noted it goes great with anything grilled! I can't wait to try it!

Tenders and homemade fries

2011-02-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

So I have slacked this week... We ordered dominos last night. I feel like I cooked a good bit this week but some of it was recipes that are already up here. Oh, and my mother-in-laws chili recipe which I don't think will be posted here. Some recipes stay in the family :) If you come visit sometime, I'll make the chili. It does make for some great leftover chili-cheese dogs.

Thursday night, we made oven fried chicken tenders. Walt has been wanting some kind of fried chicken and this is the recipe that we decided to go with (of course, it is from my cookbook I got for Christmas). To go along with it, I had homemade french fries. This was a little bit of an experiment because I had never done them before and decided to just go for it without any kind of recipe (they turned out well and were really easy).

Money Savers:
   Get the Crushed Cornflakes when they go BOGO at Publix! Also, you can use a Kellogg's manufacturer's coupon from the paper. Cereal coupons come all the time for different values.
   The same goes for the butter! BOGO on Land of the Lakes was last week. When this comes around use the manufacturer's coupon too and stack up!
   For clean up afterward, check out how you can get free dish washing soap from polkadotpantry.com. This site is $5.99 a month but you save a ton!! They give you the free, better than free, and ridiculously cheap items at stores in your area (target, walmart, walgreens, publix, kroger, riteaid, etc). You don't have to get the paper to get the deal. You can get coupons online or buy them in bulk! Check it out!

INGREDIENTS for the Oven Fried Chicken Tenders:
1 egg, beaten
3 tbs milk
1 1/4 cups crushed cornflakes or other rich round cracker (approximately 35)
   **I used Ritz crackers and they worked really well. Make sure you get plenty of the crackers crushed. I think I will try it next time with the cornflakes for a little crunchier chicken. Very good with Ritz.
1 tsp crushed, dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbs butter (melted)
3 chicken breasts cut in strips ** I got about 3 strips out of each chicken breast. Just depends on how big you want the strips to be.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine the beaten egg and milk in a bowl.
2. Combine the cornflakes, salt, pepper, thyme, and paprika in a separate bowl. Stir in the melted butter.
3. Dip the chicken in the milk mixture and then coat with the flake mixture.
4. Place on cookie sheet in a single layer.
5. Bake, uncovered at 400 F for 10-12 minutes or until done.

**Do not turn tenders while baking!

INGREDIENTS for Homemade French Fries:
approximately 4 medium potatoes, peeled
cooking oil **I used canola oil. And you only need enough cover the bottom of the skillet about 1/4 inch thick.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut the potatoes into rectangular shapes. (approx 4-5 inches long and 1/4-1/3 inch thick)
   **Best way I have found to do this is to make a large rectangle out of each potato by cutting a little straight off each long side. You can still cut what you took off to make it kinda rectangular and cook well.
2. Heat the oil on the stove in a medium skillet for about 5 minutes or until looks hot. You have to get to know your stove a little, but for mine it worked best somewhere between medium and medium-high.
   **You want it hot enough to brown the outside but cool enough to do it slowly so the inside is cooked through.
3. Place a handful of potatoes in the oil, carefully. Allow them to cook about 3-4 minutes. Then flip each potato to the other side. Allow that side to cook 3-4 minutes as well.
   **From here out, you have to kinda eye it. They should reach a golden brown. If you like them crunchy, let them sit a little longer. If you like them softer, turn the heat down some more and let them just cook longer!
4. Take off the skillet and put on a paper towel or something to absorb the extra grease. You can eat them as is, OR throw some seasoned salt on top! That's what we did :)

Enjoy!
ps. This is a pretty quick meal. You can have it ready in a little over 20 minutes.
Also, I got a tip to be careful with the salt! You might wanna measure it out to make sure it's not too much! :)

A Valentine's Dinner

2011-02-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are doing a recipe that gets reserved for special occasions. Cancel the reservations! By far, this is the best recipe we make! It's called "Feta Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breasts."

Money Savers:
Idaho Potatoes $2.99/ 5 lbs (save $1)
Green Giant canned green beans as low as $.40 a can!!! And it can be lower if you buy some different things in bulk!!! Check out polkadotpantry.com for details and more great deals through:
http://www.polkadotpantry.com/?affid=464&affref=other

INGREDIENTS:
8 tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbs dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
crumbled feta (one container)
4 slices of bacon, fried and drained

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Place chicken in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and pour oil mixture over chicken.
4. Stuff each chicken breast with feta and one slice of bacon. Secure open sides with toothpicks.
**There are two ways to do this. I typically use thin chicken and fold it in half. If you have thicker chicken and skill, you can cut slits in the actual chicken. I tend to be able to get more feta and bacon in every bite with it folded!
5. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

I am making mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls to go with this tonight! (hence the money saver potatoes and green beans) Have a great Valentine's Day! :-*

Buttermilk Pancakes! (from scratch, of course)

2011-02-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

   I wasn't sure I was going to get a blog up this weekend between Star Wars watching, Catan playing, and Young couples dinner with church. However just before the deadline, I thought I would put something up. One of my favorite parts of the weekend is getting to make pancakes or waffles on Saturday morning! So I thought I would share the buttermilk pancake recipe. They are delicious!!!

Money Savers:
   So... it's basic again and kinda hard to get good deals on! But, there is a coupon in walgreen's ad for $2.29 for a 4 lb bag of domino sugar! That's a pretty good price!

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/4 salt
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (if you want regular, just use regular milk and omit the baking soda. Increase the baking powder to 1 tsp)
3 tbs cooking oil (I just used vegetable oil)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt.
2. In another bowl, slightly beat the egg. Add the buttermilk and oil.
3. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir together until just moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy). If desired you can stir in a fruit! (The less you can stir the fluffier the pancakes!)
4. Pour about 1/4 a cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Spread the batter if necessary (I did. It made thick pancakes anyway! This helped keep them from being too thick.)
5. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Turn to second side when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm
   **Mine didn't really bubbly because they were thick! So make sure that you watch it closely!

I hope you enjoy the pancake as much as I do on the weekends! :)

Medallions of Pork with Apples and some modification!

2011-02-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

   I know it has been a few days. It is looking like the optimistic idea of putting up a recipe everyday may not happen. We will shoot for about every other day instead! (Remember, if you have a great recipe send it to me!!! Facebook or email!) Yesterday for dinner, I made medallions of pork with apples. It is another recipe from the cookbook Walt got for me. It also happens to be in the 20-minute section so it was a quick dinner!

Money Savers:
   There is always some kinda of apple on sale at Publix. You will see what I say about the apples in this recipe but I think a sweet apple will work best!

INGREDIENTS:
1-lb pork tenderloin (I bought mine already cut because it was the better price and more convenient!)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used my garlic press)
2 tbs olive oil or butter (I used the butter :) For healthly recipes, go with the olive oil)
20-ounce can sliced apples, drained
   **soo... about the apples. I got just regular apples in water. No sugar added or anything. I think this was the part of the recipe that was lacking. I would either do fresh apples and let there be a little bit of a crunch to them. You also could get canned apples with sugar. I added sugar to the recipe when I put in the apples (probably like 1/4-1/2 cup).
2 tsp snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed (I used the dried from my spice rack)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut the pork crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. In a 12 inch skillet cook the garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat for 15 seconds. (I cooked it longer than that. Probably a minute or two.) Carefully place pork in the hot oil. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink in the center. (Mine took a lot longer than that... probably like 4-6 minutes on each side).
2. Add apples and thyme to skillet. Cook covered for 1 minutes or until apples are heated through. (I cooked it a good bit longer than this too. I guess you could say that mine wasn't really 20 minutes).

Good luck! Let me know if you try it and if you did anything differently! It was good enough to give it a shot, but I definitely think I will do the fresh apples next time and maybe add a little sugar :)

Pepper Steak (and in a crock pot!)

2011-02-07T19:02:00.000-08:00

   So... I didn't get a post up this morning. But to my defense, I am a little sick. Thankfully, I am starting to feel better. However, I did still manage to get dinner in the crock pot (and thank goodness it was a crock pot recipe today!). I didn't want to post it before we tried it in case it wasn't good! This is another recipe from the cookbook that Walt got me for Christmas :). SUPER EASY! I had a hard time finding some of the ingredients so I just improvised and I think it worked out!

Money Savers:
   It calls for cooking oil. I used vegetable oil but if you want you could use olive oil. $3 at Publix! (BOGO)
   The meat!--I don't think it was necessarily on sale but it wasn't expensive! If my memory serves me right, it was about $4 for the pound!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb boneless beef round steak (about 3/4 to 1 inch thick)
salt
black pepper
1 tbs cooking oil
14.5 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (undrained)
3 tbs Italian-style tomato paste (you can get a really small can)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
16 oz package of frozen pepper stir-fry vegetables (yellow, green, and red sweet peppers with onion)

**if you can't find Italian-style stewed tomatoes and tomato paste you can use 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed.
   I was unable to find it. I actually used Mexican-style stewed tomatoes because I had them already and just regular tomato paste. I didn't use Italian seasoning either. So if you don't have it, don't sweat it!

**can't find the stir-fly veggies?
   Me either! And I looked... I found frozen green bell peppers and used just them. Looking back, I think I will spend the little bit of extra money and just buy a fresh green and a fresh red pepper. The frozen bell pepper was diced a little small for what I would have liked. It will pair really well with the peppers!

**I added sugar... I know that might sound a little strange. I didn't add a lot but because I didn't have the sweetness from the yellow or sweet red pepper, I thought that I would add in a little of my own. It was probably just a little more than a tsp. I don't know if it made a big difference, but it tasted good!

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut the meat into four pieces and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown the meat on both sides in hot oil. Transfer to 3 1/2 - 4 qrt slow cooker (aka crock pot).
   **Make sure you go with the 1 tbs oil... I just poured some in there and did WAY too much! It made quite a mess and you should have seen me this morning at 6 am dancing around the hot oil... Word to the wise.
   **I cooked in on the stove on about medium to medium high. My stove gets a little hotter than most (I think?) so somewhere in that range. You might wanna start at medium and see how quickly it browns it!
2. In a bowl, stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour this mix over the meat in the crock pot. Top with the frozen veggies!
3. Now, you can sit back and relax! :) If you have time to let it cook 10-12 hours, set it on low. Otherwise you can set it on high for 5-6 hours! The longer the better in my book! It will be more tender!

The review:
   It was definitely good! Like I said, I think I will get the fresh bell peppers next time and maybe add them in half way so they don't get too soggy. I like a little crunch! The meat was so tender it will fall apart when you try to get it out of the crock pot! We aren't big tomato people, so we didn't eat the stewed tomatoes but they were great flavoring!
   I served it on top of rice and it was GREAT! I also made green beans. In attempts to be healthy, we don't eat a lot of bread. However, some dinner rolls would be perfect!

SuperBowl parties

2011-02-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

So as most people know the Superbowl comes on tonight! I must say I think I am going to be pulling for the Steelers. I won't be hosting tonight but there are a couple really easy recipes that you can do for side dishes!

ONE: Picante and Cream Cheese Dip (aka Cheese dip but a little different then you are probably used to)
   Though I say picante, you can use any salsa. We just like that picante is smooth with less chunks. Don't go think and chunky (at least not your first time :-P).
   This should serve about... five to ten people. So you might wanna consider doubling it if you are having a larger party.

Money Savers:
   Pace salsa- There is a coupon in the paper last week for Picante sauce. I think 50/2 cents off! You may have this if you clip coupons. Also, Publix still has the BOGO sale on their Pace salsa making it $1.40 for one and $1.39 for the second. The 50 cent coupon will be doubled at Publix so you can get two for $1.79! Remember, at publix you could get just one, but you wouldn't be able to use the coupon.
   Cream cheese- Publix also has a sale going on the Philadelphia cream cheese! It's on sale 4/$5. You can go here: http://print.coupons.com/Couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=14552&nid=20&zid=bg78 to print off a coupon for .50/2 (which double at publix is a dollar!). This makes the cream cheese 4/$4!

Total price: $1 for cream cheese + .90 for salsa = $1.90!

INGREDIENTS: one package of cream cheese and one jar of salsa.
   This is an EASY recipe! All you do is put the salsa and cream cheese in a blender and mix them together!!! Depending on your blender you might want to cut the cream cheese into about eight pieces. It will take less time for it to blend that way!

TWO: This is a little more advanced, but if you are tight on time (which is likely for today) you can just buy the pizza crust! (or if you don't wanna try this yet!)

Homemade Thin Crust Pizza!!!! This is definitely a favorite of ours!

Money Savers:
   Publix has BOGO olive oil today! I always make sure to get this when it happens! I am going to purchase mine in a few hours! :) It will be $3.50 for olive oil. You can use other cooking oils if you want in this, but being an italian dish (technically) I like to use the olive oil.
   Kraft cheese: Publix has 2/$4 cheese (block or shredded). At the end of last month, there was a coupon in Smart Source for $1/2. So if you have the coupon, it's $1.50 for a block or bag of cheese! Not bad!!!

INGREDIENTS for the dough:
*** this is another great time to use that KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook!
   2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
   1 pkg dry yeast
   1/2 tsp salt
   1 cup warm water (120-130 degrees F)
   2 tbs cooking oil or olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the warm water and oil. Beat with electric mixer for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl. Then beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon stir in the rest of the flour (f you don't have a wooden spoon, that's fine! Just use a spatula or plastic spoon if you have it). **Here you will be using the attachment that looks more triangular (not the whisk or bread hook).
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the remaining flour to make it moderately stiff, smooth and elastic. **You can also change the attachment on your mixer to the dough hook and on a medium to high speed let it knead about 7-8 minutes or until consistency is reached!
3. Divide the dough in half. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. (sometimes I have found it takes long than this. You want to get the dough to expand to about twice the size. It is going to be important that the water was at the right temperature in the beginning. You can also preheat your over to 200 degrees F before you are making this and turn it off and when it is just luke warm, stick the dough in the oven).

OPTION:
   Whole wheat dough: use 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour just as the recipe states. When stirring in as much as you can later in the recipe, 1 1/4 cups to 1 3/4 cups flour use whole wheat flour. Knead in whole wheat flour until stiff dough that is smooth and elastic.

INGREDIENTS for homemade pizza:
   homemade pizza dough or dough bought from the store (such as Pillsbury pizza dough)
   **if bought, you will need two.
   pizza sauce of your choice (about 24 to 32 oz)
   Cheese (we often use Kraft triple cheese but it's your choice!)
   toppings!

1. Get two cookies sheets. Grease them (we use crisco and a paper towel to do the trick) and spread the dough on the sheets. Spreading the dough is a little difficult. You will want to start either in the middle or in one corner and patiently spread the dough out. Try to avoid making holes in the dough. But if it happens just close them up. This could take a little while.
2. If you made the homemade dough, cook it at 425 F for about 10 minutes or until light brown. If you purchase the dough from the store, follow the instructions on the package.
3. Remove the dough from the oven and place sauce, cheese and toppings on top! Cook until hot and bubbly (about 10 minutes!).

This is delicious pizza!!! And pretty inexpensive (definitely compared to delivery from somewhere!)

THREE: Mustard and Grape Jelly Smokies (SUPER easy)
   ***So, we haven't made this but I am taking my husband word for it as he has had them before and says though it sounds disgusting, it is delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
   6 ounces grape jelly
   6 ounces mustard
   1 pound little smokies

INSTRUCTIONS:
Put all ingredients into crock pot. Stir all ingredients together as jelly melts. Simmer for an hour. Serve hot!!!

This is so easy and something you can just throw in an hour before people get there!

Have a great Superbowl Sunday! :)

Coming up this week: Crockpot Pepper Steak and Medallions of Pork with Apples (a 20 minute meal)

Due to the weather.

2011-02-04T08:41:00.000-08:00

   So last night Tuscaloosa was under a little bit of a freeze warning (though of course nothing happened). Instead of going to Chili's, we ordered dominos for delivery. Therefore, I think tonight is going to be Chili's night.
   The recipe for today is BBQ Chicken "Quesadillas." They are more like burritos or wraps but it's another of Walt's favorite. This recipe comes from my mom and is often a quick dinner or a picnic at Shakespeare in the park. One of the best parts about this recipe is you don't need many ingredients or much time!

Money Savers!
   Barbecue sauce- Bull's Eye BBQ Sauce BOGO at Publix ($1.09)
   Kraft Cheese- 2/$2.75 at Publix (and I think Target and Walmart still!) ($1.37 each!)
   They are on sale for 2/$4. Most Publix take Target as a competitor. If you go to Target's website and at the bottom click coupons, you can print a coupon for $1.25/2 Kraft cheese.

Ingredients:

6 flour tortillas (rule of thumb, one chicken breast makes about 2 using larger tortillas)
3 Chicken breasts
BBQ sauce (probably about 3/4 of a bottle)
Cheddar cheese
red onion or chopped tomatoes (if desired)

Instructions:
1. Boil the chicken on the stove until cooked (probably about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken)
2. When the chicken has cooled, pull the chicken to shred it and place in medium/large bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
4. Add the BBQ sauce to the chicken and stir until coated.
5. Add the onion or tomatoes if you want. (We aren't too big on tomatoes and onion but my parent like it. I think you could use the white onion or sweet onion but I think the red works best. If some wants the onion or tomato and others don't, just add it when you are filling the tortilla.)
6. Fill the tortilla with the chicken mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top and close the tortilla. Place it seam down on a baking sheet.
7. Just throw them in the oven for about 5-10 minutes (just enough to let it get brown and melt the cheese).

This is a great recipe to throw together in about 30 minutes! It goes great with chips and salsa or chips and dip!

Peanut Butter Cookies to die for!

2011-02-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

   So tonight is date night for Walt and I. Therefore, there isn't a recipe for tonight. Instead, it is a trip to Chili's. However, I didn't want to neglect the recipe blog so early and decided to put up my FAVORITE cookie recipe. If you have been skeptical of peanut butter cookies in the past, don't be! Walt said these cookies redeemed peanut butter cookies for him! (it's also out of the recipe book that he got me for Christmas! Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook) They are very easy to make! And for all the newlyweds who got the KitchenAid mixer, this one's for you (and there will be many more to come! I have loved my KitchenAid mixer!).

Money Savers:
   Land of the Lake butter 2/$6 (not that great unless you have a coupon) at Publix
   *I would just buy Publix brand (it's probably cheaper)
   A lot of these are staple items and the way to get a discount on them is to use the coupons from the paper or websites like coupons.com, redplum, and smart coupons.
   Usually you can find a sale on peanut butter. I typically stick to Publix and stock up so be on the lookout for a peanut butter comment!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened (a stick)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (or 1/4 cup honey--I haven't tried the honey)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Oven temp: 375 F / Prep time: 25 minutes / Cook Time: 7 minutes / yields about 36 cookies
1. Beat butter and peanut butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. It should look like really really creamy PB. To soften the butter you can leave it out for about 30 minutes to an hour, but I typically just microwave it til about half of it is melted.
2. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined. Make sure to get the extra off the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the egg and vanilla beating until combined.
4. Beat in as much of the flour as you can (I normally can get it all in with my mixer). Any extra stir in with a spoon.
5. If necessary, cover and chill dough until easy to handle. (Mine is normally pretty sticky so I will freeze it for about 30 minutes or so and it is much easy to roll. A sticky dough can be used but will make flatter/doughy cookies).
6. Preheat the oven to 375. Shape the dough into one-inch balls. Roll balls in additional granulated sugar to coat (I just dump some sugar in a bowl and roll the cookie dough around). Place the cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (you can make it closer than this normally).
7. Flatten the cookies by making a criss-cross mark on the top with a fork (just press one way and then the other. Sometimes I also add a little more sugar on top at this point).
8. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. More to a wire rack and let cool.

These are definitely a favorite! Be on the lookout for upcoming snicker doodles and homemade pizza dough (whole wheat)!

Layered Enchilada Bake

2011-02-02T04:54:00.000-08:00

After some thought and help from those on Facebook, I have decided to start a blog on recipes. With so many people getting married or graduating college and beginning to cook more, I thought we could all use some new recipes! I will try to post the recipe that I am cooking for the night in the morning in case you need an idea for the day! I am new to the blogging world and it may take me a little while to make the design pretty and figure out the nooks and crannies, but know I am working on it. Also, as we go on I may post any coupon savers or sales and are included in the recipe.

So tonight for dinner, at the request of my husband, is the Layered Enchilada Bake. It's been a while since I have made this one (not since we have been married) so we are going to pretty much go by the recipe. The last time I made it, I don't think we included the black beans though tonight we will. Remember, any brand will work for these ingredients. Just pick the brand you like best or if you coupon clip / sale shop like me, the best price.

If you aren't a big onion fan, you have two options. You can leave it out (I don't recommend this one too much because it adds great flavor) or you can slice it into large pieces that can be removed before you add the other ingredients. I typically use about half an onion and save the rest in a ziploc in the fridge for a later recipe.

Money Savers:

Kraft cheese is $2 a bag at Publix, Walmart and Target this week. (this is lowest I have found Kraft cheese)

Pace chunky salsa is $1.39 at Publix*

Breakstone's sour cream is $1.12 for 16 ounces at Publix* (you might have a coupon from the paper or they sometimes have this one in store by the product!)

*This is buy one, get one (B1G1) at Publix. In case you didn't know, you don't have to buy two!

You can buy one at half price! :) LOVE Publix.

Layered Enchilada Bake

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained, rinsed

1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

2 tablespoons TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream (one cup is 8 oz)

1 (8 ounce) package KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add salsa, beans, dressing and seasoning mix to the meat; mix well.

Arrange 3 of the tortillas in single layer on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat all layers. Cover with foil.

Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting to serve.

ENJOY!