Naturally CentsAble

Natural Hormone Free Milk at Hy-Vee

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:47:00 +0000

Oberweis Milk (in glass jars) is on sale 2/$4 - that's $4/gallon. The same $ as regular milk!

You have to pay the bottle deposit up front but you get it back when you return the bottle!

Hy-Vee Monthly Deals

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:02:00 +0000

These deals are good through the end of March

Some Hy-Vee stores offer 10% off on Wednesdays on all purchases from the Health Market. I have not been able to confirm that is the case here in KC. Let me know if you have any information about that!

GeniSoyProtein Bars 10/$10

Cascadian Farms Cereal or Granola 2/$6, Use (2) $1/1 printable

Muir Glen Canned Tomatoes, Salsa & Soups 3/$4, use $1/1 printable

Smart Dogs, Tofu Pops, Jumbo Veggies Links or Organic Veggie Dogs $2.77

Organic Valley Products, Use $1/1 printables and here

Butter $4.99
Stringles Cheese $3
Cream Cheese $2.50

Seventh Generation 2x Ultra F&C liquid detergent $9.69, use $1/1 printable

My Husband Is Going to Love Me and I Love Vinegar!

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:42:00 +0000

Well, hopefully he already loves me and this will just put him over the top and I mean truly...what other household product is so versatile!

He has this obsessive need to have spotless dishes. I mean spotless! And if he even THINKS the JetDry is getting low he refills it.

Now - we've been out of our rinse agent for some time and he mentions it A LOT. I however, just cannot bring myself to pay so much for something we really DON'T need and I think a lot about how it might get into my kids plastic sippy cups and that's just gross.

So, we're at a stalemate! Rinse agent is expensive, the glasses are spotty with out it...what to do?

Send Donielle over at Raising Peanuts a subliminal SOS and...presto she has passed along a fabulous, frugal tip so we can BOTH be happy!

Vinegar will rinse your dishes clean and help break down the gunk in the dishwasher. I currently use vinegar as a cleaning agent once a week...I just pour some in the bottom with some baking soda and run it on a long 'pots and pans' mode. Now I can add it to the rinse agent compartment, too!

UPDATED Nature's Pantry March Deals (thru 3/31/08)

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Monday March 10th from 8am-9pm,shop with your NP membership and get 13% off your purchase in celebration of NP 13th anniversary!!

Rice Dream Shelf Stable drinks

Bob's Red Mill Flours

Regular Unbleached, Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, Whole Wheat 5lb bags $4.19
Natural Unbleached, Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, Whole Wheat 5lb bags $3.29
Organic White Whole Grain 5lb bags $4.29

Native Forest Canned Fruit 14-15oz $1.99

Near East Mixes 5.4-10 oz $1.89, Long Grain Wild Rice 5.9-6.3oz $2.29

Colavita 34oz EVOO $12.19, look for $2 rebate hang tags, information is here

Muir Glen Organics $1.49-$1.39, use with Healthy Clippings MFC or printable and get these for less than a dollar a can!

Izze 12oz beverage 4packs $3.56 or single serve $.89

Rachel's Yogurt 6oz $.85, Use printable BOGO (sign up and click the "Try New Flavors" link)

Kozy Shack pudding 22oz $3.19

Smart Dogs 12-13.5oz $3.19

Halo pet Foods are 20% off

Imagine Organic Broths (boxes) $2.49, use $1/1 printable

Spectrum Organics/Essentials products, Use $2/1 printable

Salad Dressings 8oz $2.79
Cooking and Baking Oils $4.29 - $5.79

Barbara's Bakery Shredded Cereals (several varieties) $2.99, use $.75/1 printable

Rudi's 22oz Organic Bread $3.39, use $.75/1 printable

Organic Valley Products, Use $1/1 printable and here (several products)

Shelf Stable Cow's Milk 33.8oz: 2% $2.39, Whole $2.29, Half & Half $3.19
Cream Cheese 8oz $2.39

Frugal Friday: Mowing the Grass 'GREEN'

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:39:00 +0000

I have to admit, I never considered mowing the grass to be anything other than a result of having a yard and something I didn't have to do! Don't think too poorly of me, though I did have to mow the yard as a teen so I've had my fair share of that!

We had a push mower and an electric weed-eater...now we have a rider and a gas powered weed-eater (hey! we have half an acre to mow!)

Aside from the gas and oil required to run the mower there is another aspect that I personally had not considered "pollution" - except when my kids are napping! The noise!

Read the article linked below and check out some old-fashioned push mowers around you.

I will be trying to talk my "gardener" into it - he's rather obstinate and enjoys his "power" tools! How lovely would it be to have a couple of hours once a week to get some exercise, listen to my ipod and enjoy some adult time?? hmmm...renewed incentive!

http://simpleandgreen.net/2008/03/09/push-mowers-rule/

Organic Valley Coupon Reset

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:08:00 +0000

I got word today from Organic Valley that they have reset their e-coupons. If you've printed your max you are now free to print again!

Check their website for the coupons and more information about the company.

Things I Learned Today...

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0000

I used to (before I had children and when I had some form of adult time!) feel like I'd had a good day if I learned at least one new "relevant" thing...now that I have kids I am guaranteed to learn several new things, however, their relevancy is in question most of the time!

Note to the old me: Today was a VERY good day!

First, I learned that I DO still miss my morning coffee! (ehh, too sad and long to get into here!)

But more importantly I learned that I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for yeast, flaxseed meal and wheat germ! Now, considering that I am writing a blog about saving money on whole foods you wouldn't think that would surprise me but, nonetheles, it did.

We make all our own breads and granola so I'm going through these items VERY quickly.

I was at a local natural foods store and discovered they buy and bag bulk flaxseed meal, wheat germ and yeast. The flaxseed meal and wheat germ were from Bob's Red Mill and cost me about $1 less a pound than the pre-bagged stuff right around the corner! The yeast was only $2.50 for a bag twice, wait - correction...3 times the size of the jar I buy at my local grocery store where it costs me at least $4.

I was so happy and proud of myself.

I also noted that I should NOT by pre-bagged whole wheat flour there. They sell the same brand my local grocer does and it was $2 more per 5lbs. I didn't have time to check the prices on the bulk flour - my son needed to be picked up and my daughter was getting impatient! Oh well, save something for another day!

Check your whole foods store's bulk goods area and hopefully you can snag some deals!

Works For Me Wednesday: Small Steps to Affordable Whole Foods! (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:49:00 +0000

When my family began this adventure in eating whole and natural foods we experienced sticker shock! For us, changing everything over to organic and all natural would have required some serious financial changes.

I'm an action oriented, "all or nothing type" and it just irked me (once I had that knowledge and desire) that we were still buying regular old (artificial) food BUT I knew we just couldn't jump in the deep-end all at once.

So, I did some research and found that great benefits could be had from making some smaller changes in the right areas. We didn't have to start shopping solely at the Whole Foods market, nor did we even have to buy EVERYTHING organic.

There are a few small steps you can take to get started and learn what works for your family. Along the way you'll naturally find ways to fit other stuff in.

First is to focus on certain food groups ahead of others. You base this on the priority list below and how much of that category your family consumes.
Order DOES matter here...the most beneficial changes are closer to the top.

1) Dairy - if your family consumes a good amount of dairy products...this is your primary focus. Especially for children who typically drink (and need) the products with higher fat content

2) Meat - again, if your family consumes good amounts of red meat, fish and pork you will want to focus on this area.

Red meat would be your highest priority given the higher fat content (this is where nasty chemicals, hormones, etc. tend to congregate).

Fish is leaner and if you are careful to buy "WILD caught" not farm-raised, you will be doing just fine there (it doesn't need to be Organic since there is no regulation in this area).

Something to note when you are shopping for poultry and pork...based on USDA regulations, they are ALWAYS free of hormones. They may contain small amounts of antibiotics (unless the packaging states otherwise) and of course, based on the feed they were given...any trace pesticides used in production of that. Any additives in meat MUST be listed on the label/packaging so READ THEM! (click here for information on reading labels and packaging)

3) Fruits and Vegetables - be ware of the dirty dozen...these are the dozen produce that are most often sprayed with pesticides. The others are typically not an issue and there are some that you just shouldn't spend your money on if you don't want to. (See Joy Bauer's article below).

Fruit:

Apples

Cherries

Grapes, imported (Chili)

Nectarines

Peaches

Pears

Raspberries

Strawberries

Vegetables:

Bell peppers

Celery

Potatoes

Spinach

Second, take the time to visit stores in your area that buy local foods (or Farmer's Markets). You will find a better deal there and you will have the opportunity to talk directly to the grower!

Third, don't be fooled into thinking you can't get (or use) coupons on these types of items. There is a growing customer base for organic/whole foods and as a result, companies are popping up and competing harder and harder to get your business!

Fourth, if you can buy in bulk for a lower price talk with your friends and family about splitting food!

Joy Bauer, a nutritionist, has some wonderful information and advice regarding foods that are worth your $$, here is a write-up she did for the Today show.

Of course, you must do what works for your family; this "Works for Me..."!!!

Check out our other contributions to WFMW at BeCentsAble

An Apology...

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:46:00 +0000

I just wanted to acknowledge that we've been absent a bit from blogging here. BeCentsAble launched the Grocery Gathering this week and it's been a bit hectic.

Everything went fantastically with our first edition and we are gearing up for the second weekly edition on Thursday morning. Check out all the grocery deals (nationwide!) and we promise to NOT take another hiatus!

Tipster Tuesday: DEET alternatives

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:11:00 +0000

I was blogging about sunscreen and DEET for children over at our other blog this morning and thought it might be a good topic to cover here as well!

My son is a little mosquito magnet! He sweats a lot and the buggies love it! I have to put repellent on him every time he goes out during the buggy season - for peace of mind and sanity!

I found a few alternatives to DEET based repellents and I'm most excited about Bite Blocker so, thought I would pass them along.

For myself I really like the OFF Botanicals (picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus) lotion but it's not as practical for my son because of the recommendation that it not be used for children under 3. I've been using DEET wipes on him and they work great BUT...it's the DEET I can't stand!

About.com information on alternative repellents and links: http://altmedicine.about.com/od/aznaturalremedyindex/a/mosquito.htm
Avon Skin So Soft

Resources with general information

National Geographic Article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0726_050726_deet.html
King County Website with other govt resources: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/westnile/fight-the-bite.htm
AAP info for parents: http://www.aap.org/family/wnv-jun03.htm

Have you tried an alternative that works well??

Frugal Friday: You say Swiffer, I say Spiffer...

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:36:00 +0000

I have accomplished an eco-friendly, frugal milestone this year! I haven't bought a cleaning product since September...well okay, I have bought one cleaning product but that's only because I have two dogs and two small children. Have you SEEN how messy they can be???

Swiffer makes my life easier and while I am truly committed to bettering the environment and teaching my children that you can be green and still live in the suburbs, I can't fly in the face of basic convenience all the time!

That sent me on a search for a better swiffer solution. I purchased some homemade reusable refills on eBay but they are too thin and floppy to hold much dust ,and it gets really dusty in my house (did I mention the kids and the dogs?)!

I finally found this article "How to Hack your Swiffer" at treehugger.com and thought they had linked some great ideas for using your swiffer in a more frugal manner and saving the environment. My favorite is the "spiffer", I just need to talk my sister into making one for me!

Let us know if you try it and how it worked or if you have a swiffer hack!

Hyvee 3/5-3/18

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:33:00 +0000

Smart chicken(whole)
1.69 lb

Bunny-luv organic carrots
$1.69 2lbs

Hyvee soy milk 32 oz
$1.25

Works for Me Wednesday: Great Deals on Organic and Natural Foods

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:10:00 +0000

Why don't more people eat natural and organic foods? With all the reports and recommendations from reputable organizations, the increase of certain disease and cancer, you'd think it would be an easy decision...

I know the answer to this question...affordability!

That's why we're here. To make this endeavor as affordable as possible, to make the decision to change your family's diet easier, to remove one less hurdle.

A big part of the shopping I do each week involves coupons and sales. That's the hard part when it comes to this particular share of the market. Natural and organics foods are at a premium.

I need your help to make this a really GREAT resource! Do you know of any place with consistently great deals on natural, whole or organic foods? Do you have a tip or a brand recommendation for getting a good deal or do you know of a good resource for coupons?

Help us!

Grocery Gathering Starts March 10th!

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:04:00 +0000

Click the logo for more details and to join us!

Tipster Tuesday: Healthy Clippings Savings Booklet and an e-coupon resource!

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:42:00 +0000

I found another great way to get coupons for all of those natural and organic food companies who don't distribute to the population at large!

At my local natural foods store (Nature's Pantry), there are booklets you can pick up called "Healthy Clippings" that contain a few articles submitted by various food makers along with coupons for their products! These appear to be all over the country so maybe it's just me who is in the dark about them??

Look at your store if you haven't already found them or ask about it at Customer Service.

Also of note is this link to natural and organic food makers' coupons

Health e-Savings

Be sure to check out our other blogs' editions of Tipster Tuesday; BeCentsAble and CentsAble Baby

Make It Yourself Monday: Eco-Friendly Fabric Softener (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:30:00 +0000

As a correlating installment to last week's Homemade Dryer Sheets, I found this recipe for homemade liquid fabric softener! It had a few good reviews so I'm going to try it this week!

You can add some essential oil to the mixture for scent. It's available a your local natural or whole foods market or usually at candle shops.

Recipe courtesy Recipezaar.com

Ingredients
1 cup baking soda
6 cups distilled white vinegar
8 cups water
10-15 drops essential oil of choice (optional)

Directions
1) You will need a one gallon container.
2) First add the baking soda to the plastic container.
3) Next add 1 cup of water to start with.
4) Slowly add the vinegar to the bottle as the vinegar and baking soda will start to fizz.
5) Then add the rest of the water swirling around & cover venting the top a few times.
6) Last add the essential oil.
7) Add 1 cup in your final rinse cycle for each load but give the bottle a good shake to stir up the essential oil if using.

Let us know if you try this and what you think!

Allie's Answers: Tip of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:46:00 +0000

Check out Allie's Answers Tip of the Day for a good (scary) tip on your plastics...

Join us for Frugal Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:02:00 +0000

Check out BeCentsAble and CentsAble Baby for our Frugal Friday installments!

Check back here next week for Naturally CentsAble's Frugal Friday installment on starting your own herb garden indoors with all-natural and organic materials!

Hen House 2/27 thru 3/4

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:56:00 +0000

Clearly Organic cereal $2.46

Land O Lakes Omega-3 eggs $1.27

HyVee 2/27 thru 3/4

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:39:00 +0000

Kashi cereals $2.59
Try Kashi website for possible cereal coupon (there have been issues with printing in the past but you may get lucky!!

Cascadian Farms Vegetables 16 oz $2.99
Use $1/1 printable
Final Price = $1.99

100% Natural Hormel Pork Loin Chops $3.99/lb

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta $1.48
Use $1/1 in 2/17 SS
Final Price = $.48

Works For Me Wednesday: My Franklin Covey Inspired Planner

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:04:00 +0000

I LOVE LOVE LOVE to organize, or maybe it's just the thinking about organizing that I love? Either way, I get giddy every time I sit down to plan a new project or schedule out my week. It's really odd and something my husband has been amused over quite often.

I spent 7 years in a corporate finance job where I had access to (and an excuse for) all the newest organizing gadgets! Franklin Covey was literally my favorite store. Since I started staying home I have slowly and hesitantly given up all of my lovely planning binders and unused pages and forms.

Now that I am blogging on a regular basis and have two kids to raise, I have discovered a new "need" for my planners and kicked myself for getting rid of them all. However, our one-income budget will not support my FC addiction so, this past week I had to get creative.

I actually mentioned to my husband that I planned to get an organizer of some sort and I could see the look in his eyes - thinking "uh-oh". So, I decided to take my frugality to one more step, just in case he doubted my efforts.

I found an old small-size three-ring binder we had lying around (we have 2 identical ones actually) that happened to also have sturdy tab dividers in it. I also had a notebook full of lined paper that was largely unused despite having had it for SEVERAL years (that's another addition I have - office supplies!) and two smaller steno type note pads. I got out our three-hole punch and adjusted the holes to match the small binder. I used power point to layout a planner page exactly as I needed it you could use any program you are fmailiar with (even excel). My notebook is the perfect size for a half-sheet of paper so I was able to make 2 pages from each piece. I then used small sticker-labels to label my dividers on both sides.

The best part was that I get to be creative in planning my pages and they can be different every time I print them. I took a lot of pleasure in this particular part of the process because I was always wanting MORE from my pages. They never quote met my expectations (at least that was the justification for buying more before my old ones ran out!)!

I LOVE my new planner and I feel SO good about doing it this way. My husband was impressed with me! Here are the photos.

I realize this is not a natural or organic idea/act but I am re-purposing things I already have around the house (I only printed the pages new, everything else was lying around doing nothing!) so in my defense I am saving a bit of unnecessary production, waste, fuel, etc!

Check out WFMW posts at our other blogs BeCentsAble and CentsAbleBaby

Egglands Best Eggs!

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:41:00 +0000

For those of you in the KC area, Hen House had EB cage free and organic eggs on sale for $1.98 and $2.04 a dozen this week. With the new coupons that came out on Sunday ($.35 and $.50/off) you could get eggs for around a $1 a dozen - Hen House doubles coupons!!

Dannon All Natural yougurt is also on sale for $.96, with a $1/1 coupon from the 1/6 SS ... these are FREE! If they are out, which they were almost when I was there Sat evening, get a rain check. It's good for 30 days and you can find some additional coupons!

Make It Yourself Monday: Eco-Friendlier Fabric Softener (part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:47:00 +0000

I discovered recently that dryer sheets (used and unused) are VERY dangerous for my pets (specifically 2 dogs who chew on EVERYTHING that's not tied down and looks remotely destructible - no, really just everything!). I read that if they ingested enough of them they could die from the toxicity. I'll have to find the specifics on this to add to the post later.

The point is that I wondered how on earth I could keep them from getting into them as they seem to end up lying all around they house after we do laundry. It's like someone used them for confetti.

In a recent issue of Mother and Child Reunion a contributor submitted an idea for a less expensive alternative to dryer sheets that I think is probably better for the environment (and my dogs).

Buy a box carton refill of any liquid fabric softener you like (or want to try). Pour the amount required for a single load into a container and leave a sponge or thick washcloth soaking in it. When you are ready to dry a load of laundry, ring out most of the liquid from the sponge or cloth and toss it in the dryer. When ringing use your best judgement, I think the idea is that there is no dripping but that there is enough to spread as the clothes are tossed about!

The idea is that your fabric softener will go 2-3x further and you will spare the landfills some waste!

Let's try it together this week and let us know how it went for you!

Next week's installment of MIYM is on Homemade Fabric Softener!

Frugal Friday: Cloth Diapers

noreply@blogger.com (Becentsable blog) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 03:43:00 +0000

What could be better than a natural and frugal tip for Friday afternoon? Nothing!

Check out this week's Frugal Friday Tip on Cloth Diapering over at Centsable Baby

Newest Hot Deals!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:17:00 +0000

Click here to find out how to get Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes for $0.16/can