Saving for our family's Dreams!

I'm Back! Sorry it's been almost a month! Walmart deals to share!

2008-12-06T15:49:00.005-06:00

I have been so busy with holidays and birthdays that I have not had a chance to post.
We have been celebrating though because we got awesome news about my dad earlier this week. He went back for a followup MRI now that his first round of cancer treatments are complete, and there are no new tumors! He has stage IV cancer, so we know it will always be there, but for right now, the cells are not active! Hurray for lazy cancer cells! Thank you all so much for your prayers and good wishes!
Anyway, here are some good deals to post!

Walmart

Twelve boxes of Kellogg's Cereal at $2.50 each
Three boxes of Poptarts at $1.56 each
Two boxes of Bagelfuls at $1.87 each
One bag of Steamers at $1
One package of Kotex at $1

Total before coupons - 37.43

Coupons Used
12 $1 off Kelloggs
Three $1 off Poptarts peelies on each box
Two $1 off Bagelfuls (Print from coupons box on this page!)
$1 off Steamers
$1 off Kotex (All You Magazine)

Total OOP - $18.43

These were all in the clearance aisle at Walmart. I don't know the exact prices before the sale, but I will give you the sale prices. Awesome!

Two bags of Wilton Halloween cookie cutters (packs of three) - $1 each
One box of fall cookie cutters - $1
Two large bottles of sprinkles - $1 each
Three small bottles of sprinkles - .50 each
Four bags of cupcake liners -.47 each

Cooking Frenzy

2008-11-15T18:16:00.002-06:00

I didn't plan it, but today turned into a day of cooking!
I went to the grocery store early this morning with plans of making chili this afternoon, and I found some awesome deals on vegetables also. I found so many organic vegetables marked down to under $1 because they had to be sold this week that I changed my menu plans. I also took advantage of the $5/10 item Mega Sale at Kroger to stock up on tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.
When I came home, I decided to go ahead and get several dishes going. I browned all 10 pounds of ground beef and chopped vegetables for a while. I put together a large stockpot of chili, two crockpots of Amish Veggie Beef soup and another crockpot of spaghetti sauce.
My counters are full of crockpots and my freezer will soon be full for the winter! :)

Making Your Home a Haven- Part 2

2008-11-14T22:22:00.004-06:00

I have used this challenge as a reason to do some of my busy work that I always say I will do another day. You know what I mean! All of those things you know need to get done but somehow get pushed to the wayside while you make sure the dishes are washed and the clothes are clean. So, here is just a few of the busy projects I got out of the way this week! I really wish I had taken before pictures, but I will try to get some of the after pictures done and posted later this week.

- Soaking the children's bath toys in water and bleach to get the junk off of the toys! I did it in the bathtub so I could use the time to clean the bathtub too!
- Cleaning off my nightstand and washing my tablecloth. Unfortunately, my cat loves to lay on it, so it always has a mess of cat hair around the edges. While it was washing, I used the time to sort through all of the paper and books that have slowly piled up until there was nowhere else to even put my clock or telephone. Now it is nice and neat!
- Completely empty the battery drawer and sort them all out. I put in a silverware organizer and pulled all of the batteries out of their packages. I sorted them into the silverware slots and now I can tell how many we have of each one instead of getting down to the last batteries in the remote and having them die!
- Cleaning off the top of the refrigerator and dusting it. I have always used the top to store my crystal pitchers and vases, and they rattle when the washing machine is running. It also looks so cluttered, and drives my husband crazy. So, I found a way to put all of these items into cabinets and now it looks so neat!
- Not a big one, but found the perfect sized basket to put all of the baby's toys that seem to make their way into the living room. It is so easy to just throw them all into a pretty basket instead of trying to stack them in a corner.

This is not everything, but these are definitely the highlights. I have also signed up for the Oprah "Clean Up Your Messy House Tour" here. Peter Walsh assures us that in six months our homes will be completely organized if we will just do our homework. I will give it a shot, and in six months, we will see! I already feel better when I look at my refrigerator and my nightstand!
Also, there is a bonus! When you sign up, you get a 20 percent off coupon for The Container Store. Hurry though! The promotion ends at 11:59 p.m. CST Nov. 19.

Making Your Home a Haven - Part 1

2008-11-10T17:09:00.003-06:00

I am following along with Biblical Womanhood's Making Your Home A Haven here. I have already started working toward decluttering our home through putting things away for a spring yard sale or donating to the local St. Vincent DePaul or Christian Food Bank. This is just an incentive to get things moving!
I was excited about the progress I made today.

- Cleaned living room of all clutter to make room for the guys to put up crown moulding tonight.
- Put away the "TV House" my daughter has been playing in all summer and fall long. It is a playhouse made out of a big box that our television came in a couple of years ago. We keep it in the sunroom because that room doesn't get much use during this time of year. Now that it is time to start using the hot tub again, that room needs to be clutter free!
- Washed and folded four loads of laundry including school uniforms for the entire week.
- Cleared drying rack of dishes, loaded and unloaded dishwasher and finished washing extra dishes that didn't fit in the dishwasher.
- Prepared filling for chicken enchiladas first thing this morning after shopping trips so it could simmer all day in the crockpot.
- Shopped Kroger and Walgreens between school drop off and morning nap. Managed to get it all put away at once instead of one piece at a time all day!

Kroger Mega Sale and Quick Trip to Walgreens

2008-11-10T09:57:00.004-06:00

Walgreens

I bought six cans of Libby's canned pumpkin with a seven day coupon. You could only buy three cans per coupon, so I did it in two transactions.

First Transaction
Three cans of pumpkin (Reg. $1.79 each) at .99 each

OOP - $2.97

Second Transaction
Same as above

Total OOP - $5.94
Savings - $4.80 - 56 % savings!
Kroger
Above was purchased with the $5/10 items Mega Sale.

Eight cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk at $2 each
Two boxes of Betty Crocker Potatoes at $1.50 each
Two bags of Betty Crocker cookie Mix at $2 each
One box of Betty Crocker Banana Nut Muffin Mix at $2.50
One Quaker Oats at $1.50
One Peter Pan Peanut Butter at $2.50
One Colgate Toothpaste at $1.50
Four boxes of Zatarains at $1.50 each

Coupons Used
Four $1/2 Carnation
Two .40 off Betty Crocker Potatoes (doubled to .80) here
Two .75 off Betty Crocker Cookie Mix here
One .45 off Muffin Mix (doubled to .90) here
One $1 off Quaker Oats
One .50 off Peter Pan (doubled to $1)
One .75 off Colgate
Two $1/2 Zatarains
Total before coupons and discount was $37.
Total OOP - $6.44 or 82.6% savings!

These were items that happened to be marked down while I was in Kroger. Missing is the sippy cup my daughter has already started using!

Two French's Mustard at .60 each (Reg. $1.30 each)
One Playtex Baby Einstein Sippy Cup on sale at $2.99 (Reg. $5.19)
Package of Chicken Breasts at $2.53 (Reg. $8.50)
Package of Chicken Breasts at $3.83 (Reg. $8.97)
Package of Chicken Breasts at $4.20 (Reg. $8.20)
Package of Chicken Breasts at $6.03 (Reg. $11.76

Total OOP - 20.96
Savings - $24.26 or 54%

Total OOP for trip - $33.34
Not bad at all!

Trip to Walmart

2008-11-01T18:14:00.004-05:00

Here is a quick trip to Walmart using coupons I got here at Centsible Sawyer. I would have also had two boxes of Nestle Hot Chocolate, but you can see what happened there here.

Two boxes of Bagelfuls at $1.98 each
Two bags of Cat Chow at $4.33 each
Two cans of Progresso Soup at $1.50 each
Two Shrimp Poppers at $1.25 each
Nine Johnson's Buddies Soaps at .97 each

Total before coupons - $28.85

Coupons Used
Two $1 off Bagelfuls
Two $3 off Purina
Two $1.10 off Progresso
Two $1 off Shrimp Poppers
Three $3 off three Johnson's Products

Total after coupons - $6.69 (More than 75% savings!)

Fraudulent Coupons Again? Ugh!

2008-10-29T22:33:00.001-05:00

I took the Nestle's Hot Chocolate coupons to Walmart today and was told they will not accept them because they have to be redeemed in El Rio, TX. They said any coupon with that address will not be accepted because they cannot be reimbursed for them. The CSM told me those were to be considered fraudulent. Has anyone else had this problem?

Menu Planning Monday (on a Tuesday)

2008-10-28T12:25:00.003-05:00

I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday, so here is my menu planning Monday on a Tuesday

Monday - Chicken Ranch Wraps
Chicken, Bacon, Cheese and whatever veggies you love. Wrap them up in a warm tortilla and top it with your favorite dressing. You can use baked chicken or fried chicken strips. These are family favorites! (I put a whole chicken in the crockpot Sunday afternoon with just some water, salt and pepper and let it cook on low for about 18 hours. It is so tender this way and much cheaper than buying the boneless, skinless pieces.)

Tuesday - Buffalo chicken sandwiches, pasta salad and veggies

Wednesday - Roast, potatoes and carrots in the crockpot, rolls

Thursday - Chicken casserole (with leftover chicken from Monday's wraps), veggies and rolls

Friday - Homemade pizza with breadsticks

Saturday - Beef enchiladas and spanish rice

Sunday - Spaghetti, salad and breadsticks

Recipes for some of these can be found here. Since they are all family favorites, we eat them a lot!

Homemade Wrapping Paper

2008-10-28T09:20:00.002-05:00

Throughout the holidays, I am going to try and post about many of the holiday traditions in our home that I try to include my children in. The first one for us is always our homemade wrapping paper.
If you go to your local newspaper or printing press, you can get an end roll (the end of a roll of printing paper) for next to nothing or even free. It looks like a roll of butcher block paper. Since I work part time for a newspaper, I can take mine home for free! (It also doubles as art paper in our house).
So, I spread out several pieces across our kitchen floor and tape down the edges, and I let my daughter's imagination run free! I give her colors, paint, stampers, glue and old Christmas cards. She decorates the paper with Christmas drawings and I use these to wrap presents for family members.
This also saves money on gift tags because you can write directly on the paper. Grandparents and aunts and uncles love to get presents wrapped in this handmade paper.
The only problem is that is takes forever to unwrap presents because nobody wants to tear the paper!

$5/$20 purchase at Walgreens for Fri. and Sat. Only

2008-10-23T17:08:00.003-05:00

Well, Walgreens has done it again! They have issued another $5/$20 coupon for Friday and Saturday. And its DOUBLE DIP days! I was really sad when I didn't get to use the last $5/$25 because we were all sick and I couldn't get there, but this one is even better! This one can also be used for photo purchases!
Anyway, go here to get your coupon and make Christmas shopping a little cheaper! Also, for those of you who don't know about Double Dip days, check here to read about it at From Wags to Riches. She can explain it much clearer than me!

Clearance at Target

2008-10-23T08:39:00.002-05:00

Make sure you check the clearance racks at Target because when I was there this past weekend, I found so many things on clearance in the kitchen aisles. I was able to get a new stainless steel crockpot for 50 percent off, and I only paid $12.50! Love it!

Congratulations Freebies 4 Mom!

2008-10-23T08:33:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Heather at Freebies 4 Mom! She was featured on Inside Edition last night for all of the goodies she gets for free. Good for you!!!!!

Quick trip to Walmart for $2.08

2008-10-23T08:16:00.003-05:00

Two Banquet Select Meals at $1.36 each
Two Toaster Strudels at $1.88 each
One Wet Ones at .99

Coupons Used
Two free Banquet Selects (Won from Money Saving Mom)
Two $1 off Toaster Strudels
One .75 off Wet Ones

Total OOP $2.08

2008-10-22T19:24:00.002-05:00

I have always enjoyed cooking with my daughter, and as she is getting older, it is becoming easier to do. Last night, she made dinner for us with biscuit pizzas. It is very simple, but she is much more likely to eat when she feels some ownership over what we are eating. Biscuit pizzas are super easy and minimally messy for younger children. I encourage anyone to spend the extra few minutes teaching your children to cook when they are younger, and it will definitely pay off in the end.

Biscuit Pizzas

One package of biscuits
One jar of tomato sauce or pizza sauce
Mozzarella
Pepperoni or other pizza toppings

Preheat oven according to biscuit package instructions. Lay out biscuits on cookie sheet and flatten. Top with pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni or other toppings. Cook according to biscuit package directions and serve.

Making some changes...what do you think?

2008-10-16T17:03:00.005-05:00

I know it has been quite a while since I posted, but I have really been thinking about where I want my blog to go. I have been posting about deals since summer, but I really feel like I want to add to my posts. So, I am hoping to challenge or (even inspire :P) other moms to do more for themselves without taking away from their families.
I was thinking the other night about what life was like before my children came along. :) I would sleep late on the weekends, spend hours window shopping or trying on clothes, see two movies on the weekend or even spend two or three hours at a dinner with my husband!
Now I consider myself lucky if I get to sleep past 8 a.m., spot a cute t-shirt while racing through the aisles at Target or Walmart or even get to have dinner with my husband by myself at the local Mexican restaurant.
Don't get me wrong! I am not complaining. I love my life and love my children, but on those rare occasions when I am by myself (like now at 11:30 p.m. when everyone is asleep), I try to think about what I can do in those small patches of time when I am on my own!
A couple of Christmases ago, I asked for a book called "Taking Care of the Me in Mommy" by Lisa Whelchel. You remember Lisa, or maybe you remember her a.k.a. Blair Warner, on the Facts of Life. I began reading her books a few years ago when we began considering homeschooling. She is so down-to-earth and like me in many ways, I quickly gobbled up anything she wrote.
"Taking Care of the Me in Mommy" has so many tips for taking those small snatches of time and using them to renew yourself. She makes me feel better about taking time for me rather than feeling guilty about spending 20 minutes on myself.
Last weekend, my husband came inside after working outdoors for a while, and he offered to watch my girls so I could go out with a friend for a while. The only problem was that is was already 6 p.m., I was in my pajamas and I just didn't feel like getting ready to go back out. Also, the majority of my friends are also SAHMs who can't go out at the drop of a hat.
So, instead of just passing up the offer, I took him up on the chance to watch the girls, and I locked my bedroom door for a few hours. I took a bath and used all of my bath gels and bubbles that I keep hidden from the children! I lit great smelling candles and read a stack of magazines that had been piling up for a few weeks.
After an hour in the bathtub and another hour with lotions and soft pillows on the bed, I was so relaxed that I could have just fallen into bed to watch a movie. Instead, I was so mellow and happy, I spent the next hour reading Charlotte's Web, curled up in the blankets, with my 6-year-old. It was a great night. I understood what Lisa meant when she said that mothers are better to and for their families when they take some time for themselves.
I have really been thinking about what I can do for my family to enjoy them more and enjoy my life more, so I hope to be sharing more of those ideas with you as time goes along.
I will still be posting my deals and money saving tips, but I hope to help other moms who are a little burned out! Let me know what you think or what you would like to hear about.

Makeup and More Buddies at CVS

2008-09-29T12:39:00.003-05:00

I went to CVS today armed with my Cover Girl coupons and more Buddies coupons and came out for less than $1.

First Transaction

Cover Girl Foundation at $5.79
Cover Girl Concealer at $4.79
Three Johnson's Buddies at $1.19 each

Coupons Used
Buy Foundation Get Skin Product Free
$1 off Cover Girl
$3/3 Johnsons

Total OOP - $5.99
ECBs Earned - $5.79

Total for trip - .20

Love the Johnson's Buddies!

2008-09-29T12:35:00.002-05:00

I went to Walmart today and spent .54 on 18 Buddies Soaps! I had coupons for $3/3 Johnsons products and with the price of .97 each at Walmart, I only had to pay .3 for each of them for tax! Thanks to Coupon Clippers I was able to get 10 coupons. I would have bought more soaps at Walmart, but I cleaned off the shelves!!!!!

WAGS Candy on Clearance

2008-09-26T09:36:00.002-05:00

I went in this morning to use my 5/20 coupon at WAGS and I found a huge amount of candy on clearance! I bought so many stocking stuffers for .25 and .30. There were shelves full of baskets, full of candy! Loved it! They also have Disney musical snowglobes for only $9.99. They were up on a high shelf, but there were four different kinds that I saw. I got a Mickey Mouse one for my daughter for Christmas, but I also saw a Sleeping Beauty, Disney Princesses and Winnie the Pooh. Great deal for these!

More than I bargained for at CVS

2008-09-25T15:55:00.003-05:00

I went in for Soy Joy and Alpo, but I came out with tons of hair goodies for 90 percent off! Not pictured are my daughter's Skittles which were quickly eaten and her lunch sacks needed for a school field trip.

First transaction

10 Soy Joys on sale at .50 each
One chocolate Skittles at .79
One Secret deodorant at .99
Two Alpo dog food BOGO at $1.19
Two headbands (regular $7.50 each) at .75 each
Two clips (regular $6 each) at .60 each
One mini clips (regular $4.50) at .45
Two clips (regular $5 each) at .50 each

Coupons Used
Two $3 off Soy Joy (second one adjusted down to $2)
One BOGO Alpo up to .79
One .50 off Secret MC

Total OOP - $6.26

Second Transaction

Two Alpo BOGO at $1.19
One lunchbag at $1.99

Coupon Used
One BOGO Alpo up to .79

Total OOP - 2.58

Third Transaction

One Reeses Cups 8 pk at .88
Two Alpo BOGO at $1.19

Coupon Used
One BOGO Alpo up to .79

Total OOP - $1

Total OOP for trip - $9.84 (Two of the hair clips would have cost me more than that!)

Awesome deal at CVS

2008-09-23T13:41:00.003-05:00

I was able to get four pairs of clogs for my daughter today at CVS and it cost me nothing OOP! (I will post a picture later tonight when I get a chance) The shoes are regularly $7.99 each, and they are 75% off with summer items right now! I was able to get four pairs for $8, and I still had $8 ECBs left over from my Arnicare deal last week, so it didn't cost me a dime! I love clearance sales!

Homeowners Insurance covers food loss!

2008-09-18T09:20:00.002-05:00

This is my frugal tip of the day.
I did not realize it, but my homeowners insurance will cover the loss of food in my refrigerators and freezers due to the power outage! Someone at my husband's job told him we should check into it, and indeed it does!
My policy subtracts my deductible and then pays the difference! For some people, meeting the deductible may be difficult, but I have two refrigerator/freezers and a deep freezer, and they were all full. The meat in the deep freezer alone may meet the deductible!
All I have to do is keep a list of the food I throw out and then turn it in with the approximate price value. I won't make enough to replace it all, but at least it will be something.
You should call your insurance company and check into it!

We interrupt this program....

2008-09-17T12:42:00.001-05:00

I have had no power since the weekend thanks to the aftermath of Hurricane Ike traveling across Kentucky, so I have not had a chance to post at all until today. I will begin posting tonight and set up this week's coupon contest. Talk to you soon!

Upcoming moneymaker at CVS

2008-09-13T22:53:00.002-05:00

I was looking at the upcoming CVS ad for 9/14 and I saw where the Aleve is $3.99 and paying $3 ECBs. This coupon will give you $1 off, so you can get it for -.01 after ECBs!
Also, Degree deodorant is $1.99 with your EC card, and the Degree website says there are $2 peelies on the deodorant in some stores, so be on the lookout!

Chance to win a $5,000 room from Pottery Barn Kids

2008-09-13T22:38:00.004-05:00

There is a giveaway here from Real Simple magazine with a chance to win $5,000 in supplies from Pottery Barn Kids to decorate your ultimate playroom! You can enter until Oct. 13, so good luck!

Free Subscription to Good Housekeeping

2008-09-13T13:49:00.002-05:00

Good Housekeeping is offering a free subscription to readers who purchase $20 or more in a single transaction of certain products at Kroger Family stores from Sept. 14 to Oct. 11.
Shoppers ar Bakers, City Market, Dillons, Frys, Gerbes, Hilander, Jay-C, King Soopers, Kroger, Owen's, Pay-Less, Ralph's, Scott's, Smith's and QFC will have a coupon print at the end of their transaction when they purchase the $20 of the following items:
Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes, Butter Buds, Campbell's Red and White Adult Vaierty, Campbell's Select Harvest, Dreamfield's Pasta, Eggo Waffles, Minute Rice, Naturally Preferred, Private Selection, TGI Friday's Sizzling Steak Fajitas, Tilmook Cheese, Simple Harvest, Spam, Swanson Chicken Broth, Blue Diamond Almonds, Lay's Cracker Crisps, Minute Main Enhanced Juice, Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk, Pepperidge Farm Cookies, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snyder's of Hanover Pretzels and Snacks, Aussie Opposites Attract Spray Gel, Pantene, Secret Flawless, Alli, Commit, KY Liquibeads, Oxy Acne Solutions, Tampax, Angel Soft, Brawny, Dixie, GE Energy Smart Light Bulbs, Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer, Simple Geren, Vanity Fair Napkins and Woolite Oxy Deep.