$avings Makes ¢ents

Vegetarian or Vegan Taco Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:35:00 +0000

I was reading a thread somewhere online with soup ideas when someone mentioned Taco Soup. I really liked the idea because the basis of the recipe is pretty much open cans, dump into pot. Very simple for work nights or when you need a quick lunch on the weekend. I did some tweaking to make it my own :)

Taco Soup

1 tbs oil of choice (optional)
1 large onion, chopped or 1/4 c. dried minced onion
1 pkg. taco seasoning (1/4 c. )
2 c. frozen corn
2 cups veggie broth or water
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can Kidney Beans, undrained
1 can fat free refried beans
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups salsa or 1 can spicy seasoned tomatoes (think Rotel)
8oz fresh button mushrooms, roughly chopped
small handful fresh cilantro, chopped

optional add-ins

sliced avocado
sour cream (vegan or reg.)
shredded cheddar (vegan or reg.)
tortilla chips
black olives
chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 c. rice per serving
chopped lettuce
lime wedges

Saute onions if using fresh in 1tbs oil of your choice until translucent

Dump everything except mushrooms, cilantro, and add ins into the pot

Simmer for 45 minutes

*You could also dump everything in a crockpot before heading out the door and set it to low

Turn off heat and add in chopped mushrooms. Stir to incorporate

Put into bowls to serve. Top with a few pinches of cilantro and your choice of add ins

Enjoy!

Free Baby 101 E book

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:01:00 +0000

Get the essential FREE "Baby 101 Ebook" with all the information you need for the newest addition to your family including free baby diapers, formulas, and much much more. Click Here

Sign Up for the TRESemme Newsletter For Special Offers

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 22:57:00 +0000

Look fabulous without spending a fortune! Sign up for the TRESemmé e-newsletter to get styling tips, product updates, offers and more. Click Here

Sunday Coupon Preview 3/6

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 13:53:00 +0000

There will be two inserts in this Sunday's paper; (1) SmartSource and (1) Redplum

Here are a few of the best coupons I see:

A1 Steak Sauce or Marinade 10 oz+ Save $1/1

Celestial Seasonings tea Save $1/1

Fruitables 8 pack juice boxes Save $1/1

Click here to see all of the coupons you can expect in this Sunday's paper. Keep in mind actual coupons and there values vary depending on your region/paper.

Weight Loss Update 3/2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:52:00 +0000

My last update on my weight loss journey was way back in OCTOBER!!!! Wow. I am not so great at being consistent. I kind of stopped for a week or two on purpose, because I didn't like the results I had to show(Halloween Candy anyone?) and never started again because things just got worse as the holidays progressed. I saw an initial drop in weight and inches with my mostly vegan eating, but then my weight started creeping up again. I didn't put much effort(if any) into exercising and we got a subscription to netflix that we used nightly. Shockingly, my inches stayed down and even dropped as I gained back the weight I lost(and a few extra pounds too).

Here's a quick catch up of my stats to date(@ 4ft 11.5 inches)-

9/17

Weight 131.4lbs
Belly 34.5 in
Hips 39in
Thigh 24in

9/24

Weight 129.2
Belly 34 in
Hips 37.5in
Thigh 24in

10/1

Weight 128.6
Belly 32 in
Hips 36.5in
Thigh 23in

12/28

weight 135lbs
belly 31 in
hips 36 in
thighs 22.5 in

3/4

Weight 124.2 lbs
belly 28.5 in
hips- 33.5 in
thighs 21in

My current weight loss is about a pound a week, so at this pace I will meet my goal of 113lbs(puts me right in the middle range of a healthy BMI) in 12 weeks (May 27th). My goal end date is May 1st.

I've been exercising most days 35-60mins(5-6 days a week), I stop eating 3 hours before bed, and I wait to eat in the morning until I have had at least 2 cups of liquid(water, lemon and cayenne water, herbal or green tea unsweetened, and rarely coffee w/ cream only), and most importantly, I have stopped baking things I can't resist eating 10 servings of. I have a major sweet tooth, which I try not to "turn on". But when it somehow gets switched on I try fruit first. If that doesn't work I melt tiny bits of chocolate and add those to the fruit.

I have not been exercising the past 2 week, other than incidentally. I will be resuming my "normal" exercise schedule next week though. That should help me meet my goal of May 1st.

What do you do to lose weight? Do you have any secret tricks or tips?

CellFire Super Savings Event! Until 9pm EST

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:37:00 +0000

Cellfire will have a special "Super savings" coupon of $0.50 or $3 today only (3/4) between 6am EST and 9pm EST. The coupon will be somewhere mixed in with the regular coupons. Simply "clip it" and it will be saved to your card! Make sure you are logged in and refresh if you don't see your coupon! Go here to see what you got! I got a $0.50 coupon, Thanks Cellfire!

Cellfire has also made this promotion available to more stores. Click the picture above to see if your store is now participating!

Get a Photo Magnet for $1 Shipped!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:43:00 +0000

Receive a free Photo Magnet when you join Kodak Gallery. Shipping is only $1!

Get $5 in Kellogg's Coupons!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:39:00 +0000

Seventh Generation Laundry Kit Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:06:00 +0000

Phyllis said... 88: I tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/phyllis2win/status/30288999163625472
phyllis2win(at)gmail(dot)com

Phyllis, please contact me within the next 24hrs so your prize can be sent!

Seventh Generation Laundry Kit Review and Giveaway! 24 Hours only!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:13:00 +0000

Several months ago, I was given the opportunity to try Seventh Generation's line of laundry products(thanks to My Blog Spark and Seventh Generation) and test out a cool hand held black light. Most laundry products contain optical brighteners, which trick us into thinking our clothes are cleaner than they are. The optical brighteners also leave a residue that can be harmful to our health and pollute the water, and irritate those with sensitive skin.

When I tested the Seventh Generation products against my normal laundry products, I did notice a difference in smell, but not cleanliness. The normal product wasn't hypoallergenic and left a nice scent, the Seventh generation only removed odors, but left the clothing with no smell. I then whipped out the nifty light they sent to see if there was optical brighten residue on either one of the laundry articles. Sure enough, the normal product left a glow, while the Seventh Generation products did not.

Would you like to give Seventh Generation's Laundry products a try? You can win FREE products right now! Here's how:

Leave a comment sharing how you keep your family healthy and/or safe at home. (Mandatory)

Extra ways to enter(better chance of winning!):

-Follow Seventh Generation on facebook and/or twitter

-Subscribe to my feed updates or email updates. If you already subscribe you get an extra entry too.
- "like" $avings Makes ¢ents on Facebook

- Follow me on twitter

-Sharing this giveaway on your own blog, facebook, myspace, twitter or any other public forum(please don't be spammy!).

Make a separate comment for each of the ways you shared or subscribed

Please be sure to leave a way for me to contact you in your entries so I can contact you if you win(email address please)!

The giveaway will close Wednesday (01/26) @ 12 pm est. The winner has 24hrs to email me back with their shipping address or an alternate winner will be picked. Open to U.S. residents only.

I was given a free laundry kit and information in order to do this review, and the option to offer another laundry kit as a giveaway to one winner. I was not required or paid to share my opinion, nor were my opinions edited by anyone.

Welcome Fairfield South Parents!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 21:16:00 +0000

Thank You for having Brianne and me join you today! We love sharing what we can with new people, and hope you were able to learn something new. Below are some of the links to resources we talked about.

Bethel Journal for $20/YEAR, includes a complementary Sunday Enquirer Subscription (Thanks Becky!)

Here are direct links to the Loyalty programs we shared

Where to find coupons

Printable Sites we talked about

E coupon sites (including Mperks)

Examples of my menu planning, and my shopping trips(not too impressive at the moment because we just switched to a plant based diet- no meat, eggs or dairy) My lowest recorded monthly grocery bill was $100 ($25/week) in October 2008.

You can preview what coupons will be coming out in the Sunday Paper here.

Swag Bucks- The search engine that pays you to search, you will need to register and installing the toolbar makes it easier to remember to use instead of google, but isn't required.

Mypoints.com- the site that will give you points for using printable coupons you print from their site. See more ways to use Mypoints here.

Survey Sites:

Lightspeedpanel - learn more about what to expect here.

Opinion Outpost- learn more about them here

Global Test Market- learn more here

Toluna

Market Research-

J&R

Q Fact

Wolf Group

Please let me know if you have any questions! I am more than happy to help or, if I don't know the answer, find someone who will be able to.

FREE American Baby Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:09:00 +0000

Get your FREE Subscription to American Baby Magazine. Click Here

FREE Rouge Magazine= High Value P&G Coupons!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 22:15:00 +0000

Sign up for Rouge to get the hottest tips and techniques from beauty pros. You’ll get our magazine delivered to your home and access to monthly updates online. It’s Free! Click Here

This Magazine comes out quarterly and has high Value P&G coupons included!

A Whole Slew of Veggies!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:20:00 +0000

This week was a great week for veggies at Meijer. Many of the items in the 10/$10 get the 11th free sale were vegetables or fruit, and they had some unadvertised $1 items in the produce section too!

Kroger(Sunday)

I bought more newspapers this week than the whole month of December!

5 Newspapers 1.75 each (8.75)
bobs vital wheat gluten 4.42
almond milk 1.50
nasoya silken tofu 1.99
extra firm tofu 1.29
4 seitan strips 1/2 price clearance 1.49 each (convenience item, you can make this for less with the vital wheat gluten- used like steak or chicken strips )

total was 23.91
saved 6.36

Meijer and Jungle Jim's
Jungle Jim's
16 stuffing size button mushrooms (2.5lbs @ 1.99/lb) 4.98
bean sprouts (.46lbs @ .99/lb) .46
-tasty in salads, soups, and sandwiches!
9 hass avocados 3/$2 6.00
-bought most very hard and a few that were slightly soft, so these will last 2-3 weeks, if we don't eat them all before then!

total was 11.44

Meijer

3 large cucumbers .33 each
3 bunches green onions .33 each
2 bags fresh cranberries 1.00 each
-went directly to the freezer
2 loafs aunt millies hearth bread 2.50 each
- 2 .55 coupons = 1.50 each
4 preggo 46 oz 2.50 each
-2 1.00/2 mealbox coupon
-2 .35/2 coupons= 1.15 each
6 cans of spaghettios .50 each
-NOT VEGAN- small compromise for the kids/husband when they want to be "bad"
-2 .40/3 coupons
-1.00/6 mealbox coupon= .07 each

10/$10 get the 11th free items

5 hunt's pasta sauce
-1.00/5 mealbox coupon should be .80, but the coupon didnt come off for me
* read the ingredients list, some flavors have high fructose corn syrup. The herb and garlic one doesn't
2 bags fresh spinach
pascal celery
2 3lb bags carrots
3 3lb bags onions
3 5lb bags potatoes
2 bags dole salad
bag coleslaw mix
16 old orchard frozen juice concentrate
- 4 1.00/4 printables (sort by the beverage tab on side to find easier) and here
I bought 4 grape flavored juice and they rung up at 1.49 and didnt count toward the 10 /$10 sale, be careful when selecting flavors, apparently only some are included
5 packages sliced mushrooms (3 mini bella and 2 white button)
1 bag rainbow salad
5 bags cherry tomatoes
5 6oz containers blackberries

Got 4 items for free with the sale

Total was $58.94/75 items- not bad!
Saved $75.25, 12.00 in coupons

Total for the week
Spent 94.29
Saved 81.61
Coupon Savings 12.00

I was thinking about going to the drugstores for some of the great deals on HBA and Cleaning supplies, but I think I'd rather just catch up on some home things. If I change my mind and end up going I'll be sure to post here. You can still see the great deals available this week at CVS and Walgreens though.

Menu Plan Monday 1/03

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:55:00 +0000

I took a little break from formal menu planning over the holidays. I still wrote out a few easy, fast meal ideas, and a few recipes to try, so I wasn't completely lost when dinner time came around. I am ready to get back to normal routine and meals now! All meals are meat, dairy and egg free.

Breakfast

-sweet potato hash browns w/ fruit
-banana pancakes w/ banana and walnut topping 2x
-mini crustless tofu quiches
-cereal w/ fruit 3x

Lunch

-White beans and Lemon potatoes w/ olives, tomatoes, and spinach
-walnut stuffed mushrooms, salad with pumpkin seeds, tomato, green onion and avocados
-cutlet wraps with veggies and dressing
-quinoa cherry tomato salad
-leftovers 3x

Dinner

-Scalloped potatoes and butternut squash (minus the chestnuts), salad
-brussel sprouts w/ walnuts and dried cranberries, cutlets on the cheap w/ mushroom gravy
-curried potatoes w/ cauliflower, peas and brown rice
-whole wheat pasta with chickpeas and broccoli
-leftovers 3x

Snack/dessert

-skinny figgy bars
-apple cranberry crisp (substituting coconut oil for the butter)
-kefir fruit smoothies (I found kefir starter at Jungle Jim's last week and am very anxious to try it out!)
-home made trail mix

Need some menu planning inspiration? Check out hundreds of other menu plans here!

Sunday Coupon Preview 1/02 (5 Inserts!)

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 22:45:00 +0000

It's a new year, and that means we will be seeing a lot of coupons for healthier items and diet foods. This week we are going to have 5 inserts in the Sunday paper (2) SmartSource, (2) RedPlum and (1) General Mills. Here are a few goodies I see:

Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Quick or Old Fashioned Oats Save $1.00/1

Lightlife Veggie Entrée $1.00/1

V8 V-Fusion juice variety 46 oz or 8 oz 6 pack Save .75/1

V8 V-Fusion tea beverage 46 oz variety Save .75/1

Click here to see more of the coupons you can expect this weekend. Remember that coupons and their values can vary by region.

Changing and Improving

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 19:01:00 +0000

This is the time of year that many people look at themselves and their surroundings and decide they will make a fresh start at some goal or project starting on the 1st of the New Year(and quickly give up after January:/). I personally think it is ridiculous to put off improvements and changes until the new year and jump into them once I have done some research(if research is needed). In September we started a mostly vegan diet, and are continuing on with it, though we have had some breaks from it with all the holidays and gatherings.

I wanted to share with you some of the things I am hoping to accomplish throughout 2011. Many of these I have already started, because like I said, why put off making yourself and the things around you better? Start as soon as you can and you will likely not only stick to your goals, but actually get to them much faster. So here they are, my to do list;) :

Personal

-Lose 22lbs and get in shape. I am still working on this from September, but hope to have it completed by the end of February.

- Have more fun with the kids and husband. Who couldn't use more fun? I want to create more special memories with the family.

-Read 12 books in the next twelve months. I read a few last year(the first time I read more than blogs and kid books in YEARS!), and I was reminded of how much I love a good book. I'll share the 12 books I pick once I figure out what they are. Any suggestions? I love anything about money and finance, nutrition, gardening, just to name a few topics.

-Time management! I really, really need to work on this in order to have time for everything I want to do. I need to cut back on the random blog hopping(one of my major time wasters) and unstructured computer time in general.

Home

-Continue decluttering and organizing my home. I have gotten a pretty good start on this the past 4-5 weeks, I just need to continue the momentum. The clutter from moving a year ago is finally getting dealt with.

-Work on the garden and landscaping- I had a decent 1st year last year in the garden, but I want to grow most of our summer veggies this year. I want to preserve somethings for winter too. I am going to start some spring vegetables soon. I need to get a food scale so I can keep track of how much we get from our yard.

I will also be ripping out some of our current landscaping and replacing it with edible landscaping.

Financial

- Cut back on spending/increase earnings and savings. I'll share how we do this as we go along.

-Keep a budget. Budget? What is that? Haha, so not funny. I haven't been keeping track of or budgeting anything in the last 6 months or more. I need to get a new budget together, stick to it, and find some way to increase our earnings so we can add to our savings account. I will be trying to share our grocery purchases again, when time permits, so you can see how we save on our mostly whole plant foods lifestyle and so I have some accountability.

-Price and save for the cost of some home improvements.
1) New windows for the whole house
2) Restore the fireplace to working order

Blog

- Be more consistent in posting. I am terrible about this, and I am sorry. I am going to work on this.

-Create a posting schedule. I will have several post that I do weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly etc. and others that will be posted as needed(timely deals or sweepstakes) or once I have a chance to write them.

- Increase readership and traffic. This will enable me to bring you better and more giveaways, and lets face it, most people want to have people read their blog, that's why they don't keep a diary instead;)

I'll be sharing how we plan to accomplish these goals and our progress throughout the year. What are you working on this year?

Cheap Organic Canned Pumpkin! (Less than $1 per can)

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:42:00 +0000

Right now you can score Farmer's Market Foods Organic Canned Pumpkin, 15-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) for less than $1.00/15oz can. It is on sale for $12/12 cans, plus you save an additional 15% when you choose subscribe and save. That brings your total down to $10.20/12 (15oz) cans!

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Win a Zojirushi Rice Cooker from Lundberg Family Farms and Eating Well!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:48:00 +0000

Go here to enter to win one of three Zojirushi Rice cookers from EatingWell and Lundberg Family Farms. Each winner will also get a gift basket of Lundberg rice products worth $100! I know we sure could use one of these:)

Your entry must be received by 11:59 PM ET on March 1, 2011.

Good Luck!

Meijer Fine Jewelry Sale: Up to 75% Off!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:23:00 +0000

Have you browsed Meijer's Fine Jewelry Department lately? If not, you are in for a treat for the eyes! I headed to Meijer Sunday to see what kind of selection they had, and I was blown away! I also came away with a beautiful, playful piece of jewelry for my eldest daughter.

I am not good at waiting, I gave it to her within 5 minutes of getting home.She wore it to school today( I thought it was appropriate, considering all the snow we have been getting), she said a friend asked if she thought her mom could buy her one too. This was normally $199.99(you know I would never pay that ...but still), on sale for $59.99. At first I was eyeballing the snowflake necklace and even the matching earrings for myself(on sale for $29.99 until 12/16), but I fell for this charming snowman.

Their selection was pretty amazing considering the small space it takes up in the store. You can see the deals my buddy Brianne got here. Her's were all under $15 and very nice as well!

Would you like to have your own piece of Meijer's Fine Jewelry? Becky of Nickels-N-Dimes is giving away a fabulous bracelet(ends 12-16 @ 8pm)! You can head over here to win. You can see the fine Jewelry ad for this week here.

I was provided with a gift card by Meijer so I could review their Jewelry selection and pick something out to take home. No other compensation was paid to me and all opinions are my own. No one told me to write this review or even required I do so and this post was only very poorly edited by me and no other outside source.

3 High Value Excederin Coupons By Mail (2 for FREE Items!)

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:46:00 +0000

Excedrin is offering 3 different coupons by mail. All you have to do is go here and click on each of the links for these. They include Excedrin Migraine (FREE coupon), Excedrin Extra Strength (FREE coupon), and Excedrin PM ($3.50 of any,likely to be free lots of places).

Meijer Mperk Toy E-Coupons!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:44:00 +0000

Meijer just released 3 new E Coupons for toys on Mperks.com!

Save 20% on any action figure purchase

Save $20 on any ride on toy purchase of $99.99 or more

Save $5 on any board game priced at $9.99 or more

All of these expire 12/12

Sunday Coupon Preview 12/05

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:50:00 +0000

It sure was nice to have a week or so off of sorting and clipping coupons, wasn't it? But now it's time to get those scissors back out of their drawer and get to saving! You can expect 2 inserts this week: (1) RedPlum , and (1) SmartSource. Here are a few of the best coupons I see:

Krusteaz Bakery Style Cookie Mix Save $1.00/1 (I'm pretty sure these are few at Kroger after coupon- Mega Event item)

Cuties Save $.55 5lb and Save $.35 3lb (these are great for school lunches and to take along with you when you are shopping- don't want to get famished!)

Several Huggies coupons

Excedrin PM (20ct or larger) Save $2.50/1 (these could end up being free at a Drugstore...)

Build-A-Bear Workshop Save $10.00 off a purchase of Save $30.00 or more

You can see more coupons to expect in this Sundays paper by clicking here.

You don't have to wait until Sunday to get new coupons! You can print coupons anytime from coolsavings.com, Coupons.com, and Redplum.com.

Another Free Shipping Code for Tropical Traditions!

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:17:00 +0000

I always hold off making a purchase online until I can get Free shipping! And since switching to a mostly vegan diet, I have been ordering more from Tropical Traditions. You can score free shipping using code 31210 Midnight December 6th. You do need to purchase $13.00 in product to qualify for free shipping.

I am seriously considering buying the gallon pails of organic coconut chips, normally $17.50, on sale until December 5th for $10.50. Yummy!

$3 Zantac Printable

noreply@blogger.com (Tosha) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:47:00 +0000

With all the Holiday parties and dinners under way, you can be sure someone is going to need an antacid. You can go here and print a $3.00 Zantac coupon. Walmart sells the smaller pack for around $3.98, so only $0.98 after coupon!