Saving makes Cents!

2011-05-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

So its been a while since I posted. I took a very needed break from couponing for a while. Despite what some might think, couponing does take work, organization and dedication to make it worth while. Here's what I've been doing......

Sewing, Sewing, and more Sewing!!!

So, while I'm still sewing, I've noticed that groceries are only getting more expensive and that I need to coupon more than ever. So I'm getting back on the bandwagon just slowly.

What are your favorite coupon sites/tips?

I have started following a new website that seems pretty good - hip2save

Recipes Galore!

2010-08-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's no secret to those that know me that I am a recipe junkie! I love to be in the kitchen cooking up something good. I also love trying new recipes. I happened upon some recipes on my friend Tara's blog that I thought I would share with you guys! Enjoy!!

Recipes

It's Wednesday!! The new grocery ads start today!

2010-08-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Now that we are getting over the sicknesses that have invaded our home, I am trying to get back on track. I looked at the Winn-Dixie ad on-line and here are the best deals I see for the ad that starts today. Remember, I like to use Winn-Dixie as a place to buy meats. They often have better prices than Publix on their meats and sometimes their produce.

Winn-Dixie
Fresh ground Chuck - $1.89/lb.
Whole Beef Tenderloin - $7.99/lb. (they will slice them into steaks for free, just ask)
Split Chicken Breasts - B1G1
Chicken Leg Quarters - .69c/lb.
Catfish Fillets - $3.99/lb.
Lettuce - .88 cents each
Meal Deal!! - Buy 2 Freschetta pizzas - 2/$13.98 and get the following FREE: Box of Tyson Anytizers, Winn-Dixie garlic bread sticks, 1/2 gallon Breyers ice cream, and a 2 liter Coke product.

As a side note - check out this Lemon Chicken Recipe on Annie's Eats. I used chicken leg quarters (.69 cents a lb. this week) this past week to make it. It was super easy and VERY GOOD!! I used Italian seasoning instead of fresh thyme and rosemary and it worked out great. You should try it if you are buying any of the chicken on sale this week!

Publix
Cole's Garlic Bread - $1.40 each - .50/1 coupon HERE - makes them .40 cents each - The cheese sticks are to die for!!
Lipton Tea Bags - .40/1 in 8/1 RP (expires 8/28!) combined with .75/2 Target Coupon
Dixie Sugar - $2.49 - .50/1 Coupon HERE - makes it $1.49 - great price for a 5 lb. bag!
Bleach - $1.66 each - There was a .25/1 coupon that will double in the 8/22 SS
Campbell's Cooking Soups - $10/10 - $.50/2 Coupon Here - Makes them .50 cents each
Campbell's Select Harvest Soup - $1.20 each - $1/1 coupon HERE and HERE - Makes them .20 cents each!

There are lots more great Publix deals at Hotcouponworld and Iheartpublix, These are just the only deals I will be getting this week!

Here's to hoping you save lots of money this week!

30% at Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic

2010-08-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Do you need some new clothes now that school has started back?
This weekend (August 26-29) you can get 30% off at Gap, Old Navy or Banana Republic using the coupon below. And 5% of your purchase will go to Teach for America! Win Win for everyone!

Here is the link - COUPON

Note that it can only be used in store and not on-line.

Happy Shopping!

Apparently I lied.....Oops!

2010-08-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

So I said yesterday that I would be back with the best weekly deals. I got super busy at work and didn't get a chance. However, I will say that you guys should check out Southernsavers. She has match ups to local stores and even has scenarios for CVS. Check it out!

Swagbucks Extravaganza!!

2010-08-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

Most of you may have seen me post about Swagbucks on facebook or here on the blog. If you haven't, Swagbucks is basically a way to search the web. They use Google and Ask.com so you can almost always find what you need going through their site. There is a toolbar for your browser so searching doesn’t take any more effort than searching using a different method. But here is the best part, when you search you are periodically awarded “swagbucks” and these swagbucks can be redeemed for prizes, including gift cards to Amazon, Target, iTunes, and Starbucks.

Over the past month I have earned over 2,000 Swagbucks. There are two main ways I earn bucks. First, every time I search the web I use Swagbucks, and have won bucks searching. Second I earn bucks from referrals. When someone signs up for Swagbucks through my link I win a Swagbuck when they win, up to 1000 Swagbucks.

So after you sign up for Swagbucks, tell all your friends about it. You could use your blog, facebook or twitter account to let your friends know that you are earning gift cards and other prizes just for searching the web. When they sign up, you will win swagbucks too! What I like about this affiliate program is that everyone wins, and no one has to buy anything!

You get 30 swagbucks just for joining but if you join today and enter the code SwagToSchool at registration, you will get an extra 20 swag bucks. You can then update your profile for even more "swagbucks". A $5 Amazon gift card is only 450 swagbucks.

Lets get back to the "extravaganza". Today their will be lots of swagcodes splattered across the web randomly for which you can enter and get extra bucks.

Here is one good until 11:30 AM CST worth 7 swagbucks - Swagbucks Blog
Look in the blog entry titled "Let the Extravaganza BEGIN"

So if you haven't joined yet.... You can click HERE or use the swidget and the top of my blog!

Happy Searching!!!

Nabisco Facebook Coupon

2010-08-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Its the first Monday in the month and that means that TODAY ONLY you can score a great nabisco cookie coupon on facebook!

If you haven't already, you will need to "like" them before you are able to print the coupon under the "cookies and milk" tab!

Nabisco Facebook page

Need Peanut Butter?

2010-08-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

CVS has a deal this week on skippy peanut butter. Peanut butter is devoured in this house like nobody's business so I stocked up!

The Peanut butter is priced 3/$5 and when you buy $10 worth of Skippy, Ragu and/or Lipton (i think) you get a $3 ECB. There are .40/1 and .50/1 Skippy coupons in today's Red Plum insert depending on what area of the country you are in. Here is my suggestion. Order 6 of the Skippy coupons from The Coupon Master or The Coupon Clippers and your order will look like this....

6 Skippy PB - $10
Minus (6) .50/1 coupons - $3.00
Pay $7 OOP and earn $3 back in ECB's

So ultimately you paid $4 for 6 jars of PB. Of course if you already have any ECB's then your OOP would be lower. Also, if you are going to order coupons, you need to order them today to ensure that you get them before the sale ends.

I didn't use any coupons but I did have some ECB's to burn so I used those. The jars I got didn't expire until 5/11 - not that they will make it 2 months here!

The Johnson and Johnson deal on bandaids is good too. With a toddler, you can never have too many bandaids. The deal is, purchase $10 worth of J&J products and get $5 in ECB's back. The kids bandaids are $3.49 here so I bought 3 and got back $5. Essentially 3 packs of bandaids for $5.

Hope you guys find some good deals this week.

Several things to update.....

2010-07-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

So I taught a coupon class this past week and I felt like I left them with their heads spinning....Hey ladies!!! Couponing is confusing and slightly difficult when you start but I promise you that it gets easier and you will be a better woman for getting it under your belt! They had lots of good questions that I probably take for granted since I've been couponing so long. If anyone ever has any questions, don't hesitate to post a comment.

One thing that I forgot to mention during the class was Target. I LOVE Target!! It is one of my favorite places to shop with or without coupons. Twice a year, Target puts their toys on clearance. The sales happen in January and July. Like every other sale at Target, things start out at 30% and gradually move to 90%. Generally the last Thursday in July, the toys go from 50% off to 75% off. If there is anything left at your store then you can make out like a bandit!! I have no shame in admitting that I generally "stalk" Target during this time of the month! I was working in Tuscaloosa Wednesday so I stopped by after work, things were still 50% off although some people across the country were reporting on couponing boards that their stores were already at 75% off. I did buy Cade a Toy Story 3 Woody figurine and "cowboy belt" that was marked down to $7 but with much restraint I decided that I would wait until Saturday. My heart kinda sank when I left because I just knew I wouldn't be able to get back to Tuscaloosa until Saturday and thought most everything would be gone by then. BOY WAS I WRONG!!! I went this morning and got over $130 worth of toys (mostly for my nieces) for around $20. I also found that most of the ladies summer shoes were clearanced. I got two pair of dress sandals for less than $4 each! So, if you are around a Target, check them out and see what you can find. Some of the brands clearanced were MegaBloks, Matchbox cars and sets, Kai Lan, Barbie, Play kitchen stuff, puzzles, games and Toy Story stuff. My one piece of advice is that you shouldn't just go by the sticker price - use the self scanner! I found lots of stuff at 75% off that wasn't marked.

There are several good things at Publix this week. I hope you got some of them. Pop Tarts, Kraft Mac n Cheese, Cottonelle toilet paper, GM Cereal, Solo paper plates, Stouffers meals....Since there aren't many more shopping days in this sales cycle, I wont post the hot deals. Check out Iheartpublix or Hotcouponworld to see the hottest deals this week. The new ad starting 8/4 should be posted tomorrow on Hotcouponworld.

Hope you guys have a great week!!

Winn-Dixie Cheese Deal!! Run don't walk!!

2010-07-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

FREE Kraft shredded cheese at Winn-Dixie between 7/21 and 7/27.

The 8oz. bags of Kraft shredded cheese are on sale for $2 each. There are $1 peelies on the bags making them $1 after the coupon. Buy in sets of 5 and get a $5 off your next order coupon from the Catalina machine. Do not buy more than 5 at time as the machine will only give you one $5 coupon back!

So it should look like this....

Transaction #1
5 Kraft shredded cheeses - $10
Use 5 peelies - minus $5
Total out of pocket - $5
Receive a $5 OYNO cat.

Transaction #2
5 Kraft shredded cheeses - $10
Use 5 peelies - minus $5
Use $5 Catalina - minus $5 -
FREE
Receive a $5 OYNO cat.

Rinse and Repeat!! Free Cheese!!
Shredded cheese freezes really well by the way. Good luck finding the peelies!

Getting back on track!

2010-07-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a few weeks. Things have been busy. I have been using my stockpile and planning my meals around what is in the freezer and pantry though so that is good! This is a busy time of year for me with my job so I may be scattered here and there some.

Some new things to tell you about though....
My friend Tara reminded me about Swagbucks and what an easy way it was to get Amazon gift cards and even paypal money (or as I refer to it "fun money"). Swagbucks is a reward system for searching the internet. Basically it is a search engine that gives you points when you search the web. In turn you can redeem your points for stuff like paypal, Amazon gift codes, itunes gift cards, gift cards to restaurants/stores, etc. You can download their search bar and use it just like you would google. You receive 30 points to start your account and can earn anywhere from 1 to 50 points per search. I had to restart an account because my old email is blocked (long story) but just in the past week since creating a new swagbucks account, I have already earned close to 900 points. Each $5 Amazon gift code costs 450 points. I am hoping to have close to $100 in Amazon codes by Thanksgiving in order to buy some of my Christmas gifts! I know you are thinking "Wow, what a great idea, Jennifer!" :) So, will you help me? If you are not a member of Swagbucks yet, you can join HERE!! Why not? You are probably already searching the web daily, right?

Secondly, while we are on referral links.......I have posted in the past about Ebates. But maybe some of you haven't read that far back. Ebates is online shopping site that gives you a percentage of your shopping back to you in cash. For instance, you may be buying something off eBay and can get 5% of your total purchase back in cash if you go through Ebates. The percentages vary and there are tons of stores to choose from. You can receive your cash back quarterly either through the mail or your paypal account. Essentially this is free money if you are doing some shopping online anyways. Who doesn't like to save money? If you didn't, I'm sure you wouldn't be on my site right now! If you sign up for Ebates using the link HERE and make a purchase, we will both get $5 and you will also get a % of your purchase back. Easy enough?

On to Publix deals:
In the ad that starts tomorrow (7/21), here are the hot deals that I see:

Kraft Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip Dressing, Assorted Varieties, 30 oz jar, BOGO $3.99
Use this $1/1 Miracle Whip Facebook coupon to pay $1 per jar!

Smucker’s Preserves or Marmalade or Spread, Jelly or Jam, Selected Varieties, 12.75 to 18 oz jar (Excluding Apple, Grape, Low Sugar Grape, Red Raspberry or Black Raspberry), BOGO $3.19
Use $.25/1 coupon from 5/23/2010 RP Insert which doubles to pay $1.10 per jar

Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Bars, Assorted Varieties, 6.7 to 10.8-oz box BOGO $3.49
Use the $1/1 to pay .75¢ per box

Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper or Chicken or Tuna Helper, Assorted Varieties, 4.5 to 7.5 oz box, BOGO $1.59
$0.75/3 Betty Crocker Helper Meals from 5/30 Gm or 6/20 SS insert
$1/2 Rite Aid Jul Video Values (exp 8/28/2010)
Buy three and use the manufacturer’s coupon with the Rite Aid coupon and pay 21¢ per box (Northport store accepts Rite Aid as a competitor)

Tombstone Pizza, Assorted Varieties, 18.1 to 29.5 oz pkg (Excluding Stuffed Crust and Brick Oven Varieties) BOGO $5.79
$2/1 Facebook coupon
Use the $2/1 and pay 90¢ for a pizza!

Right Guard Sport Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant, Assorted Varieties, 2.8 or 3 oz pkg, BOGO $2.79
$2/2 Right Guard® products
Use the $2 coupon and pay 40¢ per item!

Meow Mix, Assorted Varieties, 3 to 3.5-lb bag, BOGO $4.89
$1.50/1 from 6/6 RP
Use the above coupon to pay .95 cents per bag!

Glade Candle, 4 oz jar or Scented Oil Candle Refills, 4 ct pkg, Assorted Varieties, BOGO $3.49
$1/1 Glade 4oz Jar Candle
$2/2 Glade 4oz Jar Candles
Use either printable and pay 75¢ each

Lysol Disinfectant Trigger Spray Cleaner, All Purpose 4 in 1: Lemon Breeze, Pacific Fresh Scent. or With Bleach. 32 oz bot or Antibacterial Kitchen Citrus Scent, 22 oz bot, BOGO $2.69
$0.50/1 Lysol All Purpose Cleaner Pourable
If pourable kind is included use the printable above and pay 35¢ per bottle

Spray ‘n Wash Laundry Stain Remover With Resolve Power, Regular or Max, 12 or 22 oz bot, BOGO $2.99
$.75/1 Spray ‘N Wash With Resolve Power, Any (HomeSolutions)
You pay 75¢ after coupon!

Smart Balance Milk half gallon, 2/$5
$2/1 Smart Balance Milk
$2/1 Smart Balance Milk Product$2.50/1 Smart Balance Milks 7/11/2010 RP Insert (exp 8/25/2010)

$2.50/1 Smart Balance Milks 6/13/2010 RP Insert (exp 7/28/2010)
Use either $2.50/1 coupon for FREE milk or the $2/1 coupon to score milk for .50 cents!

Crest Toothpaste 6.4oz tube, 10/$10

$.50/1 Crest Toothpaste 4oz+ 6/6/2010 P&G Insert (exp 7/31/2010)

Use this coupon to score FREE toothpaste!

What deals are you chasing this week?

Weekly Menu - maybe a menu for the next 2 weeks???

2010-06-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here is what I have cooked so far this week....

Hamburger Steaks
Spaghetti
BBQ Ribs in the crock pot w/ baked beans

both were easy and I didn't feel like making anything but easy!

Here are upcoming menu ideas! I have fallen in love with The Fairhope Foodie and Annie's Eats! I also found a great cookbook at the library - The Pioneer Woman. She has great EASY recipes that look so good. I'm thinking about going to the bookstore to buy this one. Not sure in what order I will make these things but it always saves me money to plan a menu so I am trying to do better with that.

Homemade Pizza
Cubed Steak with Mac n cheese
Fried Chicken
Cinnamon rolls (one day this weekend for breakfast)
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
Santa Fe Crock pot Chicken
Shrimp Po Boys
Pasta Bake (something like baked spaghetti)

CROCS!!!

2010-06-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

We love Crocs at our house, well Cade loves them. He's actually the only one that owes a couple of pairs! LOL! So, naturally I love a good deal on Crocs. Its really the only time I buy them. I just got Cade the "wave" flip flop crocs for $8.99 shipped to my door. Also loving the fact that I don't have to go anywhere to get them!! :) Not that my child is school age but this would be good for those of you that have school aged kids, maybe you could get some of your "back to school" shopping done!

Here's the deal:
Use the code SUMMERLUV20 to save 20% off your entire purchase AND the code CROSLITE10 to save an additional 10%–that means you get 30% off!! Check out the Outlet section to really score some great deals or just use these codes to discount the ones you love!! Hurry - Free Shipping through Midnight today (6/30)!!!

Code                            Original Price     Coupon Price      Shoe Type

SCUTES1499               $29.99              $14.99                Unisex- Scute

MARYJANE1499         $24.99              $14.99               Women’s – Mary Jane

GMARYJANE999        $19.99              $9.99                  Girl’s – Mary Jane

MELBOURNE1999      $39.99               $19.99               Unisex – Melbourne Flip

OLIVIA1499                $29.99                $14.99               Women’s - Olivia

MALINDI1499             $29.99                $14.99               Women’s - Malindi

GABBY999                   $24.99                $9.99                 Girl’s - Gabby

PREPAIR1499              $34.99                 $14.99              Unisex – Entire Prepair Collection

SCCLOG1999             $49.99                 $19.99              Men’s – Santa Cruz Clog

LADY1499                   $29.99                  $14.99             Women’s – Lady

CLEO1499                   $29.99                  $14.99              Women’s - Cleo

RELIEF1499                $39.99                   $14.99              Unisex – Relief

WAVE999                   $19.99                   $9.99                 Kid’s Unisex - Wave

PRIMA999                  $24.99                   $9.99                Women’s - Prima

Thanks to Michelle @ Iheartsavingmoney

2010-06-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

This week hasn't started out so great. I have pinkeye and Saturday it looked like someone punched me in the face. Yesterday morning it really wasn't much better so I went to the eye doctor. He gave me some drops and I am back behind my computer at work today but haven't had the most motivating day!
Needless to say, I haven't really planned a menu for the week. I cooked hamburger steaks, squash and baked potatoes last night just because that was easy to make. I'll probably throw something easy together again tonight.

I have been however, working on the upcoming Publix ad this week at HCW. If you haven't seen it yet, its HERE.

Here are the best deals that I see for this week:

Chinet Napkins, Extra Large Dinner Or All Occasion, 40 or 90 ct pkg, BOGO $2.15
$1/1 Chinet PRINT
- Use the $1/1 to pay 8¢ per package!

Kraft Dressing, Assorted Varieties, 14 or 16 oz bot (Excluding South Beach Living) BOGO $3.19
$1/1 Kraft 14 or 16 oz. salad dressing from the 06-20-10 Smartsource insert
$2 on Produce WYB 2 participating Kraft products – KRAFT Dressing ( 16 oz ), KRAFT Mayo Mayonnaise ( 24-32 oz. ) or Miracle Whip Dressing ( 24-32 oz. ) Tearpad
$2 on Fresh Meat with the purchase of Kraft Salad Dressing (16 oz or larger) and any other 2 participating products: Kraft Salad Dressing (16 oz) Kraft Mayo Mayonnaise (22 oz) Miracle Whip Dressing (22 oz) Kraft Barbecue Sauce (18 oz) Tearpad
$1 of produce wyb Kraft Dressing Tearpad
- Use the $1/1 to pay 60¢ per bottle –add a wyb coupon for an even better deal!

Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce, Assorted Varieties, 18 oz Bottle, $2.35
$1/2 Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce, Any (2) 18 Oz. Or (1) 28 Oz. Or Larger – 05-23-10 SS
- Use the coupon to pay 68¢ per bottle

A.1. Steak Sauce, Assorted Varieties, 10 oz Bottle, BOGO $4.24
$1 on meat wyb 2 Kraft Participating Products: A.1. Steak Sauce, Kraft Barbecue Sauce, Kraft Salad Dressing Or Grey Poupon, Any Tearpad
$1 off A.1. Steak Sauce, Any (1) 10 Oz. + And (1) Package Beef, Any Tearpad
$1 off Publix Ground Beef wyb A.1. Smart Savings Booklet
- Use the Publix coupon with the $1 off A1 & beef to score $2 off your purchase –like getting the A.1. for 12¢ if you were planning on buying beef!!

French’s Classic Yellow Mustard, 14 oz, BOGO $1.87
$.30/1 French’s Classic Yellow Mustard, Any – 05-09-10 SS
$.50/1 French’s PRINT & PRINT
- FREE mustard with the $.50/1 coupon since our stores doubles!

Mueller’s Pasta, Assorted Varieties, 12 or 16 oz box or 100% All Natural Whole Wheat Pasta, 13.25 oz box (Excluding Lasagna, Jumbo Shells, and Noodles) BOGO $1.29
$1/2 Mueller’s Whole Wheat Rotini or Your Favorite Mueller’s Pasta. Valid 7/1/10 – 7/31/10 – Plan on Pasta 2010 Calendar
- Use this coupon to pay 15¢ per box! This was a booklet received in the mail after you signed up at their website!
Breakstone’s Sour Cream Regular, Reduced Fat or Fat Free, 16 oz cup, BOGO $1.59
$.55/1 Breakstone 16 oz PRINT
- Use the $.55/1 to pay 25¢ per cup!

Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt, Assorted Varieties, 4-pk, 4-oz cup, BOGO $2.50
$.50/1 Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt Multipacks, any flavor from 06-20-10 Smartsource insert
$1/1; $.50/1 Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt Multipacks, any flavor from 05-16-10 Smartsource insert
$.50/1 Yoplait Fiber One PRINT
$1/1 Fiber One PRINT
- Use the $1/1 or $.50/1 to pay 25¢ per package!

MorningStar Farms Entrees, Assorted Varieties, 5.25 to 12 oz box, BOGO $3.99
$.75/1 Morningstar Farms Veggie Foods Product – 06-27-10 RP
$1/1 Morningstar PRINT
- Use the $1/1 to pay $1 per item!

Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Light Ice Cream Bars, Assorted Varieties, 15 to 21-oz box, BOGO $4.29
$1/1 Smooth & Dreamy PRINT
- You pay $1.15 after the $1/1 printable

Dove Ice Cream, Assorted Varieties, 15.1 oz box, BOGO $3.29
$1/2 Dovebar Miniature Ice Cream or Dovebar 3-Pack Ice Cream, any two. from 05-16-10 Red Plum insert
- You pay $1.15 per box after coupon!
Bic SureStart Utility Lighter BOGO $3.49
$1/1 any BIC multi-purpose lighter or multi-position lighter – 06-06-10 SS
$1/1 Bic Multi-Purpose Lighter or Multi-Position Lighter, any (DND 5) – 05-23-10 SS
$1/1 Bic PRINT
- You will pay 75¢ using any of these $1 coupons

Reynold’s Wrap Aluminum Foil, Heavy Duty: Regular or Non-Stick Release or Quality, 12 inch wide, 35 to 75 sq ft box, BOGO $4.15 - LOVING this one!!!
$.75/1; $1.25/1 Reynolds Wrap Foil non-stick, Any Excluding 20, 25, and 30 Sq. Ft. from the 06-20-10 Smart source insert
$1/1 Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil, Any Except 25 Sq. Ft. – Signature Family Recipes
$1/1 Reynolds PRINT
- If you have the $1.25/1 coupon, great!! If not $1/1 still makes it a little over $1 for foil! That is good, foil deals rarely come around so if you have the extra money, stock up!

Remember that if when you print the printable coupons to hit refresh as it is printing so that you can print 2 of each coupon!

Pasta Primavera

2010-06-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

So the pasta primavera was just OK last night. I honestly thought that it was going to be more like the Stouffer's skillet meal that has the pasta and veggies - Um, no. It wasn't bad though. Just different that I expected and that left me a little disappointed. On the plus side, it did help me use up some of my stockpile items - the Aloutte that was BOGO at Publix last week, pasta and frozen veggies. And that indeed is the goal, to use the stuff up!

So I thought that I would still post the recipe in case someone wanted it.

Pasta Primavera
12 oz. linguine or fettuccine
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 can diced plum tomatoes, drained (I omitted these)
3 scallions, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 pkg. (6.5 oz.) Alouette Garlic & Herbs ( I used 1 and a 1/2)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 large chicken breast
Cook pasta according to directions on package, drain and set aside.
Add olive oil to pasta pot and saute chicken until cooked through. Set chicken aside. Add more olive oil if needed and saute vegetables, tomatoes and scallions over medium heat 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, chicken stock and Alouette, stirring until cheese melts. Add cooked chicken back in.
Add pasta back into pot. Toss to coat. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Enjoy

Another quick Publix post

2010-06-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

I ran into Publix after a work class in Northport this morning.
If you haven't printed the $1.50 Berry coupon off Publix's website, you should do it NOW.
Blueberries are currently 2/$3 through tomorrow, which makes them free with the coupon. Raspberries are 2/$4 and Blackberries are 2/$5. They had tons right when you walk in the door and I was able to use more than one coupon in a transaction. Here is the coupon Season's Peak.

Also, there is a new Rite Aid $5/25 coupon on Red Plum. Use zip code 95677. The Northport store accepts Rite Aid as a competitor. Remember that you can print two for each computer. Mine doesn't expire until 7/31!

So here is what I got today for $12.20....
1 gallon of milk
1 box of Kellogg's corn pops
1 box of Lucky charms (not on sale but a must in our house!)
2 Degree Deo.
1 bunch of green onions
2 pints of raspberries
2 pints of blueberries
2 containers of blackberries (they were bigger than pints, maybe quarts??)
1 yoplait kids yogurt

I used a $5/25 Rite Aid coupon, $1/1 Kelloggs cereal peelie, $1.50/1 Lucky charms peelie, 6 Publix berry coupons, $1 off fruit wyb Kelloggs cereal and 1 Free yogurt wyb lucky charms peelie.

Rebating - Your questions Answered

2010-06-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

I often get lots of questions regarding rebating. What is it? Am I buying stuff just to get money back? How hard is it to do, etc.

Here's the skinny on rebating.

#1. Its Easy
#2. I don't buy things just because there is a rebate out. I buy the things we use/need and save my receipts. If I find a rebate for the things I have purchased, great! If not, thats ok too because I would have purchased them anyways.
#3. Alabama is a no beer purchase necessary state, meaning that in Alabama, you don't have to purchase beer for all the great rebates that the beer companies put out. Most rebates are for meat, salty snacks, soda, paper products, seafood, deli products and produce. So where as other states might have to buy $15 worth of meat and 1 12 pack of Coors Light to receive $10, in Alabama, you only have to purchase the $15 worth of meat. To me its like getting $10 back on the $15 worth of meat I was already buying.
#4 Rebate forms are hard to come by. I rarely find them in stores around my area. So....I trade for them at hotcouponworld or buy them off eBay. Simply search "beer rebates" if buying off eBay.
#5. Wine companies also put out rebates (most are no wine purchase necessary in AL) but I must admit that they are not as easy as the beer rebates. Wine companies tend to find one way or another to reject your rebate.
#6. Other rebates are offered at grocery stores for buying x amount of products. Publix usually does alot of rebates to go along with specific food brands. An example would be the recent Kraft foods rebate. You received a $10 Publix gift card by mail when you purchased $25 worth of Kraft products. These rebates are generally pre-coupon so you can use coupons and save even more or come out even in the long run.
#7. You need to be organized! This is a must. Simply because for most rebates you need the form plus your receipt and sometimes even the UPC codes. I have a zippered pouch (think elementary school pencil pouch, LOL!) that I put my rebates in. Once I buy the product, I put the receipt behind the rebate. When I get home, I go ahead and address the envelope and place everything in it.
#8. I track my rebates at Rebate Tracker. This is simply a place where you can input the rebates that you are sending off and it will tell you when to look for the check in the mail. According to rebate tracker, I am currently due a total of $204 in checks. How cool is that? Free money for buying stuff I already buy.

I think I covered it all but maybe I missed something. Do you have a question about rebates that I didn't answer? Leave me a comment and I will try to answer!

Recipes for the week

2010-06-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Once again, I've tried to matchup meals with ingredients that are in my stockpile. Here are the meals that we will be having this week.

~~Steak, baked potatoes and salad~~
~~Pasta Primavera~~
Layered Mexican Bake
Cubed Steak and Cabbage Casserole
Pasta Bake

I will try to post recipes as I cook the meals.
Whats on your menu this week?

Cupcakes, How I love thee!

2010-06-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Its no secret that I love to bake, especially sweet things. Several weeks ago, Publix had Oreo Cakesters and Creme Fudge cookies on sale BOGO. I had $1 coupons for the Creme Fudge cookies and Free cakesters wyb the creme fudge cookies so I ended up getting boxes of each for around a quarter a box. Cade LOVES cakesters and would eat one for every snack if I let him (boy, would that score me some serious mommy points), but alas I dont let him.

I love the Fairhope Foodie blog and read it lots for new meal ideas. Well, fairhope foodie led me to another website called Annie's Eats. I must say that I could read cooking/food blogs all day. Both blogs are great but Annie's Eats has several pages of cupcakes recipes. Heaven!!

So....I found a recipe for cookies and cream cupcakes!! I adapted her recipe some and finally put to use all those oreo cakesters and fudge creme cookies.

Here is the recipe as I made it. You can find the original recipe here

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

24 Oreo creme fudge cookies

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 2/3 cup sugar

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup milk

8 Oreo cakesters, crumbled

For the frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/2 cup whipped creme (the original recipe calls for 2 tbsp. heavy cream, I'm sure this would be great but I didn't have it)

For garnish:

Oreo cookie crumbs

24 Oreo cookie halves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners. Place an Oreo fudge creme cookie in the bottom of each liner. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the crumbled Oreo cakesters with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.
Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the whipped cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.

These were great!!

Enjoy!

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Stockpiling 101

2010-06-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post some of my stockpile pictures for you guys to see.

Some of you may be wondering what a stockpile is exactly....well, A stockpile is, in its most basic form, having a backup for every item that you use on a regular basis. It's not something that you go out and buy all at once, and say "Voila! I have a stockpile!" OK, technically, yeah. You could do it that way, but where are the savings? A stockpile is built one item at a time, not bought.

There is no reason that you need to start stockpiling flat-out, no holds barred. If you have budget constraints, start out by designating $20.00 a month toward your stockpile. When that's gone, you only go after the things that you can get for free.

I personally have been couponing long enough now that I know price points pretty well now. Although, some price points have gone up in the past year, I still know what I will pay for laundry detergent for example. (Price Points could well be another whole post!)

You may be asking " How do I know how much of something to stockpile?"

You need to begin by thinking about how much stuff your family uses. To begin with, figure out how large a supply you want to have on hand-- 3 months? 6 months? A year? Then, determine how much of a given item your family uses each week or month. EX: Family goes through 2 boxes of cereal each week. You want a 6 month cereal supply on hand. Six months = 26 weeks x 2 boxes/week= 52 boxes of cereal. Unless is is a spectacular deal (like free), you will not buy all 52 boxes in one week! Build up to 52. Ten one week, and 15 the next time there is a cereal deal. Things go on sale at regular intervals, which helps you to determine how much of any given item to have on hand. If you shop at the same store regularly you will begin to notice a pattern in sales cycles. Publix is an easy one, things cycle regularly there. If you can't store a year's worth of cereal at one time, figure out how many boxes it will take to hold you over until the next time there will be fantastic sale!

Buying from Sam's in bulk is not stockpiling!! 90% of the time, purchasing in bulk at a warehouse store is not the least expensive option. A few things are really inexpensive there, but quite a few things are just "cheaper than regular price" and are just tide-you-over buys, and are not stockpile-worthy.

Keep control of your stockpile! There are several reasons to keep a handle on the ol' stockpile.

1. Space: Don't let your stockpile take over. Sacrificing the comfort of your family and making daily life difficult is not the goal of a stockpile. If things get uncomfortable, you have probably bought too much.
2. Safety and Expiration Dates: A deal isn't a deal unless you are actually going to use the item before it spoils. Ask yourself how much of a product your family can reasonably use in a given time frame, and STOP when you have that amount.

There's always "a sale", but that doesn't get you significant savings. Stockpiling is about stockpiling the savings. So if Ragu is on sale for $2 a jar and you have a 20 cent coupon, just buy for an emergency. If it's on sale for $1 and you have multiple $1 coupons, buy as many as you can for FREE. Deep sales cycles on items are approximately 3 months at any given store. So if you can pass up the barely-reduced prices and wait it out for a great price, stock up, then use what you have until other great sale comes along, you start seeing the savings. It takes 3 - 6 months, even longer, to build up a significant stockpile. But once you have filled your pantry for free, you can "shop" out of your own pantry for your week's meals, and use the store for free or nearly free, and perishable items.

Thanks to HCW for some of the basic information on stockpiling!

Quick Publix Run

2010-06-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

I was in Tuscaloosa this afternoon so I thought I would run into Publix to use some of the Green Advantage coupons that are about to expire. He is what I got for $15.77 ($7.08 of that was tax!)

4 Infusium 23 Shampoos
4 Infusium 23 conditioners
4 Noxema bikini shavers
1 insulated cooler bag (because I left mine at home)
2 packs of Pork ribs
2 packs of pork chops
1 vidalia onion
3 baking potatoes
1/3 lbs ham from the deli
Potato salad from the deli

Saved a total of $77.97! Pretty good for a quick run!

Slowly getting back into the swing of things....

2010-06-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

As the title implies, I'm gonna try and once again get back into posting on my blog regularly. I know some of you are probably laughing at that and I'm ok with that. I will laugh along with you.

Life has kept me busy as it does all of you. I took on the Publix moderator forum at HCW a couple of months ago. It has been a fun "job". I find that I am getting better deals because I am constantly in there reading stuff about Publix. I've had several people tell me that HCW is hard to navigate and it can be overwhelming. I agree. Because I tend to be on the OCD side, I read and read until I figure something out and I am sure that is the only way I mastered HCW. If you have questions or can't figure something out, please leave me a comment or shoot me an email at jennspen54@yahoo.com and I will help you! My screen name is jennspen on HCW if you need anything over there.

Publix has been good to me lately with lots of cheaps deals and moneymakers. My stockpile is full again and so I am trying to plan meals for the next few weeks using things I have on hand.

So here is my menu for the upcoming week. What's on yours?

Crockpot Chicken, okra and corn

Cubed Steak, mac n' cheese and cabbage

Chili Mac and salad

Lasagna, salad and bread

Taco Salad

Weekday dinner recipe ideas

2009-09-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend I put together a menu list for two weeks of dinners that I could make fairly quickly. I also had alot of the ingredients so after I made my grocery list of the things I needed I only spent $70 for 2 weeks!!! I am posting this because my friend Veronica asked me to share some of my ideas after I posted on Facebook so here goes. I got many of my ideas from http://www.momswhothink.com/. Head over there and see what you can find for your family.

Bacon and Cheese Quiche
Easy Chicken Stroganoff
Butter Chicken
Chicken Roll ups
Mini Meatloaves
Hamburgers
Mexican Chicken
Baked Ziti
Chicken Rice Casserole
Baked Ravioli
Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches
Velveeta East Cheesy pot pie
Pot Roast

I hate that I can not link to the direct recipes there but I am pretty sure that all of them came from there that aren't easy ones.

I love to cook and I'm always looking for new ideas, especially ones my 2 year old might like, so if you have any other great ideas, leave me a comment with them

Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday (um, I mean Tuesday!)

2009-08-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

I've been out in the crazy world for a while but thought I would get back on my Menu Plan Monday even if it is Tuesday :)

Monday - Chicken and Rice with sauteed squash and steamed broccoli
Tuesday - turkey meatloaf with homemade mashed potatoes
Wednesday - BBQ Porkchops with a noodle side
Thursday - Pasta Skillet Bake with salad and garlic bread
Friday - Hamburgers and french fries
Saturday - Taco Casserole with mexican rice
Sunday - Pepper steak with rice

I am hoping that sticking to a meal plan around what I have in the pantry will help me use up stuff before it expires AND save money! Two things I really need to do!

Check out more great recipes at Menu Plan Monday!

Back again

2009-07-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

Well once again it's been awhile since I posted. Life gets the better of me alot and I forget to update all the great deals I am getting. I have been really trying to use up the stuff I have in my freezer and pantry to make room for fresh veggies from the garden this summer. I generally have a budget of less than $250 per month for groceries. Last month I stayed pretty true to that but this month, I will try harder and my goal is to keep it less than $200. This includes all food and hba stuff as well as diapers/pull ups for Cade. I am participating in a contest at HCW where to challenge is to spend as little out of pocket for the month as possible. I am not in it to win because there are alot of women on there who have enough stuff in their pantries and freezers that they wont spend anything, however, its mainly a competition against myself. My goal really is to eat down the stuff that is in my freezer. So far this month (I'm counting since 6/28) I have spent $31.43. If I can stay around that spending amount each week, I will come out at about $160 for July which would be GREAT!! In the contest, if your OOP (out of pocket) is less than 10 cents on the dollar, it doesn't count. So for example, something normally cost $2 but after sales and coupons I get it for .20 cents or less, then it doesn't count. That is considered stockpiling. That $31.43 for the month does include 7 pounds of ground turkey and 1 pound of ground chuck. Yesterday I ran to Walmart for Popsicles that are $1 a box. I had $1 coupons so they were free. I grabbed 10 boxes. Between all the Breyers ice cream that's been on sale at Publix, the Popsicles and the Klondike bars that are BOGO at Publix next week, I would say that our freezer is slap full with dessert items!

The only deals I really see at Publix for next week is the Klondike Bars which will be .60 cents for each 6 pack after the BOGO sale and $1.25 coupon from the "Family is its own Reward" booklet. Lysol wipes might be a good buy, however, I really haven't looked at the preview enough to know yet. Michelle at IheartPublix has a great ad match up every week that is easy to navigate since I have had some people say that HCW is hard to figure out.

I think I'm back in the swing of things with CVS. I started off with $18.48 in Extra Bucks yesterday. I got 2 Dawn dish detergent, 3 tape, 1 pack of pencils, 2 pencil sharpeners, 2 Febreze noticeables, 2 Febreze fabric fresheners and 3 Febreze air affects for $2.88 and still have $17.97 in Extra Bucks. I am going to do the Febreze deal again.

How has your shopping been lately?

2009-05-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted...I really need to get more regular with this!

I've had a great weekend finding the deals! I hit Publix hard Saturday morning. The key to my success is definitely planning and organization. I can tell you when I dont do either of the above, I never save near as much money! I spent $91.60 and saved $283.68!! I am so blown away by those numbers. That is simply combining coupons with sales. I LOVE PUBLIX!

Here is a little bit of what I got:

5 Coles garlic bread loaves, 10# ribs, 5# of ground beef, 2# beef stirfry, 1 pkg pork chops, 2 pkgs of chicken drumsticks, 6 Heluva good dips, 4 Kraft singles, strawberries, 4 mayo, 2 rice, 13 salad dressings, 15 BBQ sauce, 20 A1 steak sauce, 2 18# bags of charcoal, 2 Glad wrap, 4 Eggo waffles, 2 Lays potato chips, 3 paper plates, 4 pkgs of Hamburger buns (for a b'day party), 2 brownies, 2 poptarts, pickles, 3 Rice Krispies cereal, milk, eggs, onions, ice cream

That's alot of stuff for $91 and I'm sure that I'm missing some stuff!

Anyways, my freezers and pantry are overflowing and I have made a promise to myself that I will not go back to the grocery store unless something is free after coupons until we eat some of this stuff. And I did end up giving away alot of the above (A1, dressing, and BBQ sauce).

So I combed through my freezer and developed some meals out of what we have on hand.

Here is my Menu Plan Monday entry.. Check out Orgjunkie to find alot of other menu ideas!

We may not necessarily eat these in order.....

Monday - Hamburgers on the grill

Tuesday - Beef tips and Rice

Wednesday - Chicken legs on the grill

Thursday - Fajitas

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - My baby's 2nd b'day party! - BBQ! - Happy Birthday CADE!

Sunday - Leftovers

I hope your memorial day is filled with family, friends and fun! I'm grateful for the freedom I have and want to say thanks to all the veterans out there who have fought for our country, the ones fighting today and the ones who gave their lives!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-05-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

So I found a really good website that I mentioned in an earlier post - Organzing Junkie, they have a thing called Menu Plan Monday - The idea is to plan your menu for the week so you aren't looking for things to pull out and cook after a long day at work. I am trying to get more organized so here is my menu plan for the week. Check out Menu Plan Monday @ Org. Junkie's site for more great recipe ideas!

Monday - Mini Meatloaves
Tuesday - Country Style Ribs in the crockpot
Wednesday - Beef Stir-fry

Thursday - Baked Ziti
Friday - Chicken Enchiladas

Saturday - Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

Sunday - Roast

Free Paper Plates and some upcoming deals

2009-05-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

I got a great deal on paper plates yesterday - 10 packs FREE!! Publix had their Chinet lunch plates on advantage buy 2/$4 through today. There was a $2 Chinet coupon in this past Sunday's paper making them free! Of course, we didn't get that coupon in our inserts so I bought some off Ebay. Luckily they made it yesterday and I was able to pick them up while in Tuscaloosa. I don't know about you, but I love paper plates - it really means less dish washing!

I'm looking forward to a few deals that are coming up in the next few weeks. This coming week at Target, some Tostitos and Pepsi products are gonna be $3 each and when you buy 5 you get a $5 gift card. I already have a $5 Target gift card that I have been holding onto from the Fiber One deal this week and I have some $3/2 and $2/2 Frito Lay coupons from a Pepsi rebate and then I found some coupons for Free Tostitos wyb 2 dips @ Publix. So....Here is my scenario for cheap chips and dip! Buy 4 jars of Tostitos dips and 2 bags of Tostitos Chips (all priced @ $3 each = $18) Use my $3/2 Tostitos coupon, $2/2 Tostitos coupon and 2 Free chips wyb 2 dips coupons which will bring my total down to $7, pay with $5 Target gift card and $2 cash and earn another $5 Target gift card. So essentially I am getting 4 dips and 2 chips for $2!

Then the week of May 17th, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks and Rice Krispies are 3/$5! There are currently some $1 coupons for these three cereals at http://www.coupons.com/ and http://www.kelloggs.com/ and also http://www.couponbug.com/. You can print each coupon 2 times. Since CVS takes printables, you will end up paying .67 cents per box!! Cheap Cereal! Cade loves Apple Jacks and I am thinking that I can make Rice Krispies out the wazoo!! LOL!

I'm really trying hard to stick to a budget of $200 a month for our family of 3. It is very obtainable since we have a freezer and pantry full of stuff but I cant help chasing the deals! LOL!
We planted a garden this year which I am really excited about. We planted several different types of peppers, tomatoes, squash and eggplant. I'm really excited to see what all I can do with it.

That's it for right now but if any of you find any good deals I need to know about, please send them my way!

Nice Publix Run!

2009-04-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in a while but do have some brags from this weekend.....Publix had great sale this past week (ends today). Two of the deals that I took advantage of were Skippy Peanut Butter and Starkist Seasations frozen fish fillets. My household eats peanut butter like crazy so I bought 14 jars so far and got a rain check for 10 at one store that was out. I know you are probably thinking "14??!!" but the expiration dates are into 2010 and at .45 cents a jar after coupons, that is a great deal! The Starkist fish fillets were on sale for $3 and there were $3 coupons out making them FREE! Cant beat Free! A co-worker and I split a coupon order off eBay and I got 15 boxes. So at one store I got 15 boxes of fish, 12 jars of PB, 1 box of Teddy Grahams for my child and a bag of jelly beans (total impulse buy) for $8.47!!! I saved $120.82! Craziness I tell you!

I also discovered a new website over the past few weeks - Once A Month Mom. The website looks really cool. The point is to cook about a month's worth of meals on one day, freeze them and then pull them out as you need them. That would come in really handy when I have to work late and even at times when I don't and just want to play with my child instead of cooking an elaborate meal. I talked to my sister about it and we are thinking that we may try a mini version of this next month. Maybe do half a month's worth. We'll see and I will update as it happens...LOL!

I have also discovered a site called I'm an Organizing Junkie. I must confess that I am not nearly as organized as I would like to be but I am aspiring to be after looking at this website. I actually came upon the site after doing a search for meal planning. The website does a thing called Menu Plan Monday where people plan their menus out for the week. I think it is a great place to get menu ideas. I didn't necessarily plan my menus for the week but I did plan about 23 meals based around things I have in my freezer or pantry. This way I can just look at my list and make something from it knowing that I already have all the ingredients. Maybe I can slowly get to the point where I plan my menus each week. We'll see....

I checked out the Publix preview for the ad starting tomorrow...Nothing looks very promising right now but that's OK, I really don't "need" anything, its just fun to see what I can walk away with dirt cheap!

Hope you all are having a great start to a beautiful week. I'll try to pop back in when I find another deal!

A Great Mail Day!

2009-03-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

I went to the mailbox yesterday when I got home and opened the door to $38 in rebate checks!! I would definitely say that is a good mail day! One rebate was for Science Diet dog food that I had bought Portia, our mini dachshund, and the other was for groceries. Both purchases I would have made regardless, so basically I got paid to send them my receipts.

I also discovered that my little boy is steadily outgrowing his tennis shoes we bought him at Christmas! Also, to my surprise, he is wearing two different sizes! LOL! One shoe was a 7 1/2 and the other is an 8. We aren't really sure how this happened......
So we bought him some new shoes @ Shoebuy.com. I went through ebates and will get 10% back in my paypal acct. If you make a lot of purchases online, ebates is Great!! They give you $5 after you make your first purchase and then different stores offer different percentages back. It's basically a link you use to get to the online stores you are buying stuff from. Another easy way to save a buck!! Here is the link for anyone that is interested - Ebates

Mtn. Dew and a little more

2009-03-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I stopped by Publix and picked up the following.....

13 - Mtn. Dew 2-liters
2 - 3 pk. Dial soaps
1 - Chinet plates
1 - family size pkg. of ground chuck
1 - Dixie disposable coffee cups
1 - Kelloggs fiber plus bars
6 - Taco Bell Dinner kits
1 - Pace salsa
4 - Kelloggs frosted flakes
2 - dozen eggs
1 - gallon of milk

I paid $23.10 and saved $71.17, gotta love Publix
I had coupons for everything on my list except the ground beef. I will turn around and use my receipt for a MIR (mail-in-rebate).
Can you guess what we had for supper?

I also helped a friend of mine get 13 diet Mtn. Dew 2 liters, 7 bags of cat food and 6 boxes of Kelloggs fiber bars for less than $3 ~ Amazing!!!

All about stockpiling

2009-03-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

I started couponing not long after I got married but really didn't coupon seriously. I would use a coupon if I had it and was buying that item but didn't really try to match coupons up with sales. I was working in Tuscaloosa in 2004 when some of my co-workers would pass around their weekly coupon inserts to share. I started seriously couponing in April of 2007, just a month before my son was born. I found a website, Hotcouponworld, that literally made me coupon crazy!! My user name there is Jennspen, so if you decide to join there, put me down as a referral - LOL! I realized that to save the maximum amount at the grocery store, I needed to be matching coupons with sales items and then obtaining multiple coupons for each item so that I could maximize my savings. Thus the concept of stockpiling became stuck in my head. I am proud to say that if anyone in my family were to lose their jobs, we would be OK for a little while. I will post pictures of my stockpile soon, until then, keep following to see what I am adding each week.

~Jenn